A Systemic Approach to Dream Work

Heloisa Cunha Bueno-Garman

From a very early age, I was mesmerized with the world of dreams and its potential meanings to our lives. This topic resonated with me as an individual, and in my training as a clinical psychologist, I became increasingly curious as to how dreams, when understood, could branch out into connections with our conscious mind,and subsequently, with our personal lives and our interactions with the greater world around us. As a systems thinker, I started to realize how understanding the inner world of dreams is as important as understanding the personal, relational, family and social systems for they are all levels of the bio-psycho-social continuum, essential in any consideration about human systems. In the beginning of my training as a systemic family therapist, however, I did not find a model that could bridge the gap between psychodynamic approaches to dream work and external family systems.

When I had the opportunity to be trained in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model developed by Richard Schwartz, I could finally see how this model, when applied to dream work, could help make this connection. IFS applies systems thinking to internal processes, which permits the understanding of the patterns of interactions within and among individuals, allowing us to link internal processes to external systems such as the family, social systems and culture. The shift of focus from internal to external levels can be done because we are using the same systemic set of assumptions.

The Internal Family Systems model views the mind not as a unitary entity, but as made up of multiple and often differing subparts that are both interconnected and autonomous from each other, each having specific characteristics, style of communication, intentions and feelings. Each part has a way of conceiving the world and ways of surviving in it. Very similar to "external" family members, these parts form alliances, are sometimes polarized with each other and interact sequentially. This model views each part as wanting something positive for the person and to the inner system as a whole. Parts only become extreme when feeling the need to protect the person from traumatic external circumstances such as abandonment, rejection, shock or fear, or when wanting to protect very young and vulnerable parts within us. Some parts become extreme when polarized with another part that has a different and sometimes opposite way of trying to reach the same goal. When polarized, each part fears that if it gives in, the other will win and damage the system. For instance, a 'passive" part can become extreme when fearing the presence of an "aggressive" part, and vice-versa.

This model sees the Self, another aspect present in all human beings, as different from the parts. When the Self is fully differentiated from the parts, the person describes a feeling of well being, of "feeling centered," totally energized and in the present. The Self is not a passive state; on the contrary, it can be an active leader for the system, leading it to its optimal functioning, due to its clarity and ability to be compassionate and understanding towards all the parts. Instead of forcing the parts to change, it will heal and release them from their extreme and self-protective roles by listening to them and showing them that they are appreciated and valuable to the system. Because the Self is the natural leader of the system, the goal of this model is to help the person differentiate the Self from the parts and regain its leadership status, while parts will provide assistance and guidance.

The basic assumption that parts are manifested in most dreams is in keeping with the IFS approach as well as Jungian and humanistic/existential thought. Schwartz states, "Disturbing dreams are not uncommon, as dreams are one way in which parts communicate when they cannot get through directly" (Schwartz, 1995). Jung also sees parts manifested in some dreams as disowned and unavailable aspects of ourselves. Johnson, a Jungian theorist, suggests that a good way to connect to the inner parts of oneself is to think of each dream figure as an actual person living inside you. (Johnson, 1986). Parts can be manifested in dreams in an infinite variety of ways such as human beings, animals, places, objects or feelings.

In my clinical work, I have been attempting to apply the IFS approach to dream work and have had some promising results when exploring the overall meaning of the interplay of the parts manifested in dreams to the client's interactions with family members and significant others. Dream work has made a strong impact on some clients who are able to relate to the dream images and their interplay as a potent source of learning and growth.

I have used four basic steps when working with dreams:

First Step:

This stage is pretty straightforward. The clients tell the dream and are asked to describe specific feelings, sensations, and characteristics of the images.

Second Step:

The clients are asked to go inward, preferably by closing their eyes and noticing what stands out in the dream. It could be a character, an object, feeling, a scene or an abstraction.

Third Step.

During this phase, basic IFS therapy is done. The dreamer is asked what he or she feels about the part or dream image initially chosen. Because other parts may have strong reactions to that part, such as fear, anger or even a fascination towards it, the dreamer is directed to ask those parts to step aside so as not to interfere with the Self's ability to be curious, compassionate and thus to work with the original part. Once the Self is differentiated, it can interact with that part or dream image by asking it to describe itself, know what it wants for the person, what it fears would happen if it was not that extreme, and explore its perspective about other dream images and the dream as a whole. The Self will go through the same process with different images in the dream or with any new image that may appear. The Self can also help resolve polarizations between dream images by helping the parts to compromise and understand their exaggerated assumptions about the opposing part. Throughout this process, the therapist must continue monitoring what the dreamer feels towards the dream image being processed, so as to detect if a part has blended with the Self.

The Self can also experience a part or dream image by becoming that part and experiencing the whole dream from that part's perspective.

Step Four:

During this phase, there is an attempt to tie together all the meanings found in the dream to form one overall whole. Clients are asked to go over the dream work and detect what part of them feel, think and act like the dream image. If there is a conflict, clients are asked what parts of themselves are in conflict with each other. Clients are asked how those parts are manifested in their lives and in their relationships with others.

