The Transformational Power of Dreaming: Discovering the Wishes of the Soul

by Stephen Larsen, Tom Verner

An exploration of dreaming history, science, traditions, and practices from prehistory to today• Examines ancient dream traditions from around the world, shamanic dreaming, and the profound role of dreaming in Native American and African-American cultures• Investigates dream psychology and the neuroscience of the dreaming brain• Explores the practice of dream incubation, lucid dreaming, and telepathic dreaming with tips on remembering your dreams and working with themWe have been dreaming for all of our 3 million or more years of existence. Dreams provide an extraordinary way to process the day’s events and uncover new perspectives. Many cultural creatives credit their world-changing creations to their dreams, and science now believes that dreams helped evolve the very process of thought itself.In this book, Stephen Larsen and Tom Verner examine dream traditions from around the world, beginning with the oldest records from ancient Egypt, India, Greece, and Australia and expanding to shamanic and indigenous societies. The authors investigate the psychology of dreaming, the neuroscience behind the dreaming brain, the Jungian perspective, and the intersections of yoga and modern dream research. They show how dreams and myth are related in the timeless world of the Archetypal Imagination and how dreams often reveal the wishes of the soul. They explore the practice of dream incubation, an age-old tradition for seeding the unconscious mind to help solve problems and gain deep insights. They examine the profound role that dreams have played in the survival of exploited and persecuted cultures, such as the Native Americans, African slaves, and the Jews during the Holocaust, and share inspirational dream stories from exceptional woman dreamers such as Hildegard von Bingen, Joan of Arc, and Harriet Tubman.Drawing on their more than 50 years’ experience keeping dream journals, the authors offer techniques to help you remember your dreams and begin to work with them. They also explore the clairvoyant and telepathic dimensions of dreaming and the practices of lucid dreaming and shamanic dreaming. Revealing how the alchemical cauldron of dreaming can bring inspiration, healing, and discovery, the authors show how dreams unite us with each other and the past and future dreamers of our world.

366 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2017

About the author

H. Stephen Larsen is a psychologist and author who, with Robin Larsen his wife, was on the founding board of advisors of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, and also founded the Center for Symbolic Studies, to carry on with the work of Joseph Campbell. He is best known for his work in Mythology, and for being a pioneer in the field of Neurofeedback.

Reviews

[Ashley-Elizabeth (BlossomingMindsRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

To my surprise, this book was not at all what I expected it to be. Fortunately, that turned out to be a good thing! What did I expect? A simple look into the history of dreams. What did I receive? An extraordinary journey, full of imagination, knowledge, and wisdom.
There is a lot to be gained from reading Larsen and Verner’s 308-page book. I myself have gathered a fair share of knowledge throughout this exciting dream journey. From discovering that the brain is a rhythmical organ, to discovering that Einstein credits his relativity theory to a dream, (which blew my mind) enough cannot be said about the sheer amount of knowledge this book has to offer.

Whether you’re looking to learn about the science, the history, or the spiritual side of dreaming, Larsen and Verner’s informative book has what you’re looking for. They discuss dream therapies, dream retreats and dream techniques along with historically famous dreamers, who were able to change the course of history through dreaming. For instance, such dreamers include characters like Harriet Tubman, Joan of Arc, William Shakespeare and Albert Einstein.

Throughout this book, you'll examine dream traditions from Egypt, Greece, India, and indigenous tribes throughout the world, explore cultural myths, discover the psychology behind dreams, dive deep into the Jungian perspective, and uncover the secrets behind telepathic and precognitive dreaming - revealing how dreams can inspire, transform and heal the past, present and future dreamers of the world.

The authors discuss topics such as nightmares, night terrors, lucid dreaming, REM cycles, dream stages, neurofeedback, precognitive dreaming and, dream incubation. In addition, they touch slightly on other topics like out-of-body experiences (OBE) and near-death experiences (NDE). Although, their biggest focus is on the actual dreams themselves. During your read-through, you will enjoy a number of-word for word-dreams that other dreamers have had, along with an in-depth analysis/look into what their dreams were about, and how it affected the dreamer.

In The Transformational Power of Dreaming, there are two chapters dedicated to each author. The two chapters are enjoyable autobiographies where Larsen and Verner reveal truths about their personal pasts; while also diving deep into their love affair with dreams. Both Larsen and Verner inform and inspire us to work with our dreams each and every day.

I was wonderfully surprised when I found multiple dream exercises, along with a few dream activities and even a dream game that the authors created. The exercises and activities allow the reader, or should I say, dreamer… to participate and use the dream journaling techniques Larsen and Verner discuss. In short, The Transformational Power of Dreaming: Discovering the Wishes of the soul, does exactly what it sets out to do. The information provided helps readers better understand their dreams in an effort to uncover the wishes of their souls.

The Transformational Power of Dreaming: Discovering the Wishes of the Soul, is certainly not for everyone. This book is for the hardcore dreamers out there. It’s for soul-searchers. It's for those who are searching for answers and looking for wisdom regarding the psychology and spiritual aspects of dreaming. Personally, I really enjoyed this book. I learned tons of amazing facts and new information. Dreaming truly is a mystery and most certainly is powerful. Above all, I believe that within each of us there is a soul waiting to be heard. All you have to do is listen. Keep dreaming and discover the power within!

Happy reading to all the Blossoming Minds out there!