Category Archives: Personal Growth

morning pages, Personal Growth, Recovery Chronicles

Recovery Chronicles: Helpful Habits to Offset Symptoms of PTSD

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When I wake up in the morning, I write. This practice started when I was very young but I honed the skill and habit when I was at University in 2002. At that time, I came across Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. She describes a practice called Morning Pages and even now, twenty-some years later, I still practice this daily routine. The big difference between writing for Morning Pages and writing for this blog is that Morning Pages are meant to be purely stream-of-consciousness writing, without stopping or filtering, for a straight period of time. When I write for this blog, I do edit for grammar, tact and purpose. So it’s not completely uncensored the way Morning Pages are, yet, I suspect there’s a hint of it in the text, since I do write these Recovery Chronicles in the morning when my mind is free from the clutter & criticism of the day. There’s something so open and freeing about the early morning thoughts, isn’t there? That’s what I try to capture in these Chronicles.

I hope sharing my day-to-day life journey with you brings some inspiration. At times, because of the challenges in my life’s circumstances I’ve been very misunderstood. I hope these Chronicles bring understanding.

When I wake up and feel overwhelmed I do a few things that helps bring clarity, focus & determination. In my meditation, I envision myself doing the thing I want to do, for example, walk 5k steps before noon. When I imagine it, I observe if any negative emotions come up, such as anxiety or fear. If it does, then I work with the solutions for those negative emotions (which I’ll explore in more depth in upcoming articles). Once I shift the anxiety or fear, and feel Confident & Courageous about the situation then I get up and go do the thing.

The other thing I do is listen to inspiring (usually classical or solfeggio) music while I’m writing because this calms the nerves at an unconscious level while I’m focusing on a certain task.

The third thing that’s helpful is doing some form of EMDR or tapping. This helps to relax the nervous system so I can bring peaceful energy to the day.

In time, I can share some of these resources with you but for now I just want to share how helpful they are.

Because my trauma began in infancy and was continuous until my 20s there’s a lot of stored emotion in my body that isn’t processed. Sadness, hurt, guilt, fear, jealousy, anger – I run the gamete. It’s all there. On any given day I never know what strong negative emotion I’m going to wake up to. That’s why I developed a practice many years ago, of working through the negative emotions as soon as I wake up, so I can face the day in the best version of myself. I want to face the day coming from a place of Peacefulness and Enthusiasm – not fear & anxiety.

There are two other practices which I also do regularly – yoga and walking. I’ve struggled with both of these since the first car accident in 2019 but I do practice both regularly. These two practices keep me grounded and keep my body healthy.

So these are the main things that help me manage symptoms of PTSD without medication. What techniques, strategies or practices help you? Leave your favourite stress-relieving practice in the comments below.

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Fear, Personal Growth

Unlocking the Power of Dreams By Understanding the Metaphors First

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There are four foundational principles that I use when doing dream interpretation. These are explored in greater depth in my EBOOK Unlocking the Power of Your Dreams and I’m going to break down one of the most important ones in this article: Take the Metaphoric Meaning Before the Literal.

These four principles establish that dreams are the universal language that connects the whole human family. These principles make it possible for me to hear a dream from anyone in the world and be able to discern it’s meaning in a significant way for the dreamer. The four principles are:

  • All Human Beings are Equal
  • Humans are Dual-Natured (lower nature & Higher Nature)
  • All Dreams Guide Us to Develop our Higher Nature Qualities
  • All Dreams Use Metaphors to Convey These Messages of Growth

Catastrophic-Type Dreams and the Metaphors

Often times when people dream of a catastrophic event, such as a flood or school shooting, they wake up fearing the dream is prophetic and they want to do something to prevent it. They wonder why are they having this dream and what does it mean to them. The vividness of details of these kinds of dreams stick with the dreamer long after they awaken.

The tendency is to think the dream came to warn them that something catastrophic may happen in the future. While this is somewhat true, it’s not true in the way the dreamer first thinks.

All dreams exists outside of space & time. Dreams come in advance of situations in order to prepare us. The dreams show us areas of growth. For example, if you have a dream of a school shooting, there may be a lot of fear that comes up. That fear is the key to the solution for the dreamer.

To get to a state of not feeling fear, the dreamer needs to have a lot of Courage to look at things in new ways, to do new things, to develop new skills. When they develop these new skills that prepare them for the situations they’re facing in real life then they won’t have fear anymore because they have the skills.

It’s like when someone is just learning to drive a car. In the beginning, there’s a lot of fear and that’s good, there should be fear. Driving is a big responsibility and if not done properly can cause injury or damage to the driver or someone else. So the fear signals that there’s a need for learning new skills. Once the new skills are learned the fear goes away and the driver is capable and competent to drive on roads now.

Our life circumstances are like that as well. When a situation is occurring that requires new skills, our dreams will reveal to us that we have fear and the fear indicates where the learning is needed.

