Synthetic concept of working with dreams: approbation in the field of psychological psychotherapy and personality development

Bogachev Aleksei Mikhailovich ORCID: 0000-0002-9430-2274 Researcher at the Center for the Prevention of Extremism in Education and Youth Environment, A. I. Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University; Senior Lecturer of the Department of Practical Psychology, Mariupol State Humanitarian University named after A.I. Kuindzhi 197198, Russia, Saint Petersburg, Bolshaya Pushkarskaya str., 6, sq. 20 amb1976@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction

With the development of psychology as a science and applied art, the topic of working with dreams is constantly becoming more and more significant, up to the introduction of the concept of the "dreaming body" into the conceptual apparatus of psychotherapy ^{[13, 14]}. The states of altered consciousness, close to the dream state, are actively investigated even at the junction of spiritual psychology and psychophysiology ^{[17, 20]}. The synthesis of various approaches in this field is a kind of "mainstream", which is expressed in the field of preparation of dissertations, a vivid example of which is the study of S.A. Parfentiev "Analysis of dreams as a method of psychodiagnostics and psychocorrection of personality in social psychology", in which he presents the phenomenon of dreams as a natural psychotherapeutic mechanism to which humanity, so or otherwise it has been treated throughout its history ^[15]. This approach to dreams allows us to consider each of the concepts of dreams, whether it is a traditionally psychoanalytic approach ^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 21 et al.]}, Jungian analysis ^{[22, 23, 24, 25]}, psychosynthesis and transpersonal psychology ^{[5, 6, 11]}, gestalt psychology ^[16], etc. as one of the options for describing and explaining the universal patterns that characterize the dream and which, one way or another, are a manifestation of the dialogue between consciousness and the unconscious dreamer, his self-manifestation and self-expression and, ultimately, the movement of his personality to integrity (often through the elaboration of traumatic experiences and destructive processes) ^[10].

On this theoretical basis and in the course of many years of practice, we have developed an applied synthetic theory of dreams, which includes, among other things, the hypothesis of seven spheres (levels) dreams, a basic algorithm for working with dreams, a criterion for the effectiveness of working with dreams, ideas about the universal and contextual symbolism of dreams.

This article presents the results of a study aimed at substantiating the practical (applied) effectiveness of this concept. Let us first consider its main provisions.

The main provisions of the synthetic theory (concept) dreams

 In a number of scientific papers ^{[7, 8, 9]} we have presented a concept that can be summarized as follows:

1.        From a psychological point of view, a dream is a variant of intrapersonal dialogue and expression of the most relevant state for a person.

2.        There are seven spheres (levels) dreams, in each dream, one or more of these spheres manifest themselves to the greatest extent. This structure is hierarchical and row-oriented at the same time and includes: the sphere of information processing (including the waking period preceding the dream) and (or) direct fulfillment of desires, the sphere of distorted fulfillment of desires of the "ego"; the sphere of interpersonal and (or) "object" relations; the sphere of comprehension of the symbolic content of the dream; the sphere of dialogue with subpersonalities and (or) between subpersonalities ("autonomous complexes"); the sphere of archetypal symbolism; the sphere of spiritual and mystical experience and perception of the world.

3. Effective psychodiagnostic work with a dream implies the definition of the main sphere (spheres) or level (levels), as well as a combination of universal symbolism and the individual personal context of a particular dream and its content.

4. Effective psychotherapeutic (psychocorrective) and (or) developing personality work with dreams implies:

- identification of intrapersonal conflict and (or) the main sphere (level) and theme, as well as symbolism, manifested in a particular dream (interpretation of the dream);

- identification of the optimal variant of the algorithm for working with dreams, developed within the framework of synthetic work with dreams;

- immersion in the dream space and overcoming the main "barrier" on the way to restoring the integrity of a particular person;

- achieving a qualitatively new level of personal integrity and consolidating the result obtained.

Let's present this concept in a slightly more detailed form:

First, let's expand the psychological definition of a dream. A dream is an actual appeal to those images, symbols and metaphors ^[19], as well as states that are most relevant for expressing who the dreamer is at the moment.

Here it should be repeated: a dream is an expression of who the dreamer is at the moment, and very often it is an addition to the dreamer's conscious attitude, an indication of what to work with (although it happens that a dream is "just" an experience, spontaneous healing, spiritual experience). K.G. Jung wrote: "I gradually abandoned the associative method, which leads too far away from the content of the dream, and preferred to focus on the dreams themselves, believing that they express some kind of message that the subconscious is trying to convey" ^{[24, p. 47]}

Within the framework of this hypothesis, the following levels (or "dimensions") are distinguished dreams ^{[7, 8, 9]}:

·Psychophysiological – direct (imaginary) fulfillment of physiological and other desires ("sometimes a banana is just a banana"), as well as experiencing the events of the previous day or very strong impressions for their informational processing;

· Instincts of the unconscious and fulfillment of desires in the space of the "ego" (as a rule, distorted) – here are the mechanisms of fulfillment of desires described by Freud, condensation or condensation (combining different images into one), displacement (replacing some images with others under the influence of censorship), secondary processing (making the dream coherent due to a certain "rational" plot) and the transformation of thoughts into visual images;

·Deep interpersonal ("object") relationships, that is, the expression at the symbolic level of relationships associated with primary attachments formed in the prenatal period, infancy and early childhood and constituting the "I" of the dreamer;

·Subpersonal-symbolic – at this level there is a direct dialogue between different parts of psychic reality (often conflicting with each other), and the dreamer gets to this level when he is able to perceive himself as a kind of "integrity" that combines various conscious and unconscious "complexes";

·Symbolic – at this level, the dreamer perceives certain symbols that complement his conscious reality (for example, "house", "flower", "bird") in the context of his personal integrity, solving life problems, etc.;

·Symbolic-archetypal is a meeting with images charged with archetypal energy, possessing "prophetic" or personality–transforming power (this also includes the so-called "healing dreams");

·Transpersonal (spiritual) – the experience of a direct spiritual experience of the highest order, or the experience of transcendence (described, for example, in the works of S. Groff ^[11]).

