When you meet a menacing dream character, do you shudder, and skip writing that dream in your journal? Or do you get excited and dive in, because there's such dreamwork juiciness there? Either way, have you ever looked closely at the moment right BEFORE the threatening figure appears?

My guest Alyssa Polizzi loves that practice. It even brings out an "ah-ha moment" for her in our conversation. Listen in to hear my "ah-ha moment," too, when Alyssa reflects on the purifying force of fire in one of my dreams. She brings her tenderness, fascination, and depth of perspective to everything we explore. We discuss:

• her grandmother’s guidance to practice prayer when waking from anxiety-provoking dreams
• the importance of the moment just before the feeling of a dream changes (for example, right before the threatening figure arrives)
• one of Alyssa's own dream series, with recurring wolves, huskies, and bears
• the dreams I had the two nights before our conversation, one anticipating fire and the other involving it
• and how we view dreams as both glimpses into the deeper story of our lives, AND a source of practical guidance

Alyssa is an educator, coach and dreamworker who guides others on the path to develop their innate potential. She co-runs The Golden Shadow, a podcast and community focused on shadow work, psychology, philosophy and collective self-help. I think you'll enjoy hearing her perspective on the psyche. Click Play to listen now.

Show notes: thedreamersden.org/21.

Music by East Forest.