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The Complete Book of Dreams: A Guide to Unlocking the Meaning and Healing Power of Your Dreams
The Complete Book of Dreams offers holistic techniques to harness the healing potential of your sleep and dreams. Uniquely written as both a reference and guidebook, it features an abundance of information and insights that detail the health-promoting role of sleep and dreams. Within it, you’ll also find a wealth of simple exercises and practical know-how designed to take your sleep and dreams to the next level. In The Complete Book of Dreams, wellness consultant, teacher, and author Stephanie Gailing teaches you about sleep sanctification rituals, relaxation practices, flower essences, and other holistic approaches that will amplify your sense of well-being. To help you tap into the healing power of your dreams, you’ll discover a wide array of strategies to remember your dreams, as well as document and decode them. And if you want to help your children further connect to their sleep and dreams, you’ll find practices specifically designed for them. The book covers a spectrum of holistic topics to help you enhance your sleep and dreams, Sleep hygiene principles Relaxation practices Herbs, essential oils, flower essences, and crystals How to transform your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary Tips for better dream recall Working with a dream journal The power of lucid dreaming How to create a dream group The astrology-inspired practice of AstroDreamwork Wisdom from the ancient dream temples And much more. The Complete Book of Dreams is a timeless resource that you and your family will refer to again and again. It not only captures the essence of why dreams have been celebrated throughout history as vessels of wisdom and healing, but it’s also an easy-to-use guide that will transform your well-being. Whether you keep it on your coffee table or nightstand, The Complete Book of Dreams will help you connect to your dream life. Elegantly designed and beautifully illustrated, the Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia series offers comprehensive, display-worthy references on a range of intriguing topics, including dream interpretation, techniques for harnessing the power of dreams, flower meanings, and the stories behind signs and symbols. Also available in the Complete Book of Birthdays, Complete Language of Flowers, Complete Book of Dreams, and Complete Guide to Astrological Self-Care.
228 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 20, 2020
31 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Gailing
10 books8 followersStephanie Gailing is a life guide, author, and visionary with more than 25 years of experience. Her unique approach weaves together compassion-based coaching, wellness strategies, dreamwork, and astrological insights to provide her clients with stellar life guidance.
Since the 2009 publication of her book Planetary Apothecary, Stephanie has become a pioneer in the field of wellness astrology. Her work further deepened in 2012 when she began exploring sleep sanctification and dreamwork, incorporating this transformative realm of self-care into her client and education work. The Complete Book of Dreams captures the essence of her work in this arena.
Stephanie holds a Certificate in EcoPsychology (Pacifica University), Advanced Diploma in Coaching (New York University), and an MS in Nutrition (Bastyr University). She lives in Seattle.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 2, 2024
I love sleeping almost as much as I love snacks and books. And my dog.
I’ve always been interested in dreams and what they could mean (even if it’s only I ate too close to bedtime). And I’ve had this one recurring dream since childhood… anywho… very interesting stuff. Absolutely recommend.
I’ve always been interested in dreams and what they could mean (even if it’s only I ate too close to bedtime). And I’ve had this one recurring dream since childhood… anywho… very interesting stuff. Absolutely recommend.
October 12, 2020
This is one of the most beautiful nonfiction books I think I've ever read. I don't know who was responsible for the layout and the gorgeous watercolor images, but they deserve a raise. The book wasn't what I expected (I thought it would be about decoding dreams and the meanings of various dream elements) but it's a fascinating book. It's definitely more spiritual and new age in tone, with focuses on elements like tarot, crystals, horoscopes, etc. but also deals with famous psychologists like Jung and Freud, philosophers, many cultures, etc. along with information on recalling dreams, why we have nightmares, how to record dreams, the importance of sleep for our mental and physical health, how to get better sleep and tons more.
This is a really thorough, fascinating and beautiful books on sleep and dreams. Well recommended for anyone who is interested in the topic, especially those who lean towards the metaphysical.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
This is a really thorough, fascinating and beautiful books on sleep and dreams. Well recommended for anyone who is interested in the topic, especially those who lean towards the metaphysical.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
January 20, 2023
I’ve recently become very interested in sleep and what our dreams reveal to use while we sleep. This book had so much useful information on how to improve your sleep to dream better, the different stages of sleep and how to begin to analyze your dreams. I’m very much looking forward to diving more into this world and analyzing my own dreams and applying the analyses to my life, learning what my subconscious is telling me.