In some cases, these levels can be "mixed", combined with each other, which corresponds to the synthetic concept of personality proposed by us together with A.A. Lomonosov and N.V. Bobrova ^[12].

The basic practical technique of working with a dream is quite simple. If we understand that any dream is a different kind of interaction between the subject and the Other, consciousness and the beyond (unconscious), then: a) it is necessary to evaluate it in the context of the dreamer's life situation and personality, to determine the leading level of the dream; b) pay attention to any elements of the dialogue or "instructions" to block the dialogue the one-sidedness of the dream, attempts at self-deception, etc. in this dream; c) to comprehend the meaning of the symbols that appeared in the dream; d) to offer an interpretation that allows you to open up new opportunities for self-knowledge, intrapersonal dialogue, spiritual choice at the conscious and unconscious levels, to translate the "blind spots" into the zone of integration of experience, to overcome certain motivations and (or) self-deception; e) if necessary, offer to return to the dream and start a dialogue, preserving the moral attitudes of consciousness, to meet with Another (albeit often frightening). At the same time, Another (symbol of the unconscious part of psychic reality) for the conscious "I" of the dreamer can be either this or that character, or the "other side" of the dream, which is absent in its original version (for example, nature – for urban sleep, female images – for "patriarchal" sleep, continuation of movement – for dreaming in which the dreamer froze, observing the process – for a dream where the dreamer "died" and woke up in horror, etc.) and f) to consolidate the integration that occurred (depending on the level of the dream, consolidation can occur both at the "anchor"-symbolic level and at the level of comprehension) after leaving the dream.

But on what basis can we say that our understanding of sleep is correct, that our work with sleep is real, and not fantasy (illusory)?

Let's introduce criteria for the correctness of the interpretation of the dream and work with it. The interpretation of the dream is correct, and the work with it is real if these processes cause the "author" of the dream most of the phenomena listed below:

• a sense of "insight" (insight);

• the emergence of a new complex of emotions, feelings, thoughts;

• resistance causing new psychic material confirming our interpretation;

• feeling and feeling of internal integration;

• subjective feeling of well-being and (or) changes towards integrity;

• "autonomous" behavior of dream images at the time of interpretation and (or) when working with a dream, as well as:

• open up new behavioral opportunities and

• give impetus to a new series of dreams,

• which correspond to the theory.  

The same applies to the problem of distinguishing painful fantasies and real work with images.

So, following the concept proposed by us, the psychologist, working in the space of dreams, acts as an intermediary in launching the natural (natural) process, which is the dream, and helps his ward: a) to establish or enrich a dialogue between different parts of the dreamer's personality, often overcoming certain barriers to achieve a new level of integrity; b) gain conscious access to the unconscious resources of one's own personality; c) learn to better understand oneself and, more importantly, independently use the diagnostic, therapeutic and developmental potential of dreams.

Investigation of the applied effectiveness of the synthetic concept of dreams and its results

In order to continue testing and obtain scientific confirmation of the effectiveness of working with dreams, we conducted a study in which we used the following methods: the experimental method, the method of investigating individual cases, the testing method (using techniques such as the Spielberger anxiety test and MMPI in the SMIL modification), the method of introspection, the method of self-report, the method of analysis and method of interactive interpretation of the received data.

It should be noted that, taking into account the specifics of the phenomenon we are considering (both in the field of psychological psychotherapy (psychocorrection) and in the field of personality development), the method of investigating individual cases is traditionally applicable and quite "legitimate", which led to its use.

The object of the study was the mental reality of the participants in the experiment, including their dreams, and the subject was the transformation of the states and (or) personality characteristics of the participants in the experiment in the context of the use of a synthetic algorithm for working with dreams.

The experiment was initially attended by 29 people (all women from 18 to 50 years old) who responded to the announcement of its holding on social networks (half of the participants were previously unknown to us personally, the other half were previously our students and (or) colleagues). 26 subjects reached the end of the experiment (3 participants stopped working after the first two or three days - they did not have any negative conditions). The duration of the experiment was 14 days (with the possibility of extending the work for those who wish). This term was chosen based on the usual length of psychotherapeutic marathons with the addition of several days for possible comprehension of its results by participants.

Let's formulate once again the purpose of the experiment. It consisted in identifying the psychotherapeutic (psychocorrective) and (or) personality-developing potential of the synthetic concept of dreams. According to our hypothesis, this potential is high, and the concept itself can be recommended for practical application by psychotherapists and practical psychologists, as well as used for further theoretical advancement in the field of dream research. 

The experiment was built as follows: each of its participants expressed a desire to work together, passed the appropriate testing and then for 14 days sent us either on the Vkontakte social network or in the Telegram messenger the contents of their dreams and a description of their state after waking up. We gave an interpretation of the dream and (or) a recommendation for working with it in accordance with the tested concept and the algorithm of work included in it. After completing the 14-day period, the subjects retested the tests and offered feedback on the results of the work.

The emphasis on measuring anxiety is due to the fact that it is the most dynamic and, at the same time, structural characteristic of a person. Anxiety is a chaotic, non-integrated, unstructured energy, and according to our assumption, teaching an individual to dialogue between his own consciousness and the unconscious allows him to integrate this energy in a healthy, creative way.

Let's consider the results obtained by us, noting that 24 subjects passed the tests before and after the study, 23 subjects also submitted self-reports.

The results of the Spielberger test (subjects with a decrease in both situational and personal anxiety according to the results of the experiment are highlighted in bold; subjects with a decrease in one type of anxiety and balance in the other are emphasized; subjects with a sharp decrease in anxiety and (or) indicators of a sharp decrease in anxiety are highlighted in italics (in those subjects for whom contradictory quantitative data were obtained)):

Note: in all cases (especially with negative dynamics), work with the participants of the experiment continued after the expiration of the 14-day period;  dreamers "U" and "F" did not provide test results).

