June 2021 Newsletter

Hello everyone!

Happy Solstice/Midsummer! And, thank you so much to everyone who has signed up for my course, Dream Interpretation: The Basics & BEYOND!  I really appreciate your help and support.  If anyone else is interested (or knows anyone who might be interested), you/they can sign up for the course and learn more here.  And, if you know someone who would enjoy reading this newsletter, please share it with them!

If you hadn’t already picked up on this, it’s pretty much my life’s mission to help make the world a better place, so I was very excited when one of my readers told me that something I’d said in my April 2021 newsletter prompted him and his wife to make a change.  It was the call to “stop using plastic,” that they heeded.  He said he read that and thought, “Really, we can stop using plastic water bottles.  It’s not that hard to just fill up our Yetis or water bottles.  It’s a small change in thinking and lifestyle but really, there’s no excuse NOT to do it.  We’re just being lazy by not doing it.”  He said he’d thought about how his individual impact hadn’t seemed that large but when he multiplied it by the population of his entire state of California (40 million)…well, that’s a lot of trash floating in the ocean. 

This anecdote brings to mind an African folktale my mentor told me, which I will attempt to summarize: 

There was a huge forest fire and all of the animals of the forest were standing around, fretting about what could be done.  As they did this, they saw Hummingbird fly by, drop a single drop of water from her beak onto the fire, fly away, and then fly back, dropping a single drop of water, over and over.  The other animals of the forest laughed at her and said, “How could you possibly be helping anything?  What’s one little drop of water going to do to stop a forest fire?” Hummingbird was undeterred by their idle judgment and simply said, “This is what I can do, little as it is, and I’m going to do my part.”  SNAP.  

So, ask yourself, “Do I want to be like the hummingbird and do everything I can, small as it may seem, or like the other animals and watch the world burn down around me, paralyzed by fear and the enormity of the problem?” 

Another reader (my brother) wanted me to add an item to the apocalypse “revelations” list from the April 2021 newsletter, and that item is: “There is no salvation in Netflix.”  Amen to that.  We could probably add Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and whatever the hell other time sucking apps we have on our phones, that serve the purpose of marking time, but drain our will to live in the process.  I digress.  

The article of mine that I’m going to share with you today was published online by Spirituality & Health Magazine.   It’s on one of my favorite topics: mystical, unexplained experiences; those things that make you go hmmm.  We’ve all experienced them: that chance encounter with a special person, the dream that seemed a little too real to be just a dream, the monologue delivered by an actor on TV who seemed to be speaking directly to you, the bird that seems to be following you around, the three-legged toad that lives in your courtyard, help that arrives just in the nick of time, the little voice guiding you to a fateful place, the money that arrives as if by divine intervention, the shadowy figure you see one evening in your dining room, the friend who calls just as you were about to call them.  All of these experiences leave us with the feeling that something extraordinary has happened, that there’s been a rupture in linear space-time and something otherworldly has moved in, if only for a moment.  I explain how we can begin to honor and encourage these experiences, by keeping a numinosity journal.  As Westerners, we’ve been trained to believe that these experiences are meaningless, coincidental, or imaginary.  Keeping a record helps our logical, Western minds begin to gather hard evidence of not only the occurrence of these experiences but of their utility in our lives, which, in turn, helps to convince our logical brains that maybe mysticism isn’t complete horseshit after all.  

This is Jin Chan.  He is a mythical, three-legged toad who arrives during the full moon, bringing fortune and fertility to those who are lucky enough to encounter him.  He appeared in my courtyard, right before the July 2019 full moon and brought me enough money to cover my mortgage for a few months. Thank you, Jin Chan. (Photo courtesy of Suzanne Staver)   

A woman I know once told me the following story: 

One Saturday, during the middle of April 1977, I got this really strong feeling that I should go to a local dance hall that evening, called “Stub’s.” I didn’t know why I had this feeling.  It wasn’t my favorite place to go, nor was it somewhere I went regularly.  But, the feeling I had was so strong that I couldn’t ignore it.  I even went shopping when got done with work and bought a new outfit for the occasion.  I didn’t want to go alone, so I called my best friend and then, my older brother, begging them to join me.  When I talked with my best friend, she was less than enthusiastic about this idea, “Why do you want to go to Stub’s?” she asked.  “I don’t know,” I replied.  “I just feel like it and I don’t want to go alone.”  Despite their lack of enthusiasm, both my best friend and my brother agreed to go and even convinced their significant others to join us.  At the time, I realized how silly all this seemed, to make such a big deal out of “just a feeling,” but for some reason, I felt confident acting upon it.   

