In the debut episode of “Dream Lovers”, Sara joins her husband Patch, a certified hypnotherapist and dream analyst. Patch begins by explaining that his primary occupation is dream therapy. He works with people to find out what their dreams mean in relation to their life and goals. Dream therapy is different than dream analysis, although analysis is a component of Patch’s methods.
Sara then breaks down her expertise on examining her clients’ subconscious minds, and how they can communicate with them. Basically, Patch and Sara are two sides of the same coin. After Sara solicits dreams for the couple to examine in future episodes, she reads a tarot card to kick off the podcast. The Solitude card suggests it is time to take time away from others and focus on self examination. This is a perfect card for dream related discussion, since dreaming is a purely solo activity.
Dream Analysis – Four Snakes
The first dream sent in involves seeing someone leaving a building and being lead by four snakes on leashes. However, the snakes moved forward, but not in a slithering motion. The other three snakes disappeared suddenly, and the man was being lead by a single snake. Once Sara read the dream, Patch prefaced by advising users to always write their own dreams down, since they always mean something.
Patch connected this with a Carl Jung lecture he heard once. Snakes in dreams are transcendent creatures. Typically, people associate snakes with feelings of fear or disgust. Since the listener was not present to provide her personal feelings, Patch theorizes that snakes symbolize change. The example given is how they shed their skins. Snakes also symbolize feminine power. Another interpretation could be based on the dominant Judeo-Christian story of the snake tempting Adam and Eve.
Four Objects in Dreams and Additional Thoughts
A missing piece of this puzzle that Patch would like to ask is what building the human figure is leaving. Could it be a church, work, or a dwelling place? Perhaps the snakes exiting the building can symbolize societal pressures, and taking hold of feminine power. Yung theorizes that when you dream of four objects, you are dreaming of wholeness. Specific examples are the four directions, four elements, and other divisions. The snakes could represent four aspects of self, and may suggest making a change in one area to achieve wholeness. Because of the snakes’ unknown method of movement, the change indicated will be mysterious.
Bottom line, Patch feels like the dream is instructing the dreamer to follow her own instincts. The four elements are what is making her whole in life. She should focus on the one snake leading her, and not worry about what happened to the other three. Sara stressed that it is important to journal about dreams, and seek out what your subconscious is trying to guide you to do. This is truly an interdimensional activity, akin to interacting with a two million year old mentor. When further discussing the dream’s meaning, Sara evokes Florence Scovel Shinn, who defined the four elements of wholeness as health, wealth, love, and self expression. Perhaps the dreamer should ask herself which of these needs to be focused on.
Ritualizing and Applying Dream Wisdom
Patch wraps up by stressing the importance of applying what we learn from dreams. In order to make the most of this, it must be ritualized. Art is a great way to do that. Any creative activity can be art, from writing a poem to singing a song. As Jung says, “dream the dream forward”. What if you were able to keep the dream going, and advance the story?
Send Us Your Dreams
What word association do you have with the word “dreams”? Want to send in your own dreams for Patch and Sara to analyze? Email them to us using the form below.
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