From a quantitative point of view, 13 out of 24 tested subjects (i.e. 54.1%) demonstrated a decrease in the level of situational and personal anxiety simultaneously (and in eight cases (33.3%) anxiety has decreased significantly). Situational anxiety decreased in 2.0 cases (83.3%), personal anxiety decreased in 16 cases (67.7%). Both situational and personal anxiety in the same subject increased in two cases (8.3%). In three cases, a decrease in situational anxiety was recorded while maintaining the same level of personal anxiety, and once – on the contrary. When summing these cases with cases of simultaneous decrease in personal and situational anxiety, we get 17 scenarios of unconditionally positive psychodynamics within the experiment (70.8%). In three cases (12.5%), a combination of a significant or noticeable decrease in situational anxiety and a slight increase in personal anxiety was observed. In one case, situational anxiety increased slightly (by one point), but personal anxiety decreased significantly (by 8 points).

So, we have recorded a clear trend in reducing anxiety according to the results of the experiment. The lesser severity of the tendency to decrease personal anxiety can be explained by the comparative short-term nature of the experiment (note that with prolonged (months and years) work with dreams, our wards (clients) and their environment (experts) recorded stable long-term personal transformations, as well as the positive effect of working with a specific dream (in several hundred cases), however, we so far, we have not objectified this through psychometric tools, although we have received appropriate self-reports, as well as tracked behavioral changes related to our work ^[7,8,9]). 

As can be seen from the quantitative data we have obtained, the trend is obvious: the use of an algorithm for working with dreams based on the synthetic concept of dreams developed by us is effective from a psychotherapeutic (psychocorrective) point of view, as well as in the context of personality development (although this tool is not applicable to everyone). It should also be noted that in most cases, the results of Spielberger's passage indicate serious transformational processes in the mental reality of the subjects after a directed appeal to the space of dreams, which in itself is a result (and that, as we will see below, is expressed in the self-reports of the subjects). In addition, the increase in the level of anxiety by the end of the experiment for the dreamer "B" was a manifestation of subjectively experienced and objectively (behaviorally) manifested personal growth (and in the self-report she associates it with the appeal to dreams), and work with her continued at the end of the 14-day period.

The results obtained by us, in our opinion, cannot be explained only by the fact of the appeal of consciousness to its inner world, because in itself such an appeal can, on the contrary, cause a chaotic process and an increase in the level of anxiety. Our concept and, accordingly, the methodology implies a "phenomenological structuring of the process", that is, the desired utilization of anxiety due to the integration of personality.

As for the results of the MMPI test (SMIL) by the subjects, taking into account the short-term nature of the experiment, they were used as complementary data, and also recorded for a possible long-term study in the future.

Thus, in two cases ("Dreamer "A" and "Dreamer" "D"), on the anxiety scale, the level of anxiety decreased from off-scale (above 70 points) to relatively normal (from 78 to 65 and 73 to 57 points, respectively), which is consistent with the results of the Spielberger test. In two cases ("Dreamer B" and "Dreamer C"), the anxiety level on the corresponding MMPI scale, on the contrary, rose from 39 to 47 and 36 to 50 points, respectively, but according to the interpretation criteria (especially since the values on this scale were the lowest in comparison with other scales in both cases) this means overcoming the attitude towards, as it is customary to say in the professional environment, "lack of caution in actions and scrupulousness in matters of morality, rather naked egocentrism, reduced ability to empathize, non-conformity of attitudes, rude and harsh manner of behavior, a cynical view of life phenomena." In the case of "Dreamer "L", we recorded a tendency to overcome such an attitude (from 31 to 37 points on the anxiety scale) with a general increase in adaptability on almost all scales. The MMPI test data on dreamers "W", "K", "M" are contradictory and do not provide certain information about the presence or absence of personality transformation and (or) personality states. In the dreamer "P", with a decrease in situational anxiety by 6 points and an increase in personal anxiety by 2 points according to the Spielberger test, the MMPI test showed a decrease in anxiety by 6 points (from 55 to 49). Anyway, in 77% of cases, the results of the Spielberger test clearly corresponded to the MMPI results in terms of lowering the level of anxiety in the subjects. We emphasize once again that, taking into account the specifics of the object and subject of the study, we rely on the method of investigating individual cases, where the emphasis, as is known, is on identifying qualitative patterns and their further extrapolation. In this context, the quantitative percentages presented above indicate that the algorithm we use for working with dreams really allows us to transform the energy of anxiety into creative energy for the individual and her environment.

Returning to the results of passing the Spielberger test, we note that we consider a sharp decrease in the level of situational and (or) personal anxiety to be particularly significant in several cases. Once again, we emphasize that the most serious changes associated by the subjects themselves with working in space and with the material of dreams, in our opinion, are in themselves a significant result. 

The substantive part of the study

From the point of view of meaningful psychodynamics, most of the cases of our work consisted of the following stages: the stage of adaptation, immersion in the world of dreams (a number of participants practically did not remember dreams before the experiment began); the stage of immersion in chaotic emotions associated with a particular traumatic experience and (or) internal conflicts - at this stage, and obtaining primary access to the internal resource of creation; the culminating stage of the maximum intensity of negative experiences and gaining the ability to withstand them based on the internal resource and utilize (transform) into creative energy; the stage of integration.

In several cases, these stages were repeated in several "turns of the spiral" with the gradual consolidation of positive experience. In all cases, there was an internal (with our mediation), one might say, natural learning of dialogue with the unconscious parts of one's own psyche, coupled with the perception of energy-saturated images (often archetypal, such as "Water", "Forest", "Mountain", "Ladder", "Anima", "Animus", "Child", "Elder", etc.). In many (78%) cases, this was accompanied by clear changes in the self-perception and behavior of the subjects, and in one case ("Dreamer "U") subjectively experienced a powerful transformation process by the end of the formal term of the experiment only "gained momentum".

