The Return: A Book for Frances about Life and Death
             Preface
            Back Cover
      You're in Charge: A Guide to Becoming Your Own Therapist
            Introduction: The Art of Self Observation
             On Dreaming
            Foreign Editions
   Since the New Deal: An Annotated Chronology of the Events That Have Changed the United States
             The C.I.A. (excerpt)
             Origins of the Cold War (excerpt)
             Some Quotations that Demonstrate the Underlying Philosophy Since the New Deal

 
      Afghanistan, "Terrorism," and Blowback   About Anthrax
     Some Thoughts on 9-11-2001

You're in Charge: A Guide to Becoming Your Own Therapist
Chapter 6 (an excerpt)                    1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9        p.6

On Dreaming

If your dream tells you to take some time for yourself, then plan precisely how you can cut back in your busy work schedule. If the Dream Sender urges you to cross the river now (instead of walking toward a possible "better bridge" downstream), then plan when and how to take the action to which the dream was metaphorically referring. If your dream is warning you not to tie your ship to a single anchor (and is really saying, don't let your accounting practice depend on one single large client), then realistically see what you can do to enlarge your clientele and then make those actual moves.

Nightmares
Nightmares are especially important dreams to work on. They are sometimes caused by two warring subpersonalities within you. When you discover the conflict and find some way to reconcile their diverse needs, there will be much energy released for whatever it is you need to do.

People frequently wake themselves up from a nightmare just before the ending. They are either perched like Pauline on the edge of a cliff, with the ground crumbling beneath them, or tied to a railroad track with an express train thundering toward them, or at the steering wheel of a car whose brakes have failed, careening down a steep hill, or . . . . If this happens to you, try this gestalt technique. Put yourself back in the dream. Feel the same frightening feelings. Continue the action. Bring the dream to a genuine--- not interrupted--- ending.

If by any chance, while you are having the nightmare, you realize that you are dreaming, by all means continue the dream action. Don't say, "Oh, thank God, it's only a dream," and permit yourself to wake up. Confront your attacker--- the robber, tidal wave, tiger, or whatever--- and don't run away. He may capitulate when he sees your new show of strength or cleverness, and become a "paper tiger"! Or you may have to fight him to the death. If this latter is the case, know that you may call on your friends--- or a fairy godmother--- to help you. (After all, anything is possible in a dream.) Better yet, perhaps you can make him into an ally. It's important that you emerge unharmed. In the confrontation that you permit--- knowing that nothing can harm you--- you can learn some very valuable lessons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Dream Sender
In addition to learning to remember your dreams, you can also learn to dream specific dreams on demand. If, for instance, you failed to get the message from a dream, you can ask the Dream Sender to give you a dream that will explain the first dream. You will need to set the intention. Say to yourself just before you fall asleep, "My dreams tonight will explain last night's dream. And the first thing I'll do when I wake up is to write down those dreams which will give me the explanation of last night's dream."

A very important use of your Dream Sender is to ask for a dream that will give you an answer to a specific question or help in making a certain decision. A couple of years ago I had a very bad cold while I was staying at a temporary home in Germany. I was to leave the next morning to do a workshop in Poland, a twenty-four train trip away. I had vacillated in my decision-making about whether I should cancel the trip and the workshop. When I went to sleep that night, I asked for a dream that would tell me whether I should go or stay. I woke up in the middle of the night with a hideous attack of coughing and dashed for the bathroom a long hall away. As I was sitting on the toilet I remembered I had intended to have a definitive dream. At first I felt I had lost it, then I remembered something about being in a group of people and speaking German.

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© Janette Rainwater 1997-2004

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