Dream Work in Jungian Depth Psychotherapy
Dreams are much more than random images—they are messages from the deepest parts of ourselves, speaking in the language of symbol, story, and feeling. Dream work is a way of listening to the soul and uncovering truths hidden beneath the surface. Whether tender or unsettling, dreams offer guidance, insight, and connection to parts of ourselves we may have forgotten.
When a client tells me, “I had the strangest dream last night,” something in me lights up. Not because I have a ready-made interpretation (I don’t—and anyone who tells you they do is skipping over the magic), but because a dream is like a hand extended from the unconscious. It’s an invitation. A bridge between what we know and what we’ve forgotten we know.
In Jungian depth psychotherapy, we treat dreams as living, breathing messages from the psyche. They speak in images, symbols, and emotions, bypassing the polished explanations we give ourselves in waking life. They often point toward what has been buried, ignored, or exiled—truths we might not yet be ready to face in daylight.
The Soul’s Private Language
Dreams are deeply personal. A snake in your dream may not mean what it means in mine. Jung taught that each dream has a personal layer (shaped by our individual history and associations) and a collective layer (archetypal patterns shared across humanity). The work is in listening for both.
When I sit with a client’s dream, we start with the raw material—the images, colors, sensations, emotions. Noticing what lingers. Where in the body the dream still lives. We resist the urge to rush toward “what it means,” because meaning often emerges slowly, like a Polaroid developing in your hands. The psyche has its own timing.
Why Dreams Can Feel Uncomfortable—or Even Terrifying
Some dreams leave us unsettled or ashamed. They can surface fears, forbidden desires, or parts of ourselves we’ve tried to keep locked away. Jung called these disowned parts the shadow. Dream work helps us turn toward the shadow with curiosity rather than judgment.
A nightmare, for example, might be your psyche’s way of insisting you pay attention to something you’ve been avoiding. A recurring dream may be the soul knocking on the same door over and over until you finally open it.
In my own life, dreams have carried me into rooms I didn’t want to enter—grief I didn’t want to feel, truths I didn’t want to admit. But on the other side of that discomfort was always a deeper self-knowing.
How We Work With Dreams in Therapy
In Jungian-oriented dream work, the process is not about me telling you “what your dream means.” It’s a collaboration—an exploration. Whether you come to therapy in Oakland or meet with me online, we might:
Amplify symbols by exploring where they appear in mythology, fairy tales, or art.
Dialogue with dream figures, giving them a voice and asking what they want you to know.
Follow emotional threads back into your waking life—what does this feeling remind you of?
Notice patterns across multiple dreams over time, revealing an unfolding inner story.
Sometimes, the dream offers an image that becomes an anchor for our work together—a guiding light you carry with you, a reminder of a forgotten strength, or a gentle nudge toward a part of yourself longing to return.
The Healing Power of Dream Work
Dreams connect us to the unconscious, and the unconscious holds more than just pain or unresolved trauma—it also contains our vitality, creativity, and capacity for renewal. Working with dreams in depth psychotherapy can help you:
Reconnect with lost or neglected parts of yourself
Access intuitive guidance in times of confusion
See life situations from a fresh, unexpected perspective
Transform repetitive, stuck patterns by understanding their deeper roots
And perhaps most importantly, dream work invites you into a relationship with your own soul. This is not the quick fix our culture promises. It is the slow, ongoing work of becoming more fully yourself.
A Final Word on Dreams
When you bring a dream into therapy, you’re inviting me to stand at the threshold with you—to look into a place that belongs only to you and the mystery that made you. It’s tender, brave work. And it’s never about “getting it right” so much as it’s about staying with what stirs, unsettles, or calls to you.
As a depth psychotherapist in Oakland, I’ve seen how dream work can deepen self-understanding, heal old wounds, and guide people toward a more authentic life. In a world that moves too fast and demands too much, dreams remind us that there is an inner life quietly unfolding beneath the noise—one that longs to be heard.
If you’ve been dreaming lately—especially if something in the dream stays with you, tugging at the edge of your mind—it might be your psyche’s way of saying, I have something to show you.
And maybe it’s time to listen.
Begin Your Dream Work Journey in Oakland or Online
If a dream has been lingering with you—whether it’s unsettling, beautiful, or simply mysterious—it may be the psyche’s way of reaching out. In my Oakland Jungian psychotherapy practice, I help clients explore dreams as a pathway to self-understanding, healing, and connection with the soul.
Whether we meet in person in my Oakland office or online throughout California, we’ll approach your dreams with curiosity, compassion, and a deep respect for the mystery they carry.