project
alternate tips
dream work remembering
ongoing journal
Right now this is
a conglomeration of ideas. Read through the entire page
and fashion your own
project from any or all of these. This project should
include both a record
of dreams and analysis or theory about dreams.
Whether you follow
this first assignment or read through and devise your own
is up to you--if you
have an idea that you think varies significantly from those presented,let
me know about it ahead of time and I will probably okay it.
Before falling asleep, DECIDE you are going to remember your dreams.
Be
patient; it may take
a night or 2 for your unconscious to get the message.
The most important
thing to remember is that EVERYONE dreams and that once
you believe you will
remember them, you will!
Keep the journal and a pen close to your bed and write down dreams you
recall immediately,
without interpretation. You may have more than one entry
per night (everyone
dreams between 4 and 6 times) of varying lengths (REM
sleep gets longer,
therefore, your dreams get longer later on in night).
What should you record? Basically everything, uncensored, as you
remember them... do
not worry about proper English for this part. To be more
specific write down:
*dialogue or any words
*the number and types
of people (friends, strangers, relatives)
*objects
*the mood of the dream
(happy, sad, scary, etc.)
*settings
*themes
*events
*timing in the dream
*relations to the
dream and you (are you an observer, participant, seeing
yourself as player?)
*If it's to difficult
to record a part of the dream in writing, sketch a picture.
Part II. Written Report
Once you have about
3-5 dreams in your journal, try to analyze them using the
following questions
as guides (but feel to create your own "questions" also).
*Were there any common threads, common ideas, running through the journal?
*Are your dreams bizarre? Mundane?
*Which dreams are most disturbing? Why? What do they mean to you?
*What common symbols
or objects did you record? What do you think these
symbols mean?
*Were you able to control your dreams as you remembered more and more of them?
*How are your dreams relevant to your waking life?
*Was the content of
both journals identical on any days? What does this tell
you?
*What seems to be the main function of your dreams?
In other words, what did you learn about yourself by writing in the
journal?
Write a thesis statement, and support it with references directly
from your dreams (you
may even refer to a particular date of a dream and tell
the reader to go to
certain lines.) Summarize the dreams you discuss in your
report. Consider
comparing settings, plots, characters, emotions, and colors.
The report should be in essay/paragraph form. Do not just write sentences
answering each question,
rather have a thesis in mind that connects all the
individual ideas.
Part 1 or the dream diary should be hand written If there are any
dream
entries that you do
not want read, please mark these "Personal" across the
top of the pages.
Part 2 or the Report is to be typed, around 2 pages, single spaced
with
double spacing between
paragraphs.
*2. Analyze one
of your dreams from a pure Freudian perspective. Write a
two to three paragraph
interpretation of what it means (the whole dream or
parts). Use
the terminology from this section of your readings whenever
possible.
*3. For this
analysis, you may want to reference a couple of your dreams.
Write a one to two
paragraph essay on some common themes your listed dreams
may represent, concentrating
on issues, conflicts, or concerns that are
shared by everyone
(universals).
Your Dream Journal
Sigmund Freud said "Dreams are the royal road to the unconscious".
He
wrote several books
on dreams, dream content, and dream interpretation.
Everybody dreams,
though there are those who say they do not. This is
perhaps because they
cannot recall their dreams. Most dreams occur during
REM sleep, which takes
up about 25% of total sleep time and occurs on an
average of every 90
minutes. This exercise is designed to help you become
more aware of your
dreams, how often you dream, and what (if anything) can
you learn from your
dreams.
*First, staple several
sheets of loose leaf paper together, around 10 should
suffice (not pages
ripped out of a spiral notebook), or get a small steno
pad. This is
going to be your dream journal. You will be making entries in
these as described
below.
** Grades will
be based on: following directions, insights gained, and
thoroughness.
Start recording your dreams right away, and continue until you
have about 3 to 5
dreams.
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Tips to help you remember your dreams:
**relax and keep telling yourself that you WILL remember your dreams
**create a comfortable
sleeping environment (you probably already have one,
so don't do anything
different because of this assignment
**these dreams do not
have to occur at night, dreams that occur during naps
can be just as revealing
**if you can't remeber
a dream, when you wake up, just write the first words
that come to your
mind, as you look at them, a dream may come back to you.
