Dreamwork differs from classical dream interpretation in that the aim of dreamwork is to explore the various images and emotions that the dream presents - and evokes - while not attempting to come up with a single, unique dream meaning. In this way the dream remains "alive" whereas if it has been assigned a specific meaning, it is "finished" (i.e., over and done with). Dreamworkers are aware of the fact that a dream may indeed have a variety of meanings, depending on the level (e.g., subjective, objective) that are being explored. Dream interpretation is the process of assigning meanings to dreams. ... A dream is the experience of envisioned images, voices, or other sensations during sleep. ...

A tenet of dreamwork is that each person has his or her own dream "language". Any given place, person, object or symbol can differ in its meaning from dreamer to dreamer and also from time to time in the dreamer's ongoing life situation. Thus someone helping a dreamer get closer to her or his dream meaning should adopt an attitude of "not knowing" as far as possible and be ready to ask lots of questions.

When doing dreamwork it is best to wait until all the questions have been asked - and the answers carefuly listened to - before the dreamworker (or dreamworkers if it is done in a group setting) offers any suggestions about what the dream might mean. In fact, it is best if a dreamworker prefaces any interpretation by saying, "if this were my dream, it might mean ..." (a technique first developed by Montague Ullman M.D. and now widely practiced). In this way, the dreamer is not obliged to agree with what is said and can feel if some sort of "click" or resonance occurs with that which is offered. If the dream work is done in a group, there may well be several things that are said that seem to "click" with the dreamer but it can happen that nothing does. Montague Ullman, MD, (born 1916) is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded the Dream Laboratory at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York and for over three decades has been actively promoting public interest in dreams and dream sharing groups. ...

Those who experience this type of dreamwork quickly learn how powerful dreams can be. They also learn, though, that doing dreamwork by themselves is not nearly as productive as letting themselves be helped with the dream by others. When looking at a dream alone, one is somehow "too close to it" while telling the dream to someone else helps achieve some distance from it. It also often happens that as one tells a dream or works on it in this way other parts of the dream are suddenly remembered.

Further reading

• Delaney G New Directions in Dream Interpretation, State University of New York Press, Albany, (1993).
• Patricia L Garfield, Creative Dreaming (1974) ISBN 0-671-21903-0
• Hoss RJ Dream Language, Innersource, Ashland, (2005).
• Krippner S Dreamtime & Dreamwork, Jeremy P. Tarcher, New York (1990).
• Lasley J Honoring the Dream, PG Print, Marietta, (2004).
• Taylor J Where People Fly and Water Runs Uphill, Warner Books New York, (1992).
• Ullman M, Zimmermann N Working with Dreams, Jeremy P.Tarcher Inc., Los Angeles, CA, 1985.
• Van de Castle R Our Dreaming Mind, Ballantine Books, New York (1994).

The name Albany is an ancient and literary name for Scotland, north of the Firth of Forth (east) and Firth of Clyde (west). ... Ashland is the name of a number of places: In Canada Ashland, New Brunswick There is also Ashland Road, New Brunswick. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Marietta is the name of several places in the United States of America: Marietta, Florida Marietta, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta) Marietta, Illinois Marietta, Minnesota Marietta, Mississippi Marietta, New York Marietta, North Carolina Marietta, Ohio Marietta, Oklahoma Marietta, Pennsylvania Marietta, South Carolina Marietta, Texas Marietta, Wisconsin Marietta-Alderwood, Washington Marietta... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1,290. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Dreamwork

• Dream Network For sharing dreams and finding dream groups.
• The International Association for the Study of Dreams Supports and discusses research in dreams and dreaming.
• Dreamwork ethics Ethical guidelines for dreamwork.
• Dreaming Methods Dream journals and recollections.