A number of Spiritual traditions see our existence on this planet as being merely a dream or illusion and that our purpose here is to awaken from this dream. I do myself, broadly speaking, subscribe to that philosophy. There is though, a risk that this belief can lead us to some unhelpful conclusions and strategies.
For most of us, to dismiss everything as an illusion and therefore unimportant, is a denial of what we believe in our sub conscious/unconscious mind (the deeper parts of ourselves) - this can result in dissociation and denial - the former is where we cut off from our feelings and the feelings of others, the latter is when we delude ourselves (knowingly or otherwise) that what happens doesn't matter to us - doesn't affect us.
The paradox is that to awaken from this dream we have to totally forgive it which would mean we were completely peaceful within it.
Why is this important? Well, it's important because, whether we believe this is a dream world or a real one, our strategy for peace and happiness will be the same.
I have met a number of people who tell their obviously painful stories and then wrap them all up with - but it doesn't really matter, since it is only a dream.
Wrong.
If it is painful, then it matters, there is something for us to heal - if we didn't believe it was real, it wouldn't be painful.
If we don't have the "dream belief" and something is painful, there is something for us to heal.
Either way, whatever your beliefs about the nature of our existence and that of the physical universe, if you suffer at all, then there is something to heal.
