Tony Crisp Interpretation:
Having developed the right attitude, then hold the dream in mind, imagine yourself back in the feelings and environment of the dream and simply watch to see what develops in your imagination. By doing this you are listening to the unconscious and observing how it intervenes and communicates with consciousness by introducing changes, imagery, and feelings into your contemplation of the dream. See carrying the dream forward, under .
The way of working known as the Peer Dream Group came about from the author’s experience that dreams are largely self-explanatory if approached in the right way. An exterior expert or authority is not necessary for a profound experience of and insight into dreams if certain rules are respected and used. You are the ultimate expert on your own dream, and when treated as such, and supported in your investigation of your dream drama, you can powerfully explore and manifest the resources of your inner life. Fundamentals of practice The suggestions that follow have arisen from forty years of dream work. They have been particularly tested with many small groups, and are usually employed with groups of three to five people, but sometimes with just two people working together. find a partner you can relax with who can give sympathetic and nonintrusive support Agree with the partner that any confidences disclosed during the dream exploration will not be told to others. the dreamer tells the dream; it is sometimes helpful for them to tell it in the first-person present, as if they were experiencing the dream as they are telling it The telling of the dream can include any relevant information, such as immediate associations, or events directly linked with the dream. Example: “This is my dream. I am driving my car, alone. I can see a female friend and stop to offer her a lift. I partly want her to be impressed by my new car. She looks at me. Now she tells me she doesn’t want a lift and I am watching her walk off with a man I do not know. I have recently bought the car I am driving in the dream. I like it very much and like to have my friends ride in it.” (Joel) the helpers now ask the dreamer questions to clarify for themselves the imagery and drama of the dream The questions at this point should not be to explore the dream, but simply to gain a clear image of the dream. Q: You didn’t describe the street you were driving along. Was it a shopping center or quiet place? A: It was quite a crowded road, with people, not so many cars. I think this was also connected with my feeling of wanting to be seen in my new car. Q: Are you attracted to your female friend? A: Yes. the dreamer next chooses one of the characters or images in the dream to explore The character can be themselves as they appear in the dream, or any of the other people or things. It is important to realize that it does not matter if the character is someone known or not, or whether they are young or old. The character needs to be treated as an aspect of their dream, and not as if they were the living person exterior to the dream. In choosing an image to work with, such as a tree, cat, place, or an environment like the street in the example dream, it must again be treated as it appears in the dream, not as it may appear in real life. One can take any image from the dream to work with. the dreamer stands in the role of the character or image they are using So if they choose to be the car in the example dream, they would close their eyes, enter into the feeling sense and imagery of the dream, and describe himself or herself as the car. Example: “I am a car. Joel has recently purchased me, and he is driving me, largely because he feels I will help him gain respect from other people. I am quite a large car, and have a lot of power. But even with all this energy, I do not make my own decisions. I am directed by Joel’s desires and wishes, and enable him to fulfill them more readily.” From this short description it can already be seen there is a suggestion the car represents Joel’s emotional and physical energy, directed by his desires and decisions. the helpers now ask questions of the dreamer, who stays in the role of the dream character or image The questions must be directly related to the role the dreamer is in. So Joel, in the role of the car, could be asked: Are you a secondhand or new car? Who was driving you before Joel? Do you feel that Joel handles you well? What does it feel like to be directed where to go all the time? Do you have places you would like to go? Joel should be helped to remain in role. If he slips out of it and stops describing himself as the car, gently remind him he is speaking as the car. Also, the questions should be asked with an awareness of time necessary for the dreamer’s adequate response. So do not hurry the questions to the point where the dreamer cannot properly explore his or her associations and feeling responses. If emotions are stimulated by a question, allow the dreamer to feel the emotion. An emotion is usually a response to something, and therefore gives information concerning what is moving us deeply. If a line of questioning is producing promising results, do not lead the dreamer off in another direction. For instance, Joel may have been asked if he wants to get out of his car and follow the woman, and he shows some feelings about this. A question such as “Are there any shops in this street?” would take