After a long career in public and private practice, my clinical toolkit seemed and felt pretty sufficient.
I’ve spent years training in the gold standards — CBT, DBT and EMDR, the evidence-based approaches — as well as more trauma-informed, attachment-based approaches like EFT, somatic work, and expressive therapy such as play therapy.
But lately I’ve found a new fascination: Carl Jung.
One of the interventions of Jungian work is dream analysis. I used to be sceptical of it, but a recent personal experience showed me it isn’t about looking into a crystal ball or some sort of spiritual calling.
It’s more a matter of meaningful coherence. Our dreams use a sophisticated language of symbols and internal architecture to show us exactly where our lives are out of balance. Exploring the Shadow — those parts of ourselves we often ignore or suppress — can inform us. I think I’ve found a fresh sense of wonder in the clinical process.
Has a dream ever felt too real to ignore? It might be your inner world finally screaming for your attention.