The Night Walker- Hedi Jaouad as he contemplates dreams
Dreaming in the Age of Covid WRITTEN BY CAROL GODETTE PHOTOS PROVIDED
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ost in Shanghai; panic from not being able to locate notes for an important keynote address; vibrantly colored platters of sausage and peppers, -all a sampling of my friends’ nightly dreams. In a world where little happens to us during the day, our active imaginations have come alive each night with vivid and crazy thoughts. Having exhausted most other topics in our isolated world, we find ourselves sharing these dreams with friends. Of course, we must first remember our dreams. Hédi Jaouad, Skidmore professor of French and Francophone studies, states that,” neuroscientists feel we dream on the average five hours a night.” Many believe we underuse this creative resource. Hédi became interested in transcribing dreams when he discovered Surrealism in graduate school.
This is Hédi’s process: “As soon as I wake up while the dream or what remains of it is still fresh in my mind, I describe what I saw and heard freely without any concern for style or grammar. It’s like taking a dictation directly from your subconscious. I find it relaxing and balancing, a nice exercise to get started off on the right foot, so to speak, for the day.”
86 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | MAY/JUNE 2020
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