Now let's look at both examples of working with dreams and self-reports of the participants of the experiment.

Examples of working with dreams

Here are examples of returning to a dream and working with anxiety through the process of internal integration (in each of the examples we are talking about different subjects), as well as working with a dream only through its interpretation.

The first example:

Dreamer: "Good morning, Alexey. I didn't sleep well today, but by morning I fell asleep and had a dream. A multi-entrance house, the front door is destroyed, but the house is familiar. I go into it and climb the stairs with a little boy, the stairs without a railing, I think how dangerous it is, and suddenly the boy falls. I'm terrified in my sleep."

Therapist: "Varvara, hello, the house is your inner psychic reality, and the stairs are a climb. It is a connection of parts of yourself. In this dream, you meet simultaneously with the symbol of your childish self and with the corresponding part of yourself and the eternal image. The boy is you. This is your childhood connection with the world of your little soul, but it is also your experience of the world as a child, and this in the image of a boy is a manifestation of connection with Another. And now it is difficult for you to connect these parts of yourself, and you yourself fall into the depths of your unconscious. It's not fatal. I recommend to imagine yourself in a sacred circle, to be in a sacred circle around you, a circle protecting you. Allocate time, space to yourself, relax safely, if it is close to you, read that prayer, that appeal to the higher powers that is close to you, and return to the moment when you are seized with horror, and then follow the process. You can, including everything, help the boy."

Dreamer: "Alexey, good afternoon. I'm sorry that it's too late to start right away about the fact that yesterday, as you advised me, in my dream, I did practice, as they said, drew a Circle and entered a dream and, in general, saved this boy, pulled him out of the flying depths, today I have a dream that I am in the house. Well, it's like I'm sleeping in my house and a man comes and starts hugging me and kissing me, and I ask the question, how could you enter the door closed, that is, the door was locked, but in principle, today I already feel such protection from this dream, fear and horror are gone." By the end of the work, the dreamer's situational and personal anxiety somewhat decreased.

The second example:

Dreamer: "Alexey, good morning. Today I had a dream, after which there was a very disturbing and unpleasant after-sleep. It was again in the old apartment. My grandmother is there, but it seems like my mother or even my mother-in-law. With square glasses and a big belly. She goes to the bathroom and throws up. He says I want to eat, but I can't, everything goes back and is very angry about it. I ask how many days so, says three days. I begin to scold that it is possible again intestinal obstruction, that I was silent, that I need to see a doctor, etc..D. I don't remember further From my mother-in-law, God grant her health, there was an operation that year just because of this. This is some kind of collective image of women of the genus and not the possibility of accepting something that food is not digested"

Therapist: "Vasilisa, good morning. Yes, this is a serious dream related to a relationship with an older woman, and above all, of course, a maternal figure. Here the areas of personal relations with the mother and the archetype of the Genus are connected. And at the same time, this is a state of a gap between "I want and I can" and some kind of self-doubt, desire and impossibility. maybe, to make some decision, to give birth to something inside, to accept something, yes, to accept to assimilate, and accordingly, then this is the way out on the right path. Recommendation - imagine a sacred circle today. Enter the sacred circle. You're in it. Close your eyes. Go back to that dream feeling. Pray as close as you are and try to allow yourself to heal this woman from within, look at yourself through her eyes and at her with your own, ask God, ask for the power of your Kind and yourself, this mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, mother of the kind to heal. Follow the process. It may not be simple, but it will be life-giving."

Dreamer: "Alexey, thank you. Oh. From words to tears. Indeed, there is not acceptance, mom drinks alcohol heavily and serious mental disorders have begun. It is very difficult for me to accept this. Grandma drank too. I will do what you said, everything responded in the body. I will write the result. I'm suffocating a few days after arriving from them. And by the way, in therapy, if I can't digest something, the way out is that it works for me in a dream. I have now turned on the topic of generic "suffering" and the prohibition on happiness. The installation of happiness and joy came out, it's a shame... <...> Thank you for the meditation. Very bright images were transformed. I'm crying, it's very deep. We need to be in this for now. This is a birth trauma, it seems, which leads to alcoholism. By the way, I can't drink, alcohol doesn't break down and intoxication is terrible.  Thank you again" (after this meditation, the dreamer became much easier, and at least in the medium term, - approx. author). Upon completion of the dreamer's work, both situational and personal anxiety significantly decreased.

The third example:

Dreamer: "August 10th. I woke up at 5 in the morning, had a dream, thought that I needed to remember, designated it for myself with the word "Excuse" to remember in the morning, but in the morning I remembered only this word. From 5 to 7, there was another dream, my child is sitting on the shore of the lake next to a bear, my husband and I are on the sidelines, in conversation I try to convey to my husband that the child is not safe there, my husband proves the opposite, I am anxious. Then a lion or a tiger appears, I don't remember well, runs towards the child and the bear, I freeze in place from wild fear for the child, the lion fights with the bear, the child runs towards me, turns out to be next to me, I exhale and wake up. In the morning I was surprised that I had dreams, this has not happened for a long time. In life, too, I worry about the safety of the child, my husband devalues my fears."

Therapist: "The forest. It is a symbol of the unconscious world, the world of resources, opportunities and fears. In fact, your inner "child" is ready to explore this world. You are ready to accept yourself instinctive and childish. In a dream, you encounter both symbols of your life force and manifestations of parts of yourself. Try to close your eyes again and return to this dream. Focus on what you see, hear, feel, and try to talk to a bear, a lion, and a child, or with them together, and then write to me."