The Dreamer’s Toolkit for Self-Discovery

Our toolkit includes a 19-day transformation program, EBOOK and two guided meditations that take you through the process of understanding your dreams and using them to improve your life. You’ll learn how to remember your dreams more vividly, analyze their symbolism, and apply their insights to your waking life.

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Ultimately, the dream is showing the dreamer where there’s an area that needs developing and if the dreamer develops these qualities then if the horrific dream scenario does end up happening in real life the dreamer will be prepared to help because they are not limited or constrained by the fears they may have had if they did not have the dream.

How do you use a metaphor in a nightmarish situation to transform your Self?

The key to transforming metaphors in nightmares is to become the positive opposite of the nightmare. So if you are in a flood in the dream then you need to flood the environment with positivity. If you are being shot at in the dream, then you need to “shoot out” encouraging words to others in real life. If you are being buried beneath an avolanche in the dream then you need to be an “avalanche of positivity” in real life.

This isn’t going to happen over night but it gives the dreamer a vision to work towards. Gradually, over time, skills develop and fears subside. Then if a catastrophe ever were to occur in real life, the dreamer will be calm and fearless and be able to help a lot of people.

This is one of the key strategies in dream interpretation.

What catastrophic dreams have you had? Leave them in the comments below and tell me what other dreams you would like to read about.

Car, Car Collison, Personal Growth, Water

The Symbolic Meaning of Water and Cars in Dreams: My Personal Journey and Insights

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Some people ask me when did I first start doing dream interpretation. The short answer is that I started learning the approach that I now use in 2009 when I shared a dream with Richard Hastings, founder of Dreams for Peace. But the longer answer is that I had a powerful dream when I was 7, about my parents driving a car into water, and that was the very beginning of my profound relationship with dreams and dreaming.

Interestingly, the three significant dreams that mark my dreaming journey all relate to cars and water. To me, this indicates that my lifelong journey has been about healing relationships in my own personal life but also when I work with others.

So the first dream was when I was 7 and I dreamed that my parents, and the parents of my best friend, were driving on a bridge that then split apart and the car plunged into the water and they all died.

The next significant dream was when I was 22. I dreamed a white car hit a moose. The moose shook it off and went into the woods. The car wasn’t drivable. In the morning, in real life, when I woke up and looked out the window I saw a white car in my driveway with damage to it’s front end. Later while I was eating breakfast, a woman knocked on the door. She told me she hit a moose last night and needed to park the car in my driveway because it wasn’t drivable.

The last powerful recurring dream I had was when I was 32. I was regularly dreaming about my house being flooded. Some of those dreams included trying to drive away in the flooded roads or trying to escape before getting caught in the flood.

WATER & CARS IN DREAMS

Water and cars are common symbols that can appear in dreams and hold important meanings for most people. Both of these symbols can represent different aspects of life, and understanding their significance can provide valuable insights into the subconscious mind.

Water is one of the most commonly reported symbols in dreams, and it can represent a variety of things depending on the context in which it appears. Generally, water is seen as a symbol of the emotions, relationships and the flow of life. In dreams, water can take on many forms, such as rivers, oceans, lakes, or even rain. The meaning of water in a dream can vary depending on its characteristics, such as the color, temperature, and clarity.

One common way that water appears in dreams is as a tidal wave or flood. These dreams can be overwhelming and frightening, as it indicates a feeling of being swept away by their emotions or circumstances in their waking life. A dream of being caught in a flood or tidal wave can represent a sense of being out of control or overwhelmed by life’s challenges. It can also suggest that the dreamer needs to let go of their resistance and go with the flow of life.

This was certainly true for me. The water dreams in my childhood and in my 30s represented the ending of marital relationships which had a huge impact on me. When I got married, I expected it to last a lifetime. When it was clear it wasn’t going to last, I truly felt devastated. That strong emotion was showing up in my dreams as floods.

Moving on to cars, they are often seen as symbols of the self, the journey of life, or how the dreamer gets from Point A to Point B. Cars can represent the dreamer’s sense of control and direction in their waking life. In dreams, cars can appear in various forms, such as driving a car, being a passenger, or even witnessing a car accident.

Dreams of driving a car can indicate the dreamer’s level of control over their life’s direction. If the dreamer is driving confidently, it suggests they are in control of their life and moving forward with a sense of purpose. However, if the dreamer is struggling to control the car or feeling lost, it can suggest a lack of direction or a sense of being stuck in their waking life.

Being a passenger in a car can represent the dreamer’s relationship with others in their waking life. If the dreamer is sitting in the passenger seat of a car, it can suggest they are allowing someone else to take control of their life or that they need to trust others more. If the dreamer is in the back seat of a car, it can indicate a sense of feeling overlooked or powerless in their relationships.