When the evening finally rolled around, it was not very much fun.  The two couples I’d begged to join me were clearly not enjoying the evening or their relationships.  I chastised myself for dragging them there and thought, “What was I thinking?  I’m bored out of my mind.”  Not long after this, a man walked in.  My brother and his girlfriend recognized him, greeted him enthusiastically and asked him to join us.  He sat down at our table, observed the gloomy couples and said, pointing around the table, “Why don’t you and you go and dance; you and you go and dance; and her and I will go and dance.”  We didn’t even know each other’s names, but it didn’t matter.  There was an instant connection.  We had a great time that evening, and afterwards, he asked me out on a proper date.  We were married a year later. 

This is the story of how my parents met.  And, if you needed any more convincing about why it’s important to heed and honor these illogical, mystical experiences, I hope this story and the realization that you wouldn’t be reading this article right now nor would you even know of me, do the trick.  I also feel like this underscores the importance of learning to read signs and interpret your dreams.  

So, enjoy the free article on working with signs, dreams and synchronicities, and next time you feel a rupture in space-time, take notice!

Dr. Mann

The Untapped Potential of Dreams, Signs, and Synchronicities in the Western World

August 2020 Newsletter

Hello everyone!

Aside from the world burning to the ground, literally and figuratively, I hope you all are doing relatively well.  Western culture has such trouble with death and endings.  We seem to think that there is just birth and death, nothing more, that the end is the end, so we are terrified of the end of things and especially, THE BIG ENDING.  What we don’t realize is that there is actually another stage in this cycle, it’s not a life-and-death cycle, it’s a life-death-life cycle.  This is what the Phoenix teaches: with every ending there is a new beginning, rebirth, renaissance.  So, yes, the world as we know it is burning to the ground and appears to be at an end.  And, it’s important to grieve that.  But, the scorched earth also creates a clearing where something new can grow (Steele, 2020).  And, let’s face it, we need something new.  Our way of life is far from sustainable and harmonious.  So, here’s to hoping that the Phoenix will indeed rise from the ashes of the burning shit pile we’ve created.  Cheers!

Wow.  Who opens their first newsletter by bringing up the apocalypse?  Sorry to depress everyone.  I’m just trying to keep it real.  Would it help if I included a picture of Phoenix rising from the ashes?  Would that inspire everyone?  Okay, I’ll include a picture.  

Better? Okay, back to the newsletter.  I had the idea to do a newsletter quite a few months back but never followed through with it.  Maybe the timing wasn’t right, maybe I just didn’t have the motivation, who knows.  Then a couple of nights ago, in my insomnia, the idea came back to me, and by “came back to me,” I mean, “it possessed me and took me two hours to fall asleep after that.”  Ironically, the article my insomnia so kindly suggested I include in this newsletter was one I’d written on insomnia several months ago and never published.  So, that’s what I get for leaving things unfinished, I guess.  Let that be a lesson to all of you.  Actually, before I promote task completion for the sake of task completion, let me bring us back to the lesson of the Phoenix: Sometimes things must die so that others might live.  It’s okay to not finish things, or let things die. If something needs and wants to be completed, you will know that.  It will haunt you in your dreams and sleepless nights, as evidenced by this newsletter.         

I have no idea what exactly this newsletter will look like, moving forward.  Maybe I’ll include an inspirational message at the beginning, like I did today, haha.  Maybe, I’ll include some of my incoherent ramblings and half-formed theories on topics like, “Time Doesn’t Exist,” “How Quantum Entanglement Could Explain the Phenomenon of Psychokinesis,” “How Shapeshifting Might Be Possible,” “The Phoenix and Skeleton Woman: The Life-Death-Life Cycle,” etc.  Maybe, I’ll include something more applied, like I did today, on how to approach insomnia.  Maybe, I’ll attach my doctoral dissertation, all 69 pages of it. Wouldn’t that be fun?  Or, maybe it will be something completely unrelated to psychology like, “How to Brew Golden Coffee Ale.”  Who knows.  I’m going to let this evolve as it will (well, as much as the control freak in me will allow).  If you have ideas or topics you’d like to learn more about, let me know.  And, if you know anyone who might like to read this, please share it with them.   

May the force be with us all,

Brianna 

Extracting Wisdom From COVID-19 Sleep Disturbances

Coronavirus is affecting our health in more ways than direct viral infection. Twenty-two percent of us are reporting trouble sleeping, with Gen Xers being the most notably affected (Sleep Help, 2020).  

