Going on a Dream Quest
with the
Dream Realizations / Dream Solutions
Workbook
Marcia Nolle
It is through experience that we best learn. When we
thoroughly involve ourselves in a task, we directly connect
with its essence. This is especially true of inner work. In
addition to meditation and journal writing, my personal
inner journey has greatly focused on dreams. For over 20
years, I’ve faithfully recorded numerous nightly stories
and considered their possible meanings. However, my dream
study took on an even deeper dimension when I encountered
Henry Reed’s book, Dream Solutions, Dream Realizations:
The Original Dream Quest Guide Book. Practical, innovative,
and playful, it invites the reader to actively participate
in the dream exploration process.
Dreamwork can stimulate significant insights. The famous
psychic, Edgar Cayce, urged people to remember and study
their dreams. Through dreams, he said, one could experience
all kinds of paranormal phenomena, spiritual guidance, and
self-observation. If dreams are interpreted correctly and
applied in waking life, they could also be invaluable
problem-solving aids. In fact, Edgar Cayce made this dramatic claim, one which
Henry Reed has helped prove through the efforts of all those who have
participated in his Dream Realizations project:
IF you are willing to take simple steps
to make a constructive change or innovation in your life. And IF you are
willing to turn to your dreams for help. And IF you are willing to apply
those insights you believe you see in your dreams about how to make those
constructive changes. THEN your dreams will become easier to interpret
and they will provide you with the inspiration to succeed at your endeavor
beyond your original expectation.
Cayce’s elder son, Hugh Lynn,
further recommended that people write their own dream books.
Rather than simply rely on others’ symbology, people could
often derive greater help from interpretations which are
more personally relevant.
In the opinion of many dream adventurers, Dream
Solutions, Dream Realizations is an exceptional vehicle
for working intimately and creatively with dreams. At first,
the book is somewhat overwhelming. Its abundance of blank
pages can be both intimidating ("How can I fill these
pages?") and frustrating ("I spent money for a
practically blank book!"). Upon examination, though,
Dream Solutions, Dream Realizations is unlike the many
"dream journals" which consist of little more than
empty pages to record and interpret dreams. There are
distinct exercises which guide you toward uncovering
insights and building upon them. And, unlike the many dream
books which bombard you with series of questions and/or
lists of suggestions in each chapter, it is paced so that
you can carefully explore and apply each aspect of the dream
journey.
The book, itself, has gone through various stages of
evolution. It began as part of an Association for Research
and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) home study research project in
the early 1970’s. Until that time, dreams were generally
viewed as "medical samples" for diagnosis by
professionals. The study, and Henry Reed’s book, had the
intention of giving dreams back to the dreamer. This project later resulted in
Henry being dubbed "The
Father of the Modern Dreamwork Movement."
The participants in the project kept a 28-day log
relating dream clarity and recall to application and
meditation. Using exercises involving "inspirational
writing" (a free, nonjudgmental type of exposition),
they chose an area of life to improve. They found that, by
applying the ideas, encouragement, and suggestions they
gained from their dreams, their dreams became clearer and
easier to remember. (Such application proved even more
significant to dream understanding than did meditative
attunement.) The positive results of the study led to a
variety of formats for Dream Solutions, Dream
Realizations as well as the creation of Reed’s
Sundance Community Dream Journal, an experimental
publication in which dreamers and researchers shared dream
experiences. These played important roles in sparking off
the "modern dreamwork movement."
As its subtitle implies, the book truly takes you on a
quest. At the beginning, you don’t even know what
"problem area" you will be investigating. The
premise of Dream Solutions, Dream Realizations is
that dreams speak to the issues occupying you during the
day. After a week of recording dreams (the book provides
several effective methods to enhance recall), you employ
inspirational writing techniques to correlate them to
aspects of yourself. Examining possible topics from both the
waking and dreaming realms, you determine a problem focus
and pose a tentative solution.. As a final step at the end
of the first week, you briefly write out your solution plus
a petition to your dreams for further guidance. You place
the petition under your pillow every night.
The second week entails additional dream recording and
inspirational writing. Following a series of delightfully
offbeat steps, you develop personal interpretations for
various dream symbols and revise your solution petition for
the next week’s dreaming. The third week is even more
profound; here you use a creative dialoguing process that
inspires new insights into approaches to the problem. During
the fourth week, you fine tune the work of previous weeks.
Certain symbols, ideas, and phrases come to be seen as
particularly relevant and are ultimately incorporated into a
Haiku poem and dream picture or collage.
Each time I’ve taken the 28-day dream quest (yes, I’ve
found it beneficial and interesting enough to utilize more
than once), I’ve felt as if I’d been on the age-old Hero’s
Journey. Tapping into the unknown regions of my own
unconscious mind always engenders a fair amount of fear. I
summon my courage and proceed. Then, in encountering the
in-depth exercises required in the dreamwork, I experience a
good degree of lethargy. I summon my perseverance and
proceed. At the end of four weeks, I’m thrilled by the
progress I’ve made.
Others who have worked with Dream Solutions, Dream
Realizations have also been amazed at its effectiveness.
Noreen Wessling, member of the Association for the Study of
Dreams, considers it outstanding for bringing intuitive
knowledge to conscious awareness. She’s enthusiastic about
the diverse - and highly creative - techniques while
conceding that the persistence they call for practically
wears her out. But the hard work is very much worth it, she
claims, as is faithfully applying the emerging insights
during waking hours.
Margaret Dwyer came upon Henry Reed’s guidebook during
a critical point in her life. At a personal and professional
crossroads, she hoped that dreams would provide useful
guidance in discovering a better path for herself. Through
her dreamwork, she found that she needed to pay careful
attention to her inner voice before making decisions or
trying to force specific actions. She, too, admits that the
process, though exciting, triggers some pain; her dreams,
while hopeful and supportive, pointed to the necessity of
re-evaluating her self-image.
An experienced dream adventurer, Joan Gravallese was
eager to embark on four weeks of intensive dreamwork. Her
dreams revealed that her life had become filled with work
obligations, with little time for spiritual nourishment.
Furthermore, they suggested that she adjust her attitude and
allow the Life Force to direct her actions. Applying the
suggestions, she was able to connect with her inner
feelings, reduce her work hours, and spend more time on
activities that renewed her spirit and energy.
Accounts by many others give further testimony to the
efficacy of Dream Solutions, Dream Realizations.
Often interested in the serious task of ascertaining a new
life direction, they frequently found themselves altering
their original dream quest focus. What seemed to happen is
that their dreams unlocked deeper issues than expected; the
dream travelers were guided to first ease up in life and
then concentrate on more immediate concerns. In almost all
cases, they were encouraged to have fun and play with their
dream symbols. Because Henry Reed’s instructions naturally
arouse great creativity, the dream explorers were easily
able to unlock their dormant "yin" side, see their
circumstances with new eyes, and derive fresh practical
solutions.
So, if you’re interested in a process that fosters
creativity, self-discovery, and problem-solving, Henry Reed’s
guidebook is the tool for you. However, Dream Solutions,
Dream Realizations shows us that dreams enhance our
conscious efforts - they do not replace them. The exercises
in the book - paradoxically whimsical and deeply serious at
the same time - provide encouraging guidance but don’t let
the participant off the hook. Indeed, they can be
time-consuming and necessitate a lot of work; they truly
require much commitment and a pioneering spirit. Sounds
tedious and/or overwhelming? Certainly. Yet looking at it
from another perspective, aren’t the goals of personal
empowerment and soul growth worth it?