ABSTRACT
While modern psychology considers dreams to be the royal road inwards into one’s preoccupations, intrapsychic conflicts, and the unconscious, Muslims have additionally viewed dreams to be a royal road outward into the realm of spiritual inspiration and prophecy. Despite the significance attributed to dreams in both worldviews, dreams have become an endangered species in the mainstream practice of psychiatry and clinical psychology. In an attempt to address this gap in clinical practice, the authors provide a foundational account of the study of dreams in Islamic literature and intellectual heritage. They will also shed light on the profound tradition of dream interpretation (ʿilm al-taʿbīr) established by Muslim scholars. Following this theoretical foundation, they will discuss clinical applications of dreamwork within an Islamically integrated model of psychotherapy. The clinical tools provided for clinicians in this chapter include a toolkit for dream interpretation, utilization of “healing dreams” in practice, navigating through nightmares, understanding the connection between dreams and istikhārah, providing psychoeducation about dreams, and understanding the connection between dreams, psychopathology, and psychopharmacology.
