Dreaming in the Age of COVID

Lost 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. WRITTEN BY CAROL GODETTE PHOTOS PROVIDED

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.”

His interest in dreams led his daughter Suleika to invite him to be a guest contributor on her highly acclaimed Isolation Journals website. More than 80,000 people tune into Suleika’s daily email to hear her encouraging words. She introduces an artist who gives a writing prompt. Some people just read and think about the prompt. Others put pen to paper. “It’s a way to cultivate community and creativity during hard times,” she says. Popular writers such as Ann Patchett and Elizabeth Gilbert have contributed prompts, as well as her local parents Anne Francey and Hédi Jaouad. If you want to start working with your own dreams, try Hédi’s prompt from Day 38 of the

Isolation Journals:

Transcribe a recent dream, as it came to you—that is “raw,” without any processing, embellishing, or rationalizing. You can use words, images, or any other mode of expression. The point is to emulate the creative flow of the subconscious. In sum: Bring down the barrier between sleeping and waking. Unlock the untapped potential of your unconscious… and free surf on the waves of your dreams! For me, this was a fascinating exercise. I loved reading some of the 6000 plus members’ Facebook group entries. They stirred up memories of similar recent dreams. And helped me manage some of my strange nightly dreams. So how else can we manage our dreams? Hédi cautioned some of his gloomy dreams of late-such as that of a locust invasion-may have been spawned by a viewing of a famous Hitchcock movie. Just keep that in mind as you select your binge watching! During this time of Covid, explore topics you may never had time to think about by checking out the Isolation Journals, a 100 day project of creativity (Suleikajaouad.com/ the-isolation-journals) developed by former native Saratogian Suleika Jaouad.