Intuitive Dream Interpretation

Analyzing your dreams can be tricky, but the process can help you to understand - and act on - the messages contained therein, according to dream expert Marcia Emery.

"The noise of the day often silences the intuitive voice which gets a chance to speak clearly through a dream by providing a warning, direction, or guidance," says Emery. "Dreams provide a focus and driving force. You can capture these insights and unravel puzzling dream symbols by opening the intuitive gateway, day or night."

Emery's six steps to decoding the underlying message in a dream, excerpted from her book, The Intuitive Healer: Accessing Your Inner Physician (St. Martin's Press,1999):

1. Give the dream a title. Title the dream in eight words or less. Titles intuitively emphasize the underlying meaning.

2. Underline the major symbols or concepts embedded in the dream.

3. Extract the theme. In one sentence, describe the bottom line of the dream.

4. Determine the emotional content of the dream. The feeling element is an important clue to the dream.

5. Use amplification and/or word association to analyze the most important symbols.

6. Implementation: Integrate the logical and intuitive minds. After your analysis ask, "What intuitive insights helped me understand the dream message?" The logical mind will help you integrate the intuitive information and validate the feasibility of activating this input. If the dream showed that you lost your wallet, the intuitive mind provides the insight that you lost your identification or self-esteem. Then the logical mind would suggest going to "a men's group" to reclaim your identity.

When finished, you might want to capture any part of the dream with a drawing. This step may be left out but can give clarity in trying to understand the dream symbols.

A Sample Intuitive Dream Analysis

Let me walk you through the intuitive dream interpretation steps. Two weeks after joining Weight Watchers, Donna had the following dream and analyzed it using the intuitive dream interpretation modeled above. Here is each step of her analysis.

Title: Time of Renewal

Imagery: I was at a bazaar in South Haven and went to lunch with Vicki, Dorothy and a man. I couldn't find a place to park because the street was under construction. We went into the restaurant, where they were also doing renovation. We finally found a place to eat in a smaller dining room. The meal was cluttered. There were lots of things to buy. A planter in the shape of a hen with a hat (white with a green plant) was on the table. I was thinking of buying it when my mother bought it for me. She was thinking of giving it as a gift to Dorothy, but wanted me to have it instead.

Theme: Renovation related to eating and mothering, or nurturing.

Emotional Content: Very upbeat, expectant, peaceful.

Amplification: The word "renovation" jumps out at Donna. She amplifies to this symbol to find a key to the dream.

Implementation: Donna feels like she is under re-construction, seriously involved in a make over with her participation in Weight Watchers. The reference to a smaller dining room is what she is doing by focusing on smaller dining habits. The green in the plant reinforces the healing and growth theme and tells her that she is on the way to a healthier lifestyle. Finally, her mother rewards her efforts by giving her a gift, nurturing her just like a mother hen.