PREFACE

 

By Stephen Palmquist (stevepq@hkbu.edu.hk)

 

 

A Note to the Student

 

         Dreaming is the foundation stone of all psychological ideas. Dreams serve as the indispensable raw data for any psychology that aims to pro­mote personal growth, just as insights serve as seeds that germinate to pro­duce the "tree" of philosophy (see below). The double meaning of the word "dream" reinforces this point: it refers not only to those often em­bar­rass­ing and apparently meaningless fantasies that happen to all of us while we sleep, but also to the most meaningful hopes and goals we set for our­selves while we are awake. Without the latter-without goals and visions of what life could be like in the future-we would have no hope for personal growth. My conviction in writing this book is that learn­­ing to respect and interpret the former kind of dreams can help us im­mea­surably in setting and realizing appropriate dreams of the latter type.

 

         Dreams of Wholeness is intended to be used as a textbook in courses on the religious and psychological aspects of personal growth. It is based on the lectures delivered for the "Psychology and Christianity" and "Religion, Psychology, and Personal Growth" classes I taught ten times at Hong Kong Baptist University between 1988 and 1996. Readers who are not enrolled in a formal class will benefit most from this book if they read and follow the advice given for them on pp.v-vi, below.

 

         This is the second in a series of texts on "philopsychy". (This new term, literally meaning "soul-loving", refers to any creative and disci­plined application of scholarly learning-especially in philoso­phy and psychology-that encourages self-improvement.) The first book in the series consists of the Introduction to Philosophy lectures published in The Tree of Phi­losophy. Students and other readers who have not taken an Introduction to Philosophy course are advised to read The Tree, or at least skim through it, as an introduction to the pre­sent course, where our focus is more on psychology. Throughout this second book, I shall often refer to relevant material in The Tree; so although Dreams can (if necessary) stand alone as an independent text, those who have already read The Tree will have a definite advantage.

 

         This book is divided into 12 chapters (called "weeks" in the text), each consisting of three sections (called "hours" or "lectures"). Each week ends with a set of four "Questions/Topics for Group Discussion" and eight "Recom­mended Readings". The first few readings are normal­ly texts quoted and/or discussed in the preceding text, while the last few are other useful works that can be consulted by students who have a special interest in the topics discussed in that week's lectures.

 

         Students enrolled in this course must keep a "dream diary" for ten weeks (Weeks II to XI). Lectures 2 and 3 provide a detailed set of guide­lines for this project, including a lengthy "sample dream" from one of my own past dream diaries. I use this dream, along with several others, throughout the course (especially in Weeks III to VIII) to illustrate how to use the various methods of interpre­tation under consideration. Before handing in the project, each student should select a "sample dream" from their own diary, and write it up like a separate es­say. The sample dream should utilize as many methods of interpretation as possible. When grading a dream diary, I always read the sample dream first, treating it as a measure of the student's best effort. Some students may also wish to sup­plement their dream diary with a conclud­ing section, summarizing the key insights that have been discovered-though this may not be necessary for students whose interpretations are already suf­ficiently clear and detailed.

 

         By far the most important challenge of this course is to remember, record, and interpret your own dreams. Learning the theories described in this book will promote real personal growth in direct proportion to your willingness to apply them, especially to your dreams. For this reason, even those readers who are not enrolled in a formal course should consider keeping a dream diary on their own initiative. The following comments are directed especially to such readers.

 

 

Suggestions for the Non-Student Reader

 

 

         Anyone reading Dreams of Wholeness without the guidance of a teacher should keep in mind that the book is meant to be read slowly, to be "mulled over", roughly one chapter (i.e., three lectures) per week. Those who imagine their reading to be part of a genuine, 12-week course requiring concentrated self-reflection are much more likely to experi­ence signifi­cant, long-lasting personal growth than those who simply read the book through as quickly as possible. The point is not that this book cannot be read quickly, but that it will not have its maximum effect unless the ideas and theories it describes are gradually put into practice in the reader's own psychologi­cal life.

 

         In addition to reading roughly three lectures per week, those who opt for this more challenging approach should also try to do some of the recommended readings each week. A good way to compensate for not hav­ing a teacher is to read the book concurrently with a friend or family member, or as part of a small group of people who can share their progress with each other in an atmosphere of trust. Spend an hour or two each week thinking about and/or discussing the questions/topics provided for that purpose. These suggestions may seem silly; but following them is the best way to infuse the reading of this book with the power to promote significant self-transformation. Taking this slower, 12-week ap­proach will give the reader's dreams a chance to develop themes more gradual­ly and in interaction with the topics discussed in the text. Reading ahead or rushing through the book too quickly is sure to limit the reader's ability to learn the skill of dream interpre­tation.

 

         One final word of warning: keeping a dream diary alone, with no­body to share the various problems that could arise, should not be done without careful forethought. Unexpected self-discoveries may come up in dreamwork, and sometimes these are not easy to handle without sup­port. Reading the book through quickly, without much practical applica­tion, would be better than getting stuck in a personal quagmire with no means of escape. Your soul is too precious to be treated lightly!

 

 

A Note on References

 

 

 

         The Bibliography (pp.282-284) provides full details of all works quoted in these lectures, specifying an abbreviation for each. Refer­ences in the text normally use only the abbreviation, followed by the page number (unless otherwise specified in the Bibliographical entry). Consecutive references to the same work give only the page number, without the abbreviation. Most quotations refer to one of the eight works listed in the "Recommended Readings" section at the end of each week.

 

 

Acknowledgments

 

 

 

         I would like to give special thanks to my parents, for frequently sharing their dreams during my childhood, and to Richard Mapplebeck­palmer, for introducing me to the riches of Jungian psychology. They, as well as Karoline Chiu and John P. Smith, also read parts of the manu­script in draft form and provided helpful comments or suggestions for improvements. Most deserving of thanks is my dear wife, Dorothy, who -despite having born the brunt of much of my own personal growth- thoroughly scrutinized the entire manuscript and kindly drew the cover sketch according to my painstaking specifications.

 

 

This page was placed on the web on 6 May 2003.

 

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