Journal of Sacred Work

Caregivers have superpowers! Radical Loving Care illuminates the divine truth that caregiving is not just a job. It is Sacred Work.

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Former President and CEO of multiple hospital systems and founding president/CEO of 20-hospital OhioHealth, best selling author, film artist, ordained minister, composer, published poet, syndicated T.V. host, trial attorney, federal prosecutor and Municipal Court Judge. Erie is internationally known as the founder of the Radical Loving Care(R)movement. He also heads Erie Chapman Foundation, Dane Dakota Productions, LLC, and Chapman Health International, Inc.

Recent Posts

About

Former President and CEO of multiple hospital systems and founding president/CEO of 20-hospital OhioHealth, best selling author, film artist, ordained minister, composer, published poet, syndicated T.V. host, trial attorney, federal prosecutor and Municipal Court Judge. Erie is internationally known as the founder of the Radical Loving Care(R)movement. He also heads Erie Chapman Foundation, Dane Dakota Productions, LLC, and Chapman Health International, Inc.

Day 316 – Attending to Dreams

Dreams
Now I pierce the darkness, new beings appear,
The earth recedes from me into the night,
I saw that it was beautiful, and I see that what is not the
   earth is beautiful.
-Walt Whitman (Leaves of Grass – begun in 1855, completed in 1891 – Painting – Dream of Joseph, by Rembrandt)

   We are so locked to the everyday consciousness of the world that I wonder how much we attend to the dreams we so often experience. Caregivers are present when patients enter so many different states of consciousness. If you have ever been under an anesthetic and retain some memory of that, you will know what I mean. Even anesthetics as common as nitrous oxide can create strange images, lifting us out of the dentist's chair and into another world (which is typically a lot better than any dentist's office!)
   When my wife was recovering from anesthesia after a procedure a few years back she referred to the nurses around her as angels and continued to address them in this grateful, if dreamy, way for many minutes. When I was under anesthesia myself, recently, I remember marveling at the extraordinary skill of the two caregivers working on me. How could they move their hands so skillfully? I wondered. I, at that stage of consciousness, could not have performed the simplest of gestures.
   How should we attend to our dreams and what can they tell us as caregivers? Perhaps the most important thing is for us to respect what our dreams tell us rather than to dismiss them as we so often do.
   Our dreams remind us of the varied states of consciousness our spirits inhabit. In dreams, and in other altered states, our bodies can fly, we exist in multiple places at the same time, we can visit other eras, and we may engage in behavior unimaginable to our everyday lives. All of this tells us that we will all occupy another consciousness some day and it is likely to be far beyond anything we imagine.
   Meanwhile, caregivers are privileged to attend to people who may be in a very different state at this moment. This is why recovery room nurses are encouraged to speak to unconscious patients as if they were conscious. It is also why we need to address the elderly, stroke victims, and babies as if they understood us. At some level, what all beings know is whether they are in the presence of love's light. This is the eternal dream for all of us.
   How do your dreams and dreaming inform your everyday life?

-Erie Chapman

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2 responses to “Day 316 – Attending to Dreams”

  1. Karen York Avatar
    Karen York

    I have visited many fantastic places and eras in my dream life. I’ve met people I never dreamed I would meet and ruled countries even. The most poignant are visits from people long gone or from way back in my past. Dreams help me sometimes resolve issues that I don’t deal with in the present, or sometimes bear witness to things to come. They help me express myself in ways I cannot in wakefulness. They are a blessing.

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  2. ~liz Wessel Avatar
    ~liz Wessel

    I am grateful for the encouraging light that shines through in today’s meditation. Over the past few months, I recall two vivid dreams that I believe were meant to help me cope with the challenges of my brother’s illness. I would like to share my dreams, as it feels therapeutic to express myself.
    Dream one background: Ireland was the birthplace of my maternal grandmother, and a country that my brother John always wanted to visit, together as a family.
    I dreamt that I was in Ireland with my mom, brothers and sisters. The landscape was not picturesque as I had imagined. We were on the coast and there were dark oil rigs with drills jutting out of the water. I noticed a little cottage that was attempting beauty with a quaint stone fence and flowers. I was not sure if it was dawn or dusk,as the natural light was dim. The sky was a peachy-rose translucent hue. We gathered in a circle to hold hands and our mood was pleasant and calm. Slowly we began to lift off the ground and rise up into the sky. As we rose higher, the currents of air came in strong waves and I felt as though I could not keep hold of my brother’s hand. I became anxious and afraid that I would let go of his hand and he was going to drift away from us. At that moment, we began to descend back down until we were safely on the ground and I awoke.
    Dream two background: In early June the doctor told my brother he did not think further treatment would be of any benefit. Hearing this news was “like a death sentence” to him. It was a very painful time.
    I dreamt I received a death sentence along with two other people whom I did not know. I accepted my situation and in preparation, I made sure that my family received my mandala drawings and my writings. A man shot all three of us in the head and the two other people died instantly but I did not die.( I know this sounds gory but in my dream there was no blood and I was alert, calm, and pain free.) I told the man to try again. I shut my eyes tight in anticipation. Nothing happened. I became anxious and said, “Please, hurry up and get this over.” The man said. “I am sorry I just can’t seem to pull the trigger.” I opened my eyes and looked into his eyes. I told him not to worry and then I said, “I love you, I guess I will just die more slowly than the others. I called and spoke to my oldest sister and my brother by phone. I was lying in bed and I was comforted at the sight of my mom and sister who entered the room. That is all I remember. What was so odd about this dream is that I felt such compassion for the man who had to shoot me. In addition, I was not afraid to die (even more unusual since I have always had a fear of dying.) That is until this past year I feel much more accepting of the prospect of dying when my time id due. I have also come to appreciate that quality of life is more important than quantity.

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