Dream Back Your Life: Taking Your Dream Messages into Life Action — A Practical Guide to Dreams, Daydreams, and Fantasies
by Joan Mazza, MS
Perigee/PenguinPutnam, July 2000

Contents

Introduction

Part One. Sleeping dreams

1. How dreaming can help you take back your life

• Functions of dreaming
• Personal core issues: problems that keep returning
• Future projection: a message from your future self

2. Pivotal dreams

• What is a pivotal dream?
• Signs of pivotal dreams
• Examples

3. Nightmares

• What is a nightmare?
• Myths about nightmares
• Causes of nightmares
• Understanding the value of nightmares
• Violent dreams
• Special significance of nightmares
• Recurrent nightmares
• Remedies for recurrent nightmares
• Conclusion

4. Childhood dreams

• Techniques for working with old dreams
• Recurrent childhood dream or nightmare
• Examining old dreams for today's guidance
• Limitations to working with old dreams
• The value of working with old dreams

5. Dream signposts and endings

• What is a signpost?
• Signpost characteristics
• Tracking signposts
• Dream endings and outcomes
• Changing endings
• Using the insights

6. Conscious dreaming

• Intention
• Dream incubation; programming dreams
• Steps for dream incubation
• Steps for programming a dream
• What you can expect
• Interpreting bizarre or "off topic" dream answers
• Trouble-shooting in the absence of dream answers
• Lucid dreaming

Part Two. Waking dreams

7. When I grow up…

• Childhood dreams and fantasies
• James Hillman's acorn theory
• What were the signs of your acorn?
• Childhood games
• Imaginary childhood friends
• Dress-up
• Childhood vision of adulthood

8. Day dreams, fantasies

• Functions of daydreams and fantasies
• Where your mind goes
• Hobbies, avocations
• Winning the lottery
• That little rush
• Doodling and drawing
• Hot buttons
• What do you complain about?
• Private passions
• Cravings and longings
• Romantic fantasies
• Sexual fantasies
• Envy and jealousy
• Morbid or self-critical fantasies
• Fantasy and meditation
• Fantasy and the shadow

9. Creative visualization and guided imagery

• Visualization techniques: passive or active
• Passive visualization
• Active visualization
• Steps for passive creative visualization
• Guided imagery
• What you can expect
• Creating a personal library of images that work for you
• Interpreting bizarre or "off topic" images
• Trouble-shooting the absence of images

10. Waking nightmares: crisis and trauma

• When a life event feels like a nightmare
• Breakdowns
• Depression
• Symptoms
• Resilience
• Reframing
• Spiritual emergency
• Making meaning of tragedy
• The victim trap
• Asking questions
• Mentors, role models, and support systems
• Empathy and compassion
• Expectations: hope and vision
• Traits of people who rise above difficulty

Part Three. Dreaming your future

11. Self-expression and self-talk

• Socialized silence
• Your story
• Finding your voice: the power of words
• Visual arts
• Action and movement
• Music
• Creativity
• Self-talk: listening to yourself
• Learned optimism
• The three P's of pessimism
• Boundaries and saying no
• Saying no
• 10 Ways to say no with a smile
• Obstacles: internal vs. external
• Locus of control
• Speaking your truth
• The perfectionism trap

12. Finding your purpose

• Solitude and silence
• Ritual and your quest
• 10 Steps to Design Your Ritual
• Using ritual to define, clarify, and strengthen your purpose
• Defining your purpose
• Exploring your gifts
• Pointers to your special skills and talents
• Making meaning of your life
• Discovery by the via negativa
• Values
• Spiritual components: compassion, service, acceptance
• Spirituality vs. religion
• Curb your dogma

13. First steps and strategies

• A journey of a thousand miles begins with….
• First steps, baby steps
• Ask questions
• Mentors, role models, and coaches
• Enlisting a mentor or coach
• 10 Steps for finding a mentor
• 16 Attributes of a good mentor
• Responsibilities of a good protégé
• Taking advice (or not taking it)
• Motivation
• Calculating risk and consequences
• If you think it's too lateand other excuses
• The usual excuses
• Perceived obstacles: inside or outside?
• Thin things
• Criticism and mirrors
• Balance
• Flexibility
• Alternate plans, parachutes and contingency strategies
• The learning curve
• Redefining failure

14. Writing a mission statement

• Why write a mission statement?
• Mission statement as self-talk
• Distinguishing goals from mission
• Elements of an exceptional mission statement
• Review and periodic revision
• Mentors, role models and support systems
• Staying focused

15. Conclusion: Dream back your life

• Taking charge of your own life
• Vision
• Nurturing your Self

Bibliography
Index

In this book:

• Tips for keeping a journal
• Reasons why we don't remember our dreams
• Steps to improve dream recall
• 20 Steps for dreamwork
• Tips for working with dream (or fantasy) images
• Considerations when choosing a dream partner
• 10 Steps toward lucid dreaming
• Steps for conquering nightmares & recurrent dreams
• Suggestions for tracking fantasies and daydreams
• Tips for choosing a support group
• Suggestions for creating a support system
• 10 Steps for finding a mentor
• Attributes of a good mentor
• Responsibilities of a good protégé
• Suggestions for reframing
• Setting boundaries
• 10 Ways to check in with yourself
• 15 Ways to say no with a smile
• How to be more tenacious
• Steps to design your ritual
• Guidelines for writing a mission statement
• Ways to use a role model

Call Joan Mazza at (540) 872-2332 for more information.