**if you really get
stuck, you can think about dreams you have had before,
especially those that
are reoccuring.
Your Dream Theory
This is the major element of this project. Once you have completed
the
entire workbook and
readings on the different approaches, you will develop
your own theory, using
the criteria below and your own, as a guide.
It will help you to go back and reread your individual dream analysis's.
Think about how you
felt while you were writing them. Did you agree or
disagree with some
of the requirement of the approach? This should help you
decide what you want
to include and exclude from you theory.
Once that is done, you may begin writing your theory. This is to
be
typed, and turned
in with your completed workbook, and dream journal.
General Guidelines
These questions are
to help you begin organizing your thoughts about your
theory. You
may change the order in which you address them and add your own
points as necessary.
REMEMBER- this paper is to be in paragraph form!!!! Do
not just answer the
questions and turn in a "choppy" and illogical report.
Good Luck, and I look
forward to reading your theory.
1) Title of
your theory.
** Define your theoretical
orientation
**is it your own?
**is it one that you
have read?
**is it a combination
of those you have read?</ul>
2) Outline the theory
**what is the purpose
of dreaming in your theory?
**what do things mean?
**what do you pay
attention to- subjects, themes, events, objects, timing,
relations?</ul>
3) Analyze One of your Dreams
**You may transcribe
a simulated session between counselor and client or
**take an approach
similar to what you have done in this workbook, however
**complete the entire analysis, not the abridged version that we did here.
The length of the paper will be determined by the depth of your theory.
Please make sure you
address all points. I suppose that most papers will be
between 3 and 4 pages.
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*Free Writing
Write down on paper
a stream of consciousness reaction to your dream. Start
anywhere and just
keep writing whatever comes to mind. Don't censor or edit
anything out. It's
like free associating onto a piece of paper. Record
everything you are
thinking and feeling. If you get stuck, simply write "I'm
stuck, I'm stuck..."
over and over again until a new association comes up.
Then keep writing.
Or write down on a
piece of paper each element of the dream, and then write a
stream of consciousness
for each one. Compare what your wrote for each
element of the dream.
Look for similarities and patterns. Hold onto these
writings - and go
back to them later on. Days or weeks later you may see
something that you
missed the first time around.
*Mental Images
Images are pictures
or sensations in you imagination, in your "mind's eye" -
similar to dreams.
Use them to explore a dream. For example, close your eyes
and free associate
to the various elements of your dream by letting PICTURES
or SENSATIONS flow
through your imagination. Let your imagination go. Don't
try to control what
you see or experience. Let it move on its own. Stay with
this and something
important will come up.
*Another technique
is to RELIVE the dream in your imagination. Close your
eyes, start at the
beginning of the dream, and relive it as vividly as you
can. Then replay the
dream again, only this time let your imagination go. Let
your imagination add
to and change the dream in any way it wants. It will
lead you to important
insights.(Any sensations you experience in your body
during a dream, or
while working with it, may reveal something about its
meaning.)
*Dialogues
Create a conversation
between you and the dream, or between two elements of
the dream. If you
dreamed about driving a car through a forest, write down on
a piece of paper a
conversation between you and the car (or the forest). What
would you say to the
car? What would the car say back to you? Don't try to
over-control the conversation.
Let it be as spontaneous as possible. Stay
with the dialogue
and let it progress. Or create a conversation between the
car and the forest.
What would they
say to each other?
*Another possibility
is to carry out this conversation LIVE. Set up two
chairs. Sit in one
chair and put the car into the other. Talk to the car.
Then switch chairs
and talk back to yourself.
Keep switching back
and forth. Let the conversation progress. Be spontaneous
and honest!
Sounds crazy, but THIS WORKS!
*Dream Enactment
If you are in an adventurous
move, get together some friends and reenact the
dream as if it is
a play. Assign roles to people. People can also be objects
in the dream. First
replay the dream as it actually occurred. Then do it
again and let people
improvise in their roles. Experiment with the play, with
you as the "director."
This is a powerful technique.
(All of these techniques
work best if you are SPONTANEOUS and
FREE-WHEELING. Let
your imagination go. Don't try to force or
over-control the process.
