Dream Incubation: Finding Guidance in Your Dreams

Awhile ago, I was exploring ways to refocus my work. I decided to ask the following question before going to bed, “What path should I take with Grow Your Lifework and The Dream Tribe?” My intention was to incubate a dream. Essentially, I wanted to sleep my way to a solution.

Not only did I get a response that night, the results surprised me. But before I share it with you, consider this:

There are many ways you can live your life and focus your work. Each possibility comes with a whole set of questions that can feel difficult to answer, like when you’re trying to decide how to grow your work and you have equally enticing options, but you only have time to choose one.

The truth is, grappling with life dilemmas often creates more questions than answers. So what’s a person to do?

Fortunately, you have an innate solution system that works really well. It’s called your dreams, but what most people don’t realize is that you can intentionally induce a dream that speaks directly to your dilemma.

This is called “dream incubation” and it’s the ancient art of gathering information from your sleeping dreams. It’s a simple process that can yield insight and answers to big life questions. It can also help you find clarity with your lifework direction, offering suggestions that come undiluted from your inner wisdom.

What we can learn from the Greeks

Dream incubation is so powerful the ancient Greeks had entire temples dedicated to the process. These sacred places, called Asclepion Temples, were the realm of Asclepius, (pronounced “eh sclee pee es” or “es sclee pee os”, with long ees) god of medicine and healing.

Participants did elaborate rituals and set intentions to have helpful dreams. Then they would sleep in the temple, sometimes for days, waiting for dream information.

Fortunately, you don’t have to visit an Asclepion Temple in order to benefit from the process of dream incubation. All you need to do is ask a question and remember your dreams.

How to Incubate Dreams for Information

According to Webster’s dictionary, the word “incubate” means “to sit, as on eggs for hatching.”

In dream incubation, you craft a question then sit on it, or rather, sleep on it, as though to hatch an answer. This is a good analogy because it can take several days or weeks to actually hatch a relevant dream.

Create a good question

The first step is to craft a question so you can more easily set your intention.

Since your subconscious mind speaks to you in symbols and images you will not benefit by asking a yes or no question. Instead, you need to ask a question that can be answered with a story.

A good question starts with “how” or “show me” or “what.” For instance, I did a dream incubation by asking the following question: “What path should I take with Grow Your Lifework and The DreamTribe?”

That night I had a long, detailed dream about healing. In the dream, a well known and respected dream healer was present. I was in a wheel chair and was suddenly healed. I received a chiropractic treatment from a man and an energy healing from Barbara Brenna. Healing was clearly a central theme in the dream.

Another thing I noticed is that the dream took place in a conference center where a large gathering of people came to learn about healing.

Interestingly, when I had the dream I was in the process of creating a series of teleseminars that focused on healing, but I was having doubts about how well it would be received. My dream gave me useful information I could reflect on for my work.

Crafting a good question is a simple, yet powerful first step in the dream incubation process.

Set Your Intention

Before going to bed, be sure to write your question in a journal and repeat the question several times before falling to sleep. When you wake, even if it’s in the middle of the night, record your dream and how you’re feeling.

Reflect on Your Dreams

Several things might happen after you wake up.

First, you might not remember a dream. That’s ok. Repeat the process nightly until you do. Add the following intention, “I will remember my dream in the morning.”

Second, you might remember a dream that seems irrelevant. It’s important to remember that dreams speak in metaphors and images. You may need to decipher the information you’ve been given before you understand it.

Third, the information you receive may be completely different than you expected. This doesn’t negate its importance, it only emphasizes that the issue you’re dealing with is more complex than you may have realized.

Regardless of what you dream, be sure to record the images in detail with a date. You may need to revisit the information later to glean more insight. You can only do this if it’s written down.

Repeat this process for a week or two and collect all of the dreams you have during that time. You may want to think of these dreams as a series of dreams that relate to your initial question. Look for common themes and patterns and ask how they relate to your quest.

Work in a dream group or with a professional dreamworker

The last step is to work the dream with others. Since dreams speak in metaphors it’s easy to miss their deeper meaning. Working in a dream group or with a professional dreamworker can help you find information you wouldn’t be able to find on your own.

The best way to get started is to just do it. Ask a question, set an intention to dream about it, then go to sleep and see what happens. Pay attention to all of your dream imagery for a week or two and see what transpires.

P.S. I do one-on-one dream sessions. If you need help exploring a dream email me at amy@amybrucker.com to set up an appointment. Just reply to this email.

P.P.S. I wrote another article at the DreamTribe called “How to Get Awesome Dream Incubation Results.”