Dreams can save your life.

My interest in health dreams expanded considerably in 2013 when I did a survey of 18 women around the world who reported having warning dreams about breast cancer prior to any physical symptoms or imaging studies. The study was published in Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing in 2015 which led to a TEDx talk in 2016 that was subsequently censored for being too far outside the TED box. In 2018, I published a book, Dreams that Can Save Your Life, co-authored with one of the breast cancer dreamers, Kat O’Keefe-Kanavos, which includes additional types of cancer and other illnesses.

My Certified Energy Health Practitioner training from ACEP in 2010 included muscle testing, but despite success in learning it I must confess that I have not continued to use that skill in my coaching practice. Instead, I rely on the intersection of my intuition with the intuition of the client, and dream analysis often plays a key role in that process.

My approach to physical illnesses is that symptoms are metaphors. We need to address them as sacred messengers from the subconscious about imbalances in our lives. If the conscious mind denies the message, it may bypass that filter and come through dreams.

Using dreamwork with chakra symbolism

The chakras are one of the symbolic energy systems that I find useful in working with symptoms. The themes of dream content may reflect the underlying shadow emotions in these chakras including self-defense in the first, violent anger in the second, sugary sweetness in the third and after-death communication in the fourth. Corresponding affirmations such as “I am safe,” “I am free,” “I am enough,” and “I am grateful” may trigger these tailenders in the form of dreams. You can use dreamwork to help guide your healing when you understand the symbolism of the chakras.

Root chakra

Autoimmune diseases are often related to first chakra imbalances, as the immune system reacts in a fearful way, attacking perceived invaders and damaging normal tissues by mistake. One of my clients with obesity, psoriatic arthritis and painful Achilles tendinitis had a series of related dreams. “I was killing a man in self-defense and burying him, then digging the dead man back up. Later a gigantic female was trying to kill me, and I was physically holding her down with all my strength.” She tapped on “A big part of me is afraid of moving forward” and had a healing breakthrough.

Sacral chakra

Chronic pain is often related to second chakra imbalances as a metaphor for repressed anger stuck in the body. One of my clients, an executive director of a non-profit company, had a frozen shoulder for three months related to an unexpectedly large fundraising burden. The burden triggered these dreams. “I was driving while lecturing a family member when I was pulled over by police. I had a conflict with a board member who resigned.” Her EFT phrase of “My left shoulder resents carrying this heavy burden” led to resolution of her shoulder pain, coinciding with landing a couple major financial donations.

Solar plexus chakra

Eating disorders of all kinds are often related to third chakra imbalances including Type 2 diabetes that may manifest as a metaphor for life not being sweet enough. One of the dreamers in my book with prediabetes had foreshadowing sugary dreams prior to her diagnosis. “I look for munchies in the kitchen cupboard and find a stash of flavored rice crackers. They turn into candy.” I never did EFT with her, but interestingly she did have a precognitive dream about me a few years earlier. “A white male doctor approaches me seeking information about diseases and their symbolic relationships.”

Heart chakra

Sinus problems and postnasal drip are often related to fourth chakra imbalances representing inner crying as a sign of unresolved grief. One of my clients had unrelenting sinusitis and bronchitis for 9 months after her husband’s death despite antibiotics. She shared a vivid visitation dream of him that had features of an after-death communication (ADC). “His presence was in the air, a refined essence. I felt wonder, awe, and magic.” Her grief resolved quickly, and she canceled her scheduled sinus surgery with the aid of tapping on feeling “like Persephone journeying through the underworld of grief.”

And more

Dreams are one of the most reported forms of ADC, which is one of the four abbreviations composing the Spiritual Alphabet Soup of Death and Dying. The most well-known of these phenomena is the Near-Death Experience (NDE) which is like a waking dream, but more real and transformative. Dreams also feature prominently in Nearing-Death Awareness (NDA) and the Shared-Death Experience (SDE). Learning about these liminal states can decrease grief and the fear of death.

Using dreamwork can deepen your awareness

Keeping your own dream diary may be beneficial for both you and your clients. One of my acupuncture colleagues routinely dreams about her new patients before she sees them for the first time, with amazing precognitive results. I once dreamed about a volcano erupting in the Pacific Northwest, and my client the next day turned out to be dealing with explosive anger toward his mother. During the imagery part of our EFT session, he spontaneously went to Mount St. Helens, his favorite vacation spot. We were able to tap through his anger and prevent future emotional eruptions.

Dreams often have multiple layers of meaning resulting in different interpretations, all of which may be true depending on our projections. In 1996, I had a series of precognitive dreams about tornadoes. The next day, real tornadoes landed nearby. I was so stunned with them coming true that I forgot to look deeper into the symbolism. Years later in a dream workshop it was pointed out that tornado dreams may reflect major life upheavals, and I realized I had those dreams when my radiology career was being upended by my passion for holistic medicine, which led me to EFT.

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Author

Larry Burk, MD, CEHP, is a retired holistic radiologist currently working as an on-line Let Magic Happen dream tapping coach. He is the author of Let Magic Happen: Adventures in Healing with a Holistic Radiologist and Dreams that Can Save Your Life: Early Warning Signs for Cancer and Other Diseases. He was co-founder of Duke Integrative Medicine.