Introduction to Dreams

Course Description

In this introductory course dream teacher Margaret Bowater explores how we dream, the various kinds of dreams we can have and the many ways dreams can help us. 

By paying attention to our dreams we can discover parts of our personality we might not know about, including the Shadow parts we don’t like and the deeper Self that guides us.

Dreams help us find creative solutions to our life situations, heal past traumas and they strengthen our connection with our Soul. 

Throughout this audio course Margaret Bowater provides examples that illustrate the different types of dreams (including recurring nightmares, telepathic, pre-cognitive and visionary dreams as well as dreams related to death). Combined with the examples is some practical advice on how to work with these kinds of dreams. 

The classes are available now.

This course is ideal if

• learn about dreams and if you want to understand why paying attention to them is valuable
• begin to see dreams as metaphors for your inner conflicts and the emotions driving them
• hear examples of how to translate the metaphorical language of dreams into everyday life situations
• learn to spot nightmares that might be due to prior traumas and how to work with a nightmare
• embrace visionary dreams or visitations

Course Overview

CLASS 1: Introduction to the sleep cycle and why we dream

Available now

In this class we will talk about the stages of the sleep cycle, especially the REM phase (Rapid Eye Movement) in which dreams take place as the motoric system from the neck down is shut down and the more creative right hemisphere brain functions fill the dreamer’s world. All mammals and even babies in the womb dream. We distinguish the many types of dreams, from dreams that reflect our inner dynamics to dreams that are telepathic or precognitive. We consider what evolutionary advantage there may be to dreaming. We hear how a Jungian analyst helped WW II veterans heal their post-traumatic stress by talking about their nightmares. We look at the compensatory, healing and spiritual purposes of dreams.

CLASS 2: The Language of Dreams

Available now

Why don’t dreams just speak to us in simple statements we can understand? Dreams arise from a place before and beyond words. They use the elements of our everyday life to present images that metaphorically express our concerns and ways of dealing with them.  In this class we hear examples of working with the storyline and characters of the dream as metaphors for our life situations. In the case of paranormal dreams the language may not be metaphorical but may, in fact, be predicting or describing an actual event.

CLASS 3: Nightmares and Visionary Dreams

Available now

Recurring nightmares can leave us exhausted. We can learn the principles of First Aid dream work to first create a safe environment and then explore what’s going on in the dream. What could you do to help yourself survive in the dream? What or who do you need by your side to make you stronger? What do you need to face? You can imagine a new ending to the dream and rehearse it.  Visionary dreams, on the other hand, as well as near-death experiences, reveal realms we rarely perceive in our daytime lives. Many dying people dream of starting a journey or ancestors approaching them. People who’ve had extended near-death experiences bring back reports of other dimensions that have taken away their fear of death.

By the end of this course you will

• Know the various phases of the sleep cycle
• Understand the evolutionary purpose of dreams
• Deepen your appreciation for the bridge that dreams provide to other states of awareness and ways of being
• List ways of handling and healing nightmares
• Have examples of how to translate the metaphorical language of dreams