Be honest. Don't censor ideas.)
*Day Residue
People, things, or
events from the previous day that get incorporated into a
dream were put there
for a reason. They touched off ideas, feelings, and
memories in the unconscious.
Examining your thoughts and feelings about these
events from the day
will help you understand the dream and why it is
"commenting" on these
events. What do these day residue events remind you of?
Have these sorts of
things happened before?
*Dream Intangibles
There is a tendency
to focus just on objects, events, and people in a dream.
But there is more
to the dream than that. Consider also:
- FEELING TONE : what
is the primary feeling in the dream. What does it
remind you of in your
life? Does the feeling tone change at different points
in the dream? Why?
- COLORS : how are
colors used in the dream? What feelings and meanings might
be associated with
them? What do the colors remind you of?
- TIME AND SPACE :
how are time and space used in the dream? What feelings do
these create? Is the
dream communicating an idea by how it uses time and
space?
- MISSING AND VAGUE
PARTS : what parts of the dream are vague or unclear? Is
something missing
that should be there? These might be the points where dream
censorship by the
ego is at its strongest. Focus on these parts. There's
something important
going on there. Use free association and the other
techniques described
above to fill in the gaps. If there is a vague part to
the dream, try to
catch whatever details you can. For example, if you can't
remember a person
in the dream, can you remember what they were wearing, the
color of their eyes,
the color of their hair? Who does this remind you of?
Connections Among Dreams
Dreams often are connected
to each other in their meanings. Look for similar
patterns or themes
across your dreams. Are your dreams progressing or
changing somehow over
time? This might indicate something about YOU that is
changing over time.
Pay particular attention to recurring dreams since these
are important! They
point to a persistent theme or issue in your life. They
may indicate some
"unfinished business" in your life. How are the recurring
dreams similar to
each other? Different? Are they changing over time? What
might this say about
how you are changing?
Think Unusual
Remember that the
unconscious thinking that affects a dream is unusual and
illogical by conscious
standards. Things can mean exactly the opposite of
what they seem. Something
you FEAR in the dream may be something you
unconsciously wish
for. Things may contradict each other, which suggests a
conflict in which
you have contradictory feelings about something.
Try EXAGGERATING some
important aspect of the dream. In your mind, in
writing, or in a dream
enactment, amplify the feeling, action, or
situation in the dream.
Take it to the limit. Make it as intense as it could
be. Where does this
take you?
Try REVERSING the important
elements in the dream. Turn them into the
opposite feelings,
behaviors, or characteristics. Does this ring any bells?
Does it change the
meaning of the dream?
The Problem and Its
Solution
A dream may be showing
you a problem or issue that needs to be resolved. It
may be showing you
how you are reacting to the problem. It may even be
suggesting a solution.
For each dream, ask yourself, "What is the problem?
How am I reacting
to it? Is the dream suggesting a solution?"
Anxiety and Fear
Anxiety in a dream
usually indicates a point where important, perhaps
threatening, ideas
are surfacing from the unconscious. The anxiety is a
signal. Pay close
attention to these anxiety dreams. Nightmares that wake you
up indicate the surfacing
of particularly powerful material. In these cases,
the mind can only
think of one way to deal with the situation - ESCAPE!
When using any of
these techniques, if something is making you too
uncomfortable, then
STOP!
*Where are you?
You may be able to
find yourself in various places in the dream. The most
obvious place is the
"dream-ego," as Jung called it. This dream-ego is the
person who is having
the experiences that make up the dream. Usually the
dream-ego does not
know he/she is dreaming, unless it is a lucid dream.
Examine this dream-ego
carefully. Even though you may experience this ego as
yourself, the person
in the dream may be behaving and feeling in very
different ways than
you normally would. Compare yourself to this person in
the dream. How are
you the same? Different? Is this person in the dream some
hidden part of you
- some part you wish for, need, or fear?
Other people in the
dream may represent important people in your life - how
they actually are,
how you wish them to be, how you fear they might be.
Or, other figures in
the dream may represent hidden parts of yourself - the
way you wish you could
be, the way you used to be, parts you try to deny,
your hidden potentials,
something that is missing in your personality etc.
