Freudian and Iroquois dream beliefs run surprisingly parallel - both were convinced that forbidden wishes were expressed in disguised form in dreams, and if those wishes weren't satisfied, the mind would punish the body through physical ailments (a.k.a., psychosomatic illness).

That is where Freudian and Iroquois beliefs diverge, however. The Iroquois were not satisfied with just dream interpretation - they advocated actually acting out your dream during your waking hours, no matter how bizarre or otherwise socially unacceptable that would be. For instance, if one lived in Iroquois Society, it would have been perfectly acceptable for a person to parade around nude with a pig tied to his back if he had a dream about it the night before. In our culture, such an enthusiast would reach Bellevue before a higher plane of self understanding.

Make Dreams Come True (Less the Strapped Swine)

Obviously, acting out a good portion of our dreams would land us in jail, or, at the very least, in hot water with our parents or spouses. However, when chosen selectively, certain dreams lend themselves very well to acting out.

A dream that offers an answer to a confounding predicament, or one in which you find your way around a blockage will bear constructive results when acted out. If you find acting out a dream is not as simple as it sounds, working with a group will often yield exceptional results.

Acting Out Dreams with a Group

When acting out dreams with a group, you must be even more cautious about which dreams to use. Good sense dictates that a dream should not be chosen if it could be harmful to another group member. While using other dreamwork therapies, it is often preferable to study dreams that feature great details and a good number of scenes. In this case, you will want to avoid dreams that have an innumerable number of characters.

1.                   The dreamer recounts the entire dream.

2.                   The group members take turns asking clarifying questions.

3.                   The dreamer assigns each group member a role as a character or element.

4.                   The dream is enacted with the dreamer as himself.

5.                   The dreamer has dialogue with the characters as he chooses, even changing the ending. After the dream has been acted out, everyone should discuss their feelings about the performance. In this way, the dreamer can glean new insights into his own dream.