Life as a Waking Dream (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Here's a twist. Author Diane Kennedy Pike shows readers how to apply the same interpretation of archetypes and symbols to our waking life as we use for our nightly dreams. According to Pike, waking dreams are the surreal moments when visuals suddenly flip and feelings become ethereal. When this happens an important message is struggling to release itself from the unconscious. Learning to recognize and hear these undercurrent messages are the meat of Pike's book. She also helps readers explore their unconscious relationships with contemporary waking dream symbols, such as cars, houses, clothes, and even bank accounts.

Review

A powerful tool for those interested in gaining self-awareness, living more consciously, and finding greater meaning and purpose. A concrete strategy for transforming life experiences into mirrors which reveal the self in a new light. Linda Reisser, Ed.D., coauthor of Education and Identity --direct from Reisser

Life As A Waking Dream speaks to the heart and mind simultaneously and powerfully, illustrating as it does how we can become conscious of the inner workings of our lives. P.M.H. Atwater, Lh.D., author of The Big Book of Near Death Experiences --direct from Atwater

This is an important book. We must find the connections between our interior life and the external world, and this book shows us how. Michael Murphy, founder of Esalen Institute --direct from Murphy --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Trade; 1st edition (July 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573226033
• ISBN-13: 978-1573226035
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,723,113 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Help for Dreamless Sleepers, July 3, 2005

By	Maggie Spilner (Easton, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had this book on my shelf for years, unread. Then I had an emotional experience when I felt like I "Woke Up" in my waking life ---and realized I was "dreaming." I immediately sought out this book and read it cover to cover. It is great to be able to analyze a waking dream ---when it is so difficult to remember the ones you have when you are sleeping.

I find this practice a great way to delve into unconscious influences -- though it is certainly not the only doorway, it is a useful and accessible one.

I went to Ms Pike's website and plan to do some group work on the subject. If you're interested in dreams and can't remember yours, you may find this book to be real treasure.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing your life through new eyes, April 2, 2001

By	Mala Waldron (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This author really got me to sit up and take notice with this thought-provoking topic. The whole notion of taking the unusual and interesting happenings of your life and interpreting them as you would a dream is fascinating. The book is filled with real life examples and interpretations, so that you can see immediately how this may be of use to you in your own life.

Ms. Kennedy conveys the information in an entertaining and informative manner, and effectively gets you to see how each incident of our lives, contains so much valuable information about you. I think this is definitely a book for the new millenium. One thing is certain, you'll never again be able to look at your life in the same way after having read this book.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Close but not quite "there", July 4, 2003

By	"fancypete" (Chico, CA United States) - See all my reviews

The author of this book had a very interresting idea, which triggered me to read the book. Though most everything she states is a "true" observation, I find her explainations to be highly vivid and uneducated in the field of conciousness. There are psychological terms and explainations on human behavior that she referrs to as a "waking dream"; and she doesn't go into great depth on it because she clearly is uninformed. I would recommend sticking to more psychological information from medically certified authors. This is where you'll truly get a chance to understand the unconcious self.