The Stuff of Dreams
Dream interpretation for regular people.
About the show
Have you ever woken up from a dream totally sure it's important but without a clue what it means? Learn dream interpretation with me, Amy Lawson, depth psychologist (and pediatrician...but they didn't teach me about dreams in med school) as we examine real dreams from reddit, my guests, and my own unconscious. This is no dry internet tutorial--it’s a lively conversation that aims to convince you of the importance and wisdom of dreams.
The Stuff of Dreams on social media
Episodes
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20: Bathroom Dreams: When You Really Need to Go!
November 15th, 2020 | 45 mins 2 secs
archetypes, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, images, jung, jungian psychology, psyche, symbols, unconscious
Bathroom dreams are a universal experience: We all dream of needing to go but not being able to find a toilet, of having to use a stall with no door, and many other unpleasant and embarrassing scenarios. So why is this theme so common? From dreams of boyfriends peeing on floors to bathrooms with no doors, clogged toilets to dirty bathrooms, I’ll show you how to make sense of the language of dreams.
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19: Dream Wisdom of the Capital-S-Self
October 25th, 2020 | 29 mins 30 secs
archetypes, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, images, jung, jungian psychology, psyche, self, symbols, unconscious
Depth psychologists often speak of the Self-with-a-capital-S in a tone of reverence. So are we all selfish narcissists who worship ourselves? In this episode, we’ll explore the concept of the deep inner Self, discover some of its wisdom, and see how it appears to us in dreams. From dreams of friends distracted by shoes to diamond rings of gold, wise bright lights to symphony concerts in tall towers, I’ll show you how to make sense of the language of dreams.
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18: The Mind-Body Connection—in Life and in Dreams
October 16th, 2020 | 46 mins 21 secs
archetypes, body, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, images, jung, jungian psychology, mind, psyche, soma, symbols, unconscious
I believe that our bodies and our psyches are inextricably connected and that communication between them is two-way, rather than the mind simply controlling the body. In this episode I’ll tell you more about how I see the mind-body connection and how that has affected my patients and myself, as well as how it is represented in dreams.
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17: Violence in Dreams
October 10th, 2020 | 39 mins 12 secs
abuse, archetypes, conscious, death, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, images, jung, jungian psychology, murder, psyche, symbols, unconscious, violence
Warning: This week’s theme is violence in dreams, including images of fighting, abuse, and murder. Listener discretion is advised.
Because the unconscious often likes to be dramatic in order to grab our attention and evoke emotion, it sometimes provides us with violent dreams. These can be quite disturbing when they involve actions we’ve never taken or witnessed in real life. From dreams of killer kids, to domestic abuse, murdering a woman to befriending the figure of Death, I’ll show you how to make sense of the language of dreams. -
Minisode 8. Crowdsourcing Interpretations: The Power of Dream Groups
September 30th, 2020 | 15 mins 50 secs
archetypes, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream groups, dream interpretation, dream tending, dreams, images, jung, jungian psychology, psyche, symbols, unconscious
Although dreams can be intensely personal, they can also be powerful when shared. In this minisode I’ll describe the dream group I attend, as well as some other styles of group dream work, and I’ll tell you about insights I’ve gained from the group that I didn’t see on my own.
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16: Cars, Copters, and Crashes: Transportation in Dreams
September 25th, 2020 | 34 mins 24 secs
airplanes, archetypes, cars, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, helicopters, images, jung, jungian psychology, psyche, symbols, transportation, tunnels, unconscious
By now, you know that every detail in a dream means something. Today we’ll look at modes of transportation in dreams to see what meanings we can uncover based on how your dream self is getting around. From airplanes and cars crashing to tiny helicopters, unsuccessful flights to China to blocked tunnels on city streets, I’ll show you how to make sense of the language of dreams.