We are scared, our lives have been completely upended, we no longer have our regular routines to distract and anesthetize us, and, even if we are COVID-19 free, we are developing a nasty case of cabin fever.  Further, without the distractions of our normal routines and with the stirring of deep emotions within us, we are coming face to face with our own demons (and the demons of our household members).  It’s no wonder we are having trouble sleeping.

Not only are we having trouble sleeping, anecdotal evidence suggests that we are dreaming less and when we do dream, our dreams tend to be more vivid and disturbing.  Why is this? 

When we experience traumatic or very stressful events, our psyche often blocks not only memories of the trauma but memories of our dreams, so we aren’t disturbed by them. If we do dream and are having disturbing dreams, as much as we may not like them, they are showing up for a reason. This is our psyche’s way of saying that something needs our attention.  Like painful or traumatic events, dreams won’t go away simply by ignoring them. Further, the reality we are living in right now is essentially a bad dream.  It’s as if the dream world and the physical world have been transposed. This may account for why we are not remembering our night dreams; that is, we are living them during the day (Steele, 2020).  

What can you do about insomnia?  Believe it or not, there is wisdom in insomnia.  Some say that during this time, the veil between the worlds, the spirit world and earthly world, is thinnest, so messages from the spirit world are able to reach us (Andrews, 1993).  Scientists, inventors, and revolutionaries have used insomnia, dreams and dreamlike states for millennia to develop theories, invent new technology, and see the future (e.g., Albert Einstein, Harriet Tubman, Alexander the Great).  John Lennon said, “The best songs are the ones that come to you in the middle of the night and you have to get up and write them down, so you can go back to sleep,” (Moss, 2009).  Your brain is incredibly efficient and rarely engages in mental processes unless they are useful, so trust that it’s trying to help you, trying to work something out. And, it doesn’t take a Ph.D. in psychology to recognize that there are some major things our brains are trying to work out right now, both individually and as a collective.    

Rather than viewing insomnia as the bane of your existence and fighting it, view it as helpful and literally ask, “Insomnia, why are you here?”  Use a journal or audio app on your phone: 

1.     Write or say anything that comes to mind, no matter how relevant it seems (Freud called this free association).  If it’s popping into your mind, it’s popping in for a reason.  

2.     If something resonates or rings true, you’ve likely hit pay dirt and uncovered some deep wisdom.  

3.     Turn that wisdom into an axiom, affirmation, or warning and apply it to your life.  

What can you do about disturbing dreams?  As counterintuitive as it seems, as with insomnia, I would also recommend embracing the message of disturbing dreams by asking why they are here.  Next, spend some time being present to and understanding your feelings and thoughts surrounding the dream: 

1.     What feelings/thoughts/bodily sensations are showing up for you? 

2.     What’s this about?  

3.     What does it all mean to you?

4.     Write or say anything that comes to mind, no matter how relevant it seems.

5.     If something resonates or rings true, note that.

6.     Turn that wisdom into an axiom, affirmation, or warning and apply it to your life.  

If you feel overwhelmed, it’s okay to take a break and try some of the strategies I’ve discussed below.  Even if we hate what we feel and find it overwhelming, know that our systems are wired to handle the emotional energy we produce.  

1.     Reach out to a loved one for support.  

2.     Do something kind for yourself (e.g., treat yourself to your favorite show, book, food; spend time in nature).

3.     Use a relaxation technique, like diaphragmatic breathing. https://www.healthline.com/health/diaphragmatic-breathing#steps-to-do

4.     Try a guided meditation. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_O1R9T0Uu4

5.     If you don’t feel like you can manage what’s showing up, find a therapist or healer.  This is what we are here for.  

6.     If you’d like more help working with your dreams or insomnia, you can reach me through my website to schedule a consultation for healing work, a dream interpretation session, or sign up for my online course, “Dream Interpretation: The Basics and BEYOND.”

References

Andrews, T. (1993). Animal Speak: The Spiritual and Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small. Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewelyn Publications.

Moss, R. (2009). The Secret History of Dreaming. Novato, California: New World Library.

Sleep Help. (2020). The Effects of COVID-19 on Sleep: Exploring How the Coronavirus Impacts People’s Sleep Habits. Retrieved from https://www.sleephelp.org/covid-19-impact-on-sleep/?mod=article_inline

Steele, M. (2020, March 23, 2020). [Mentoring Session: March 23rd, 2020].