How to Use Disturbing Dreams for Self-Improvement

Dreamwork could change your life

I ran fast. Steamy wolf breath warmed my back, and throaty growls grew louder as I dashed through the earth-scented woods. Although in a dream, I was lucid, and the experience felt real and terrifying.

I was a psychology and counseling student back then, and I didn’t tremble under the bedcovers when I woke up. I was excited. I knew dreaming was a tool, and our dreams were often mystical gifts promoting self-improvement.

You might consider disturbing dreams problems to avoid. However, in the world of mysticism, not everything is as it seems. Sometimes, revelations, prophecies, or ideas come with eerie, out-of-this-world feelings in dreams. You could easily consider such seemingly menacing nighttime imaginings as nightmares. But, if you stand aside from fear and delve deep, wisdom awaits.

During another dream, I was in a large, dimly lit building. Nothing happened, yet I was fearful. A strange, weird sense of doom hung over me. Again, I was lucid, and this time, I recognized that the heavy emotion only indicated I was in another space of consciousness than usual. Nothing bad occurred when fear accompanied my dreams, so I let it flow and explored the house.

Whether you dream of wolves chasing you or being in a dark, foreboding house, it helps to recognize you’re dreaming. You can stop and pet the wolves or look around the building when you gain control.

Some people think their dreams are gobbledygook and not worth investigating. However, in my experience, they are information rising from the subconscious. Like guests tapping at your front door, their knock grows louder if you ignore them. Open the door, though, and they reveal inner secrets and help you grow.

We don’t fully understand the dreaming process. We can see the brain lights up in certain regions when we dream, and that dreaming takes place at specific sleep stages and has accompanying brainwaves. However, there are many theories about why we dream and their significance.

As a counselor who, in the past, often worked with clients’ nighttime visits to Dreamland, I’ve seen therapeutic outcomes after people engaged in Dreamwork. I’ve also worked with my own dreams.

Initially, in the dream of wolves, I ran, climbed a tree, and watched the animals growl from below the branches. But, since the dream was repetitive, I gained understanding and clarity and slowly changed what occurred.

I stopped running, stood with my back to the wolves, and discovered they also stopped. When I moved, they moved. When I was still, they were, too. After the fifth rerun of the dream, I turned around. A huge she-wolf with kind eyes licked my hand, and the other wolves lay at my feet.

I woke up a different person after making friends with my inner wolves. I recognized that the fear of fear is worse than fear itself and is self-created. Now, there’s very little that scares me. I transformed. Like a caterpillar that changes over time into a butterfly, I gained the wings of confidence.

Dream symbols

You might not know how to use your dreams for self-improvement yet, but you can learn. It takes self-awareness, intent, and practice to become a terrific dreamworker.

One of the fundamental aspects of dreamwork to get to grips with is symbology. You’ve unconsciously made associations with symbols your whole life, and because they mean something to you, your subconscious presents them to guide you.

These symbols can be archetypal or personal. For example, an owl may represent wisdom, water emotions, or honey sweetness. We can all relate to these descriptions. A more personal archetype would be a dream element that means something to you due to its significance in your life.

For instance, if you got lost in a massive shop as a kid and couldn’t find your way out, a similar dream experience could relate to something happening now. You need to find your way. You may feel out of your depth in a relationship or at work. You might want to get out of a situation and not know how.

Triggers for lucidity recognition

I like shamanic dreamwork because it encourages dreamers to become lucid and hold the reins. Once you are in control, you can use your dreams therapeutically, which is precisely what I believe you’re meant to do.

Shamanic practitioner Mark Nelson from the Shakti Healing Circle points out that you could enjoy four years or more of lucid dreaming over your lifetime, depending on how long you live and your expertise. He says, “What could you achieve in that time?”

Mark talks about triggers in dreams that help people realize they are dreaming. My particular trigger is a heavy, eerie feeling, but yours can be anything from seeing a certain color to hearing specific music. Figuring out your private trigger will help you know you’re in a dream so that you can take charge.

When you notice a trigger, you can ask yourself whether you’re dreaming and perform a reality check. My favorite check is to try to fly or balance midair for a while, something I can’t, of course, do in waking life.

I understood the dimly lit building I found myself in during one of my dreams represented me, and its rooms were facets of my persona. The idea popped into my consciousness during the dream, indicating this was the case. I was particularly eager to visit the basement and the attic since I instinctively knew these areas were usually hard to reach.

