This is a series of 3 articles

1) The Edge: Crossing the Threshold of Transformation in Process-Oriented Psychology

2) The Edge. Part 2: Identifying and Working with the Edge

3) The Edge. Part 3: The Edge in Night Dreams and Body Symptoms

Introduction

In Part 1, we explored the concept of the Edge—a key structure in Process-Oriented Psychology marking the boundary between our primary identity and the parts of us that are not yet fully integrated. In Part 2, we examined how the Edge appears in daily life and how to engage with it through moment-to-moment awareness.

Now, in Part 3, we look at how the Edge is revealed through night dreams and body experiences. These are subtle but powerful expressions of the dreaming process. They often signal parts of our experience that lie beyond our current identity—secondary processes attempting to enter awareness. In Process Work terms, these expressions carry the intent of the Dreammaker, the inner force that guides our process toward greater wholeness.

The Edge Appears in the Dreamworld

In night dreams, consensus reality relaxes. Identity structures loosen. The Dreammaker brings forward figures, movements, and atmospheres that include both primary and secondary processes. Elements that would be rejected, ignored, or dismissed in waking life are expressed with fewer filters.

The dream field includes polarities, conflicts, and invitations. The Edge shows up not as a line, but as a dynamic tension—often in the form of a strange figure, a moment of hesitation, or a shift in the dream’s narrative. These are signals from the Edge between our known and unknown parts.

The Dreammaker does not communicate through rational explanation, but through symbolic experience. The collapsing bridge, the woman on a tiger, the man in the attic—these are not just metaphors; they are living manifestations of parts we have not yet fully integrated.

In dreamwork, we approach these images not just to interpret them, but to unfold them: to enter them as roles, track their movements, and feel their qualities. The dreaming field opens a doorway to the secondary process—and often, the Edge is guarding it.

Approaching Dreamwork Through the Lens of Process Work

Though dreams allow more of our experience to appear, they are still fragmented—split into roles, objects, and settings. This reflects the structure of our inner diversity. The Dreammaker organizes these fragments into meaningful form, creating a field that invites deeper engagement.

In Process Work, we can approach dreams by identifying the figure, movement, or atmosphere that carries the most unusual or unfamiliar signal. These are often secondary processes—parts we are less identified with. The ones that disturb, fascinate, or confuse us are likely close to the Edge.

Rather than interpret them intellectually, we can unfold these parts through role-switching, movement, inner dialogue, or sound. We notice how the figure relates to us, how it moves in the dream, and what qualities it carries. The goal is not to translate the dream, but to experience it more fully.

We also notice how these secondary elements relate to the dreamer’s primary identity. Often, the dream reveals an inner conflict between two roles—one the dreamer knows well, and another waiting to be lived. By feeling into the tension between them, we meet the Edge directly.

Here's a short guide on how to work with night dreams

A Dream Example: Meeting the Edge Through Symbol

Elena, recently out of a long-term job, dreamt of walking through a dim old house. She heard music upstairs but was afraid to go. Instead, she entered a room with a silent bird in a cage. In the corner was a mirror—with no reflection.

Elena initially identified with the hesitant dream ego. But the bird—silent, watching, trapped—felt strangely compelling. She amplified the bird’s presence using movement and inner dialogue. In this secondary role, she felt vision, longing, and creative intensity—qualities long marginalized by her identity as a responsible, structured professional.

The Edge was present in the stairway she didn’t climb, and in the caged bird. The Dreammaker was signaling an identity beyond her current one: more expressive, intuitive, and spontaneous.

Dreambody: When the Dream Continues Into Waking Life

As we’ve seen in the earlier parts of this series, the Edge reveals itself not only in our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, but also through the symbolic language of night dreams. We've followed its presence in internal conflicts, dream figures, and subtle dream atmospheres. Now, we take the next step: understanding how the Dreammaker continues the same process through our waking lives, using the body and environment as expressive channels. The dreaming doesn’t stop—it simply changes form.

Arnold Mindell introduced the concept of the Dreambody to describe how the dreaming process doesn’t stop when we wake—it continues through body symptoms, relationship dynamics, movement impulses, and synchronicities. These are waking-life channels through which the Dreammaker continues to communicate.

A sore throat when trying to speak, a headache during conflict, or a repeated relationship pattern—these can all carry process signals. The same secondary processes that appear in night dreams often show up in these other channels. They are part of the Dreambody—a term that links dreaming and embodiment.

When we work with night dreams, we may begin to notice how the same figures or signals appear in our daily life. And when we work on body symptoms or relationship dynamics, we often see how these unfold in our dreams. The Dreammaker’s message is coherent across channels—it simply shifts form.

Tracking these signals across day and night, body and image, allows us to follow the deeper process with more accuracy. The Edge lives not only in our inner narratives, but in the way we move, relate, and feel in our bodies.

Conclusion

Working with night dreams and body symptoms gives us symbolic and somatic access to the Edge. These signals are not noise or pathology—they are expressions of the Dreammaker, attempting to bring the secondary process into awareness.

Across this series, we’ve tracked the Edge in personal identity, daily life, and dreaming reality. We’ve seen that the Edge is not just a barrier, but a threshold—sometimes frightening, often confusing, always meaningful.

To work with the Edge is to engage a lifelong path of deepening awareness. It asks us to meet our resistance, our longing, and our mystery with curiosity. Process Work invites us to follow the signals—through dreams, symptoms, and relationships—toward greater wholeness.

Sources and Further Reading