Dutton (Hardcover), ISBN 0-525-94658-6

Do dreams come with hidden meanings?

Sylvia Browne thinks so. A world-renowned psychic and a student of dream research for thirty years, her book on dreams talks about the different types of dreams, why they play key roles in our lives, and ways we can control our dream state in order to enrich ourselves spiritually.

In Sylvia Browne's Book of Dreams, Browne explains that dreams fall into five categories: The Prophetic Dream, which she explains always plays out in color and follows a logical order; the Release Dream; the Wish Dream; the Information and Problem-Solving Dream and Astral Visits. She suggests to readers that they keep a dream journal and study their dreams in order to categorize and interpret them better. She also talks about lucid dreaming, astral catalepsy, symbols in dreams and children's dreams.

Browne, a devout Christian, offers many prayers for readers throughout the book. A believer in reincarnation, she postulates that our dreams can be reflections of our different lifetimes here on Earth. She also believes we occasionally visit the Other Side in our dreams. She answers readers' questions about their dreams throughout the book, which makes for very interesting reading, and she talks about readers' dreams prior to September 11, 2001.

Browne believes dreams play such a crucial role that she writes: "Dreams connect us all to each other, because there's not a person on this earth who doesn't dream. They connect us to our ancestors, because dreams are as old as humankind. They connect us to biblical times, when dreams foretold everything from the weather to the coming of Christ. They connect us to a tiny civilization in Australia called the Aborigines, who so honor their dreams that the creation itself is called Dreamtime." (Page 275)

She adds that dreams further connect us in two ways: In our ability to dream despite race, nationality, religion or lifestyle, and in the sharing of dreams with our loved ones.

I found this, Browne's sixth book, a very interesting discussion on the subject of dreams. However, it may offend some readers who do not believe in reincarnation and/or do not follow a religious path. Still, it opens doors to very insightful ideas on what our dreams really represent, why we dream and what role they can ultimately play in our lives.

Dawn Colclasure

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