“Whether it’s my people, people from other tribes, or non-Indians, one of the first things I have to do before treatment is determine what they’re thinking about. Maybe a patient believes that the situation they’ve asked me to help was purposefully cast on them by someone. I have to dispel that. I might say, 'Let’s be quiet a moment.' Then I can gain rapport, learn what they seem to be thinking about, what they fear they’re up against.
“Then I’ll speak. I’ll break the silence and say, 'Now, let’s talk about some of your dreams. What have you been dreaming about lately?' Maybe some of their dreams relate to what they’re asking for help with. People don’t know that we dream every time we sleep. We don’t remember every dream, so we say, 'I didn’t dream last night.' That’s wrong. We always dream; we just don’t remember. We remember our dreams if they are significant enough, and there are many, many kinds. Often, I can tell a lot about the nature of an illness by listening to dreams. Before any treatment, the diagnostic approach takes much of my time, as I’m trying to determine which direction will be most helpful.”