Dreamer: "I went to the place where the child and the bear were sitting, sat down next to the child, took the child by the hand, and the child took the bear by the paw, then the lion began to sneak up on us, while growling, I beckoned him with my hand, he came up to me, then lay down next to me, I began to stroke him. At the same time, I felt very comfortable, I felt peace and incredible strength from our joint image. I was talking in a half whisper: "I accept you, I love you, I understand you." The bear mentally conveyed to me: "I am your support." The lion transmitted: "I am your protection." The child said: "I'm small, take care of me." Note that we will return to this example in the paragraph devoted to the self-reports (feedback) of the participants of the experiment. Also note that upon completion of the dreamer's work, both situational and personal anxiety significantly decreased.

The fourth example:

Dreamer: "I dreamed that we met a young man. I was leaving somewhere from the city we were both in at that moment. We met and walked around the city, sat in a cafe and talked. At the cafe, he ordered two lemonades: an orange and a second. There was such a moment in the cafe: we were both very excited, but I understood that we could not have sex right in the cafe. But he was as excited as the last time he was excited only with me. Anyway, he didn't get so excited without me. [The following is a description of sexual interaction in a dream with an accent to the image of a "giant iridescent phallus", - approx. author] Then we went for a walk around the city. We walked along the pond and talked. At that moment, I felt like I was hurting myself. We didn't need to meet because I'm very attracted to him. I remember saying the following phrase: "Of course, it's easier for you now because you've made the decision to break up. I need to break up with you in my head. But I can't." Of course, he did not insist that I continue to think about her and did not say a word about continuing the relationship. From what I didn't say during the walk, but I thought: "I so want him to want to be together again, to become a family. But that's not possible. We need to get out of here, run. And I'm stuck and I can't. At the end of the dream, we went to a cafe where he decided to get coffee, and I said I didn't want anything. But I asked for help with my big red suitcase and to take me to the train (I have such a suitcase in my life). There was a feeling that I was already late for the train, but we were in no hurry. I woke up before I left, with a feeling of pain in my heart and longing that nothing could be brought back."

Therapist: "In a dream, there are several dimensions, several levels. At one of these levels, your relationship with a young man, with whom, as I understand, you broke up, but to whom you are attracted in a human way, sexually attracted, is being worked out. There is certainly a transformation going on in you, symbolized by the train, the move.   In any case, this is a new round of the spiral in your life, and with all the complexity you are going this way, despite the fact that there is also a strong urge to get stuck. The second dimension is connected with the ancient images of "divine phalluses" - "Jeds". This is a reproduction of ancient phallic cults associated with images of fertility.

What is perceived in our life as sex is a huge part of our life, but not only not so much physical, not only the direct fulfillment of desires, oddly enough. This is also the archetypal symbolism of the union of male and female, this is the union of opposites. Here we are talking about your ability to be with a man as such, a Man with a capital letter, an inner Man.

This space of development is of course connected not only with the relationship "man-woman" in the highest sexual terms and further with the desire to create a family, but also with creative, "fertile" movement forward. .

Dreamer: "I read it several times, I think I understood everything. It has become much easier." It should be noted that in the course of further work with dreams, this dreamer gradually separated from the young man, and the images of the train and the station (serious changes in life) were replaced by the image of the forest, which the dreamer explored in the mode of gaining access to internal resources. Upon completion of the work, the level of her situational and personal anxiety (according to the Spielberger test) decreased somewhat, and in subjective and personal terms there was a sharp and significant improvement in her condition.

We have considered a number of examples of dream work carried out during the experiment, affecting various "spheres" (from wish fulfillment to archetypal), in the context of the transformation of anxiety energy into resource energy available to the individual.

Examples of feedback

Here are also fragments of feedback (self-reports) from the participants of the experiment (arranged in the order of provision and (or) study; two subjects did not provide self-reports):

1.              Dreamer "V": "Alexey, I am just infinitely grateful to you! You have discovered a new world! I had attempts at cognition through sleep, about 15 years ago, when in a village on the shore of the Sea of Azov in the library I found the book "Interpretation of dreams" by Freud. It was difficult for me to read it! But I read it and even wrote something out for myself...but I didn't realize then - that's for sure! This year I got my hands on the book Priestess Itfat. At the beginning of the summer, the idea came that I needed to record my dreams (just as a desire to do it) and here is your project! I feel a transformation happening inside me. A lot of things become clearer! Thanks again! I am very grateful to you for your project, for the opportunity to participate in it! <...> ""To be in the right place at the right time is about my participation in this study! Having intuitively decided to record dreams at the beginning of summer, I could not even imagine that in August I would go through my transformational path through the psychoanalysis of my dreams! It's so interesting and exciting, and what seemed very difficult yesterday suddenly became clear! Awareness - where I am is me, and all the subpersonalities in a dream are also me! When what you can't afford to live in reality is lived in dreams! I am very grateful to you that you are doing this work, and give an opportunity to those who want to know themselves, heal spiritual wounds, find answers to exciting questions, transform into the best version of themselves! During these 10 days, amazing opportunities came to me in terms of professional growth, and I managed to take advantage of them! Thanks! The energy after this work is simply the most powerful!""

2.              Dreamer "E": "Anxiety has really become less, noticeably. But the deeper roots of this anxiety have surfaced, under the lid of it, so to speak. It is possible to work with this in therapy now. The experience of working in this format was incredibly interesting for me. I've wanted to understand my dreams for a long time. I signed up for courses, but resistance turned on, and the work did not go.

Your messages got to the right point, and started the process of reflection. I managed to see a lot from a different angle, rethink.

During this time, I was dealing with the topic of self-worth, and a very large layer in the family system was revealed, which I am now exploring and will work with it. There seemed to be fewer dreams, there used to be 3-4 per night. Waking up now more often I can't remember what I dreamed. It's difficult to record, I don't want to. In real time, it seems to me that I have become calmer and there is more trust in the universe, people, and time. Thank you and continue the experiment."

3.              Dreamer "G": "This is very cool. I didn't even expect that in two weeks such a result would be thank you very much. I decided to participate in the experiment because I had anxiety, had strange and nightmarish dreams. Thanks to the decoding of dreams, I began to understand what was happening to me and why it was morally hard and bad for me. After two weeks of work, I felt light, I felt calmer. I came to understand why certain events occur in my life. Personal relationships began to improve. I am very pleased with the result."

