On May 18, 19 & 20th The Evergreen State College (my Alma Mater) will be hosting a reunion weekend called “Return to Evergreen”, filled with seminars and celebrations.

On Saturday May 19th I will be proudly co-facilitating a seminar called ‘Altered States Greener Style: Consciousness, Dreams and Spirituality’.   I will be representing the ‘Dreams’ element, professor Heesoon Jun specializes in multicultural issues and mindfulness, and fellow alumnus Adam Sher who is an expert in the noosphere.  Together we will pool our resources for an interesting and thought provoking seminar!

http://www.evergreen.edu/40/return/sessions.htm

Do you know your Love Language? Better yet, the love language of those most important to you? If you understand what makes your loved one(s) feel more loved, you can better express your feelings in ways that mean the most to them. Here is a summary of the 5 Love Languages, from the work of Dr. Gary Chapman

Words of Affirmation:
Actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important—hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten.

Quality Time
In the vernacular of Quality Time, nothing says, “I love you,” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes your significant other feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.

Receiving Gifts
Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday, anniversary, or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures.

Acts of Service
Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter.

Physical Touch
This language isn’t all about the bedroom. A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive.

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From http://www.5lovelanguages.com

We tend to speak in generalized terms of dreams happening in the unconscious (or subconscious) mind, or how it happens mostly in the right (intuitive) brain and that the left (logical) brain goes ‘offline’ during sleep (with exceptions such as lucid dreaming).  While these generalizations may apply, it is much more complicated than that. There are many parts of the brain involved during REM dreaming and the different stages of sleep.

If you have ever been curious about what parts of the brain are active during dreaming, here is an amazingly comprehensive article written by Bob Hoss:

http://dreamscience.org/idx_science_of_dreaming_section-3.htm

GREAT research and explanation. Thanks, Bob!

For a really great interactive online chart exploring the different stages of sleep, visit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/sleep-memory.html  and click on “LAUNCH INTERACTIVE”.

What happens in your brain as you cycle through the various stages of sleep, and how does this activity affect learning and memory? See what scientists are learning about REM (rapid-eye movement) sleep and other phases, and explore recent research linking sleep—and sleep deprivation—to different types of memories.

Explore the stages of a good night’s sleep and the research linking sleep to memory.

(This is a private event for Bellevue Club members only, to book a dream workshop contact Mimi at 206-328-6464 or mimi@thedreamdetective.com)

Dreams are a fascinating source of information that can help us better understand our selves, our lives and our relationships.  There is a greater part of our minds that is working in mysterious ways while we sleep, and this can help us problem solve, form creative ideas, and even be a source of precognitive and telepathic information.  Many scientific discoveries and famous works of art have been conceived of in dreams.

In this workshop you will learn:

• How to remember your dreams
• Some of the brain science involved in dreaming
• How to ask for a dream regarding a specific topic
• Tips for working with and understanding your own dreams
• Some of the most common dreams and their meanings

Bring a dream if you have one you would like to share or ask about.  Participants can work privately on their own dreams (optional), or just observe the workshop. No sharing or dream recall is required.  Bring your questions and an open mind, and for more information in the mean time you can visit www.TheDreamDetective.com

“I dreamed I had sex with someone I’m not even attracted to!”

This is a common one, and can make for an awkward encounter next time you run into the person when you are awake! Even though they don’t know you had a hot dream about them, your feelings were so real in the dream you can’t help but feel embarrassed now.
The first thing to ask yourself when you have this dream is: What are the qualities this person represents to me that I am currently, or would like to be, embracing in myself?
This dream also usually has nothing to do with the actual person, but rather what they represent to you.  Sometimes the person is of the same gender, and we do not swing that way. This can create fear or confusion upon waking!  Rest assured that this does not mean you are suddenly

Dreams of My Partner Cheating… 
The first reaction is usually to be mad or suspicious of your partner. But hold on! While again anything is possible – do your fact checking if you think they are literally having an affair – HOWEVER…This dream usually indicates that you are feeling cheated out of TIME with your partner.  So first ask yourself, has he/she taken up a new hobby? Working longer hours? Travelling without you? Anything that takes your partner away from you can feel like ‘the other man or woman’.  Even an illness, disease, or condition like depression can feel like something (translating to someone in the dream world) has taken away the closeness you previously shared. 
Before jumping to the literal explanation, see if the metaphor fits.
The first reaction is usually to be mad or suspicious of your partner. But hold on! While again anything is possible – do your fact checking if you think they are literally having an affair – HOWEVER…This dream usually indicates that you are feeling cheated out of TIME with your partner.  So first ask yourself, has he/she taken up a new hobby? Working longer hours? Travelling without you? Anything that takes your partner away from you can feel like ‘the other man or woman’.  Even an illness, disease, or condition like depression can feel like something (translating to someone in the dream world) has taken away the closeness you previously shared. 
Before jumping to the literal explanation, see if the metaphor fits.

One of the most common questions I hear goes something like this:  “I dreamed of my ex, does it mean I should get back together with them?”  Or, “Does it mean that they are thinking of me too?”
While I never rule out the mysterious and mystical ways of the dream world, and I do believe that anything is possible….The most common explanation is: This dream most likely has NOTHING to do with your ex.  It might, like I said, and do the fact checking with the other person should your heart pull you in that direction.
At the same time, keep in mind that what the dream is most likely bringing to your attention are the feelings you had in the dream, and your dreaming mind might be saying ‘hey, remember what this feels like? Wouldn’t it be nice to have again?’
Not all dreams of former loves come with pleasant feelings, however.  If the feelings are unpleasant or difficult, look at where in your life you might be currently experiencing those same challenges with another person. Perhaps you are responding to a new person in the same way you responded to the ex in the dream.  Or maybe they are behaving towards you in a way that the former partner did. These are some possible explanations to explore.

I will be the featured “Guest Expert” on Questionland.com Feb. 6-8, 2012.  Come visit!  If you have a dream, a question about dreams, or are just curious and would like to read the dreams of others, visit here: http://questionland.com/topics/dream-interpretation

(If you are reading this after the fact, you can still browse the archives – and should even still be able to post a dream as well!)