HYPNO-36
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Perchance to Dream

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

With this exercise we move into a new area and, once again, you must practice
scales before you can play a sonata: Gradually, your unconscious will acquire
the habit of responding to your needs in the dream state; after some practice
you will learn to remember and to utilize the material of your dreams. 

GOAL
To tap the powers of the unconscious
mind in the dream state, for enhanced
creativity or solving specific problems.

PREPARATION

This exercise is best practiced at night, before going to sleep.  Place a note
pad and pencil within easy reach near your bed, settle down comfortably and 
turn off the light.  With your eyes closed, induce an altered state of
consciousness by means of a relaxation technique.

THE EXERCISE

When you feel yourself to be in a light to medium trance tell yourself 
that you will, upon awakening, have a clear recollection of one of your
dreams.  (Usually people have more than one dream each night.)  Repeat this
suggestion two or three times slowly and emphatically, without, however,
suggesting any guidelines as to dream content.  Then allow yourself to drift 
off.

You will either awaken in the middle of the night with a clear memory of a
dream, or you will remember it on awakening in the morning.  In either
case, be sure to jot down on your pad key words concerning the dream's con-
tent, since you will probably have no time or inclination to record it in full
at this time.  These notations, however, will bring back the dream in its
entirety when you are ready to write it down.

After repeating this procedure on two or three successive nights, set yourself 
a more difficult task by suggesting that you will recall more than one dream 
this night.  Suggest also that you will awaken several times during the night,
each time with a fresh dream recollection, which should always be recorded in 
key words for subsequent elaboration.

Once you have acquired some facility at this task, you are ready for creative
dream utilization.

Perhaps you have a personal problem-it may be an important decision or an
interpersonal difficulty or the need for a creative insight-which has defied
solution at the waking level.  Put yourself into your altered state of
consciousness as described above; but this time suggest to yourself that you
will dream a dream which will either provide, or point to a solution of your
problem.

Then tell yourself that you will now recapitulate the problem, but without any
tension, worry, or fear.  You will remain relaxed and serene, insulated by 
your protective shield of altered consciousness.  In that relaxed state, trace
the problem in as much detail as possible, both verbally and visually-as if you
were telling yourself a story, accompanied by many illustrations. When you have
finished, tell yourself once more that you will now go to sleep, and have a
dream which will provide, or point the way to, the story's happy ending.

The dream you will dream may take a completely unexpected form.  Approach its
interpretation without preconceived notions; your subconscious is under no
obligation to produce a solution which your conscious mind may have vaguely
envisaged.  On the contrary, because your subconscious is creative and
unfettered by reality orientation, it is more likely to shun the obvious.
If the dream content is not immediately clear to you if it seems ambiguous,
keep thinking about it in a relaxed, confident state.  The true meaning will 
emerge, and when it does, you will recognize it instantly by the profound sense
of certainty you will experience.

If after much reflection, the meaning of the dream is still not clear, repeat
the exercise, recapitulating the entire problem while in a altered state,then
then suggesting sleep and a dream that will help solve the problem.If the same.
dream occurs the second night, this indicates that the subconscious is very
definite about its solution to the problem.  However, the subconscious may
provide an alternate dream to support, modify or clarify the earlier one. 
Again, think about the dreams in a relaxed state, confident that the meaning
will emerge.