Dream Analyst David Rivinus To Give a Free Interactive Talk

On Saturday, January 9^th at 4:00 p.m. dream analyst, David Rivinus, will give a free lecture on the principles of dream interpretation. This will be held at the Sellwood Public Library in Portland, Oregon. The library address is 7860 SE 13^th Ave. in Portland. The talk will be in the Moreland Meeting Room. 

The title of the talk is “The Role of Metaphors in Dreams.” The meeting will begin with a brief description of how dreams use metaphors as the basis for creating symbols. Then Rivinus will offer hypothetical dream examples for attendees to interpret. “Dreams are highly personal experiences,” says Rivinus. “Many dreamers feel uncomfortable sharing their intimate experiences with others, especially in a group of strangers.” 

Rivinus says that one of the best way to break the ice is to present attendees with dreams that no one in the group is associated with. He claims that this has two advantages. First, it takes away the feeling of reluctance many dreamers have when asked to share their own experiences. Second, he says that he can introduce dreams in an ordered fashion. He starts with simple dreams, then works slowly into more complex dream plots. “Attendees are much more likely to have success this way,” he explains. “Their confidence builds, and they enjoy the experience much more.” He adds that, by the end of the meeting, attendees have usually gotten over their initial reluctance to participate and begin offering their own dreams for the group to consider. 

Rivinus says that the basic vocabulary of a dream is a metaphor. “While dreams can create symbols out of all kinds of wordplays, puns and other visual images, the most common imagery comes in the form of metaphors.” He uses a well-known English expression as an example: She was on fire with her new idea. “In a dream, there could well be the image of a designer holding the drawings of a new idea, but also being completely engulfed in flames.” That is what makes dreams seem so startling, he says, especially if someone tries to take them literally. “Literal dreams are the exception,” he explains, “Dreams are usually about something other than their imagery.” 

David Rivinus is a dream analyst with several decades of international experience. He is the author of the book “Always Dreaming.” For more information visit www.teacherofdreams.com.