October 24, 2020
This is a beautiful book for anyone interested in dreams. Whether you have a lot of dreams or you want to dream more or remember more of your dreams, this book is a great resource.
As it title says, this is truly a complete book about dreams. There are many references on the history of dreaming, how different cultures and different scholars and philosophers perceived dreams. There are a lot of science based details about the actual act of dreaming, about sleep hygiene, different strategies based on studies.
I liked that the author's approach doesn't stop here . It's a holistic view on dreaming, there are some (but not too many) details about how one can use tarot cards, astrology, flower essences, herbs and other tools to better understand their dreams. While there are mentions about dream symbols, this is by no means a dream dictionary.
This is a very complex book and a very useful one. It has a lot of strategies and pieces of advice on how to be more connected with your dreams, how to remember more about your dreams, how to analyze and how to share your dreams. It's a book for one's very personal relationship with its dreams, all based scientifically, holistically, intuitively. Also, there is a lot of space and information dedicated to children's dreams and how they can be helped to navigate their dreams as their reality gets more and more complex. An empathic guide for new parents.
I liked this book, I loved how beautifully balanced the information was and how complex it was. While there are some things that I don't feel close to and wouldn't try, there are a lot of things that I would. I think anyone interested in their own process of dreaming will find here something they can try and relate to in order to gain more insight, more creative zest, more understanding about their deepest self.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
As it title says, this is truly a complete book about dreams. There are many references on the history of dreaming, how different cultures and different scholars and philosophers perceived dreams. There are a lot of science based details about the actual act of dreaming, about sleep hygiene, different strategies based on studies.
I liked that the author's approach doesn't stop here . It's a holistic view on dreaming, there are some (but not too many) details about how one can use tarot cards, astrology, flower essences, herbs and other tools to better understand their dreams. While there are mentions about dream symbols, this is by no means a dream dictionary.
This is a very complex book and a very useful one. It has a lot of strategies and pieces of advice on how to be more connected with your dreams, how to remember more about your dreams, how to analyze and how to share your dreams. It's a book for one's very personal relationship with its dreams, all based scientifically, holistically, intuitively. Also, there is a lot of space and information dedicated to children's dreams and how they can be helped to navigate their dreams as their reality gets more and more complex. An empathic guide for new parents.
I liked this book, I loved how beautifully balanced the information was and how complex it was. While there are some things that I don't feel close to and wouldn't try, there are a lot of things that I would. I think anyone interested in their own process of dreaming will find here something they can try and relate to in order to gain more insight, more creative zest, more understanding about their deepest self.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
October 19, 2020
The Complete Book of Dreams: Nighttime Healing Techniques for Better Health by Stephanie Gailing far exceeded my expectations. This is about health, sleep, and the work of dreams in the larger picture.
I have read quite a few books that claim to be about dreams, dreaming, and understanding one's dreams. I don't mean to claim any great knowledge, in fact, I feel like I know far less than I should considering the amount of reading I have done. This is largely due to the nature of many of the books. They often claim to be like a dictionary of dreams (like dreams are plug and play among all humans) or make broad sweeping claims about what understanding your dreams can do, then they offer the same cookie cutter explanations. This book is different on many levels.
First and foremost this is about health. Sleep, of course, is a major part of one's health and Gailing discusses sleep and dreaming in relation to overall health. We also quite often make the mistake of thinking of health as only physical health, when in fact there is no separation between physical, emotional, and spiritual health. They are all entwined and to ignore any area is to limit how healthy one can be. Again, this book is holistic in approach.
I found it to be both accessible without being overly simplified. While much of the information might not be directly applicable to dreamwork as a part of health, I think many people, myself included, like to know the why and the how as much as the what-to-do. This offers the history and background as well as how we can start to incorporate this into our daily lives.
I recommend this to anyone interested in dreams as well as anyone wanting to gain some insight into a holistic approach to health.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
I have read quite a few books that claim to be about dreams, dreaming, and understanding one's dreams. I don't mean to claim any great knowledge, in fact, I feel like I know far less than I should considering the amount of reading I have done. This is largely due to the nature of many of the books. They often claim to be like a dictionary of dreams (like dreams are plug and play among all humans) or make broad sweeping claims about what understanding your dreams can do, then they offer the same cookie cutter explanations. This book is different on many levels.
