THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 28, 1996 TAG: 9605280044
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JONATHAN HUNLEY, CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: 73 lines
In her dream, Stase Michaels climbed a staircase leading to the attic of a dark house. At the top, she found a door behind which she knew an old woman with an ax lurked. Sensing that something important was in the room, Michaels opened the door and froze as the blade came down toward her head.
This frightened Michaels into waking.
Michaels, now a researcher at the College of William and Mary, had the dream when she was a junior at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
The old woman, she realized, represented a part of herself that fears self-discovery. And Michaels' dream move to open the door symbolized her waking decision to begin studying dreams.
Michaels has kept a daily journal of her dreams since college, fueling her fascination with the subconscious mind and its workings. Her recent book, ``The Bedside Guide to Dreams,'' designed to help people interpret their nighttime journeys, was published by Ballantine Books.
Since it was published last fall, the book has sold about 26,000 copies, she said.
Michaels, who has master's degrees in psychology and transpersonal studies, has immersed herself in her subject. She went to seminars on dreams, read every piece of literature she could find on the subject, and even taught some courses presenting her findings and theories.
In the book, Michaels outlines a five-step method for interpreting a dream: identifying the emotions involved, determining the theme of the dream, matching the theme to an area of the dreamer's life, understanding dream symbolism and applying the dream to real life.
``It's really not all that difficult,'' she said. ``I've learned over the last 20 years that it's accessible to the layman.''
Michaels says some symbols have very personal meanings and can't be tied to one-size-fits-all interpretations. But others have shared ``cultural and social meanings.'' Among them are:
Death. Because death is the greatest change a person will undergo, dreams about death, dying or funerals usually represent ``a major or a drastic change in either your life or your attitudes and inner self.''
Parts of the body. These usually correspond to their literal counterparts. ``For example,'' she writes, ``teeth that look hideous can refer to speaking in a vicious or destructive way, because words are what come out of your mouth.''
Children. They often represent a new project, activity or phase of life. ``How the child fares in the dream is how the life counterpart is doing,'' she says. Children can also symbolize the innocent side, or the negative characteristics of childishness or immaturity.
Dream analysis can be ``amazing,'' she said. ``You can get any answer to anything.''
Michaels tells the story of a smoker who dreams of activities such as running that he could enjoy - if he quit smoking. After having the dreams repeatedly, the smoker eventually decides to kick the habit.
Michaels, who was born in a refugee camp in Europe after World War II, joined William and Mary's psychology department in 1993. She is also conducting research on the sleep disturbances of Vietnam veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Hampton.
Despite her education and the volume of research she has done, Michaels said some may label her a mystic.
For instance, she turned down a book offer from Harper and Row, she said, because executives were skeptical of sections of the book that discuss how dreams can be used to predict the future.
Michaels believes that someday ESP will be regarded as legitimate. She said she just wanted to write a readable book to help people use the practical information that dreams yield.
``I don't know how people get on without their dreams,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: HUY NGUYEN
The Virginian-Pilot
Stase Michaels by CNB