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Minisode 7: My Attitude Toward Dreams
September 21st, 2020 | 14 mins 33 secs
archetypes, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, images, jung, jungian psychology, psyche, symbols, unconscious
I hold dreams in high regard and try to treat them ethically, which continues to surprise some people, even those on reddit whose dreams I’m interpreting. In this minisode I’ll tell you more about my attitude toward dreams.
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15: More Animals in Dreams
September 17th, 2020 | 1 hr 12 secs
animals, archetypes, bird, birdcage, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, hawk, images, jung, jungian psychology, knight, owl, owls, psyche, rat, rats, symbols, unconscious
Animals frequently show up in our dreams, and they usually represent pieces of ourselves that have qualities similar to the specific animal in some way. Because of that, the huge range of animals gives our unconscious plenty of symbols to choose from. So how do you decide what your dream’s choice of animal is trying to tell you? From dreams of rats in a basement to rats in the shower, staring white owls to huge hawks in birdcages, I’ll show you how to make sense of the language of dreams.
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Minisode 6: Fire in Dreams
September 3rd, 2020 | 15 mins 16 secs
archetypes, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, fire, flames, images, jung, jungian psychology, psyche, smoke, symbols, unconscious
Fire, air, earth, and water: the four elements that make up the universe, according to the ancients. Fire is profoundly archetypal, speaking to us from deep, ancient layers of the psyche. In this minisode I’ll tell you about several different meanings for the symbols of fire and smoke.
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14: Male and Female Dream Characters Often Describe Inner Conflict
August 16th, 2020 | 56 mins 40 secs
archetypes, bus, car, conscious, deer, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, female, feminine, images, inner dynamics, jung, jungian psychology, male, masculine, ocean, psyche, symbols, unconscious, wishbone
Because we all have some feminine and some masculine parts of our psyches, of our personalities, our dreams often use male and female characters or images to describe our inner dynamics and whether these parts of our psyche are working together or working against each other. From dreams of dead deer to snakes in the sand, crystal wishbones to bus journeys, I’ll show you how to make sense of the language of dreams.
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Minisode 5: Synchronicity—Meaningful Coincidences Shaping our Lives
August 10th, 2020 | 22 mins 28 secs
archetypes, coincidence, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, images, jung, jungian psychology, psyche, symbols, synchronicity, unconscious
Carl Jung used the word “synchronicity” to describe meaningful coincidences, events that are connected by meaning but not by cause-and-effect. In this minisode, I’ll use events from my life to show how synchronicities and archetypes have shaped my path, so that you can begin to look for where synchronicity is active in your life.
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Sleepcast 5: Psyche and Eros part 5 of 5
August 7th, 2020 | 18 mins 1 sec
archetypes, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, eros, images, jung, jungian psychology, myth, psyche, symbols, unconscious
The mythical story of Psyche and Eros, read as a bedtime story for grownups.
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Sleepcast 4: Psyche and Eros part 4 of 5
August 3rd, 2020 | 19 mins 30 secs
archetypes, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, eros, images, jung, jungian psychology, myth, psyche, symbols, unconscious
The mythical story of Psyche and Eros, read as a bedtime story for grownups.
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Sleepcast 3: Psyche and Eros part 3 of 5
July 31st, 2020 | 20 mins 20 secs
archetypes, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, eros, images, jung, jungian psychology, myth, psyche, symbols, unconscious
The mythical story of Psyche and Eros, read as a bedtime story for grownups.
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Sleepcast 2: Psyche and Eros part 2 of 5
July 29th, 2020 | 20 mins 20 secs
archetypes, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, eros, images, jung, jungian psychology, myth, psyche, symbols, unconscious
The mythical story of Psyche and Eros, read as a bedtime story for grownups.
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Sleepcast 1: Psyche and Eros part 1 of 5
July 27th, 2020 | 20 mins 2 secs
archetypes, conscious, depth psychology, dream, dream interpretation, dreams, eros, images, jung, jungian psychology, myth, psyche, symbols, unconscious
The mythical story of Psyche and Eros, read as a bedtime story for grownups.