Lastly, witnessing a car accident in a dream can represent a sense of chaos or disruption in the dreamer’s life. It can also suggest a fear of losing control or being involved in a harmful situation.

In conclusion, water and cars are two powerful symbols that can appear in dreams and hold important meanings for me. Water can represent the emotions and the flow of life, while cars can symbolize the self and the journey of life. When these three powerful dreams showed up in my life they were impossible to ignore and as I sought to understand them, I was led down the path in life to where I am now, interpreting dreams online and helping people in their personal growth & transformation.

If you would like to read more about how to use the messages in your dreams to change your life, check out my new EBOOK “Unlocking the Power of Your Dreams”. You can use the CODE: dreamz0 to download the book for free today.

Dreams For Peace, Personal Growth

Exploring Dreams For Peace In More Depth

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Dreams are an incredible source of inspiration and insight, and their importance cannot be overstated. As someone who has spent a significant portion of my life studying the science of dreams and their impact on our lives, I can say with certainty that dreams are a valuable tool that we can use to better understand ourselves and our world. In this article, I would like to analyze the writing style, tone, and voice of dreamsforpeace.org and discuss the importance of dreams in a way that aligns with the values and mission of this remarkable organization.

The first thing that struck me about dreamsforpeace.org is the clarity and simplicity of the writing style. The language is straightforward, and the tone is friendly and approachable, which makes the content easy to understand and engaging to read. The website is geared towards a general audience, and the writing style reflects this, with an emphasis on accessibility and inclusivity. This approach is refreshing, as it invites people from all walks of life to engage with the content and explore the world of dreams.

The tone of the website is optimistic and positive, which is essential when discussing a subject as complex and multifaceted as dreams. Dreams can be challenging to understand, and their meanings are often open to interpretation. The team at dreamsforpeace.org strikes a careful balance between acknowledging the complexity of the subject and remaining upbeat and encouraging. The result is a tone that is both informative and inspiring, which encourages readers to explore the world of dreams in a spirit of curiosity and wonder.

The voice of dreamsforpeace.org is rooted in a deep commitment to peace and social justice. The organization believes that dreams can be a powerful force for positive change, and this belief is reflected in the content of the website. The articles, resources, and events are all geared towards promoting a world that is more just and equitable, and dreams are seen as an essential tool in this effort. This voice is inspiring and uplifting, and it provides readers with a sense of purpose and direction as they explore the world of dreams.

As someone who shares dreamsforpeace.org’s commitment to social justice, I believe that dreams can be a powerful force for change in the world. Dreams are a window into our subconscious minds, and they can reveal aspects of ourselves that we might not otherwise be aware of. They can help us understand our fears, desires, and motivations, and they can inspire us to take action in our daily lives.

Dreams can also provide us with insights into the world around us. They can help us understand the struggles of others and connect us to a sense of collective purpose. By exploring our dreams, we can develop a greater sense of empathy and compassion, which can inspire us to work towards creating a world that is more just and equitable for all.

In conclusion, dreams are an essential tool that we can use to better understand ourselves and our world. They can inspire us, challenge us, and provide us with insights that we might not otherwise be aware of. Dreamsforpeace.org is an organization that understands the importance of dreams and is committed to promoting a world that is more just and equitable. As someone who shares this commitment, I urge you to explore the world of dreams and discover the transformative power that they hold.

Personal Growth

The Process of Personal Transformation

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Personal transformation can be a difficult journey, especially for those who have experienced trauma. Trauma can have a lasting impact on a person’s life, affecting their emotions, relationships, and overall wellbeing. However, with the right support and resources, it is possible to overcome trauma and achieve personal transformation.

For traumatized individuals, personal transformation often begins with acknowledging and accepting the trauma they have experienced. This can be a painful and challenging process, but it is a crucial step in moving forward. It involves confronting difficult emotions, such as anger, fear, and sadness, and allowing oneself to feel and process these emotions in a healthy way.

From there, personal transformation can involve learning new coping mechanisms and building resilience. This can include seeking therapy or counseling, joining support groups, or engaging in activities that promote mental and physical wellbeing, such as exercise or meditation.

In addition to seeking support and resources, personal transformation often involves a shift in mindset. Traumatized individuals may have negative self-talk or limiting beliefs that hold them back. By challenging these beliefs and replacing them with positive affirmations, individuals can build self-confidence and a sense of empowerment.

Personal transformation is not a linear process, and setbacks are common. It is important for individuals to be patient and compassionate with themselves and to celebrate small victories along the way. With time and dedication, personal transformation is possible for anyone, no matter their past experiences.

In conclusion, personal transformation is a difficult but rewarding journey for traumatized individuals. It involves acknowledging and accepting past trauma, seeking support and resources, building resilience and coping mechanisms, and shifting mindset. By taking these steps, individuals can overcome trauma and achieve personal growth and fulfillment.