Dreams: A Therapeutic Method of Healing and Creativity
Dreams are a source of inspiration and creativity that can lead us to a deeper understanding of who we are. They are a way for us to connect with hidden parts of ourselves that may not be easily accessible to us in our conscious, awakened states. Dreams may be explored on many levels, usually with more than one interpretation or meaning. The interplay of symbols within dream images are often metaphors reflecting the dynamic that exists between the various aspects of our psyche. Dream narratives can also provide us with a unique perspective on the dynamics of our interpersonal relationships that we may not have considered, and show us where we have become stuck or one-sided. Dreams can be foretelling, giving us information about future events that have yet to occur. Sometimes dreams show us parts of ourselves that we have attempted to hide that we must learn to understand and integrate for us to become whole.
In psychotherapy, an opening dream which occurs in the beginning stage of treatment can be used as a map that outlines the course of our healing process. Working with dreams can offer an opportunity to heal deep wounds that have been carried for years as they provide a means to work through past traumas. Sometimes we will have the same dream repeatedly about an ongoing dilemma in our life that we have ignored and have yet to understand. Frequently these dreams will not disappear until we look at the underlying issue being presented and move toward resolving it. Staying open and receptive to the content of our dreams can engage us in a process that allows us to heal if we are willing.
For many of us dreams are an essential way for us to connect to our spirituality and discover our personal myths or life-meaning. The feelings we experience associated with our dream symbols illuminate and help us to identify inner sources of strengths that we may have become cut off from and didn’t know existed. For many artists, dreams can be a vision of future work they have yet to create before they have begun the outward expression of their idea in the physical world.
Deborah Bryon, LPC, Ph.D.
303-596-5233
www.therapylinx.com
Are you alone in intimate relationships?
Does your busy life lack meaning?
Do you feel cut off from your own creativity?
Many of us discover that we have achieved success out in the world but sense something inside is missing. Often we feel as though we are only going through the motions of daily living by existing on the surface. My goal is to help people re-connect with the part of themselves that has been left behind, and to develop greater awareness of what is personally meaningful.
I assist people in exploring who they are at a deeper level, with an emphasis on wellness and creativity rather than on limitations. I work with people who are in life transition, feeling overwhelmed and depressed, or who are struggling with behavior patterns that they would like to let go of. Many of the people I see are dealing with relationship issues or painful past events. Some of the methods that I use include Jungian dream analysis, art therapy, sand tray techniques, and EMDR.
In conjunction with my practice, I am an artist and teach classes in the psychology departments at the University of Colorado and Metropolitan State College of Denver.