First and foremost this is about health. Sleep, of course, is a major part of one's health and Gailing discusses sleep and dreaming in relation to overall health. We also quite often make the mistake of thinking of health as only physical health, when in fact there is no separation between physical, emotional, and spiritual health. They are all entwined and to ignore any area is to limit how healthy one can be. Again, this book is holistic in approach.
I found it to be both accessible without being overly simplified. While much of the information might not be directly applicable to dreamwork as a part of health, I think many people, myself included, like to know the why and the how as much as the what-to-do. This offers the history and background as well as how we can start to incorporate this into our daily lives.
I recommend this to anyone interested in dreams as well as anyone wanting to gain some insight into a holistic approach to health.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
October 24, 2020
First off, I really love the book cover and the illustrations inside. It's delicate and doesn't take away from the text, rather the visual stimulus supplements the reading material and keeps you engaged with the content.. When I opened up the book I was pleasantly surprised to see that the content was of a good variety, and easy to digest. I learned more than I thought I would too. I think this book is for people who are starting to become interested in the fields of sleep, dreams, spiritual awareness and don't want something super complicated and scientific but want some solid science evidence to back up the claims. It's also a nice summary for those who are aware and have done research into these fields before. The biggest difference that this book has to others is that it uses scientific evidence a lot more to back up the claims which is very rare and valuable in my opinion. As a researcher and a uni graduate, I was so happy to see that the author was able to include a variety of theories and scientist names because it also gives the reader an opportunity to go do the research themselves and make their own judgement on what the author is sharing. The content was thoughtful and relevant, and the structure flowed well. A lot of the information was 'new', meaning a lot of books in this field are very repetitive at times but this one introduced new ideas/methods and connected the dots between different techniques really nicely. I will definitely be buying this one for my own personal collection.
February 24, 2023
This book was really disappointing. With its size and lovely table of contents, I was expecting a lot more from it. It elaborated unnecessarily on a lot of subjects, while also just throwing words in without explaining them (what is a dream worker????). It could be that I already know so much about sleep and dreaming that I found this unnecessary, and am simply looking in the wrong place. But this book felt very much like a text book, and I have walked away from its 200 some pages having learned very little new information. I took pictures of 2 pages I found interesting (one of which was the astrology references/correspondences page, not for my own use in dreaming but because I liked the formatting). I don’t recommend this book, especially to anyone who has a basic understanding of dreams/sleep, or has much practice with dream recall.
My issue may also lie in the subtitle: this was not a guide to unlocking the meaning or healing power of dreams. It’s more of a BRIEF (and rather redundant) overview of how many different cultures have done so throughout history, with a few pages here and there about how to use a dream journal.
I will say, the book itself is BEAUTIFUL! The layout is great, table of contents is easy to reference, and I did like the suggestion to reflect on physical experiences and feelings through dreams. But, seriously, save your money and watch like 2 YouTube videos about dreams instead. I’m gonna sell this book, it’s not worth holding onto or gifting to a friend.
My issue may also lie in the subtitle: this was not a guide to unlocking the meaning or healing power of dreams. It’s more of a BRIEF (and rather redundant) overview of how many different cultures have done so throughout history, with a few pages here and there about how to use a dream journal.
I will say, the book itself is BEAUTIFUL! The layout is great, table of contents is easy to reference, and I did like the suggestion to reflect on physical experiences and feelings through dreams. But, seriously, save your money and watch like 2 YouTube videos about dreams instead. I’m gonna sell this book, it’s not worth holding onto or gifting to a friend.
September 29, 2020
First, when i received this book i thought it was going to be a standard dream interpretation book. I am glad i was wrong and pleasantly surprised. This must be the most comprehensive book about dreams i have encountered. The book starts with telling you about the importance of sleep and the impacts it has on your life. It goes on to talk about the impact of your environment in your bedroom, from clutter, to pillows to even your nightstand, and how all of these things effect the quality of your sleep and dreams.
