{"id":32042,"date":"2016-06-02T08:00:59","date_gmt":"2016-06-02T15:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=32042"},"modified":"2016-06-01T17:06:51","modified_gmt":"2016-06-02T00:06:51","slug":"initiation-dreams-part-i-big-dreams-that-change-our-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/initiation-dreams-part-1-big-dreams-that-change-our-lives-0602165","title":{"rendered":"Initiation Dreams, Part I: Big Dreams That Change Our Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DoubleHave you ever had a dream so powerful it changed your life? You are not alone. Over the years, I have worked deeply with people and their dreams, and I\u2019ve discovered that, in many instances, these \u201cbig dreams\u201d will appear under the heels of life transitions<\/a>, questioning of identity<\/a>, and major losses<\/a> such as the death of a loved one or a breakup. The dream is often of an initiatory nature where the dreamer is highly impacted and the experience life-altering.<\/p>\n

What Is an Initiatory Theme?<\/h2>\n

If we look at the stories we grew up with, we find many motifs that point to initiation. In most myths, the protagonist is faced with a situation that completely transforms them. They may have been swallowed by a sea monster (Jonah and the Whale, Pinocchio) or sent into the underworld or underbelly of Mother Earth (Persephone, Inanna, White Buffalo Calf Woman).<\/p>\n

Others may have been dismembered and put together again (Handless Maiden, Skeleton Woman, Osiris), struck by lightning, or visited by a guide in the shape of an animal, spirit, or ancestor (Thor, Gandalf, Thunderbird).<\/p>\n

For others still, their rite of passage may have been an illness, animal bite, or near-death experience that evoked superpower abilities (Catwoman, Spiderman, Wolverine).<\/p>\n

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Why Do We Have Initiatory Dreams?<\/h2>\n

These themes are the language of the psyche<\/a>, and in our modern times we are sadly removed from the initiatory practices and rituals of our ancestors. It is the dream (the final frontier!) that bestows us access to \u201csoul knowledge,\u201d namely in the form of big dreams.<\/p>\n

Coined by Carl Jung<\/a>, these dreams evoke high emotional intensity and extraordinary power that strike a chord in the dreamer that continues to resonate throughout their life. When these dreams occur, the dreamer may transcend into a higher awareness or reality that can be directly reached in the sleeping state.<\/p>\n

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In the book Extraordinary Dreams and How to Work with Them<\/a>, <\/em>Stanley Krippner, Fariba Bogzaran, and Andre Percia de Carvalho address the many variations of these dreams, including healing, precognitive, lucid, etc., and how these dreams can be spiritual awakenings or initiations that can often lead to a dramatic transformation in the dreamer.<\/p>\n

What Are Some Types of Initiation Dreams?<\/h2>\n

The most the vital aspect of the initiation dream is its emotional impact on the dreamer. The feelings of pure joy and love, even to the point of ecstasy rarely experienced in waking life, are a definite indication.<\/p>\n

However, this is not always the case. Initiation dreams more often evoke terror and take nightmarish<\/a> forms, especially if we are asked to face our biggest fears<\/a> in order to be transformed by them.<\/p>\n

There are certain common elements to these initiation dreams, including but not limited to:<\/p>\n