Chapter 9 The Fundamentals of the Dream Process

The Healing Project Book

By Dennis Lantz

Chapter 9 

The Fundamentals of the Dream Process

It’s time to take a close look at the dreams you wish to accomplish. And, if you haven’t figured out your purpose, let those same dreams show you what you were born to do.

Your dreams are like a treasure map for the soul. Striving for them is an adventure. Attaining them can bring happiness and fulfillment. It doesn’t matter if you are determined to change the world… or only a few lives. It doesn’t matter if you are tasked to help others… or to heal your own soul. The place to start truly living is to go after a dream.

The following chapters will guide you through the basics of determining, assessing, and going after your dreams. This chapter will lay the groundwork. And, once that is established, we will move on to a step-by-step process that should shine a light on your path.

Instinct

Instinct plays a huge role in our lives. It can be used to determine your purpose and dreams… but also to make the choices involved in their pursuit. People describe instinct in different ways. Some call it listening to their gut. Others say their heart… or their inner voice. I believe that instinct comes from a different place. I think instinct is a vibrational wave that comes directly from your soul. It can be filtered through your brain or thought process… but invariably it comes from your soul. Your soul knows what it wants and needs, even if your brain and other organs do not. Another way of thinking about instinct is that it is a direct message from God, or the Universe, or the Great Unknown in a language only the soul can understand.

 Whenever we make a choice, we should acknowledge and utilize our instinct. To be clear, our ability to interpret those instinctive vibrations is not always infallible. And, more importantly, the more you use it, the better attuned to it you become. And the more you trust the results, the stronger it can be. If your instincts don’t always result in positive outcomes, I encourage you not to give up on them.

Your instinct will not steer you wrong when you evaluate your dream list. You will be able to look at each possible dream from multiple perspectives and instinctively choose the right path.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a simple exercise where you write or record ideas in a rapid, unfiltered manner. You can ask yourself a question and free your mind to come up with a multitude of answers. Or you can brainstorm solutions to specific problems. When brainstorming, you write or note everything that pops into your mind, no matter if it seems irrelevant or unrealistic.

Brainstorming can be done alone, but it is often better when others are involved. The more brains, the better! Bouncing ideas off a group of friends or colleagues can be fun. You never know who will produce important information or ideas that will propel you toward your dream or something better. It’s possible that you would not have come up with the idea on your own. Having diverse backgrounds is good for general brainstorming, but including knowledgeable people is the best course of action when the brainstorming session is topical.

It is important to record all the ideas that come out of everyone’s mouths without editing them or eliminating them. Go off on tangents. See where your imagination, or the spirit of your combined souls, will take you. Later, you will discard all the unnecessary ideas. But while brainstorming, all ideas have merit.

Brainstorm sessions aren’t just good for dreams. Utilizing them before a project begins is extremely helpful. I brainstorm before I write my novels. And during. Usually multiple times. They can clarify plot, develop backstory, enliven characters… and much more.

The essential fact about brainstorming for dream fulfillment is that it can be used by both those who are unsure of their dreams and by those who are already organizing their thoughts and setting goals for a specific dream. Brainstorming opens the mind and the soul to all the possibilities.

As you brainstorm, your instinct will automatically push you toward specific potential ideas. And later, as you assess the pros and cons of each dream, or work for the fulfillment of a specific dream, you will use your instinct to make decisions.

Dream Incubator

The Healing Project is going to be a Dream Incubator.

What does that mean?

If you put the words ‘dream incubator’ into a search engine… you will not get an answer of what I am proposing. I did this and got responses about lucid dreaming and sparking your sleeping, inner mind to dream about whatever you want. Which is just another way to say lucid dreaming.

When I say, “The Healing Project is a dream incubator,” I want you to imagine it being like a business incubator. That is an entity that helps entrepreneurs develop business start-ups by providing basic services and assistance with organization, networking, building needs… and more.

The Healing Project can help you fulfill those ventures that you really hope to undertake before your final breath. The Healing Project is going to help you focus on determining and completing your dreams.

We are almost ready to get started. Before we do, it is important to understand that not everyone will be starting at the same point in the process. Some people will need to start at Step One. Others may be able to jump directly to Step Three or Four. It doesn’t mean the latter person is better or more advanced. They are just already farther along the process. I have to list the preliminary aspects of the process for those who need them. I suggest that you read them to gain a better understanding of the process… even if they don’t apply to your situation. For the person who has no idea about their dreams or their purpose, it is best to start at the beginning. If you know your purpose but aren’t sure what dreams to pursue in order to fulfill it… or if you have many dreams but are unsure which ones to go after, the process can work for you. It can even be used by someone with a specific dream who is looking for a pathway or process to make it become reality.

 Dream Journal

Pursuing your dreams is best done in an organized, disciplined manner. These two aspects did not come naturally to me. I still work at them. If you are organized or disciplined, you are already one step ahead of my starting point. And if you are not, I am proof that you can accomplish your dreams anyway.

I need and use a dream/goal journal. (You can call it a diary or a vision manual.) This is for your benefit. It should be as detailed as you need it to be. My dream/goal journal is a simple notebook.

On each page I list a dream or goal… and then include a brief description and assessment… and a To-Do list from beginning to end (if possible.) It is a journal because I write notes about each time I work on that dream or goal.

A notebook works best for me for two reasons. The first is the large number of my goals. I am trying to get more disciplined in my thinking and to become better organized. It isn’t easy for me. If I don’t write something down, it slips out of my mind and remains just an idea.

The second reason I use a notebook is because I need a physical reminder that is easily accessible. I also have a Word document on my computer, but this is far easier to forget or ignore. The notebook is on my desk. I see it every day. I don’t have to search for it.

Journaling or diary writing helps in many ways. I have a daily journal. An idea journal. I have a simple journal for each of my writing projects. Some people have poetry journals, or dream journals (for the nighttime sort). I am a huge proponent of journaling… but I understand that not everybody does it, or even needs to do it. An organized and disciplined person can get along well without the aid of a journal. I am not one of those.

Having a dream/goal journal can help you find your purpose. It will motivate you to open your mind and try things outside your comfort zone. More importantly, it will facilitate efforts to achieve your dreams and goals.

As far as dreams are concerned, many books have been written on the process of clarifying and pursuing your dreams. If your soul tells you to search further, I suggest you type “books about achieving dreams” into a search engine and you will find many options.

In the next chapter we will look at the steps for determining dreams. That should also help.

…

Until next time,

Read, Learn, Live.

Dennis Lantz is the author of Zander's Tale. The Spiders of Eden, and the Pine Street Trilogy (Pine Street and the Mighty Mutation Circus, Pine Street and the Dino-Beast Clones, and Pine Street and the Mirrors of Freedom.) His nonfiction Summer in Gentlewoods uses journal entries to tell the real-life adventure of living in a primitive shelter in the woods of his family farm.

Dennis and his wife, Christy, live in Warren Center, Pennsylvania. They share their home with Austin, a Texas rescue who is a cross between a Jack Russell and an angel.

For more information visit www.dennislantz.com or follow Dennis Lantz Books on Facebook.