Annekatrin Puhle, Dr.phil. / PhD

In Das große Buch vom Träumen: Wie Sie gut schlafen und etwas Schönes träumen, Annekatrin Puhle draws on her rich and multifaceted background—she is, among other things, a therapist, a philosopher and an anthropologist—and presents us with a comprehensive work where the practical and theoretical are combined in an exemplary way. Here you will find easy-to-understand tips for utilizing the dream-world, explaining how your nightly life can enrich and improve your daily life, as well as enlightening insights in the process of dreaming—for what is a dream, really?—and profound philosophical perspectives on the innermost nature of consciousness.

Via the book’s plentiful and instructive examples—dreams from historical and contemporary persons, whereof quite a few stem from the author herself—Puhle deftly expounds the different layers of meaning within dreams, and equips us with keys to their existential interpretation: which meaning they have for us. Furthermore, we learn the knowhow to approach the dreams’ inherent stories, e.g. by reading them as if they were novels.

In addition to the personal-psychological features of dreams, Das große Buch vom Träumen also introduces us to more mystical matters, namely their para-psychological—yes, even spiritual—aspects: that dreams may function as a door to the cosmic consciousness, which transcends our usual limitations of Space and Time. Entering this field may enable us to get transcendent experiences as, say, nocturnal telepathic contact with other people, ‘astral’ visits to far-away places, and knowledge of future events (e.g. in the form of helpful warnings). Such experiences are, of course, considered controversial by conventional psychology. But, as Puhle informs us, their objective reality are in fact supported by research conducted by, among others, the respected American psychologist professor Stanley Krippner (former leader of two departments of the American Psychological Association). To recognize this aspect of dreams—that they can act as missives from the cosmic consciousness, and means to spiritual growth and a new and expanded sense of identity—is, I think, the ultimate aim of Puhle’s engaging book.

Puhle is also a skilled writer, with a style that is simultaneously unpretentious, fluent and self-assured, and which purports the feeling that having her as your guide into the dream-world you are in safe hands. As a Historian of Ideas I also appreciate the many enlightening quotes from-, and references to, our cultural heritage. All in all: Das große Buch vom Träumen is a rewarding read on several levels and is highly recommended.

Terje G. Simonsen

You can find more reviews on Amazon and LovelyBooks, and see also the comments here:

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/books/detail/-/art/annekatrin-puhle-das-grosse-buch-vom-traeumen/hnum/7983593?allreviews=1