NLP Technique: Active Dreaming or Solution Seeking
The “Active Dreaming” technique was modeled by NLP specialists from ancient shamanic rituals, meaning it has stood the test of centuries. Its purpose is to help you find answers within yourself and awaken your unconscious mind using external stimuli. The process of active dreaming is quite simple, but the solutions that “come to mind” during practice can be very interesting—often leading to a deeper understanding of a situation or a new perspective. Plus, the main work can be done while taking a walk outdoors.
We already have the answers inside us; we just need to allow ourselves to activate our inner wisdom.
Description of the Active Dreaming Technique
To get the most out of active dreaming, it’s recommended to enter a state of inner silence and relaxation. Let your vision become unfocused, and engage panoramic perception of visual images, sounds, and smells. Be open and ready to receive.
As an exercise to enter this open state, start by focusing your attention on three visual objects (for example, three items in the room). While maintaining your focus on these visual stimuli, add three auditory ones (creaks, rustles, whispers, etc.). Then, expand your attention further by adding kinesthetic sensations (feel the smooth surface of a table, the firmness of the floor, the temperature around you). Once you’ve practiced entering this “receiver” state, you can begin the active dreaming technique itself.
- Set an intention or identify the result you want to achieve, or an important decision you need to make.
- Enter an “open state,” a “state of not knowing,” which allows you to be completely receptive.
- While in this state, stay open to everything that comes into your awareness from the outside, and go in search of a “symbol” for your result or decision. Move without a clear direction, and notice how your feet seem to choose the path on their own. Usually, it takes about 5 to 15 minutes for a symbol to appear. It can show up in any sensory modality—something that catches your eye (V), a pebble in your shoe (K), or a particular sound (A).
- (V) – visual channel of perception
- (A) – auditory channel of perception
- (K) – kinesthetic channel of perception
Accept the symbol you find as a meaningful representation of your result or decision, a gift from the universe. For a moment, become this symbol (step into the second position) and notice what it’s like to be this symbol.
Then, become an outside observer (third position) and notice the connection between your result/decision and the information contained in the symbol. How can this new information influence your future actions?
Based on materials by Judith DeLozier and Anne K. Entus, “Active Dreaming”