Person to Person

"You are in the corner of a crowded room. It's noisy. Everyone is talking. You are shy, feeling nervous because they are speaking a language you don't understand. You look to your left. Your eyes meet a handsome man who looks very self-assured. You don't know what to say. You look ahead and notice that everyone else in the room is gone. As is the noise. As are your clothes."You wake up and smile. Too bad this dream didn't continue further. You like it a lot better than the "threatening man chasing you down a dark alley" nightmare that you had last night. Or the one where you were "speeding down a highway with brakes that don't work."Are you somebody who is fascinated with dreams? Amazed that you are more creative in your dreaming state than you are in your waking state? Do you wish you could be more knowledgeable about how to interpret the message of your dreams? Are you dying to know what your unconscious mind is trying to tell you?If your answer is yes, yes, yes, yes, then let's begin.First, here's the prerequisite for understanding the language of dreams. Leave your logic at home. Instead, bring with you a mindset that is inquisitive and nonjudgmental.Second, use your curiosity to help you become fluent in the language of metaphor. Metaphor is a tongue in which nothing is taken literally. Instead, one thing stands for something else. For instance, a plant that is fading because of insufficient water might represent a marriage that is failing because of inadequate sustenance.Third, keep in mind that you are not only the author of your dream, but you are also the producer, director, actor, (all the characters are a part of you), choreographer, stage manager, wardrobe and scenic designer. My, aren't you creative!To fully appreciate the meaning of your dream you need to identify not only with the character that seems most like you, but also with each of the other characters - sometimes even the inanimate ones, like the threatening sky. As an example, if you are trying to decipher the message of a night fright, identify not only with the person who is being scared but also with the one who is scaring you. This will enable you to obtain insight into how you scare yourself.Once you have the basics down, it's fairly easy to discover the message(s) that your dream has for you. Take it one step further and you'll be able to create a bridge from your dream's message to your waking life. A dream may be trying to tell you that you need to be more spontaneous, sexy, empowered or rebellious. Or less frightened, inhibited, conventional or compliant. Furthermore, a dream may also show you how to achieve what you want.Dreams make great friends. They do not lie; they help you heal, provide answers to your questions, introduce you to incredible people and offer you amazing insights. Hence, if you, like me, are in love with the power of dreams, join me this Sunday, March 6, from 1-3 p.m. at Hofstra University for a dream workshop. For more information, call (516) 463-5993.Linda Sapadin, Ph.D., is a psychologist in private practice and author of Master Your Fears: How to Triumph Over Your Worries and Get On With Your Life. She will also be teaching a course on Sunday morning, March 6 at Hofstra University on Building Resilience. She invites you to visit her website at www.psychwisdom.com. Copyright © 2005