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healing, curative effect
in themselves. The
very
experience of a dream
may change your mind, or
feelings, in a way that eliminates
your conflict. Try it
and you'll see what I mean. Here's how ..."
I would then show the dreamers how to
set up a dream
journal that would help them in the incubation
process.
Next, I would describe in detail
the when and how of
incubation. More detailed instructions for you to try will
be given below in my proposed experiment in incubation,
so I'll present here only a brief outline of the incubation
procedure.
First, I would see
to it that the dreamer had already
learned to recall dreams with some
regularity. Then I
would ask the dreamer to choose an "incubation
issue,"
or problem which is of immediate
concern, and about
which there is a readiness to
receive new, perhaps
unflattering insights. The dreamer would then
choose a
night when he would not be overly tired and on which he
could spend about 15 uninterrupted minutes
with the
dream journal just before falling asleep.
On that night,
the dreamer would begin the
"incubation discussion,"
writing in the dream journal, describing
the issue in
great detail. This discussion would
include the major
aspects of the problem, as well
as any alternatives or
resolutions that present
themselves to waking
consciousness as the discussion unfolds. The purpose of
the discussion is to get all conscious
thoughts on the
issue down on paper, and thus out of mind. If this step
is
well done, the dreamer
is freed from the need
to
continue rethinking the issue, and his mind is then clear
enough to find and concentrate
upon the "incubation
phrase."
To find the incubation phrase, the dreamer
must listen
to the heart for a "one-liner" phrase
or question that is a
terse distillation of the
incubation issue. Now, just
before and while falling asleep, the dreamer
must hold
the incubation phrase clearly
in mind, like a mantra,
focusing on only the phrase while passing into sleep.
On the following morning, not
only would all dreams
be recorded, but also any thoughts, songs,
or fantasies
found in the mind. The dreamer would then work on
the
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