Book Report I submitted for my Atlantic University TP6100 Course – February 11, 2020.
The book I chose to review was our Mentor’s 2017 revised edition of Psychic Dreaming. I selected the book because it covers both courses I’m enrolled in this semester, Principles of Parapsychology (TP6100) and Becoming a Teacher of Dream Work (TP6000). I was interested in seeing how the two courses might tie together.
Auerbach begins the book with an explanation of what it means to be psychic with a chapter, “Psychic Means What?.” Specifically, he covers such topics as Near Death Experiences (NDEs), precognition, the study of reincarnation through information from young children, psychokinesis, and much more (2017, pp. 5-26).
While each of the following thirteen chapters has “dream or dreaming” included in the title, he further elaborates specifically on the subjects we’re learning in Principals of Parapsychology, many of which outside of the realm of dreaming. For example, he discusses when individuals have Out of Body Experiences (OBEs) and are seen by others as separate from their physical bodies, “a case of bilocation,” he explains (2017, p. 115). A number of Saints have been known to have this special skill. He discusses in detail telepathy (Chapter 8), clairvoyance (Chapter 9), and precognition (Chapter 10), as they relate to both the dream and non-dream states.
As the book is titled, Psychic Dreaming, he covers a wide range of topics related to dreamwork. And while I have encountered much of what he covers through TP6000, his straightforward approach and parapsychological lens helped solidify my understanding as well as allowing me to see the material from a more comprehensive perspective.
In the next chapter, he provides a primer on what scientists understand about the dream state and provides a quick overview of the stages of sleep. Auerbach notes that it’s during REM sleep where most dreaming activities occur, and that “when you wake a person up during the REM stage of sleep, they will report dreaming 85 of the time” (2017, p. 36). He also provides a quick overview of sleep disorders and discusses the creativity and symbolism found in dreams and made famous by such people as Carl Jung (2017, 34-41). He then discusses one of the most critical elements of dreamwork, and that’s ensuring an individual can remember their dreams, which isn’t always the case. Without any material, it’s impossible to do any analysis (2017, p. 55-56).
Auerbach also covers the shadow side of dreams; nightmares, night terrors, and daymares (2017, pp. 57-75). I had never heard of daymares, but after reading his description it made sense to me, although I’ve never experienced them myself. While most of the chapter discusses dream topics outside of the realm of psi, in the end, he connects it back. “Psi experiences occur not only in dreams and nightmares, but also in daydreams and daymares. In fact, you might have a psychic experience with vivid imagery or information presented to you while awake and dismiss it as a daydream, or there may be a sudden flash of a disaster occurring that you shake off as imagination (albeit negative)” (2017, p. 75).
After providing a historical look at dreams and how many other cultures have utilized them over the millennia (2017, pp. 79-92), he then addresses a topic of particular interest to me and that’s lucid dreaming. In a lucid dream, “you suddenly realize you’re completely aware you are in a dream,” and best of all, “according to many experts it is one that everyone can ease into or learn” (2017, p. 93). Related to a lucid dream is the ability for the dreamer to actually leave the body during sleep, known as an Out of Body Experience (OBE), which Auerbach notes “is not strictly a psychic experience, but rather a psychological one – simply the experience that you somehow felt outside of your body” (2017, p. 109).
Reincarnation is always a controversial subject and one that also has ramifications for the sleep state as well. After addressing some of the controversies related to the topic, and the beliefs of other cultures, Auerbach discusses how past life memories can show up in dreams. “In their dreams, people do have remembrances or experiences of being someone else. So, too, do they occasionally bring forth verifiable information about past events and people” (2017, p. 131).
In Chapter 11, Auerbach notes what impacts our psi ability when it comes to psi and physic dreams. A primary element in determining psi ability is the “Sheep-Goat Effect,” which, as he notes, “there is often a significant different in the experimental results of participants in psi experiments between those who believe in (at least) the possibility of psychic functioning (“sheep”) and those who don’t (skeptics, disbelievers or “goats”)” (2017, p. 199). He then delves into dreamwork itself and reiterates a point that’s stressed to us in TP6000, be your own interpreter! (2017, p. 211). Dreams are rich with symbolism and have a dramatic impact on unlocking deep issues buried with the subconscious, but in the end, they are highly personal and relate specifically to the dreamer, as our Dreamworks Mentor says.
Auerbach then provides some very practical tips for remembering dreams, what to do with the material once you wake-up, and the pluses and minuses of working individually or in a dream group (2017, p. 214-224). He concludes the book with some easy to follow “Psychic Dreaming Experiments from Home.” These include remote viewing experiments using dreams and precognitive dream excercises (2017, p. 240-246).
Auerbach’s writing style is easy to read with short sentences and clear explanations of topics that can sometimes be difficult to understand and fathom. He is clearly interested and vested in the subject matter, and he provides a number of personal dreams and psychic experiences that have occurred in his own life, adding additional credibility and insight.
He approaches the material in a way that a novice, as well as someone with experience in the subject matter, can understand. He’s able to walk the line between not being overly simple, thus losing the substance of an issue, and not being too technical. thereby losing the lay reader. He provides the necessary terminology and background to provide an understanding of the vast array of topics he covers, all of which are supported by expert testimony and scientific studies.
My one suggestion is that the title is not reflective of the vast material Auerbach covers in the 250-page paperback. He does include a subhead, Dreamworking, Reincarnation, Out-of-Body Experiences & Clairvoyance. And while the book does cover each of these topics, particularly as they relate to physic phenomena, there are numerous other psi and dream-related subjects weaved in throughout the narrative. It’s a great introductory resource, so I’d suggest something broader like “An Introduction to Parapsychology and Dreamwork,” although this may reflect my own reason for choosing the book in the first place.
I enjoyed the book, and recommend it to anyone who has an interest in parapsychology, dreamwork, or psi in general. He covers a lot of ground, it’s well researched and presented, and despite the breadth of the material, it’s still a quick read.
Reference
Auerbach, L. (2017). “Psychic dreaming: dreamworking, reincarnation, out-of-body experiences & clairvoyance.” Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications.
Householter, D. (Producer), & Waters, M. (Director). (2005). Just like heaven [Motion Picture]. United States: DreamWorks.