Baffled by a seven-year-long recurring dream that forever left him wondering what he didn't say, Joseph homed in on one recent example and discovered his dissatisfaction with a repeating pattern in his professional life. Bolstered by the analysis, Joseph resolved to change some of his behaviors and turn the pattern around.
The Dream
“I have a recurring dream in which I am surrounded by former coworkers and bosses,” Joseph told me. “They are all still in the role they had when I knew them, but I am in my today life. They’re doing their jobs, and I am just there, observing. Nothing of substance happens in the dream, and then I wake up.”
The Discussion
I inquired, "Has this dream recurred over a year? Two? When was the last time you had it? I would also ask how you feel in the dream.”
Joseph responded, "The dream always leaves me feeling like things are unsaid. To answer your first question, I had this dream last week, but I've had it intermittently over the last seven years. As my roles and coworkers have changed, they’ve been added to the dream."
I continued, "Please tell me a few things about the people in the dream. For example, when you worked with them, how did you feel?"
Joseph replied, "The people in this dream go back to my time in........