Layne Dalfen

Sleep typically takes up around 1/4 to 1/3 of our lives, and dreams are a major part of sleep. Yet the process of dreaming is still not well understood, especially by the general public. Many decades ago, psychological pioneer Carl Jung provided an framework to understand our dreams through, and in this book, Dalfen builds upon his framework with a professional lifetime helping others interpret their dreams. In so doing, she helps the reader gain tools to better understand their own dreams – and themselves.

My dreams are often filled with mysterious symbols and strange plots, presumably based on my subconscious processing feelings and reactions to life events. Accurately decoding these symbols makes interpreting dreams somewhat difficult. Dalfen uses the theory that only the dreamer can accurately interpret their own dreams, but the dreamer can be helped through tools of understanding and constructive dialogue. That’s where this book fits in.

In the first part, Dalfen provides an overview of the psychology of dreaming, based primarily on Jungian principles. She helps readers understand the concept of “archetypes” and the role these play in our lives. Then, in the last section, she provides some de-identified dreams from her clients. She “takes the wheels off” and lets readers try to understand the rich tapestry of others’ dreams while inviting them to compare their approaches to her own. I could feel my confidence grow as I read through these helpful examples.

In my opinion, dreams are underutilized by the general public to help their lives. This book is directed at general audiences looking to leverage their dreams to better solve real-life problems through self-knowledge. Dalfen has appeared on many popular venues, like television or universities, to share her insights. Have a Great Dream provides these aids in a helpful, comprehensive, workbook-like format that can be disseminated widely and used by just about anyone.

Dream interpretation is as old as the Christian Bible, but many still regard it as hocus pocus. It demonstrates that a science of dream interpretation is indeed possible. More work likely needs to be done to refine the precision of this practice, but Dalfen provides us with a great start.… (altro)