Brazilian neuroscientist Sidarta Ribeiro describes several months of his life when he did little but sleep. He began to dream in English: intense epic dreams occurring in abandoned New York streets in early morning freezing temperatures. Then abruptly the dreams stopped and he reemerged, “energized by a 'cognitive transformation' enhanced by his dreaming imagination.”* Dreams heal.
As far back as 1800 BCE, the epic of Gilgamesh described dreams both prophetic and instructive as did Old Norse mythology and ancient Greek stories and myths. The Bible is rich with dream revelation and messages. Dreams can solve problems. Einstein's Theory of Relativity came to him in a dream. And both Edison and Salvador Dali practiced falling asleep while holding a heavy object, which would wake them from the dream state where discovery and creativity flourish. Dreams have helped me through the hardest times.
Often, within days of shocking events, sleep and dreams begin to ease shock's physical pain. And when problems seem intractable, we can consciously decide to involve our dreams in finding solutions. Although some may think this is some "wu" thing, it is actually one of our innate gifts. We just have to work with them as Edison, Dali and countless other inventors, scientists, musicians and artists have. And sometimes “answer dreams” come without asking - like my dream of gifts on the stairs.
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