7/7 Class Recap

Today we began entering recurring dreams. Jon clarified at the start of class that dreams reside in your subconscious, though they didn’t actually happen to you like in memories. He then stated some ground rules including: accept things as they come (even if they seem impassable), allow random things to occur, allow the environment you’re in start to affect you. interestingly, he also said people can be present but they must be mute and serve more as an object. In terms of sensory impact, you have to go past simply seeing, as that is the less informative part of the work though equally important as everything else.

Entering the environment of a dream begins with, as always, closing your eyes and getting as relaxed as you can. When that serenity is achieved, Jon asks, “can you remember a recurring dream?” The actor then relates the dream as best as they can using the dream-catching guidelines to detail the whole thing. After this, the actor must mentally choose an image of the most powerful place within the dream and explain what this is out loud. Then, our usual technique commences: forefinger lightly tapping your temple, grabbing hold of the image, stating “I wonder what I see?" then projecting into the image with eyes barely open, and tracing the main objects of the setting to stay connected to it. From there, we were given the opportunity to explore the space, describe what could be seen from left to right, and immerse ourselves into the image by tuning into our senses. While describing everything, you should use your hands to express your surroundings to help make the process more tactile. Since this was done one-by-one, Jon recommended we practice during other people’s turns by visualizing what they are describing.

While I haven’t had a recurring dream since I was a child, I do have a couple of recurring themes or things that tend to happen in bad dreams. Lately, with all the uncertainty in the world, I’ve had multiple dreams where I am lost and trying to reach a destination. In these dreams, it is always nighttime and, luckily, I do find my destination in the end. The most vivid of these recent dreams is one where I am back in New York City on a summer night. The story is I get a phone call from my dad while in a crowded movie theater with an audience consisting of several of my fellow actor friends. I exit onto the street to answer the call and purposely try not to wander too far from the theater, so I don’t get lost. However, I get lost anyway. Perhaps I get carried away with the conversation and swept up in my emotions. The phone discussion is about trying to plan when I can be picked up when the program is over but being left feeling stranded. I find it interesting that this dream involves feeling lost and alone in both a short-term and long-term sense. In trying to find my way back, I enter an overly fluorescent-lit lobby akin to a subway station (but in my dream, I for some reason didn’t realize this and thought it was a bank of some sort). While anxiously standing around, almost too choked up to ask for help, a kind older female employee gives me directions. As I get back to the familiar street, I realize I was really just one block away from my desired location. The image that held the most power was a wide shot of that main street, with me standing a quarter of the way down the sidewalk. During the exercise, I zoomed in and came to the POV of where I was standing for the first time. This image makes sense as it represents that dual feeling of being lost I mentioned before. And by bringing it to this point of view, I saw my environment from a different, more real angle. By becoming this person in the dream instead of viewing as an observer looking at a wide shot, the senses came flooding in. I could feel the balmy weather on my bare legs, the roughness of the concrete under my feet, the cushion of my insoles, the weight of my purse on my left shoulder. The buildings on the street began to come into focus too, giving the street more detail. My favorite detail that revealed itself though was the nearly full moon above me. I’ve always felt a connection to the moon, which likely started when I discovered my name comes from that of a moon goddess. So, being alone but seeing the moon “looking out for me” made a lot of sense to me.

Some important notes from the last couple of classes since things have started to get a little heavier and more laced with emotion. When discussing this dream work, talk about yourself in the third person. For example, “Diana is on the sidewalk.” During our last class, Jon encouraged us to let ourselves feel and be vulnerable. But the best quote I jotted down from that night since it truly applies to anything, is “be careful with yourself. You’re valuable.”

Again, a magnificent post!