Uncovering the meaning of dreams

Dreamwork session held in Charlotte opens new dialog

Rita Murphy of Charlotte was curious enough about her own nighttime dreams that she invited others to explore theirs as well, with a little help from Buffalo Dreamers Karla Van Vliet and Annie Perkins, who offer individual sessions, dreamwork groups, workshops and retreats across the region.

“It’s courageous to share a dream with a group of people you’ve just met, but at Thursday night’s gathering, folks stepped right in,” Murphy said. “Dreams are so amazing and so unique to each person. There is great love in dreams, great wisdom, forgiveness, healing.”

Murphy’s dreams have been a wonderful source of inspiration for her, she said, “particularly in my creative work. I notice certain settings, characters, animals that come forth at important moments in my life to share a message and to guide. I’ve been walking with big lions lately in my dreams. I dream often of lions.”

It was a buffalo for Van Vliet, hence the name “Buffalo Dreamers.” Van Vliet is an artist and poet and has been a dreamwork practitioner for more than a decade. Integrative dreamwork is a system of working with dreams for personal and spiritual growth, she said. “It is a way of coming home to the wholeness of your being through the experiences brought to you every night.”

Her partner in dreams, Annie Perkins, said her holistic, Jungian-based practice promotes love, relationship and creativity. “Dreams are powerful teachers,” she said. “When you engage them in a conscious manner they will help you to open your heart, to heal old wounds, to work effectively with issues of shame, trauma and depression, to improve your relationships, to discover your passion and to express yourself creatively.”

To set up your own dreamwork workshop or for more information visit Art and the Dream.