Dreams and Healing

In all of John Sanford's books, the man's personality comes through -- warm, compassionate, knowledgeable & quietly strong. In his dual capacities as Episcopal priest & Jungian analyst, he achieves a fusion that's greater than the sum of its parts. And that quality is superbly demonstrated in this short but rich examination of dreams as a way of psychological & spiritual healing. But before I go on, let me state that while Sanford is devoutly Christian, he's not so in any limiting, dogmatic way. A diehard atheist could find as much wisdom in these pages as anyone else, as Sanford is talking about the spiritual from a psychological viewpoint -- not solely, of course, but in the main. Speaking as a longtime agnostic myself, I've returned to his books many times over the years, and I've always found something new & truthful in them. In this book, Sanford explores the ways in which our dreams lead & urge us toward greater wholeness & healing -- again, not in a vague, nebulous New Age fashion, but with sometimes painful precision. He never minimizes the hard work of struggling toward greater awareness & the enlarging of the psyche in order to become more of a whole, fulfilled human being. Yet there's inward grace to be found through that hard work, however you choose to define the concept. While the overview is quite informative, the real meat of the book is in two case studies that examine a series of dreams each from two people. In these specific examples, we see exactly how the process works, step by step -- though it never really ends, not so long as life goes on. In doing so, the reader gets a much better idea of how his or her own dreams might lead to greater understanding & healing of old emotional wounds. And on every page, Sanford's presence is a gently supporting guide, never overbearing or intrusive, always reminding us to have more faith on our own unrealized capabilities. Most highly recommended!

Although this book deals with Jungian concepts and theology, the information is expressed in layman's language and is easily grasped.

Great book

The first book I read by John Sanford was DREAMS - GOD'S FORGOTTEN LANGUAGE. This book, written some years later, is an excellent follow up. But it can also stand by itself. It is not necessary to read his other book to read this one. It helps to know that Sanford is an Episcopal priest and a Jungian analyst. This book is divided into three sections: 1. The first deals with the structure, levels, and drama of dreams as well as their use and the healing power they have. He gives and example of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream in the book of Daniel, and also has a section on working with our own dreams. 2. The second section deals with eight dreams by a young man named Martin. It basically gives him insight into his own maturity and in the process of analyzing Martin's dreams, Sanford also gives insights into how this can be applied to our own lives. 3. The third section deals with the dreams of a woman named Marie who also had her path in life. As in the section about Martin, Sanford shows how this can apply to our lives, even though the symbols in Marie's dreams differ from Martin's. Sanford makes a great deal of mention of the "anima" (the woman within the man) and the "animus" (the man within the woman.). You may or may not finish this book being able to interpret your own dreams - but by reading it, you'll gain a lot of insight about dreams and what they do for us.

This is an exceptional book that not only shares the deeper meaning of dreams, but also the individuation process, the various stages of shedding layers of ego, how the soul and core self hidden within the underlying unconscious become our friends in our dream state when we are asleep. The book has fantastic suggestions that teach you how to navigate and work with your dreams to better assist you into a higher state of awakening in your everyday consciousness. I highly recommend this book not just for learning more about dreams, but for learning more about personal awakening. It is simply fantastic, and extremely well written!

As a psychotherapist and a minister I enjoy reading material such as this that supports and informs my work and my ministry. This text is well written and thought provoking. It would be better if the reader had a working knowlege of Jungian psychology and Christian mysticism, but any sincere truth seeker would profit from contemplating the ideas and examples presented. I am recommending it to people who are interested in knowing more about themselves and their relationship with God.

From the original description, I didn’t expect it to be so soiled overall . I was disappointed with that.

Thanks!

Having just started an MA in Jungian psychotherapy, it was a joy to read this book. Things clicked into place. It demonstrates how the unconscious is communicating with the conscious through dreams. Wonderful stuff.