Emotional and Weird Dreams and Their Meaning in Coaching Sessions

Laura sat confused in her session when she suddenly spoke about a bizarre and highly emotional dream. Her voice was hesitant, almost broken. She felt as if she were still trapped in the middle of the dream - as if it wouldn't let her go. Upon waking, she was close to tears, and the intense emotions of the dream were so vivid that she could hardly think clearly. 

Slowly, she began to say: "It was my childhood home. I wanted to go home, just like before. Everything felt familiar. I was calm as I walked up the stairs, but when I reached the fourth floor, where our apartment was, I realized that the floor was gone." 

Her eyes widened as she remembered the following details: "Everything was half-destroyed. The hallway that should have led me to my apartment was a labyrinth - broken walls and loose beams. Nothing was as it should be. I had to climb over rubble and debris, and with every grip, I felt the pain burning into my torn hands. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find my apartment. The door was simply not there." 

She paused, and it was clear that she was still overwhelmed by the helpless feelings of the dream. "It was as if I were trapped," she whispered. There was no way out, no door, nothing familiar. Just this endless, decaying labyrinth." 

Laura's dream, full of grotesque symbols and deep emotions, is a typical example of dreams that linger with us for a long time. These emotionally intense dreams do not let us go and reflect our inner conflicts, challenging us to understand them. Dreams have fascinated people for centuries; they seem like messages from the depths of our psyche, often revealing unresolved inner conflicts or unconscious desires. 

Emotional and weird dreams are not random images formed during sleep. They carry deep, often hidden messages that give us insights into our inner experience. Such dreams are particularly intense, leaving lasting emotions and usually staying with us long after waking. Their symbolic language can help us discover suppressed or overlooked issues in waking life. Emotions such as fear, sadness, or anger that we cannot express in everyday life find their expression here and challenge us to recognize and process them. 

Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung elevated the meaning of dreams to a new level. He did not see them as coincidence but as a gateway to the unconscious. This realm can offer deeper insights into ourselves and our unresolved conflicts. Jung developed the concept of the collective unconscious, which contains universal symbols that are meaningful to all people. 

These archetypes appear repeatedly in dreams, inviting us to recognize the patterns that guide us in life. For Jung, dreams were not just random images but meaningful messages that could be deciphered. Their symbols act as keys to the deeper layers of our self. Understanding them allows us to encounter ourselves in ways that often remain hidden in conscious life.

In coaching work, dreams are a powerful tool that offers deeper insights into clients' emotional experiences. Combining Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) with the technique of unfinished sentences offers a particularly effective and innovative approach to the unconscious content hidden in dreams. 

First, the client is encouraged to describe the dream in as much detail as possible. The goal is to capture not only the plot but also the emotions and sensory impressions of the dream. The coach asks targeted questions to work out important details and guide the client into the emotions and images of the dream. 

Example questions: 

• "What exactly did you see in the dream? 

• "Which colors, shapes, or symbols stood out to you?" 

• "How did you feel when you noticed the fourth floor was gone?" 

• "What did you hear, feel, or perhaps even smell when you wanted to enter the apartment in the dream?" 

In Laura's case, the question might be: "How did you feel when you realized your apartment was no longer there?" 

Using NLP techniques, the client is guided to relive the sensory impressions of their dream. This approach deepens the emotional experience and helps better understand the dream's core. Remaining visual, auditory, and kinesthetic details can better perceive hidden feelings or memories. 

Questions to activate the senses: 

• Sight: "Which colors and images particularly touched you in the dream?"

  • Example: "The gray, cracked walls were so present. It felt like everything important to me was broken." 

• Sound: "Were there any noises or voices in the dream? What did they trigger in you?" 

  • Example: "I heard the faint creaking of the old staircase, reminding me of when everything was still intact." 

• Feel: "What physical sensations did you feel in the dream?" 

  • Example: "My heart raced as I crossed the debris. I felt so vulnerable and alone."

Other sensory channels, such as smell and taste, can also be activated: 

• Were certain smells in the dream? 

• What did they trigger in you? ("The smell of dusty wood and old memory surrounded me.") 

• Did you taste anything in the dream? 

• How did it feel? ("The bitter taste of fear was in my mouth as I wandered through the labyrinth.") 

Focusing on sensory impressions creates an emotional connection to the symbols of the dream, and often, deeper feelings come to the surface. 

Another powerful tool for deciphering the emotional messages of a dream is the work with unfinished sentences. This technique encourages the client to freely associate, discovering hidden emotions and thoughts. Unfinished sentences create a space where the unconscious speaks, and the client gains more profound insights into their dream. 

Examples of unfinished sentences: 

• "When I saw the colors in my dream, I felt..." 

• "The image that appeared reminded me of..." 

• "The sound I heard made me feel that..." 

• "When I think about the sound, then..." 

• "The smell I perceived made me think that..." 

• "When I smelled the scent, I remembered..." 

• "The taste I experienced felt like..." 

• "When I think about the taste, then..." 

• "The emotion I felt was..." 

• "It felt as if..." 

These sentences allow the client to explore the dream's deeper emotional content and relate it to current life situations. 

The final reflection allows the client to relate the dream symbols and emotions to their current situation. The coach asks targeted questions encouraging the client to gain deeper insights and find practical steps for change.

Example reflection questions: 

• How do the emotions and sensory impressions in the dream reflect your current life circumstances? 

• What insights have you gained from this process that can help you address your current challenges? 

• The dream reminded me how important it is in my life to... 

• I feel this dream is trying to tell me that I should... 

• If I were to tell someone about this dream, I would say to myself... 

• The figure in the dream might give me advice that says... 

• In this dream, I feel the desire for... 

Laura's dream of her decaying childhood home was more than just a nocturnal vision - it was a wake-up call. The image of the crumbling walls mirrored her inner insecurities, which she might not have fully recognized in her daily life. Through the work with NLP and unfinished sentences, Laura could establish deep emotional connections to her past and become aware of her unresolved conflicts. She realized that she needed to face her fears and reorient herself. 

• Loss of security: The dream revealed Laura's insecurity and disorientation. - Unresolved conflicts: The crumbling walls of her childhood symbolized emotional wounds she had not yet processed. 

• Desire for change: The dream encouraged her to confront her inner turmoil and heal emotionally. 

Emotional and strange dreams are fascinating experiences and essential clues to our inner conflicts and unconscious desires. They allow us to gain deeper insights into our emotional lives and confront unprocessed feelings. Methods of dream interpretation, especially the work with unfinished sentences, enable us to get to the bottom of the symbols and emotions in our dreams and understand their meaning for our present life. 

In coaching, these dreams can serve as a valuable tool to help clients become more aware of their emotions and help them overcome inner blockages. By reflecting on the content of our dreams and entering into a dialogue with them, we open the door to deeper self-awareness. These insights can then be translated into practical steps leading to a more fulfilling and authentic life. Dreams are not only messages from the unconscious but also valuable companions on the path to self-discovery and emotional healing.

Combining NLP and unfinished sentences in dream interpretation offers an innovative and profound method to help clients understand their emotional and strange dreams. By activating the senses and encouraging reflection on personal emotions, a space for self-awareness and personal 

growth is created. This approach can help clients better understand their dream experiences and gain deeper insights into their inner conflicts and desires.