[Stormyclouds]

Just random dreams...
R they important or have any significance?
Do all t's sort of interpret them?

[Ellahmae]

I share all the dreams I can remember.
She walks me through (guides more so I suppose) interpreting them for myself.
Most of all of mine are significant in some way.

I think it depends on the T. My T's have never been much into dreams (I'm not either really). The only exception to that was when I had particularly recurrent or disturbing dreams, but I can only think of a few occasions when that came up.

[stopdog]

The therapists I see are not all that interested in dreams from what I can tell. I have bouts of recurring nightmares and they have been pretty useless at helping with them.

My EMDR T has in the past asked me about the frequency of nightmares, but that's about it. I don't believe in dream interpretation.

During one of my first sessions with T, he asked about my dreams. We discussed the one I had the night before. We haven't talked about dreams since.

[velcro003]

My T finds my dreams interesting, especially since they are almost always me trying not to get murdered in them. She calls them "shadow" dreams. Our shadow, or the parts of ourselves that get silenced when we were kids goes in hiding, and can safely pop up in dreams. She thinks that there is a part of me that is super pissed, hence all the murderous dreams. An interesting concept, even if I am not completely on board.

Yeah, we have some really productive sessions around dreams. T doesn't interpret them as such, he usually leaves me to explore the meaning, but if he thinks something is significant he'll say so.

[nottrustin]

Occasionally we discuss them especially if they are nightmares as typically they are related to why I am in therapy.. or if it is happening a lot add that usually means there is something stressful I need to deal with.

My t specializes in dream work, in fact that's why I called her in the first place - while researching names my pdoc gave me, I stumbled upon her profile because the words "dream work" caught my eye. I have been a prolific dreamer all of my years and always knew there must be more to them than "just" being dreams. We do a lot of dream work and I find it fascinating, my t has taught me so much in that regard.... like how to do Active Imaginations to interact with my dreams, stuff like that.

[velcro003]

Originally Posted by artemis-within

My t specializes in dream work, in fact that's why I called her in the first place - while researching names my pdoc gave me, I stumbled upon her profile because the words "dream work" caught my eye. I have been a prolific dreamer all of my years and always knew there must be more to them than "just" being dreams. We do a lot of dream work and I find it fascinating, my t has taught me so much in that regard.... like how to do Active Imaginations to interact with my dreams, stuff like that.

That's interesting because my T mentioned active imaginations. What does it mean, exactly?

Originally Posted by velcro003

That's interesting because my T mentioned active imaginations. What does it mean, exactly?

The way I learned it, is as the Jungian technique, it's kind of a meditation kind of activity I guess, while you're awake, in your imagination you go back 'into' a dream and let yourself interact with what you find there. It's not something you can force, I don't think; it took practice to learn how to just let it come and not try too hard, if that makes sense. I do them sitting at my computer with my eyes closed and type whatever comes. The first time I did one, was in t's office, and I closed my eyes and imagined the dream I'd just told her about and let myself move through it again and talked what I was imagining as I saw it. I've had a lot of good self-realization come about because of doing Actives, and I have been doing them regularly for quite awhile now. There's a good book about them that I borrowed from my t and eventually bought myself by Robert Johnson called "Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth".

[unlockingsanity]

We do discuss them and I've found it very useful.

[velcro003]

Originally Posted by artemis-within

The way I learned it, is as the Jungian technique, it's kind of a meditation kind of activity I guess, while you're awake, in your imagination you go back 'into' a dream and let yourself interact with what you find there. It's not something you can force, I don't think; it took practice to learn how to just let it come and not try too hard, if that makes sense. I do them sitting at my computer with my eyes closed and type whatever comes. The first time I did one, was in t's office, and I closed my eyes and imagined the dream I'd just told her about and let myself move through it again and talked what I was imagining as I saw it. I've had a lot of good self-realization come about because of doing Actives, and I have been doing them regularly for quite awhile now. There's a good book about them that I borrowed from my t and eventually bought myself by Robert Johnson called "Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth".

Thanks, that certainly is interesting.

[BonnieJean]

I discuss the more vivid dreams and dreams involving t. She seems quite interested in my dreams.

[lunatic soul]

Sometimes I share my dreams but very rarely, I think it helps to analyse person.

[Myrto]

I've never discussed my dreams in therapy and I'm not planning to. Unless I had a recurring dream or nightmare, I don't think dreams hold much meaning except for the fact that it's a way to process the whole day.
My therapist doesn't seem interested in dreams either.

[Out There]

I do share dreams although I do not often remember them. They have involved my T times and have been quite meaningful. I had a lucid dream about 18 months ago - that was one of the weirdest experiences of my life.

Check out lucid dreaming:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream

[stopdog]

I did try to get help with the nightmares, but when I described one sort of them (I have 3 different basic ones that recur) where there is some horrible thing happening and I can hear someone (usually my mother, grandmother, brother, partner or someone else I love) calling to me to help them and I can't get to them - I almost make it but something (like an anvil falling on me or great earthquake splits the ground and they are on the other side sort of thing) prevents me from saving them. I have been having these nightmares for many, many years.
The woman asked if the dreams meant I thought she wouldn't be able to rescue me. Good lord - sometimes I think the woman is a raging narcissist.

[iheartjacques]

Mine doesn't ask what my dreams are or anything. He does say the meds I'm on can increase the vividness of dreams. But I prefer it because it's not bad dreams like I used to get on my other meds.

[unlockingsanity]

Originally Posted by stopdog

I did try to get help with the nightmares, but when I described one sort of them (I have 3 different basic ones that recur) where there is some horrible thing happening and I can hear someone (usually my mother, grandmother, brother, partner or someone else I love) calling to me to help them and I can't get to them - I almost make it but something (like an anvil falling on me or great earthquake splits the ground and they are on the other side sort of thing) prevents me from saving them. I have been having these nightmares for many, many years.
The woman asked if the dreams meant I thought she wouldn't be able to rescue me. Good lord - sometimes I think the woman is a raging narcissist.

That is so strange. I have the same dreams, but it is always children that I can't get to or save in time. Sometimes they are drowning or I'm trying to hold them in their seat on a rollercoaster....but I can never get to them in time or do enough to save them.

[stopdog]

I don't have children and don't really know any - so I suppose that is why they would not come up for me. My mother is the most common followed by my sibling.

[unlockingsanity]

Originally Posted by stopdog

I don't have children and don't really know any - so I suppose that is why they would not come up for me. My mother is the most common followed by my sibling.

I work with children. My T thinks it's actually me I'm trying to save, as a child.

I wonder if this is a common type of dream.

[stopdog]

I think it probably rather common. The uncommon part, from what I have been told, is the way they come in bouts and last for weeks and get so bad I can't sleep for fear of them.