Some dream researchers
even believe that everything in the dream - every
person, object, and
event - represents a hidden part of you.
Jung would say that
you should always look for what the dream is trying to
teach you about your
SPIRITUAL self.
Myth
Jung would say that
every dream has its roots in mythology. Your dream - and
the situations in
your life that it depicts - are a reliving of issues that
are universal to all
humans. So find a good book on mythology. Locate a story
that contains people
or events similar to those in your dream. The mythical
story will give you
insights into your dream and how it relates to universal
human struggles and
triumphs.
Impasse
At some point in working
on a dream you will get stuck. This is an impasse, a
barrier. It means
you have to take a different perspective on the dream. You
have to reorganize
your thinking. Immerse yourself into that stuckness. Stick
with it and eventually
you will be able to break through to a new level of
understanding. If
you're REALLY stuck and frustrated, you may have to set the
dream aside and come
back to it later. Let it percolate in the back of your
mind. Look at other
dreams.
They may help you
make that breakthrough.
Don't underestimate
how "deep" a dream may be, even if it seems silly or
simple. When you think
that you are all finished working with a dream, think
again. There is probably
more there!
A Little Help from
Your Friends
It often helps quite
a bit to get someone else's perspective on yourdream.
Tell your dream to
a friend or family member, someone who knows
you pretty well. With
their help, try using some of the dreamtechniques
described in these
pages. Here are some other tips:
GROUP DREAMING: In
the presence of one or several friends (or when working
with fellow dream
explorers), close your eyes and describe your dream in the
first person and in
the present tense. Tell it, from beginning to end, as if
it's a story. With
their eyes also closed, everyone quietly listens to your
dream and tries to
imagine it in their mind as you describe it. Afterwards,
they describe to you
the reactions they had to your dream.
"IF THIS WERE MY DREAM..."
- As a general rule, you can only make
guesses about what
someone else's dream means. And it's quite easy for you to
project your own personal
meanings into it. Try using your own personal
reactions to help
your friend. What if your friend's dream WAS your dream!
What would you think
and feel about it? What would you be thinking and
feeling if you were
the people inside the dream? Tell your friend about your
personal reactions.
It might help your friend understand his or her dream.
Your Dream, You
Remember that your
dream was created by your mind. Other people can help you
explore it, but that's
all. Listen to their feedback, take what makes sense,
and leave the rest.
Ultimately, YOU are the expert on what your dream means.
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Invite, Don't Hunt
Your dreams can be
elusive. Try NOT to think of a dream as something to be
hunted, captured,
or controlled. If you do, it will be like trying to catch
your own shadow. The
faster you run, the faster it moves away from you.
INVITE dreams to come
to you, rather than pursuing them. Try to think of them
as a friend or an
ally who is willing to teach you something if you allow and
encourage them to
do so. Try to cultivate this attitude of "inviting" and
"welcoming" your dreams.
Plant a Seed
Before going to sleep,
tell yourself that you are going to dream. Keep a
positive, inviting
attitude. Think about and write down (1) the important
issues that are on
your mind for that day, and, (2) the kinds of things you
would like to dream
about. Read over what you wrote. Keep that idea in the
back of your mind
as you fall asleep. Don't analyze or think too deeply about
it, just hold it lightly
in your mind.
Reflect Upon the Dream
When you wake up from
a dream (in the middle of the night or in themorning),
lie still for a moment
and turn your mind inward toward the
memory of the dream.
Invite the various pieces of the dream tocome back to
you. Be patient. It
may take time for the different parts of the dream to
surface and come together.
Even if only fragments of the dream return to your
mind, that's OK. Don't
strain in trying to remember. Let your mind be light
and easy. Allow the
dream pieces to surface on their own. Gently repeating
the dream over and
over in your mind may allow new pieces to surface.
Write Everything Down
in "Rough Notes"
After you've reflected
on the dream and seem to recall as much of it as you
can, write down everything
you remember! Don't trust your memory. You
sometimes may think
"Oh, I'll definitely remember THIS dream! It was a
doozy!" But there's
a very good chance that you won't. Dreams are elusive!
