Unexpected, strange, delightful – the stories and characters of dreams have long provided inspiration for novelists, film-makers, artists and poets. But this well of ideas and insight might seem out of reach for the layperson, particularly those who don’t recall their dreams regularly, even though it’s something every single person does every single night. And even those who do remember their nocturnal adventures might not pay much attention to them.
Yet mining that blackout period for creativity – and combining the dreamscape with poetry in particular – offers a chance to create something extraordinary. In fact, using the two in tandem can potentially lead to inner growth. This is because the dream space offers the perfect playground for transformation, as does the blank page. And, together, they present an opportunity to find original expression of creativity. The process might also allow you to better process and integrate dreams, while providing an insightful way of finding meaning within them.
Common ground
To get started, it’s helpful to understand the relationship and similarities between poetry as an expression and the dream state. There’s much common ground between the two, which share fascinating similarities and complementary features. Like a poem, a dream often reveals a deeper truth. Something obvious might rest on the surface, as you might find, for example, on the first reading of a poem or when waking from a dream with a strong feeling. But there’s often an underlying meaning – in both dream and poem – when examined more closely. And the understanding of each might deepen, the more time that is spent with it.
Wish fulfilment
There are other links, too – both can be mysterious, abstract and packed with metaphor. And there’s often a need to understand the content and relate it to everyday life to understand its narrative. They’re each born from the unconscious mind and, at times, share the energy of wish fulfilment. In a dream, this might involve a desire for something to be different or better, for example, a dream of owning a beautiful home rather than renting a small apartment. A poem can also speak to such wishes. Both are often seeking out a resolution of sorts, too, and universal themes that resonate on a deeper level.
Expression and extension
So, why go to the trouble of turning a dream into a poem? You could just keep a dream journal. There are many reasons to do so. Importantly, given the time and energy invested, a poem is a beautiful way to honour your dream. Also, the act of writing a poem allows you to better understand, process and assimilate your dream. In other words, you can begin to integrate its feeling and storyline. The time and care involved offers an important space for reflection, too. You might find deeper meaning in a dream while crafting a poem, which could lead to new possibilities being discovered. For example, you might create a different ending, one that provides a satisfying resolution in the waking life that wasn’t found in the dream. So, the poem can be an extension of the dream, expressing and sometimes resolving unfinished business.
It also crystallises the dream’s essence in concise, carefully selected words, honouring its beating heart while also refining ideas or emotions and, sometimes, exploring a part of yourself that wishes to have a voice, or even owning parts of yourself from which you might otherwise turn away. The process turns the dream into a piece of art that is revered and brings the reward of seeing your words shaped on the page.
Connections and reflection
A poem might also include elements and artistry that exaggerate or change a dream. They might even be inauthentic, but that’s also informative. It could be that the embellishments are a means to having one’s needs met in a way that they weren’t in a dream, giving you the chance to experience both outcomes. Say, for example, you have an anxiety dream about missing a deadline on a work project. Turning this into a poem – only with an ending where everything’s handed in on schedule – is one way of visualising a different outcome, which can, in turn, help you to work towards making that a reality. Dreams are, after all, the psyche waving its hand, highlighting all the possibilities.
In this way, poetry – just like dreams – builds connections that go beyond the person and far beyond what you believe to be true about yourself. They’re both portals, which can take you from one way of consciousness to another, and mirrors, where you are being reflected. Turning a dream into a poem is a little like creating a playground where you can explore, develop and refine yourself through the creation and expression of new ideas.
The poem might also make the dream feel more tangible. Acknowledging it in this way – and staying with its core energy or message – might also lead to self-awareness in the waking state.
In the realms of possibility
The treatment of a dream is precious. You might choose to honour yours by documenting it in a dream diary. But turning it into a poem – or, maybe, a sketch, sculpture or song lyric, if that’s more your thing – is akin to sending it the most meaningful love letter ever. All possibilities exist in dreams, it’s a way of being beyond time, while poetry offers the chance to integrate and enhance your experience of the world. So, listen to your dreams, watch them take on a new meaning and allow your dreaming mind to be truly heard. Send it a love letter every now and then in the form of a poem. And live your dream beyond the night.
Well versed
Ways to mine your dreamscape for inspiration
- Use wisdom from your dream characters. Dreams are full of dream characters – people you may or may not know – who will sometimes relay messages, wisdom or strange remarks. Take a line from a dream character and use it as a writing prompt. Sometimes, a dream character might talk to you directly with a request, which could also be used in your poem.
- Focus on images. Create a poem that tells the narrative of your dream through imagery and emotion rather than the narrative or content alone. Start with the image. Select your image and associated emotion, for example, ‘a purple mountain and the feeling of awe’, as a writing prompt to begin your poem. Freewrite – just see where the dream image takes you.
- Try a dream-entry poem. Start a dream diary and write down your dreams every night for two weeks. Look back and create a five-stanza poem entitled ‘Five Dream Entries’. In each stanza, write four lines about the most poetic parts from each dream.
- Channel wish fulfilment. Have you had a dream that didn’t end well? What would it be like to change the ending to make it more satisfying? Write a poem with the ending that you desire.
- Explore dream incubation. Before going to sleep, set an intention to have a dream to inspire the next content of your poem. For example: ‘Tonight, I dream of my next house/partner/job.’ Try this for six consecutive nights. Once you have had the dream (or any dream) that reveals inspiration, use it as the basis for your poem.
Leah is a gestalt psychotherapist in the advanced stages of training, a poetry therapist and a poet. To explore her work, visit themoonlab.net and follow her on Instagram @leahlarwood. Leah’s debut poetry collection about dreams and lucid dreaming, Oneironaut, is available now at IndigoDreamsPublishing.com