Abstract

The healing process often begins with addressing the symptoms of what might be a deeper issue, and proceeds with the peeling away of emotional layers until the core issue surfaces. By integrating energy psychology (EP) with dreamwork, it is possible to begin the energy healing at a deeper level, as well as to take the dreamwork to deeper levels. Dreams focus on unresolved emotional events of recent days, as related to deeper emotional conflicts which lie within the psyche. Dreamwork can therefore quickly bring to consciousness an issue that a person is dealing with on an unconscious level. Dreamwork alone in the absence of other therapies is not designed to reduce emotional stress that may surface, nor to help move through the emotional barriers which it reveals. Energy Psychology (EP) complements dreamwork very nicely, providing a method for reducing the stress and emotional barriers to healing, once an issue is identified. Integrating the two disciplines into a therapeutic protocol, which we call the Dream To Freedom (DTF), provides a healing method that is useful in a therapeutic setting or for self-help. This method includes Gestalt role-play and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), a fairly rapid EP method which reduces anxiety, stress and fear responses. DTF has been shown to work well with traumatic memories, phobias and unresolved emotional conflicts and anxieties, particularly in cases where it is difficult to identify the underlying cause with dialog alone.