All rooms in the main body of the house were tidy and well-furnished. The basement, however, was somewhat dusty, as you might expect in a “mature” building. I set to work with a duster. I was pleased to see that the attic was full of sunlight, although also a little dusty. It contained childhood toys I’d forgotten about, manuscripts I promptly filed away to read later, and many mystical, friendly beings I hadn’t expected to meet.

Mystical dreamwork and its benefits

According to shamanic cultures, you can change your physical reality during dreams. This assumption relates to my transformative experience when dreaming about making friends with wolves. After confronting them, my confidence and ease expanded.

Disturbing dreams that transform also include being bitten, swallowed, or dismembered. These examples are positive if you agree with the shaman’s interpretation of fearsome nighttime imaginings. After being bitten or swallowed, you receive gifts and abilities. Dismemberment or being burned alive might sound gruesome, but it, too, has benefits. It means you undergo a transformation and are reborn. Not bad for a night’s work!

You might receive healing, gain inspiration, or learn something new during dreams. In the shamanic tradition, you can also offer others energy or get your mislaid energy back, which is handy if you’re feeling depleted or suffer from a childhood trauma that caused you to lose part of yourself.

We often give up a sense of childlike fun and wonderment, for instance, when facing experiences that call us to behave like adults when we’re kids. Or, you may have lost self-esteem, courage, or a sense of self-worth.

Working with your dreams

Prepare

The first step in dreamwork is to prepare. Keep a journal on your bedside cabinet for logging your dreams and insights. Alternatively, record them vocally using your phone or a different method.

Another way to prepare is to form an intention. Do you want to ask your subconscious a question, for instance? Or do you want to increase courage, change a habit, or gain insight into a subject? Know what you want to achieve and write it on paper. You can read it each night before you turn out the light and go to sleep.

Recognize signs that you’re lucid in dreams

Most people are lucid to a degree during dreams. It will help to intend to be lucid and note any signs of being “aware” when you’re dreaming. Look for repetitive symbols, emotions, colors, sounds, etc. Recognizing them will help you know you are asleep.

Also, try to perform an action you can’t do in waking life. Fly, move objects with your mind, or manifest something. If you can do it, you’re lucid and can work with dream elements toward positive change.

Instruct your subconscious

When you know what you want to work on during your dreams, inform your subconscious. Say your intention aloud, write it down, and think about it for a few minutes when you’re sleepy, just before you nod off.

Face your fears

Remember, facing your fears while dreaming can boost your confidence when awake. For example, if you’re being chased, you can stop running. Ask whoever or whatever is following you to show themselves. Summon compassion for them and be friendly.

I once knew a man troubled by dreams in which he was chased. He was terrified and fled for many years until, one day, he got tired of running. When he stopped, the “beings” after him finally caught up and told him they were his guides. Since accepting them rather than bolting, he’s constantly in touch with inner wisdom in waking life.

When lucid, act out what you want

See yourself as the type of person you want to be. Imbue your dream self with the qualities you want to embody. Perform behaviors you want to achieve and accomplish goals. You can also speak to dream animals and spirits, ask for wisdom, or play with the superhuman qualities you gain while you dream for fun.

Work with dream symbols and experiences

You can work with your dreams even if you aren’t lucid when dreaming. Look at archetypes and symbols, noting whether they mean something to you personally or have a universal meaning, like a cross, bridge, or harbor.

Next, consider how the meanings you uncover relate to your life at present. If you dream of sheltering from a storm in a harbor, for example, is your subconscious telling you to duck out of an overwhelming or challenging situation? If you dream your teeth fall out (assuming you haven’t got a dental problem), are you finding circumstances hard to chew over? Or is it difficult to gain emotional nourishment right now?

Many people dream of being naked in public and feeling humiliated and embarrassed. Usually, this means they are afraid of experiencing these feelings in waking life and see the potential for doing so on the horizon. Thus, the dream is a call to gain courage, ask for help, or change direction.

I’ve met people who like to stay up late watching the television rather than go to bed. They say they’re afraid to waste time. I, on the other hand, love hitting the pillow early to begin dreaming as soon as possible. I find dreamwork so helpful and exciting. Surprisingly, the disturbing ones are the most insightful. Maybe you’ll feel the same if you work with your nighttime imaginings, too.