Dreams have captivated people for centuries and are understood in many different ways. Some researchers see dreams as part of how the brain processes emotion and experience during sleep, while approaches such as Jungian psychology view them as expressing aspects of ourselves that may not yet be fully recognised in waking life.
Dreams can stay with us long after we wake. Sometimes it is a feeling that lingers, a particular image, or a dream that seems to speak to something we haven’t quite been able to put into words. At other times, a dream may return again and again, leaving you wondering why it keeps coming back.
I've long been fascinated by dreams and the way they can sometimes bring into awareness something we haven't yet been able to put into words. Rather than trying to decode dreams or assign fixed meanings, I'm interested in exploring them with you and discovering what they may represent in your life.
The meaning of a dream is personal. An image that means one thing to one person may mean something completely different to another. We can explore the feelings, images, people, places and themes that stand out to you, and consider how they might connect with what is happening in your life.
You don’t need to understand your dream before bringing it to therapy. You can simply bring the dream as you remember it, and we can begin there.
What Happens in Dream Psychotherapy?
We might begin by talking through the dream and noticing the feelings, images, people, places or moments that seem particularly important. Sometimes a theme becomes clearer as you tell the dream in your own words. Sometimes an image or feeling stays with you and becomes a starting point for further exploration.
I won’t tell you what a particular symbol or image means. Instead, we can explore what it means to you, what it reminds you of, what feelings it brings up, and whether it connects with something happening in your life.
We might write the dream down together or keep a dream journal. We can also use drawing, imagery, visualisation or body-based approaches to explore something that is difficult to put into words.
Recurring nightmares can also become part of our work. Together, we can explore what makes them distressing and, where helpful, experiment with changing aspects of the dream to reduce their emotional impact.
There isn't one correct way to understand a dream. Rather than searching for fixed answers, we allow meaning to emerge through your own experience. Over time, this process can bring greater awareness of feelings, needs and patterns, often opening new ways of understanding yourself.
Recurring Dreams and Nightmares
Recurring dreams are not necessarily nightmares. A dream may return because something about it continues to hold your attention, emotion or experience. Sometimes the storyline changes, while a particular feeling, image, person or theme keeps returning.
We can explore what stands out to you and whether the recurring themes connect with something happening in your life. Rather than assuming that the dream has one fixed meaning, we can take time to discover what it might represent for you.
Nightmares are different in that they are usually intensely distressing and can interfere with sleep. They may wake you feeling frightened or overwhelmed, make it difficult to settle back to sleep, or create anxiety about going to bed. For some people, the effects can continue into their day.
There are structured approaches for working with nightmares; however, I don’t believe everyone always fits the same approach. We can consider what is happening for you and find a way of working that fits your needs.
Nightmare work can include working directly with the dream imagery and changing aspects of the dream so that it becomes less distressing. We can also explore what happens around sleep, the feelings the nightmare brings up, and how it is affecting your sense of safety at night.
Depending on your needs, we may work directly with the nightmare, explore its emotional themes, or combine both approaches. The aim is to reduce its distress while also understanding what it may be communicating.
How Dream Work Can Support Change
Dreams can bring into awareness parts of ourselves that are difficult to recognise during everyday life. As we explore them together, feelings, memories, needs or different aspects of yourself may gradually become clearer and more connected.
This can help you notice patterns that may also be present in your waking life. You may begin to understand why something affects you in a particular way, recognise feelings that have been pushed aside, or see a situation from a different perspective.
When something that has been outside your awareness becomes easier to recognise and talk about, you have more choice in how you respond to it. You may find that you can relate differently to yourself, your relationships or a situation you are facing.
Dream work can therefore be a way of bringing different parts of your experience together, not by forcing an interpretation, but by becoming curious about what is asking for your attention. Over time, this can support a greater sense of understanding, connection and wholeness.
Ways We Can Work With Dreams Together
There isn't one set way of working with dreams. Together, we follow what feels most meaningful, allowing the dream itself to guide the process.
Sometimes we explore a dream through conversation, writing or journalling. At other times, it may be more helpful to stay with an image, feeling or symbol using visualisation, drawing or body-centred awareness. Different dreams invite different ways of working.
The process is flexible and responsive to you. There is no expectation that you arrive at a particular interpretation. Instead, we create space for your own experience to unfold and discover what feels personally meaningful.
A Different Way of Listening to Yourself
Dreams can offer a different way of listening to yourself. They may bring feelings, perspectives or parts of your experience into awareness that can be easy to overlook in the busyness of everyday life.
My work with dreams draws on Jungian psychology, Transactional Analysis and my broader relational and body-centred approach. These perspectives offer different ways of exploring dreams while remaining grounded in your own experience and the personal meaning your dreams hold for you.