Some of the topics covered in this book are essential oils for sleep, mindfulness and meditation, Somantic dreams, Lucid dreams, nightmares, documenting your dreams , deciphering your dreams, and much more. Everything you have ever wanted to know about sleep and dreams is presented in this book. Many of the practices here are ones i share with my clients, and will be on my recommendation list for those who need help with their dreams, understanding them and accessing them. This is a book that would do well being on everyone's nightstand.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Some of the topics covered in this book are essential oils for sleep, mindfulness and meditation, Somantic dreams, Lucid dreams, nightmares, documenting your dreams , deciphering your dreams, and much more. Everything you have ever wanted to know about sleep and dreams is presented in this book. Many of the practices here are ones i share with my clients, and will be on my recommendation list for those who need help with their dreams, understanding them and accessing them. This is a book that would do well being on everyone's nightstand.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
October 31, 2020
The Complete Book of Dreams by Stephanie Gailing was a very, very detailed and comprehensive book about sleep.
While I found it a little long at times. This book covers anything and everything you could learn about sleep. While this book contains the typical information that I feel most books have and information that has not changed in years, there were so many more fascinating items thrown in. I love what I learned about how different cultures look at sleep. I find sometimes a shift in perspective can help. I found there were also suggestions on activities you could try doing to help you fall asleep that I have not seen in any other sleep book.
The illustrations and layout were visually beautiful. I appreciated a change to a pink blend instead of the usual blue and green soothing colours.
If you are having trouble sleeping, I would recommend this book over any other sleep book I have read, mostly due to its unique and different information.
I received an eARC from Quarto Publishing and Wellfleet through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.
While I found it a little long at times. This book covers anything and everything you could learn about sleep. While this book contains the typical information that I feel most books have and information that has not changed in years, there were so many more fascinating items thrown in. I love what I learned about how different cultures look at sleep. I find sometimes a shift in perspective can help. I found there were also suggestions on activities you could try doing to help you fall asleep that I have not seen in any other sleep book.
The illustrations and layout were visually beautiful. I appreciated a change to a pink blend instead of the usual blue and green soothing colours.
If you are having trouble sleeping, I would recommend this book over any other sleep book I have read, mostly due to its unique and different information.
I received an eARC from Quarto Publishing and Wellfleet through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.
September 28, 2020
This book was received as an ARC from Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
This book even though it was interesting and I learned a lot from it was not was not expecting in the slightest bit. In the description the book talked about that there were some parts that focused on decoding dreams and what they mean and how they will impact the following day but the book mostly focused on how to have dreams and how to get the best sleep which was still very interesting to read and important to know, I just was expecting more on dreams and what they mean and how to decode them? Despite that all in all this still was a well written book filled with facts and information everyone should have on their bookshelf.
We will consider adding this title to our R Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
This book even though it was interesting and I learned a lot from it was not was not expecting in the slightest bit. In the description the book talked about that there were some parts that focused on decoding dreams and what they mean and how they will impact the following day but the book mostly focused on how to have dreams and how to get the best sleep which was still very interesting to read and important to know, I just was expecting more on dreams and what they mean and how to decode them? Despite that all in all this still was a well written book filled with facts and information everyone should have on their bookshelf.
We will consider adding this title to our R Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
September 29, 2020
This book really is packed full with information on dreaming. The illustrations in it were gorgeous and the layout was great too. This is definitely not a book for decoding dreams but more for preparing you to acknowledge how to best take care of yourself in your "dream state" and give you tools for your own decoding. There is also a large section focusing on children's dreams and how to curate an open environment for sharing which I loved.
I had difficulty with the writing style as I felt that it read more like a research paper than a book to me; with that being said there is a LOT of information packed into this book so I find that it would be hard to write it any different.
Thank you Stephanie Gailing, Quarto Publishing Group, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had difficulty with the writing style as I felt that it read more like a research paper than a book to me; with that being said there is a LOT of information packed into this book so I find that it would be hard to write it any different.
Thank you Stephanie Gailing, Quarto Publishing Group, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 20, 2020
This book was really interesting, and not at all what I was expecting.
When you think of books about dreams you would normally think about decoding the meaning of dreams. That isn't what this book is about.
This book explains a lot of the theories behind dreaming, and nightmares. (i particularly liked the section about nightmares and children, I never knew the difference between a nightmare and night-terror)
There is A LOT of information within this book, and I think it would have been good to have had it broken down into smaller sections, and with more illustrations. This personally would have helped me as I found the sections quite long.
Overall i did really enjoy this book, and found it incredibly original.
When you think of books about dreams you would normally think about decoding the meaning of dreams. That isn't what this book is about.
