EVERYBODY DREAMS. That's a fact. You might not remember your dreams when you wake up, but with a little encouragement and practise, you will soon have your subconscious delivering an interesting assortment and leaving sweet reminders on your pillow.
Dreams are more than something silly to discuss over cornflakes in the morning - they can be useful tools for understanding ourselves better. Dr David O'Rose has been interested in dreams since he was a teenager. After he qualified as a doctor, some of his patients would tell him their dreams and he began to appreciate their significance. He went back to university, studied dreams, and qualified as a psychiatrist. For the last decade he has been taking a holistic approach to understanding how the mind and body work, and how the unconscious is revealed through our dreams. Based at the Holistic Healthcare Practice in Central, he counsels people, using their dreams as a key to unlocking their inner lives.
'Dreams are a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious. As we start to align ourselves, we move towards more wholeness and our relationships work better. If we are moving too far off from our centre, dreams will reveal that to us and help us to come back,' said Dr O'Rose.
If you want to find out what your dreams are saying to you, the first step is to start recording them. Most of us forget our dreams soon after waking, so keep a notebook by your bed so that you can write down your dream as soon as you wake up. Some people find it easier to use a tape recorder. If you do, make sure that you transfer the dreams from the tape to a dream journal later.
The key to interpreting your dreams, says Dr O'Rose, is to crack your dream code. Everyone has their own dream language in which things have different meanings. For example, for some people a snake in a dream may mean potency, while for others, it might mean wisdom or creativity.
'Dream books are useful, but they aren't for learning the dream language, they are like dictionaries. Don't apply the dream books as a formula. You should use them to stimulate your imagination,' he said.
I have been keeping a dream journal for about six months and told Dr O'Rose a few of my dreams to see what he would make of them. They are a little too embarrassing to reveal here, but suffice it to say he gave me something to think about.
