A dream is not just white noise or something that happens to you while you sleep. Dreams are the secret language of your unconscious. This book will teach you how to: Unlock the secrets of your personal dream language - Explore and interpret the meaning of your dreams - Harness the power of the brain to uncover a life of greater richness and meaning   So often when we awake we find that our dreams have either evaporated like mist or seem to be just on the edge of our memory. Many people cannot recall their dreams at all. Cohen has developed a 7-step process to let you tap into the rich repository of your subconscious: Recall and record. - Title your dream. - Read or repeat aloud. - Consider what is uppermost in your life right now. - Describe your dream's objects and qualities as if you were talking to a Martian. - Summarize the message from the unconscious. - Consider the dream's guidance for waking life.   Drawing on years of clinical experience and her familiarity with Freud, myth, and sacred writings, Cohen presents a program that results in a life of abundance, texture, and self-awareness. Doris E. Cohen, PhD , has been a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist in private practice for more than 30 years, treating thousands of clients. Her approach uses therapy, hypnotherapy, past-life regressions, and dream analysis. A certified healer, metaphysical intuitive, and communicator with Guides and Angels of the Light, Doris has given more than 10,000 medical, spiritual, and relationship readings. She has also conducted numerous workshops and has lectured nationally and internationally. She lives in Beachwood, Ohio. Visit her at www.drdorisecohen.com. Dreaming on Both Sides of the Brain Discover the Secret Language of the Night By Doris E. Cohen Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright © 2017 Doris E. Cohen, PhD All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-57174-797-6 Contents Acknowledgments, Foreword, Introduction, Part I: The ABCs of Dreaming, Chapter 1: What Are Dreams?, Chapter 2: The Physiology of Dreams, Chapter 3: The Psychology of Dreams, Chapter 4: The Language of Symbols, Part II: The Seven Steps of Dream Recall and Exploration, Chapter 5: Step 1. Recall and Record Your Dream, Chapter 6: Step 2. Give Your Dream a Title, Chapter 7: Step 3. Read or Repeat Your Dream Aloud — Slowly, Chapter 8: Step 4. Consider What Is Uppermost in Your Life Right Now, Chapter 9: Step 5. Describe Your Dream as if Talking to a Martian, Chapter 10: Step 6. Summarize the Message from Your Unconscious, Chapter 11: Step 7. Consider Your Dream's Guidance for Waking Life, Part III: Working with Dreams, Chapter 12: Working with Simple Dreams, Chapter 13: Inventing Dreams, Chapter 14: Working with Detailed Dreams, Chapter 15: Working with Multiple Dreams, Part IV: Interpreting Your Own Dreams, Chapter 16: Getting Started, Chapter 17: Creating Dream Scenarios, Chapter 18: Reentering Dreams, Conclusion: The Power of Choice, CHAPTER 1 What Are Dreams? Most people pay no attention to their dreams because of the prevailing notion that dreams are nothing more than noise in the brain — vestiges of waking experiences that linger in the nervous system. Let me be frank: That assumption is simply false. Yes, there are different patterns of waves in the brain, some of which relate to dreaming and some of which relate to our waking lives. But just because we do not yet know what dreams mean or their precise source does not mean that they are nothing but noise to be dismissed. This is one of the great failings of modern medicine — the assumption that not knowing the explanation for something means that there is no explanation for it. The Tradition of Dreams According to the Bible, dreams are prophetic and come from God. In ancient Egypt, priests traveled through different levels of consciousness to access what they referred to as the "magic library" in order to help petitioners interpret particularly vivid dreams. In ancient Greece, dreams were believed to come from Asclepius, the god of medicine. People suffering from imbalance or illness petitioned priests of Asclepius to interpret their dreams in order to heal them. In modern times, Sigmund Freud opened the door to consideration of the unconscious by suggesting that dreams emerge from the unconscious as expressions of sexual urges and aggression suppressed in waking life. In fact, he referred to dreams as "the royal road to the unconscious." However, to interpret dreams as nothing more than disguises for our aggressive and sexual urges is intensely reductive and limits our humanity to a single dimension. After all, we are so much more than sex, than aggression. As expressions of divine energy, we are dreams, hopes, ideas, spirituality, play, and delight. It was Carl Jung, extending the work of Freud, who spoke of the collective unconscious — a reservoir of experiences common to all humans — as the