This book explains a lot of the theories behind dreaming, and nightmares. (i particularly liked the section about nightmares and children, I never knew the difference between a nightmare and night-terror)
There is A LOT of information within this book, and I think it would have been good to have had it broken down into smaller sections, and with more illustrations. This personally would have helped me as I found the sections quite long.
Overall i did really enjoy this book, and found it incredibly original.
December 9, 2020
Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange of my honest opinion.
Let me start by saying that this book has something for everyone: there's a holistic approach to dreams and sleep, a well studied approach to sleep in general and why it benefits us, there are magical rituals using crystals and pendulums for decoding dreams (even tarot), there's pretty much something for anyone.
Of course I was the most interested in the scientific part of dreams - but I did appreciate the sleep and dream history and mythology too. I cannot say I cared too much for the holistic approach, but to each its own.
Good read!
Let me start by saying that this book has something for everyone: there's a holistic approach to dreams and sleep, a well studied approach to sleep in general and why it benefits us, there are magical rituals using crystals and pendulums for decoding dreams (even tarot), there's pretty much something for anyone.
Of course I was the most interested in the scientific part of dreams - but I did appreciate the sleep and dream history and mythology too. I cannot say I cared too much for the holistic approach, but to each its own.
Good read!
September 22, 2020
Are you interested in getting a better nights sleep? Want to start exploring dream work but don’t know where to start? Let author Stephanie Gailing guide you through the realm of the subconscious.
Readers will learn relaxation technics, rituals and how to lucid dream. The use of flower essences, crystals, herbs and astrology are explored. A guide to journaling your dreams is also provided.
This is a very comprehensive and well designed book with very attractive pages.
Ironically I’m typing this at 2.30am...
*eArc provided by the publisher and NetGalley
Readers will learn relaxation technics, rituals and how to lucid dream. The use of flower essences, crystals, herbs and astrology are explored. A guide to journaling your dreams is also provided.
This is a very comprehensive and well designed book with very attractive pages.
Ironically I’m typing this at 2.30am...
*eArc provided by the publisher and NetGalley
February 15, 2021
I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I keep a dream journal and this gave me some tips to better keep that journal. I saw this book and knew that it held something that I needed to learn. It explain to me a lot of part of dreams, dreaming and how it connects to the waking world as well. It helped me to see the healthy side to dreaming. That is something I needed to know for me and sleep and dreaming have not always been on the best of terms. It is a book I can go back to if I need to reference something again. A good book on dreaming that I will keep on hand.
October 7, 2020
I enjoyed this book, it wasn’t just about dreams, but how to get a good night’s sleep, with lots of tips. It talks about yoga, meditation, herbal tea. It explains feng shui and sleep. I thought this book was fascinating, something I would recommend. I must admit I did think that the book would be how to interpret dreams, but even thought its’ not that type of book, I wasn’t disappointed.
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
May 10, 2021
I found this book to be a fascinating read as it uncovers so many layers about how we dream and sleep. I found the chapters on lucid dreaming and dream incubation to be especially illuminating, and am planning on using the dream journal page designs to create my own journal. In addition to being very informative, the suggestions and tips throughout the book are practical and easy to incorporate. This book will definitely help you to understand and expand your dream life!
July 15, 2021
Beautiful book, for the writing and the illustrations that add a perfect touch a whimsy to the topic. While I won't say this information is mind-blowing for anyone who's already delved into dreams and their interpretation and everything surrounding them, this does make a very good book to get into the subject with everything you need to know to get started
October 14, 2020
I am always nervous when going to read something of a higher power. However this book instantly puts you at ease. So easily explains angel card readings. Something I have always wondered about. Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 19, 2020
Mentions of people who have looked at dreams/mention them (therapy/psychology). A decent addition to those who like looking into dreams or working with them.
February 15, 2023
Lovely book about all things dreams. I did find it a little hard to get right into, but the information was good regardless
December 30, 2024
I don't mind the mythology, history, and psychology discussion here, but the bits about horoscopes and crystals aren't much use. Advice about sleep and dreaming is good though rather standard.
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June 5, 2025Waste of time reading
February 15, 2024
Balanced dream book
I enjoyed the content - the history, the ideas, and the general information. A great intro dream book for beginners.
I enjoyed the content - the history, the ideas, and the general information. A great intro dream book for beginners.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews