Making Sense of Your Dreams
Are dreams nonsense or do they mean something? An April 7 workshop in Halifax acts on the belief that dreams are worth considering. Chaplain and spiritual director Ami Hudson, M.Div. will lead a process for exploring–and hopefully drawing meaning from– dreams. Attendees may participate or just observe during the one-hour workshop offered at mid-day and repeated in the evening.
“We receive guidance through dreams,” says Hudson. “Inventions, great ideas, inspiration, works of art and solutions to tough problems have come to people that way.”
But many of us don’t take them seriously. “Too often dreams are treated like junk mail or spam,” says Sister Carol Davis, OP– a counselor, teacher and retreat leader in upstate New York whose dreams-retreat Hudson recently attended at Durham, NC. “We need to pay attention or else we miss a lot.”
What to expect
What exactly will happen in the Halifax workshop? “It’s easygoing and conversational,” says Hudson– a process participants can use among friends. “We’ll explore a dream by asking the person to tell the dream like they’re telling a story and to give it a title. Then I’ll ask some questions about the feelings involved, what they are most curious about, or what stood out.” Others from the group will be invited to share observations and impressions of the dream– not as interpretation but just as input to consider. “We don’t ‘interpret’ other people’s dreams,” cautions Hudson. “Only the dreamer can know what a dream means to them. The rest of us only help explore it.”
Mary Helen Stafford of Vernon Hill tried out the process with Hudson recently among a group of friends. ”I really enjoyed going through the dreamwork process with our group. Hearing the input of others in a constructive way was very enlightening. It was a good way to help make sense of even the most bizarre of dreams,” says Stafford.Attention to dreams started at a young age for Hudson, who got the idea to keep a cassette recorder by her bed to capture dreams. “Most of the recordings turned out mumbled and unintelligible though,” she laughs. During seminary she studied Gestalt Pastoral Care, which includes a therapeutic approach to working with dreams. In recent years she has taught about dreams locally at her Halifax office, for the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, and for The Prizery’s “Affair of the Arts” event.
A Christian spiritual director, Hudson is self-employed and meets with individuals at her Halifax office to help navigate through life. She also offers couples sessions, speaking, sermons and retreats.
If you go
“Making Sense of Your Dreams” will be offered at noon and again at 7 p.m. Light refreshments are planned and participants in the noon workshop may feel free to bring their lunch. “I’m hoping people who work nearby may be able to join us around their lunch break,” said Hudson.
The event is set for Thursday, April 7 at Hudson’s office on North Main Street in Halifax with a choice of times, Noon-1:00 or 7-8:00 pm. Participants should register for the workshop ($5) by Tuesday 4/5 by calling Hudson at 476-4111 or online at www.AmiHudson.com indicating a preference of noon or 7 p.m.
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Look for the good in each other
Do the best things about your relationship get lost in the shuffle of everyday life? Here’s an easy way to take a moment for the two of you every day. Just ask each other, “What did you like about our relationship today?”
Maybe you liked it when he took the initiative to call your mom. Maybe he appreciates your helping towards the household income. Maybe it meant a lot to her that you helped the kids with homework or did the shopping on your way home. Maybe he thought you looked absolutely terrific. But you both forgot to mention it during the course of the day. Well, now’s your chance– don’t miss it.
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Daily dialogue involves setting aside a few minutes to reflect on what you liked in your relationship today. It sparks discussion about the relationship, not just the day’s tasks, and reinforces your desire for communication, connection and vitality.
Turn off the TV, computer and phone and give your full attention. Focus on the good qualities in each other and share what you liked about each other today. Most of us have many good qualities and praiseworthy actions that mean a lot in relationships. But we don’t look for them and barely take time to mention them. So go ahead, ask each other: “What did you like about our relationship today?”
Fishing for compliments? Maybe. But it’s better than starving for them! Too many relationships suffer from lack of nurture. We neglect to value what we intended to cherish. Seek out what’s good between you so you won’t lose sight of it among the mundane.
While many of us discuss the activities of our day, we have a harder time communicating our feelings. Daily dialogue should focus on your feelings “about each other and your lives together,” according to Prepare-Enrich, a marriage preparation and enrichment program based in Minneapolis that promotes daily dialogue in their workbook for couples.
Another benefit of daily dialogue: knowing you’re going to talk about this keeps you looking for the good in each other. This is useful when the dishes pile up, the schedule’s tight, the garbage can’s full, the light bulb burns out, there are 8 calls to return, 3 big decisions to make, 2 projects due, and it’s time to pick up dog food again.
Want to extend the conversation constructively? Prepare-Enrich suggests two additional questions. After “What did I like about us today?” follow up with “What did I dislike?” and “How can we be helpful to each other?” While the questions may take a little courage, they are straightforward and lead to valuable discussion about your relationship.
You’ll regain each other’s affection with daily words of appreciation. And you’ll probably be surprised how much they do value about you.