4.              Dreamer "L": "How quickly time flew by. I didn't think that such a simple thing as recording dreams leads to such results. For me, this is some kind of dialogue not only with you, Alexey, but also with myself. Because when you start recording some nonsense, in the process you realize that it's not nonsense at all. This is a real message to Yourself. It's just that in the process of life you live without thinking, on the machine. Without seeing the crumbs that the universe throws around to show and suggest the Way. And dreams, as it turned out, are not even crumbs. This is a whole map with a compass. <...> The marathon gave me more than I thought and planned. The request was: to gain self-confidence, learn to listen to your intuition. And these wishes were fulfilled.  In addition, sleep was fine. Insomnia stopped, the process of falling asleep became faster. After waking up, the activity, the feeling that I really rested. During the marathon, I had to wake up very early several times, but my cheerfulness did not decrease. It turned out that dreams really talk to me. They give hints, conduct dialogues. It's just incredible and amazing at the same time."

5.              Dreamer "R": "They press about the preparation for the elections, but, surprisingly, I perceive everything with enthusiasm and indifference, I don't fight in fits, as before, "what to do, I don't have time, I'll let this one down....". I'm just getting high. Thank you, first of all!!! The quality of life has improved. I do everything with PLEASURE. I talked to the "grandmother - herself" in the cave.it was hard and difficult. I couldn't figure out what to talk about, what to discuss, but, remembering the task, I forced myself to tell something, as a result, I "plunged" into a doze and woke up with big letters in my head, They were crawling one after another in a round dance. And I clearly realized what I want. I want to live with pleasure, wake up not with thoughts of "here again....", go to work not with thoughts of "when is Friday", do household chores not with thoughts that while I'm washing the floor, I have 50 work tasks not performed. Now I even wash the floor with PLEASURE. With a huge. <...> I tried to follow all the instructions. Enthusiastically recalled and described her dreams in detail. The thought arose, "why describe in such detail who is interested in it," but then the responsibility for quality, the desire not to let the mentor down prevailed over my innate confidence that everything that happens to me is not needed by anyone. I felt a new sense of my importance to myself, and the interpretations more and more confirmed me in this. I realized that I was not in my life. Now I deliberately fix my responsibility to myself, my participation in my life. I want not to lose this inner strength."

6.              Dreamer "Y": "Thank you! I am still overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude and joy. During the experiment, I learned to talk directly to my subconscious (this is my personal opinion). I already understand, I knew this, and now I finally understood that with the help of dreams we create our reality, in the sense that dreams help us work with ourselves in accordance with what we are living now. Why didn't I understand this before? This is an insight, and it has come right now. And we'll see what happens next. But it is very important: to be open, and to be safe. It's magic: working with you, and working with yourself in this way – eco-friendly and not very hard. The experiment ended very well for me. And then there will be new experiences and new insights."

7.              Dreamer "E": "Yes, I really feel that anxiety has decreased. Became calmer definitely. I entered classes with sleep disorders. Problems with falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night or in the morning. Before going to bed, there was an alarm. And during the day, anxiety states, some fears, expectations of negative events often rolled in. Although I have never suffered from sleep disorders in my life, I always fell asleep easily, and in itself I was not particularly anxious. Only serious events could affect the quality of sleep, but all this was quickly restored. Lately it has become more alarming. I began to see dreams very rarely, I did not remember them, sometimes some fragments may have surfaced. Of course, it was interesting to learn about such work, how it happens, what will come of it, learn new things about yourself, maybe learn how to manage your condition, dreams, get information from the subconscious, understand that you are moving in the right direction, find peace and confidence. Surprisingly, in the process of work, almost immediately began to see dreams, memorize plots. Often they were quite long stories, interesting, exciting, mystical, "goosebumps", with development. It was interesting to listen and study the interpretation of dreams. And although it was just an interpretation, a translation into an understandable language of images and symbols of a dream, it became calmer, confidence appeared. The quality of sleep and life has changed. There is less fussiness in thoughts, confidence in life is restored. It was as if there was a support that was missing. I would like this support to be internal and unshakable.) There was a feeling of completeness of this stage of work. Definitely want to continue. There is a feeling that I have come closer to some important truth and its light is already visible and tangible."

8.              Dreamer "Zh": "In general, after therapy, after this experiment, I started waking up for some time to think: "Why did you dream about it there? And now I realize that in a dream it is "I" in other persons. And well, as if I don't even feel any more danger for myself, even I think I understand that I can somehow rebuild something in a dream, in principle, I liked everything. It's easy for me, good, calm";

9.              Dreamer "B": "Participation in the experiment helped me to see how what is happening in my life is lived again in a dream."

10.          Dreamer "U": "You and I have started strong transformations inside me again. But the results I expected from the experiment have not yet been achieved. You need to dive into the depths. And the question remained open: how to preserve tenderness, gentleness, kindness, provided you are constantly strong…Bottom line: the inner woman has not yet been revived, deep work is needed.  In the middle of the experiment, the emotions of rejection passed, I even wanted to quit, but thank you to your escort - I coped!! Thank you, Alexey!!!!"

11.          Dreamer "N": "The practice is useful and elegant. Many thanks Alexey to you for it. It's a fishing rod, not a fish. Smile. I reread the chapter about dreams in the book "The Way to the Other" yesterday. But really, now you find something new in the book, there are also answers to my questions, it helps to understand a little deeper. It is useful to reread. Smile. Many thanks to Alexey Mikhailovich for the experiment. You have helped to establish a dialogue between the conscious and the subconscious in a special area – the area of dreams. It's very interesting and subtle. Listening to yourself, your feelings is very cool, it's like a new step towards self–knowledge, necessarily with personal growth and development. It structured, gave an impetus to the analysis and understanding of life. It's a very big benefit for me. Now I have some skills of such work, and it helped to cope with some external moments that cause anxiety, for example, with the complete replacement of the roof in our house - this replacement began at the very end of the experiment."

