"Dreams: Catharsis of Mind and Spirit" An Interview With Nori Muster by Nandini Garud Want to know what dreams are telling you? Nori Muster has studied dreams for more than twenty years and has developed some intriguing theories on why we dream and what these elusive images can mean. I interviewed Nori for my journalism class, and her insights on dreams make fascinating reading. Nori earned her bachelor's degree at the University of California (Santa Barbara) and her master's at Western Oregon State College. In addition to her dream research, she has written a book, "Betrayal of the Spirit," published by the University of Illinois Press. Currently, she lives in Los Angeles with a parakeet, a Zebra finch, and her pet fish. Q: A philosophical question - what is the single most important thing that sets the dream world apart from the real world? A: Basically, we wake up to the same world every morning, but at night we can imagine ourselves into any situation. Q: Are we really just dreaming them, or is it possible that dreams somehow reflect some higher or ultimate reality? A: We create our waking dream through karma (past actions) and kama (desires). Luckily, once we become aware that we are dreaming we can control the dream a little more. This is has been practiced for many centuries by Tibetan monks. The Dalai Lama talks about "forgiveness and tolerance, coming to peace with the dream." Q: So are we living in another world beyond this physical world when we are dreaming? A: I have often wondered about that. I believe some people stay locked in their own heads when they dream, while others join together in collective dreams which take place on another level of reality, but it is still the earthly realm. On rare occasions, a dreamer may visit God's world. A genuine experience of God in a dream could inevitably have life-changing consequences. Q: Universal themes, archetypes, and symbols are found in dreams. Is this our universal mind at work as expressed by Jung or are these just coincidences? Why? A: Carl Jung said that we are all part of one mind, known as the collective unconscious. His patients dreamed of symbols that they were unfamiliar with on the conscious level, but they provided profound realizations. This is no coincidence: it is as if we somehow know a lot more than what we may have experienced in one short lifetime. Q: Did your experience as a former Hare Krishna member cast new light on the nature of dreams? A: Basically, no, it didn't shed any light on dreams for me. The Hare Krishnas tend to dismiss dreams as a reaction to something you ate for dinner. They tell members to forget their dreams, which is a mistake. I went along with their rules for a while, then in 1985 I began having a troubling reoccurring dream. A man I worked for at the time encouraged me to buy a dream book and look for the dream's meaning. I had to keep it quiet, since reading "outside" literature and keeping a dream journal were bending the organization's rules. Q: REM sleep, in which dreams appear, refreshes us. Why is that? A: The psyche gets a sense of satisfaction from enacting dramas in the sleeping state. It's a catharsis, like watching a good movie. Also, if it is a dream where you join the collective dream state, I believe that we meet other souls and share our experiences. While this action is playing out, our eyes move as if it were really happening. This communing with the collective is a relaxing and reassuring exercise that leaves us feeling refreshed. Q: People deprived of REM sleep because of medications or physical problems complain of feeling tired even after a long sleep. Can REM sleep be induced by training a person to have dreams? A: There are different unconscious states. If someone is on drugs or can't have REM sleep for a biological or emotional reason, their body may rest but their mind can't relax and unwind. Doctors are looking for sure-fire ways to induce REM sleep. The problem I see with the medical model is that they keep trying to conquer the body and mind through drugs and machines. I believe in natural, holistic health care, not drugged euphoria. The body and mind will heal on their own, given the chance. Q: How do dreams disguise their message in hidden language, and how can that language be decoded? A: The language of dream symbolism is incredibly complex. Often, the psyche uses a cryptic symbolic language to shield the dreamer from disturbing realities. Q: Why is it important to keep a dream journal? A: Capturing dreams on paper allows you to refer back to them for inspiration, or try to figure them out. Sometimes the meaning of a dream will become obvious years after the fact. Q: How can writers and artists use the power of dreams to enhance their work? A: Dreams are like little motors. They contain a lot of emotional energy. An artist or writer can pull a symbol or image from a dream journal and make it come alive in a story or work of art. I will be discussing that in my class. click here to go to first lesson