Marc Gian, the author of The Inner World of Night Dreams: Use Your Dreams to Expand Your Awareness in Waking Life to Become the Best Version of Yourself (CICO Books, Sept.) has spent more than 20 years working in the field of health and assisting others in well-being. He found, as he notes in his book, that “dreamwork is the most potent tool for self-discovery. It is essential for those who want to foster a deeper and more honest connection with themselves, and create lasting changes both in themselves and in their relationships.”
At BookExpo, he will conduct brief dreamwork sessions and share his approach using mental imagery upon awakening to change the dream, and enhance and change the direction of one’s life. Gian has also shared an excerpt from his book to help get the process started.
Deciding which dreams to work with.
If you remember several dreams upon waking, which one should you engage with? This is a question that comes up a lot in my dream classes. The answer is that the dream you choose to work with is the correct one. Of course, if you have a dream that awakens you in the middle of the night, that’s the one you should work with. And if you remember only one dream, then the decision is made for you. Trust that the dream you are engaging with is the right one. After all, your soul or subconscious mind already knew which one you would pick. Also, be aware that dream messages come in a variety of forms and images, which means that it is possible, and likely, that the different dreams will all give you the same message:
Here are some questions to ask yourself when deciding which dream to work with.
• Did you wake from the dream?
• Did the dream have an emotional impact on you?
• Did you notice dreams or images that you found to be uncomfortable?
• Which dream experience is the most vivid?
• Which dream involved an experience that you would like to correct?
• Which dream do you feel has the most immediacy?
• Did you wake and say to yourself, “Thank G–d, it was just a dream!”?
Remember that dreams often outline the day ahead, so if you want to have a more positive day, it is a good idea to select an image that evokes emotion or causes uneasiness and then use mental imagery to transform that image into a more positive one. This shouldn’t be too difficult, as many of the dreams we remember include images that aren’t to our liking. Keep in mind that your soul is trying to grab your attention.
Tomorrow, 2:30–4 p.m. Marc Gian will conduct brief dreamwork sessions at the CICO booth (1744).