One example from my work with a client may be helpful here. The client, a recently married twenty-five-year old female had been in therapy for several months. She complained that although she loved her husband who was very caring and available to her, she did not feel sexually attracted to him and felt that she was becoming "dead" in that relationship. She was bothered by frequent fantasies with a previous lover who had always been emotionally unavailable to her. She described the following dream:

She found herself by a luminous river reflecting the sunlight and surrounded by green vegetation. She knew that her lover had bought a lot at the other side of the river where he moved with family so as to be near her and have secret encounters. She was looking at a small attractive hut made of straw, halfway closed, with a lot of windows that he had built so they could meet. In contrast to the hut's external charm, the inside was cold and bare. All she could see was a bed with white sheets. Her lover was next to the hut, waiting for her. All she needed to do was to cross the river on a boat and meet him. She longed for him, while feeling anger towards him for disrupting her marriage and making it impossible for her to continue with her husband. She looked at the water, knowing that this encounter would inevitably take place.

The client chose to initially start working with the image of the "Young Woman." When the client had reached Self, that part told her that she could only feel sensuous and in love with a man, when controlled and in a one-down position towards him. She did not believe that sensuality could occur in any other form, and she felt trapped.

When the client's Self began interacting with the "Male Lover" image, he told her that he longed for the "Young Woman" due to her weakness. He said he could only feel aroused with a female's vulnerability. He told her he had learned to be selfish and take what he wanted in life regardless of consequences and  that he had become very angry and did not trust anyone.

The "Hut" image said that its reason for existence was to provide a place for those lovers who felt desperation in their attempt to have each other and feel alive. It described the "Male Lover" as needing to always be in control in order to avoid feeling like a vulnerable and hurt twelve-year-old child.

When asked to go to the "River" image, the client got in touch with a wisdom within her. The "River" described itself as all knowing, for it had been there forever. It had understanding and compassion towards everything and everyone and was not judgmental. It described the "Male Lover's" vulnerability as a result of his need for his mother's affection, which he was never able to obtain. At that point, the client reported that the "Young Woman" transformed herself into a "Goddess" that loved the "Male Lover" as a mother, a daughter and a lover. Suddenly, the client became vibrant and emotionally alive. She felt powerful, whole and sensuous. She said she had experienced the essence of femininity. When going over the dream work (Step Four), the client was able to recognize not only the "Young Woman" as part of herself, (that she was already aware of), but also the "Male Lover" as another part within herself that at times made her act in a self-centered, controlling manner with men she needed but did not respect, for they were not able to control her. She was able to see how these parts formed a rigid complementarity between them, constraining her from getting into a fulfilling relationship. When in Self, she was able to access a higher wisdom within, that helped her to perceive herself in a relationship with a male from a completely different perspective. She was able not only to know, but experience herself as a mature and sensuous woman, capable of loving and accepting a man's vulnerability without needing his strength to feel alive. This dream work thus provided the client with a powerful addition to inner parts work she was already involved in.

In future sessions, the client related how she was able for the first time to feel sensuous with her husband and ask for what she wanted, while being aware of his needs. This experience became a turning point in therapy. She started to work on her marriage and became motivated to start couple's therapy.

The basic difference between the IFS approach to dream work and other approaches, is that IFS is designed to build a trust relationship between the part or dream image and the Self. Just as family therapists help parents exert a leadership role within the family, the IFS approach helps the dreamer to differentiate the Self from extreme parts that feel the need to protect the system, so that the Self can exert its natural role as a leader. When there is Self-leadership, all the parts or dream images are valued and consequently cooperate more easily with each other to form a more balanced and harmonious inner system.

In the Gestalt approach, the therapist gets to know the part or dream image by having the dreamer "become" that part or by using the "empty-chair" technique. Dialogues between dream images are also established by having the dreamer alternately "be" or give a voice to one or more dream characters. This approach, however, is not designed to improve the trust between the dream images and the Self. Also, by not differentiating and creating clear boundaries between the original dream image and other extreme parts in the system that may experience fear or anger towards the dream image being processed, it runs the risk of not providing a context where that dream image can feel accepted and valued.

In the Jungian approach, the dream is seen as bringing the neglected aspects of the psyche to awareness. Dream work is, therefore, an attempt to bring those aspects to the surface so as to create a movement towards balance and completion. This approach uses the amplification of dream images by exploring the personal, cultural, and possibly, archetypal connections to the images. It does not, however, try to change the internal relations between the dream images, or create a relation between the dream images and the Self.

The basic premise adopted in this paper, is that most dreams not only represent disowned aspects of ourselves, but also disclose their patterns of interactions. It permits us to understand the developmental stages of the imaged parts, and from a position of Self leadership, value their role in the inner system. In dream work, the Self can work with the imaged parts' coalitions, polarizations, alliances and sequences of interactions. Dreams are here seen as a theater where in the dramatic interactions of the various parts comprising our inner world are disclosed. In dream work, the dialogue between the waking mind and the dreaming mind permits the transcendent function of the Self to stand as the synthesis of the two. Dream work can fit not only into IFS therapy, but into all systemic individual therapies.

I would like to end this paper by quoting Luis Bonuel, the renowned Spanish film director on his 1985 autobiography My Last Breath, "Give me two hours a day of activity, and I'll take the other twenty-two in dreams," with the provision that he would recall his dreams during that time.

References:

Johnson, R. A. (1989). Inner work: Using dreams and active imagination for personal growth. San Francisco: Harper Collins Publisher.

Schwartz, R.C. (1995). Internal family systems therapy. New York, NY: Guilford Press

Van de Castle, R. (1994). Our dreaming mind. New York: Ballantine.

Heloisa Garman, Psy.D. is a psychologist and family therapist in private practice in Chicago, IL, where she works with individuals, couples and families. She is also an affiliate at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. She has taught and supervised family therapy at the Escola Paulista de Medicina and Pontificia Universidade Catolica in São Paulo, Brazil for several years.