“Now if my contention is correct, which I believe of course it is, all the different parts of the dream are fragments of our personalities. Since our aim is to make every one of us a wholesome person, which means a unified person, without conflicts, what we have to do is put the different fragments of the dream together. We have to re-own these projected, fragmented parts of our personality, and re-own the hidden potential that appears in the dream.” ~Fritz Perls
Whereas Freud believed that dreams were the royal road to the unconscious, Perls saw them as the royal road to integration. In gestalt practice, dreams aren’t puzzles to decode—they’re lived experiences we can meet here and now. By taking the seat of each image, we allow feelings and new perspectives to come alive in the present. We leave aside the questions of why and what does it mean, and instead explore the figures as parts of ourselves.
Working with dreams can take us anywhere—from the personal to the transpersonal, from problem-solving to sacred space. By opening to the nuances of an image through sensation, association, and movement, we often find a path back to what has been avoided. When we enter what is puzzling or unclear, even what “doesn’t make any sense,” and engage it playfully and through the senses, we often discover a doorway to insight and integration.