You have spent roughly one third of your life asleep. Medical science doesn’t even have a full explanation for why we sleep. But we do to the tune of decades, years over a normal lifespan. And despite that a third of our life is spent in this state, surprisingly little is known about it. Sleep is a suspended state, of sorts, and only recently has science discovered that certain reparative functions take place only during sleep. It is necessary for our health. And during sleep, we dream. All of us dream.
Dream analysis has been around for millennia. Ancient Babylonians had written about them, more recently Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung have postulated about the meaning of them. There are as many explanations for dreams as there are dreams themselves: nightmares, falling, sex, you name it and it’s in our dreams. And with a third of our lives spent in the state of dreaming, it would seem likely that there is meaning behind them. Sometimes our dreams can tell us things that, perhaps, our conscious minds just can’t handle or understand.
Yet, despite the prominence of dreams in our lives, very little is done to work with them. Until now.
Earlier this month, dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg and psychologist Dr. Jeannine Jones opened Apollo Beach Counseling at 100 Frandorson Circle. Their website aptly describes their practice: www.dreamingtohealing.com.
Loewenberg has dedicated her life to dream analysis. She is the author of three books on the subject as well as a syndicated columnist. She is frequently sought out for her expert opinion by media as varied as CNN, The Today Show, The Dr. Oz Show, and The View. She is also a frequent guest on nationally syndicated radio shows and has been featured in a number of national magazines. In the process of her career, she has analyzed thousands of dreams, opening doors toward solutions where her clients only saw confusion and, perhaps, pain through their dreams.
“I have a lot of empathy towards our patients,” Loewenberg said. “Sometimes I hear stuff that just kills me. It was difficult but now [with their new practice] I’m able to pass that over to very capable hands,” Lauri said, gesturing toward Jones.
Jeannine Jones earned her Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of South Florida. She is bright, cheerful and exudes a comfortable optimism in all things. And while she is no doubt empathetic, her practice requires a certain degree of remaining unbiased in her approach; an approach that helps her to guide individuals based on her patients’ perspectives, past experiences and current behaviors. She doesn’t judge, she seeks solutions.
“Therapy can be a frustrating and painful process of finding the real source of a problem,” Jones said. “People often feel like they aren’t getting anywhere.”
But now that is changing. With Loewenberg providing the dream analysis, interpreting the honest messages from the subconscious minds, she is able to hand over her findings to Jones, who can help the person deal with problems in life, ranging from depression to anxiety to things even more troublesome.
“Once we can understand your dreams, we are already halfway there toward finding a solution,” Jones said. “It really is incredible. It is powerful.”
There is a line of thought that people enter psychology-related fields in order to solve their own problems. If that is indeed the case, it certainly speaks to the success of Lauri Loewenberg and Jeannine Jones. Both are highly competent, highly intelligent women who are attractive to the degree that reveals their comfort in their own skins. More importantly, perhaps, for their current and future clients, that comfort extends to their presence. They are easy and comfortable to converse with. In a world of stress, anxiety and so many worries that can invade a life, they are ports of calm and understanding.
Inside the small, comfortable offices of Apollo Beach Counseling, there is indeed a couch, the stereotypical symbol of psychology and psychiatry. But the chances are the couch would simply be used as a comfortable place to sit and have a discussion. More likely, a prospective client may never even see that couch. Sessions with both Loewenberg and Jones are often held over the telephone or, preferably, online via Skype.
“Younger people are far more comfortable with the technology. and there are advantages,” Jones said. “They can meet with me in the comfort of their own home, a place where they really can be completely at ease.”
“I have clients in Sweden, Australia … I don’t care where you are, I’m just happy to help you,” Loewenberg added. “The dream analysis provides plenty of information for Dr. Jones.
“It’s a form of therapy with the dream analysis that helps us get to the heart of the problem much quicker.”
And quite likely, much less painfully. Our subconscious minds know much that our conscious minds may not be ready to acknowledge. Loewenberg is an empathetic tutor, a companion for the fears of the subconscious, with Jones providing a path toward solutions that may otherwise take months or years to discover.
We all dream and, according to both Loewenberg and Jones, virtually all of our dreams have meaning in our lives. Sometimes they can even be destructive.
“It can take you on a vicious cycle,” Loewenberg said. “I had one client that kept having dreams of drowning to the point that they developed a fear of water. The dreams basically created its own phobia. It’s a horrible vicious cycle that can be created.”
Life can be stressful and it can be painful. Walk into any large pharmacy and look at the veritable walls of medications awaiting pickup. Some are necessary for life, many others are taken simply to help us cope with life.
If nothing else, your dreams are honest. But they are often difficult to understand.
“Your dreams are your built-in therapist,” Loewenberg said. “Once we can understand your dreams, we are already halfway there.”
“Allow yourself to take care of yourself,” Jones added. “If something is on your mind, if something is bothering you, we can try to help. You can do that for yourself.”
A complete description of Apollo Beach Counseling services is available on the web at www.dreamingtohealing.com or by calling 855-62-DREAM.