Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth Reviews

• The Introverted Intuitive's Dream!

  
  By A3O8FDVQKNNH0J on 2001-09-02
  It is difficult to imagine how powerful this small book is. Granted, it is probably most appealing to intuitives and introverts, like myself, but for us, it is like manna from heaven. Johnson has such a gift for putting things simply. The book can be read quickly but may well take a lifetime to permeate your consciousness. As a professional astrologer, VisionCoach and expert Tarot symbolist, one of the most frequent questions I am asked by old and new clients is this: "I had this dream, Nancy. What does it mean?" In spite of ongoing research on my part, personally leading dream groups and reading the new books that come out each year, I always return to Johnson's classic. He's said it all. I think "Inner Work" is, quite simply, the best book ever written about dream interpretation. Each of our dreams is as personal as our fingerprints. If you are an extravert, you may not dream often or you may dream the kind of dreams that are just processing the minute business of the day. At least once in awhile, though, even the most extraverted of us has a Major Dream, a dream that wakes us with a cold sweat or a warm pulse. What does this mean? What is communicating here? Why to you? And why NOW? Johnson's book puts all these questions squarely back on your own shoulders for answerung, for ... inner work!! But don't worry, he doesn't just drop you off in the middle of the nowhere without a map. This book contains all the information you need to become an expert at interpreting your own dreams. This is important because, as the great Swiss transcendental psychologist Carl Jung wrote, "God speaks in dream."
  
  

• Dreams

  
  By A2ZB4MDP6E1824 on 2001-07-10
  Everyone, I'm told, has dreams during sleep whether they are remembered or not. Some people dream in color (I do), others in black and white only. Robert Johnson's book on Inner Work is just that, a book that is a guide to finding and communicating with the inner self - the true you. Our lives are so fragmented today, we are all encouraged to "multi-task" - housewives frequently talk on the phone while doing the dishes, busy executives shave while driving; other people type on laptop computers while flying to a destination. I believe that some of our time-saving measures are cheating us out of living in reality - of enjoying this present moment.

  Robert Johnson encourages his readers to take the time to establish communication with the inner self, to find out what obstacles exist to accomplishing life-goals; to discover the steps that must be taken; to deal with underlying fears; to strengthen foundations and build new bridges to deeper levels of the unconscious self,and then release the energy that needs expression. It truly is a journey of Inner Work.

  I am still in the process of reading and working through this book. I'm sure it'll take a while longer, but it's been worth every bit of the time I've spent on it. I am changed, I am different, the quality of my life is richer, and I am definitely more in touch with who I am, with my current existence and presence.

  This book is a must for anyone whose life has whirled into the outer limits. Take the time and do it properly. You have everything to gain.
  
  

• How following the guidelines helped through a dilema

  
  By A33KFHOAH84B2L on 1999-03-21
  One night I had a dream that I was a pitcher on a softball team. My older brother was playing first base and yelling abusive things about me like, "Get him out of there! He don't know what he's doing!" I went to pitch the ball, drew my arm back and saw someone standing between the pitchers mound and home plate. He had on a ball cap and was standing with his head down so I couldn't identify who it was. I couldn't pitch with him there. That is where the dream ended. The following evening I decided to follow some of the suggestions from Inner Work and see if the identity of "the man in the way" would be revealed. I went back and relived the dream. At the point I was ready to pitch the ball, I stopped and walked up to him. I asked him to reveal to me who he was. He slowly raised his head and I found myself staring into my own face. I realized form that experience that I was "standing in my own way!" I asked myself to move out of the way, and went back to pitch the game. Previously I had thought it was the messages embedded in my psychic memory from verbally abusive types, particularly my older brother. This work revealed to me where the problem really originated. Since this work I have been able to return to school, recieve a degree in Fine Art, and am now embarking on publication of a book of my artwork. I have moved out of my own way as a result of the suggestions from this book. I highly recommend this for anyone wishing to resolve specific problems in their life. I gave it 5 stars. See them here *****.
  
  

• Practical, effective introduction (blows away the myths)

  
  By A1S0TDEJMFP07M on 2001-04-29
  Before "Inner Work" I had read a few other dream interpretation books all of which basically described certain recurring dream images and labelled them with a limited definition: basically they were the "Teacher's Edition" to understanding your dreams with the answers in the back. I never understood how an image, say a snake or falling, could be interpreted in basically the same way by so many different people. Johnson explains why you can't. Images are personal and have to be interpreted by the dreamer and Johnson describes how to use "active imagination" to not only figure out what your dreams mean but how they can help along your life journey. This book really helped me tap into the "invisible" part of my consciousness and make practical, healthy changes in my life and prayer. His comparison of archetypes (universally shared images) and personal symbols was most appreciated. Complex ideas are explained in a way that any neophyte to dream analysis can understand and apply to your own life. Johnson explains how to make practical and physical changes by conversing with your dreams.
  
  

• For dream interpretation,this is THE book!

  
  By A1MLPBB4JZ07B6 on 1999-12-21
  I was relatively new to dream interpretation and Active Imagination, when this book was recommended to me by some therapists. It is the most comprehensive book I've read on the subject. In simple language with detailed examples, dream interpretation is made easy with Johnson's 4-step approach. I've gotten more out of my dreams with the help of this book than with any other book I've ever used. It is simply FANTASTIC! You MUST read this one!
  
