The Creative Dreamer: Using Your Dreams to Unlock Your Creativity

by Veronica Tonay

In this revised edition of THE CREATIVE DREAMER, psychologist Veronica Tonay blends classical dream theory with a fascinating analysis of universal themes, trends, and elements of dreams that can inspire creativity in waking life. Includes exercises for interpreting and using dreams to expand and enhance creative potential, work through blocks, and form a creative community.• A guide to how dreams can influence and inspire your creative life, from a leading psychologist in the field of dream analysis.• The revision includes new material on sexual dreams and helpful and threatening dream characters, as well as popular dream analysis exercises.• Analyzes the dreams of extraordinarily creative, successful people, such as Stephen King, Maya Angelou, Maurice Sendak, and Anne Rice.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Megan Esposito · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book but it would've been more helpful if I had a dream journal already laid out.. that should've been disclosed. I appreciated how it talks about creative people, their general accomplishments and struggles. Bonus points for considering self growth and shadow work.

[Sara Casalino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially liked the exercises involving the anima/animus.

[Page Wench · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I was looking for a jumpstart when I decided to pursue writing again and, since I had used dreams in years gone by in conjunction with my writing, this seemed like the perfect book. As soon as I started reading it I had better recall of my dreams, but I had experienced this phenomenon before when studying dreams. The most helpful aspect of the book is the author's explanation of how to interpret different characters in your dream and how they relate to your waking world. I believe the full impact of what I learned won't be apparent until I have had several weeks or months to collect more dreams in my newly-begun journal and use it as a reference in decoding meanings. Overall, a well-written book.

[Miz Lizzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This dream book has a very heavy research and therapist slant which didn't particularly appeal to me. The first part in particular with its research emphasis on identifying "more creative" people by certain dream elements I just found to be an unnecessarily dichotomizing conversation. I prefer the "we're all creative" and "we're all dreamers" but in different ways approach. Interpreting dreams as mirroring the creative process was interesting and there were a few interesting tidbits that I can see using in my own dreamwork. On the whole, however, I find I am too spoiled by Robert Moss' dreamer-in-control-of-own-dream's-meaning approach to properly appreciate the step-by-step interpretation process used in this book.

[JHACK · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stopped reading after Chapter 3. The book's ok, it's just that I don't read "Dream books/dictionaries" to decode my dreams. Plus, I've got a new book to read so... (=