him completely away from such feelings. To ask relevant questions, it is useful to be interested in the dreamer and their dream. Have a questioning mind in relationship to the dream. So do not have already fixed opinions about it. Be like a detective gradually unfolding the information and emotions behind the dream. As the dreamer answering the questions, let your helpers also know what you feel in response to their questions, or what memories or associations occur when a particular part of the dream is being explored. Example: Joel: “When you asked me if I want to follow the woman, I immediately realized that in real life I am holding myself back from letting my feelings about her show.” When you have come to the end of what you can ask about the dream image, the dreamer should be asked to summarize what they have understood or gathered from what they have said or felt in response to the questions. To summarize effectively, gather the essence of what you have said about the symbol and express it in everyday language. Imagine you are explaining to someone who knows nothing about yourself or the dream. Bring the dream out of its symbols into everyday comments about yourself. Example: A man dreamt about a gray, dull office. When he looked at what he said about the office, he rephrased it by saying, “The dream depicts the gray, unimaginative social environment I grew up in after the second World War. It shaped the way I now think, and I want to change it toward more freedom of imagination and creativity.” Work through each of the symbols in the dream within the available time. A dream that leaves the dreamer unsatisfied, or in a difficult place, can usefully be approached by using the technique of carrying the dream forward. The following techniques describe how to carry the dream forward and how to use the body in dream exploration. These are extremely useful tools to occasionally use in peer dream work. carrying the dream forward Imagine yourself in the dream and continue it as a fantasy or daydream. Alter the dream in any way that satisfies. Experiment with it, play with it, until you find a fuller sense of self-expression. It is very important to note whether any feelings, such as anger or pleasure, are in the dream but not fully expressed. If so, let yourself imagine a full expression of the feelings. It may be that as this is practiced you are more openly expressive in subsequent dreams. This is healthy, allowing such feelings to be vented and redirected into satisfying ways. In doing this, do not ignore any feelings of resistance, pleasure, or anxiety. Satisfaction occurs only as we learn to acknowledge and integrate resistances and anxieties into what we express. This is a very important step. It gradually changes those of our habits that trap us in lack of satisfaction, poor creativity, or inability to resolve problems. Example: “When my husband died, for quite a few times I had this funny dream. I was walking along a field and saw a lot of sheep guiding me, and I followed them. Suddenly they disappeared into a cave. I went in the cave and a row of mummies were there. One was wearing a medallion on a chain round its neck. The dream recurred quite often. One day Tony came to me and I told him the dream. He asked me to sit in a chair and relax, which I did. Then he said for me to go to the cave, and in my relaxed state I went and walked to the mummy with the medallion. Then he asked me to take off the bandage from the top. As I unwound it, the face of my husband was uncovered. I screamed and screamed and came out of the relaxation. Tony then said, ‘now let him go.’ I have never had that dream since.” (Betty E.)
What does the dream mean? We alone create the dream while asleep. Therefore, by looking at each symbol or aspect of the dream, we can discover from what feelings, thoughts, or experiences what drive or what insight we have created through the drama of the dream. In a playful relaxed way, express whatever you think, feel, remember or fantasize about when you hold each symbol in mind. Say or write it all, even the seemingly trivial or “dangerous” bits. It helps to act the part of each thing if you can. For instance, as a house you might describe yourself as “a bit old, but with open doors for family and friends to come in and out. I feel solid and dependable, but I sense there is something hidden in my cellar.” Such statements portray oneself graphically. Consider whatever information you gather as descriptive of your waking life. Try to summarize it, as this will aid the gaining of insight. See . Can you amplify the dream? You will need the help of one or two friends to use this method. The basis is to take the role of each part of the dream, as described above. This may seem strange at first, but persist. Supposing your name is Julia and you dreamt you were carrying an umbrella, but failed to use it even though it was raining, you would talk in the first person present: “I am an umbrella. Julia is carrying me but for some reason doesn’t use me.” Having finished saying what you could about yourself, your friends then ask you questions about yourself as the dream figure or object. These questions need to be simple and directly about the dream symbol. So they could ask: “Are you an old umbrella? Does Julia know she is carrying you? What is your function as an umbrella? Are you big enough to shelter Julia and someone else?”—and so on.