12.          Dreamer "And": "So far I don't see any changes or results. If they touch on my personal question (at the very beginning) about changes, then I don't have an answer right now. There are too many daily chores, responsibilities, and there is no time for such reflections. While I live by the principle - Do what you can, and there will be what will be.... So far, the issues and interests of the family are above all."

13.          Dreamer "A": "14 days of the experiment have passed, and during this time I was able to better understand myself and can even try to interpret dreams myself. My condition has also improved, as I now have a better understanding of what I'm experiencing and what to do about it. I was able to talk to myself and other people, which made it possible to clarify some situations."

14.          Dreamer "F": "Before the project, dreams were very rare. I didn't remember, I didn't pay attention.  In the process of work, I began to see fragments, episodes at first, and later the memorization of dreams improved down to the smallest detail. I'm starting to see the details. There is a logical connection. I understand that this is just the beginning. They are getting to know themselves, an internal security resource is being opened. Very interesting... If we compare it with my previous dreams, then positive dynamics is visible. Thank you";

15.          Dreamer "T": "The most important thing that I noticed, I begin to understand my dreams myself. I can understand their meaning and the problem I need to work out. My morale has also improved, even my friends noticed that I seemed to have become more smiling."

16.          Dreamer "K": "During the work, I felt an inner core. There are different things, but it has already arisen. I rethought my relationship with my loved ones, stopped proving something. I have revised my attitude towards myself, I accept my femininity. I study various dimensions of dreams. The process is underway."

17.          Dreamer "O": "Probably, I had some high expectations from myself that dreams would immediately start, every day I would remember them and be able to change a lot in myself. There was even some sadness and disappointment that I remembered so little. But now I understand that maybe I wasn't ready to learn a lot right away, which doesn't mean quickly, and let the subconscious open up to me at its own pace. From the unusual, I can note that after sleeping with a child in a cave, where you said that some important decision is possible now or will be in the near future, I met my ex after 10 years of separation, for whom there were strong feelings. Moreover, there was a feeling that the universe had arranged our meeting, because many events that day did not go according to plan.  The next day I invited my husband to go on vacation, and we packed up and left for the Crimea in a few days. I think the experiment with dreams was one of the important catalysts that we decided to go on vacation, because after the events of February 2022, we did not leave Mariupol anywhere. I want to thank you for the attention that you have provided, for your feedback. I immediately felt trust and reliability. Thank you again for your time and your interpretation of dreams!";

18.          Dreamer "P": "The world of Dreams has always interested and delighted me. Therefore, I reacted to the offer of participation in the experiment with joy and great desire. What I can't say about my body: sleep became intermittent (the first four or five days), memory refused to reproduce what I dreamed, although there was definitely an awareness that something had happened, some events had occurred in a dream. About a week after the start of the experiment, I seemed to calm down and dreams in the morning surfaced in my memory (sometimes even during the day). Something else happened... My dreams began to intertwine with reality: in a dream I could see what was really happening and, conversely, in life I could do something or say what I had already seen in a dream.  And also, for the last three days I don't want to wake up - the events in my dream fascinate me, although I am to some extent aware that this is a dream. Sometimes I want to stay longer in those events (in a dream), although it's a little scary.). It seems to me that I have moved to some new stage of sleep. I think it is useful and informative for me. And I really want to finally learn to understand my dreams myself)."

19.          Dreamer "D": "Before work, I was not very attentive to the content of my dreams. Now I began to notice repetitive images and see relationships. It is interesting to observe the work of the subconscious and find additional meaning in dreams. The most important discovery for me was the following: every image in a dream is some part of me. Even what scares me, what I confront in a dream, is also me. It is also interesting to observe the inner woman and man. To be aware of the new birth of your integrity. During the work, the most frequent way was the train. Then it changed to the forest. I wonder where I'll go next)"

20.          Dreamer "X": "I feel good after the experiment. I became more attentive to dreams - today I woke up and analyzed which of my "I" transformed into what I saw. In general, there is a reason now for analysis and reflection. You gave some direction, it responded. Thank you!!"

21.          Dreamer "Z": "I was surprised to work with the first dream since the beginning of the experiment. "I went to the place where the child and the bear were sitting, sat down next to the child, took the child's hand, and the child took the bear's paw, then a lion began to sneak up on us, while growling, I beckoned him with my hand, he came up to me, then lay down next to me, I began to stroke him. At the same time, I felt very comfortable, I felt peace and incredible strength from our joint image. I half whispered, "I accept you, I love you, I understand you." The bear mentally conveyed to me: "I am your support." The lion transmitted: "I am your protection."  The child said: "I'm small, take care of me." I think I still feel the strength and support in myself, after this work. I also had an interesting experience with other dreams, there really is a meeting with the inner Self. My well-being has improved, despite the unpleasant events at the moment in my life, I have become calmer, more confident in myself unequivocally. And the feeling of inner strength does not leave me. Alexey Mikhailovich, thank you for everything! <…> I also forgot to describe the reaction of the body to work in the review: firstly, I first had a headache in the morning, and there were two days in a row when the body seemed to be cleansed of something toxic, the first day my throat hurt, by the evening it became much easier, the next morning my throat did not hurt, but there were problems with the intestines and stomach, on the third day everything went away."

22.          Dreamer "H": "Alexey Mikhailovich, I am very happy, the process is underway, anxiety has become less. I didn't notice my dreams before, and what else goes unnoticed...probably a lot of important things."

