What is working with a nightmare?
Working with a nightmare is an exercise in meeting a disturbing dream image with curiosity instead of avoidance. The worksheet below paraphrases exercises developed by Stephen Aizenstat in his DreamTending work. Aizenstat, a Jungian psychologist who works with dreams, has described nightmares as one of the most unused natural resources for psychological healing. In the worksheet’s framing, a monster, a catastrophe, or another disturbing image is an invitation to connect with a deeper part of ourselves, and meeting it may bring a fuller sense of aliveness, the “juice” of life. It is presented as an exploration, not a treatment.
How to work with a nightmare image
- Having paper and a pen at hand.
- Bringing to mind a recent nightmare, or a nightmarish image from any dream. It may be terrifying, or disgusting, alien, bizarre, or disturbing in some other way.
- Writing down everything you can about the image, seeing it in your mind’s eye and describing it in detail.
- If the image is too frightening to face directly, first connecting with a comforting, protective dream image and keeping it with you while you work.
- Expecting that the image may grow, get scarier, or try to hide. Letting it know that you are not trying to destroy it, only to see it.
- Recognizing that tolerating the image’s presence is already a big step. If that is as far as you can go for now, that is fine.
- If you can go further, exploring its sensory qualities with curiosity: its texture, color, smell, and sound.
- Expressing the image creatively, by drawing it, writing about it, dancing it, or singing about it.
- Returning to the same image many times, and noticing how it changes over weeks, months, and years.
Notes and cautions
DreamTending advises against trying to “interpret” the image. It sees interpretation as the small rational ego trying to control the deeper unconscious, and it treats the image as having its own life and purposes. The worksheet suggests meeting a dream image with the care, caution, alertness, and wonder you might bring to a wild animal.
Working with a nightmare image can be difficult or intense, and the worksheet recommends going deeply into it with the help of a therapist. This practice complements professional care and is not a replacement for it. If nightmares are frequent, very distressing, or tied to past trauma, a therapist or doctor can offer support that a worksheet cannot.
Further reading: 10 Mindfulness Exercises for Sleep
Understanding the root cause of why we struggle to sleep is an individual process, but there are numerous contributors that affect so many of us. We can consider these as a first step towards improving our sleep. From the food and drink we consume, to changing life circumstances, to the overall state of mind we find ourselves in on a daily basis. We can compassionately look towards various aspects of our lives to assess what is helping and what is potentially hurting our ability to rest deeply.
