How can dreamwork be used effectively in sessions?

Therapists utilize dream work in their sessions with clients to varying extents. Different therapists have differing viewpoints around the validity and usefulness of exploring and analyzing dreams with clients. This article explores the potential benefits of dream work according to different sources, and explores ways to properly explore dreams and their relevance to clients’ lives and experiences.

Colleague Perspectives on Dream Work

When speaking with my own colleagues about the relevance and usefulness of dream work, some therapists took the stance that they do not use this in the content of their sessions with clients. When exploring the reasoning behind this, these clinicians offered either that it was not an area of interest for them, or that it felt hard to determine any concrete meaning that can be derived from dreams. When exploring with my colleagues that did utilize dream work, they largely connected dreams to what this might reveal about clients’ subconscious experiences. Some colleagues said they focus more on the emotions behind the dreams. For example, if a client is having dreams that produce the feeling of being anxious or out of control, they can tie this to the client’s own real world experiences of feeling out of control. These colleagues also emphasized the usefulness of paying attention to patterns in the dreams. 

Another interesting point is that dreams can be an easier access to the unconscious and emotions. While exploring the emotions and unconscious can feel intimidating and vulnerable in session, narrating dreams can feel less vulnerable. Even more so, experiencing the dream is a way to explore the unconscious when a client’s guards and protectors are not up and blocking access to unconscious experiences. Most also agreed that dream work is highly subjective. There is no master list of symbols and dreams and what they mean. Each therapist can help the client create their own interpretation of dreams and symbols seen in dreams. A goal of therapy is often to help clients make sense of their own internal world, and encouraging them to make sense of their own dreams, with guidance, aligns with this goal. Finally, some colleagues also emphasized that dream work should not be the only source of insight into what the client is experiencing, their internal worlds, and their self-narratives. Dream work is a tool, but it is not the only tool.

Perspective of Dream Work from Podcast: Edge of the Couch

In this podcast episode regarding dreamwork, two therapists, Jordan Pickell and Alison McCleary, took the viewpoint that they wished all therapists valued and utilized dreamwork. They explained dreams as an experience that is “right on the edge of a conscious experience”. They also explained dreams as a part of each individual’s “emotional life” and emphasized that it could be as important as exploring emotions that clients feel in their real life experiences. They also emphasized that in therapeutic approaches like existential therapy, dream work is a cornerstone of the work. These therapists agreed that dream work is subjective and that there is no one meaning to every theme or symbol in dreams. They also suggested that dreams and their meanings are layered; we as therapists are suggesting one layer to a component of the dream, and giving the client autonomy to explore that layer or another layer. In this way, all speculations of dreams are correct on some level, but this also emphasizes again that clients get to choose what they resonate with. 

This podcast episode went more into detail around how this kind of work might play out in sessions. They emphasized that the idea is not to say to clients, “I think your dream means this”, it is more to say, “Only you know what is true for you, but if I had to guess, it could mean this. To what extent do you or do you not resonate with that?”. Even if, in this moment, you get the meaning “wrong”, there is still value in that you are helping the client do investigative and neutral exploration of their inner experiences. This can even translate to helping clients view other aspects of their reality with neutrality and curiosity, rather than placing judgment on these things.

Additionally, the podcast explores how a client’s own interpretations of their dreams can reveal a lot about the client themself. The way they view their experiences, and information about the way they talk to themselves, handle conflict and stressors, and even past experiences, can be revealed in the content of the dreams and also in the way clients talk about and interpret their dreams. This can provide valuable insight into our conceptualization of our clients. From there, we can use this information to guide our future work with these clients. A final point made by the therapists in this podcast episode is that dreams can help deepen the relationship between the client and the therapist. It can create a shared language to help the client and therapist understand the client’s world, and create a curious and open dynamic between therapist and client.