23.          Dreamer "S": "Before the start of the journey to the land of dreams, I had a different attitude to the concept of dreams. Often I didn't remember them or didn't even try to remember them. And sometimes, if I remembered a dream, I was looking for something that should happen to me. The time of our trip was very unusual and amazing for me. Every morning, before I opened my eyes, I remembered my dream. Then I immediately wrote it down or repeated it so as not to forget). When I received feedback from you, Alexey, I, as it were, rebooted. And I really liked it. Understanding and perception changed for the better. I wasn't looking for a trick in my dreams and didn't expect surprises)) I just lived and enjoyed every day! Even if there were some sorrows, I did not concentrate on them. I just repeated the words: "everything will pass and this too")) I started thinking more about myself. Although, I admit, it's hard for me. But I started thinking - this is already a step towards my beloved)). I am very grateful for this trip to the land of dreams and feedback <...> I also want to tell you how I managed to return to my terrible dream and what happened from it) I imagined the sacred circle, entered it and tried to return to that market. I admit, it didn't work out right away. At some point I saw that market again, but somehow vaguely (I hope I didn't fall asleep) I controlled my thoughts and actions. I walked through it and headed to the seashore. The one where my friends and I hid in broken houses from armed bandits. Interestingly, I wasn't afraid. She walked confidently. And now I see the sea. It's blue and calm. I look at him and realize that there must be ruins on my side and behind me. I turn around, and they're not there. They sort of dissolve like fog. I feel that there are definitely ruins on the other side and turn in the other direction. And again I see the disappearing slabs of houses. They dissolved and sand appeared in their place, so fine, golden and clean, without debris. I think we need to find the robbers and talk to them, but the beach was empty. Just me, the sea and the sand. The weather was sunny. And I didn't build anything and didn't meet anyone. I stayed in this feeling for a while, because I felt good there, and got up. My heart is light. And interestingly, I had that terrible dream about five years ago. And I felt it when I was with a child. And I also felt that feeling of anxiety, although there was no anxiety in this dream. On the contrary, very pleasant communication with the child. Very surprising)".

24. Dreamer "C": "I began to pay more attention to my inner world, I am learning to listen to myself, pay attention to signs, try to understand the nature of certain events in life, try to manage the situation in the direction I need, and much more. Due to some events, I got lost, now I'm starting to become a little bit, I can't say that I'm the same, but different, that's for sure."

In general, an unquestionably positive result of the experiment for their condition and (or) the development of their personality was given feedback by 20 out of 26 participants of the experiment (76.9%), neutral – two participants (7.6%), while one of them – "Dreamer "And" - showed a significant decrease in the level of both situational and personal anxiety, which, however, did not manifest itself in the field of self-awareness, two subjects did not provide a self-report) and contradictory (that is, associated with strong incomplete transformational processes and a combination of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the result "at this point in time") - two participants also did not send a self-report - two more subjects.

It is obvious that the appeal to the space of dreams activated in the vast majority of them the inner makings of interaction with the unconscious part of oneself (with the "Other-in-itself"), internal dialogue, self-awareness, integration (healing as an achievement of integrity), development and self-development.

Conclusions

The hypothesis put at the beginning of the work was confirmed: the synthetic concept of dreams presented by us has theoretical and practical significance and can be used in the framework of psychological psychotherapy, psychocorrection (and, accordingly, psychodiagnostics), as well as in the field of personality development, at least for a significant number of individuals. It is important to emphasize that the psychologist (psychotherapist) here performs the function of an intermediary between the consciousness and the unconscious of the dreamer, and gradually the dreamer himself acquires an internal "therapeutic function" precisely in the field of working with dreams. Feedback from the participants of the experiment (even those of them who are characterized by negative or contradictory dynamics of the level of anxiety) indicates the development of their ability to conduct an internal dialogue and be aware of their inner world (here, in some cases, we can deal with the phenomenon of "integration through aggravation" for a longer period of time than 14 days). It should also be noted that the multidimensional, synthetic understanding of the phenomenon of dreams corresponds to the synthetic theory of personality and, thanks to the holistic approach, allows us to overcome contradictions in the interpretation of dreams, characteristic of this or that "private" theory.

Conclusion

Of course, the theoretical and scientific-practical study of dreams should continue. A real breakthrough made in 2006 by S.A. Parfentiev in terms of understanding dreams and their use for psychorrection and psychodiagnostics at one time remained practically undeveloped. In our opinion, the study presented above allows us to give an impetus to such development.

By and large, nature itself (for believers, "God through Nature") gives us, in the form of dreams, a natural space and a mechanism for psychophysiological, mental and spiritual healing (including the situation of spiritual search ^[18]), the potential of which must be re-learned to use. At the same time, the practice of multidimensional, unbiased understanding of dreams allows us to overcome peculiar "everyday" and "scientific" "superstitions" in relation to them and quickly enough teach effective internal dialogue, we repeat, at least many individuals, overcoming a certain fear of the unconscious.

Neglect of dreams is a mistake that "is associated with the following pattern formulated by psychologist C.G. Jung: "... one can engage in any science with the help of intellect alone, except psychology ... it is thanks to the "affect" that the subject becomes involved in reality... a much larger number of people are afraid of the unconscious than one would expect..." ^{[9, p. 7]}.

Of course, the attention of the psychologist, as well as, as a rule, the emerging rapport, played a role in the course of the study, however, taking into account the content of self-reports and the fact that attention and trusting relationships in themselves are a necessary, but not sufficient condition for success, it is work with dreams that is the main factor in personality development and reduction the level of anxiety in most subjects during the experiment (it is obvious that dreams (and the sphere of imagination, as such, is only one of the modes of psychotherapeutic (psychocorrective) work, which is suitable for some and may not be suitable for others, and in some cases should be combined with the involvement of other modes (thinking, behavior, emotions, sensations) in the context of interpersonal relationships).

Of course, the topic of scientific understanding of the psychological essence of dreams and practical work with them, including through the methodology and techniques we have proposed, requires further serious research (including increasing the sample size, its gender "alignment", differentiating the sample by age, increasing the duration of the experiment, adding additional techniques), however, we believe that the general structure of such an understanding and such work has already been fixed, and this is to a certain extent a discovery within the framework of practice-oriented scientific psychology of dreams.