Misconceptions About Withholding Information

If, when you log on to your computer in the morning and check your emails, you see a message from a close friend, do you click on it? Chances are you'd want to open it and see what the message contains. And what if you knew that this email were to shed light on a pesky problem?

I've learned that our dreams are messages from a dear friend; a friend that knows us intimately and provides us with timely insights. Just as you wouldn't leave an email from your friend unopened, why not check out what valuable information your dreams contain?

Albert Einstein regularly paid attention to his dreams. He would often intentionally "incubate" a dream by asking a question before sleeping. One of his dreams contained his famous formula E=mc2, the Theory of Relativity.

If it's good enough for Einstein, it's good enough for me! Imagine having your very own built-in problem solver. To take advantage of this underutilized resource and to begin getting answers, you first need to realize that you dream every night, even if you don't have conscious recall of it.

Next, let go of the belief that dreams are weird. Think of it this way, just because you don't understand a foreign language doesn't mean that it's nonsense!

I've been dream journaling for roughly 10 years, I studied dream analysis with an expert (a good friend who is now deceased),have conducted dream workshops, and have helped clients interpret their dreams. Below I will share with you how you can quickly do this for yourself. I have distilled several styles of dream analysis over the years and have arrived at a method that makes dream analysis quite simple, even if you've never done it before.

To illustrate I will use one of my life-changing dreams. Prior to becoming a professional business and life coach, I had been highly successful as a senior level HR executive at a Fortune 500 company. And yet, I felt that I was on a parallel career track and was searching for a more fulfilling opportunity. I decided to let my dreams help me get more clarity about my ideal career.

1. Ask a specific question.

Here's the question I consciously asked (dream incubation) as I was preparing for sleep: Show me how I can combine my abilities and talents to be of greater service?

2. Record your dream (or dream series) in a journal or notebook.

Keeping paper and pen on your night stand will help you remember to follow through on your intention and makes it easier to capture your dream on paper before it leaves your memory bank. Or, if you prefer, you can make an audio recording. Here's what I recorded in answer to my question.

I am at a corporate manager's conference. A reception is being held pool-side. Two senior executives I know are standing there sipping wine. One of them breaks his glass, his hand is bleeding from the cut glass. I see this from across the pool, and I jump into the water and quickly reach the other side. I apply "first aid" to help him success- fully stop the bleeding. Then, I return to the other side again and have a glass of red wine to celebrate my heroics. All was accomplished
effortlessly!

In the next scene, I'm seated around a conference table with therapists and psychologists. It is a business setting. I share my findings and this information is well received.

NOTE: In reality, there's no chance I'd dive into a pool under these circumstances. So, remember this is "dream language." Also, you must write down your dream to reap the reward of your dream message. Simply record it without analyzing it yet.

3. Pay attention to major symbols.

(a) Make a list of the nouns in your dream and ask yourself what it represents to you (this is how you develop your own dream dictionary):

Manager's Conference = work-related dream
Pool = water, emotions, spirituality
First aid kit = tool for healing/transformation
Executives = level of management I feel comfortable with and currently serve as an internal consultant
Full wine glass = fulfillment, emotional satisfaction

(b) Identify the feelings of the dream:

Great satisfaction, sense of awe (speed, ease, effortlessness), pleasant surprise, deep respect

(c) Note the colors in the dream:

Blue = communication, expressing own needs and will Deep Red = energy, vigor, passion

4. Ask yourself the following set of questions:

(a) What is happening in my life right now? Did I ask a specific question before sleeping?

Yes! I asked for guidance regarding my career.

(b) Who else was in the dream? What part of me do they represent?

Senior executives and therapists. One symbolizes the ambitious and confident part of me, and the other the caring motivator side.

(c) Who is in control? What is the action of the dream?

I took control and my helping action felt great; what I had to offer was respected and well received.

(d) What is the dream's message?

I have the ability to quickly assess a situation (zero in on problems) and have the methods/techniques to problem-solve (first aid kit); I will succeed by combining business principles with my understanding and experience of human behavior.

5. Give your dream a title.

I called mine "Taking the Plunge."

6. List the actions you can take as a result of your dream.

(a) Fully commit to taking the plunge to pursue my passion.
(b) Continue working with my mentor coach and identity my niche.
(c) Set a target date for launching my own coaching business.

This dream along with my interpretation served as a profound validation of what I thought was beginning to emerge for me. Please remember that at the time, personal coaching was virtually unheard of and taking this entrepreneurial leap felt risky. My dream message fortified my courage to follow my heart. Such is the power of dreams!

My dream turned out to be 100% accurate. Coaching is indeed my calling. I love working with business owners and executives. And, I enjoy mentoring a large number of therapists, social workers, and psychologists.

So, before going to sleep tonight, verbally affirm your ability to remember your dreams. Then, upon awakening write down the details so that you, too, can unlock the priceless messages that are stored within you. Until you try it, you won't have any idea how many important dream messages you've missed out on already.

(c) 2005 Barbara McRae, MCC. All rights reserved.
If you wish to reprint this article, please contact me at barbara@enhancedlife.com. Thank you!

EnhancedLife Coaching, LLC is proud to be affiliated with The Ken Blanchard Companies®. Our clients include individuals, small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, professional associations, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies in the US and Europe. For further information contact: barbara@enhancedlife.com or call us at 505-424-3770.