hannah's Story
Part One
Hannah was dealing with a bout of bad sleep that progressed into successive weeks of restless nights. Many of Hannah’s nights included waking up multiple times, having trouble going back to sleep, and waking up in the morning feeling just as tired as the night before. Additionally, there would be mornings when Hannah would wake up in a sort of funk, or under an odd haze of unsettling emotions that she couldn’t explain. As this kept happening, Hannah started wondering if the emotional experience in her dreams was impacting her sleep and her emotional state when she woke up in the morning.
In a weekly one-on-one care meeting with The Open Table, Hannah was able to explore the possibility that she was blocking out the emotional experience of her dreams and that those blocked emotions were leaking out into other areas of her life. She wasn’t exactly sure why, but there was a sense of fear of what might come in her dreams. Hannah felt that maybe God was leading her to the idea that she had unconsciously put up a mental block to guard herself against remembering her dreams. As she continued to unpack this in her one-to-one care meeting, there was space for Hannah to bring it to God in prayer and ask for His direction in what to do.
During this time of prayer, Hannah expressed her desire to remember her dreams in order to experience them completely and be able to address them without fear in a healthy way. It was a time of “submitting [her] trust in God that He would guide and protect” her through whatever would come up through her dreams.
As she surrendered her dreams to God in prayer, Hannah saw a scene play out in her mind. Through that mental image, Hannah felt God’s presence with her, protection for her, and a path forward that they could walk together. As they stood hand in hand, it was clear that God was prepared to walk with her and show her the places where she was scared to go in her memories. It was also clear that He wanted to help her clear out any fear of the past and to bring healing where it was needed. Additionally, there was a clear reassurance that God wanted to be with Hannah in the good memories from her past as well.
Not soon after, Hannah’s dreams quickly started to come with more clarity – both with the contents of the dreams and her emotional experience of them in the morning. There have been some dreams that are uncomfortable or unsettling, but Hannah is no longer afraid of what might come through her dreams or her memories. She now knows how to bring it to the Lord and allow others into that process to work through them with her. In a few instances, processing specific dreams with God and others has led to substantial healing for her. There have also been dreams that have brought beauty and hope that previously would have been forgotten and blocked out by Hannah.
The quality of her sleep also notably improved as she released those fears to God. As she reflected on this experience with God, Hannah learned that dreams can be a way for God to connect and process with her. When she closed off that part of herself in fear, she also shut out that part of her relationship with the Lord and the opportunity for God to use dreams to bring healing and freedom.
Overall, this process came through steps of faith as Hannah allowed God and others into the deep places of her soul. Hannah treasures how she was able to experience God’s goodness and love for her through the support of those at The Open Table that helped her walk more deeply with God into His freedom.
In a weekly one-on-one care meeting with The Open Table, Hannah was able to explore the possibility that she was blocking out the emotional experience of her dreams and that those blocked emotions were leaking out into other areas of her life. She wasn’t exactly sure why, but there was a sense of fear of what might come in her dreams. Hannah felt that maybe God was leading her to the idea that she had unconsciously put up a mental block to guard herself against remembering her dreams. As she continued to unpack this in her one-to-one care meeting, there was space for Hannah to bring it to God in prayer and ask for His direction in what to do.
During this time of prayer, Hannah expressed her desire to remember her dreams in order to experience them completely and be able to address them without fear in a healthy way. It was a time of “submitting [her] trust in God that He would guide and protect” her through whatever would come up through her dreams.
As she surrendered her dreams to God in prayer, Hannah saw a scene play out in her mind. Through that mental image, Hannah felt God’s presence with her, protection for her, and a path forward that they could walk together. As they stood hand in hand, it was clear that God was prepared to walk with her and show her the places where she was scared to go in her memories. It was also clear that He wanted to help her clear out any fear of the past and to bring healing where it was needed. Additionally, there was a clear reassurance that God wanted to be with Hannah in the good memories from her past as well.
Not soon after, Hannah’s dreams quickly started to come with more clarity – both with the contents of the dreams and her emotional experience of them in the morning. There have been some dreams that are uncomfortable or unsettling, but Hannah is no longer afraid of what might come through her dreams or her memories. She now knows how to bring it to the Lord and allow others into that process to work through them with her. In a few instances, processing specific dreams with God and others has led to substantial healing for her. There have also been dreams that have brought beauty and hope that previously would have been forgotten and blocked out by Hannah.
The quality of her sleep also notably improved as she released those fears to God. As she reflected on this experience with God, Hannah learned that dreams can be a way for God to connect and process with her. When she closed off that part of herself in fear, she also shut out that part of her relationship with the Lord and the opportunity for God to use dreams to bring healing and freedom.
Overall, this process came through steps of faith as Hannah allowed God and others into the deep places of her soul. Hannah treasures how she was able to experience God’s goodness and love for her through the support of those at The Open Table that helped her walk more deeply with God into His freedom.