Have paper and a pencil
ready by your bedside. Maybe even keep a flashlight
next to your bed too
(so the light won't disturb others). Using a
tape-recorder is another
possibility. Whatever method you choose, record the
following types of
information:
*anything you can
remember about the dream itself, even if only fragments
*small details in
the dream, even if they seem insignificant
*the feelings or sensations
you experienced during the dream
*events from your
life that come to mind when you think about the dream
(even if you're not sure how those events are related to the dream)
*the thoughts that
were on your mind when you were falling asleep
*any other thoughts,
feelings, memories, or sensations that arise as you are
reflecting on the
dream
If you can only remember
fragments of a dream, write those down without
worrying about how
to put them in order. In general, don't worry too much
about the grammar,
spelling, or logical flow of what you write in these
"rough notes." These
notes in fact may be a kind of "free association."
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Keeping an ongoing
dream journal can be a good way to stimulate your recall
of your dreams. The
more attention you pay to your dreams, the more your
dream life will "open
up" to you. Whereas the rough notes are your immediate
"off the cuff" recall
and reactions to your dreams, the journal can be a
place for more detailed,
in-depth, systematic thinking and exploring. Use the
rough notes as fuel
or as a springboard for ideas that you investigate in the
journal. You may also
use the journal to try out the various techniques for working with a dream.
Daytime Dreams
Sometimes the memory
of a dream may spontaneously pop into your mind during
the day. Try to write
it down as soon as possible. Also write down what you
were thinking about,
where you were, and what you were doing when the dream
came to you. All of
this information might be clues to the dream's meaning.
If you find yourself
daydreaming or fantasizing during the day, treat them as
if they were dreams.
Write down what you were thinking about, as well as
where you were, what
was happening to you, and what thoughts, feelings, or
events might have
triggered the fantasy. Daydreams in many ways are similar
to dreams. Exploring
them could enhance your understanding of your nocturnal
dreams. Exploring
them could help open up your dream life.
Be Patient and Optimistic
You will go through
periods when you just can't remember dreams, or only
recall small fragments.
That's OK! Be patient. Try to remain optimistic and
inviting. Don't dwell
on frustration or "failure." In your rough notes and
journal, describe
any your thoughts, feelings, and sensations you do have
upon awakening in
the morning. What things *do* you
For the next forty
eight hours, should you choose to accept this assignment,
you will become an
addict. Your addiction--ice cubes. In everything that
you consume that is
liquid in content, you must include ice cubes. In milk,
water, tea and coffee,
etc. This must be concealed from others. Drinking must
be from a container
which is not clear so that no one is to know you have "ice".
*You are to wear a
sign of your addiction--a piece of string/yarn around
your wrist or ankle.
These "tracks" are the visible signature of the addiction,
and should also be
"hidden" at all times under your shirt or slacks, but visible
should I call for
inspection.
*You are not to
discuss this project with anyone outside of the class until
the end of the project.
This might cause you to have to lie to friends, family,
teachers or others.
Do remind others in your class and ask them questions
about where their
"ice" is and how much they have left. You may "borrow"
others ice or exchange
for it. Be careful not to be disruptive in others classes.
*You are to keep a
journal with you at all times. In the past I have made this hourly--for
the next 48 hours you must write a brief entry during each class
period in school and
once before school and twice at home. If you engage
in afterschool sports or other events, one journal entry should
be made about
this period, as well.
Make a chart with time of entry/and then enter yes/no/
other for the followingquestions--1)are
you thirsty 2)have you had something
to drink in the past
two hours 3)where can you find ice if you wanted it right
now?
*You will need to keep
access to ice during the entire day. It is against
thespirit of the assignment
to merely try and avoid liquids, so you must
drink something every
two hours. Students in the past have "borrowed"
ice from the training
room, chemistry classes, the clinic, etc. Be creative
but don't be "caught".
*Along with the log
which I will ask to see on Monday, you should write up
a post log describing
how the experience went for you--difficulties,
thoughts you had about
the "reality" of the simulations, how it could be
improved. Do
not feel the need to tell me how "great" the project was or
what a "horrible"
representation of addiction it was--tell me what happened
to you and be honest.
If you don't complete the 48 hours, don't fabricate
stuff, drop out or
write me why you think you should get credit even if
you could not complete
the assignment.
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