  
• The Wisdom Inside
  By A1CMWPFDXA3Y2I on 2003-07-13
  This wonderful book is clear and practical, and really goes to the point. It instructs you and helps you at two levels: first it explains how our dreams and imagination function as a link between our conscious and unconscious lives; then it goes on to instruct the reader on how to learn from this link and how to build a fruitful and lifelong dialogue between these two spheres of being. In order to achieve the latter, the author shows us, with clear examples, the way to understand our dreams and to use our imagination and so find the wisdom that we all have inside. Although this all sounds like any other self-help book, here the author never means to sound witty, empty or artificially triumphant. He promises nothing and makes sure we understand that what he is telling us is nothing new: many cultures use these same methods for the psychological, spiritual well-being of people. But we happen to be living in a time and culture that have lost the sense of inner life.Reading this book is like listening to the words of a loving teacher, who knows things because "he has been there before".Well-written and packed with no-nonsense spirituality, without losing touch with the world where we live or our common sense.
  
  
• Self-recongition Through Dream Analysis
  By on 1999-06-16
  I read it a year and a half ago... his writing is lucid, and his style is 'warm'-- Whatever science has to say about dream physiology is very interesting, though the cognitive scientific perspective is inherently reductionistic -- that's the way science is. My opinions are polarized when it comes to dream analysis/interpretation, for science has debunked the validity of many 'intuitive' methods used to obtain insight into the inner-workings of human psychology. I must admit, however, that dreams -- regardless of whether or not they can be explained away as random access neural phenomena (the current cognitive scientific perspective regarding dreams) -- can still reveal memories, emotions, and so on, that are not readily accessible to everyday consciousness. For this reason dreams will never be demythologized, regardless of scientific inquiry. This is why I think dream analysis is important. Whether or not our 'interpretations' are accurate doesn't really matter, for it is the process of analysis, of looking at a part of the 'self' that would otherwise be neglected, that is most essential. In this way Jungian dream analysis, adapted by Johnson, is much like surfacing the unconscious abyss, making it accessible to consciousness. Thus, Robert Johnon's Inner Works is one of the better dream-related books on the market-- I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning a methodology that will extend self-recognition into the dream-wrold.
  
  
• good starting place for beginners....
  By A2NTJUI2DLZF4R on 2000-06-04
  I've routinely recommended this one to my clients; it's not for those already familiar with the depths but is a clearly written and workable guide for people just starting out in dreamwork and individuation.
  
  
• On the unconscious
  By on 2004-06-23
  I have previously read only one book on dream interpretation and think this one is excellent. I've always steered away from dream interpretation because I thought they were too mental for me. I am by nature an intellectual and caught up in daydreaming most of the time anyway. But Johnson tells me to bring feeling and body into the interpretation process, and that I like.

  He also warned against passive daydreaming concerning any real person for they will feel something over the collective unconscious. Compared inner work to marching around the walls of Jericho -- conquering a psychic center might take years of persistent work.

  All in all: simple and concise. I recommend it.
  
  

• Practical dream interpretation
  By A2CGD04J9JB89S on 1998-10-11
  Focuses on a simple, yet affective method of determining the meaning of symbols in your dreams and finding the overall meaning of the dream and practical ways of bringing that energy into your waking life through ritual. The section on active imagination makes a confusing subject much more understandable as well as providing tools for interpreting active imagination.
  
  
• rich and insightful
  By on 1998-11-30
  this book has been quite a revelation for me as it has stimulated my nightly dreaming and has given me a tool to go deep within to connect with Soul and Spirit. no one can take away your dreams or stop them. they are a sacred communication and we'd all benefit from learning to extract their personal messages
  
  
• excellent for dream work
  By A2HQEIM47IPIB6 on 2004-06-13
  though i wouldn't follow the author's exact attributions to symbols in dreams (use your personal ones - what do they mean to you?), the book is still excellent for interpretation and analysis. keep reading it, especially the most important parts, as you are likely to forget. i recommend first reading Owning Your Own Shadow as a primer, also by Robert A. Johnson.
  
  
• The Perfect Book for learning Active Imagination
  By AFFNQ8TW61SKV on 2008-05-11
  This book is a fantastic guide to doing Active Imagination. If you are new to the ideas of Carl Jung, this book has the introduction that you need. I have used the techniques from this book on many occasions, and I know I will keep going back to it. Active Imagination has helped me in working with my compulsions and in understanding my bad habits. This is not a 'self-help' book with catchy slogans and common-sense rephrased kind of book. I found that although dreams and day-dreams seem to be nothing but nonsense, this book helps you to find the hidden treasures in that 'nonsense'.
  
  
  
• Great Book, Poor Paper
  By A2W81H1D8YBE8T on 2008-09-11
  I agree with most of the positive reviews on this book. The author is an excellent writer, and the contents of this book are excellent.
  
  But HarperOne should be ashamed of themselves regarding the quality of the physical book. The paper is so cheap that underlining is rough on the pages. This kind of cheapness is ruining the book business--it's like watching publishing self-destruct.
  
  My recommendation to the writer is to find another publisher in the future.
  
  
• Excellent work for delving into the unconscious
  By A1WJD3GE953ZJ5 on 2008-03-20
  I really liked this book! Tons of info, personal experiences and suggestions are within on how to work with the unconscious mind in a healthy way. great for magicians, witches, sorcerers and lay folk alike!
  
  

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