Dream a Little Dream Of Me (The Sandman #3, Preludes & Nocturnes)
"You can know anything, it’s all there. You just have to find it."
Hello Dreamers,
It’s been a while—major life changes and a move, so apologies you had to wait a bit for the next instalment of Shadow Truths. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and I can’t wait to get back to my regular publishing schedule.
Today, we will talk about issue #3 of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, “Dream a Little Dream of Me”. If you need a recap of the previous two issues, you can find them here.
Also: I’d love to hear from you! Who is reading along, and is this your first time reading the Sandman, or are you a long time fan who is diving back in with a slightly different focus?
Let’s start with a brief synopsis again…
As we all know from the previous issue, Dream has escaped from his imprisonment and returned to his realm, only to find it in ruins. His tools of power are still missing, and after consulting the Fates/Hecateae about their whereabouts, he sets out to recover them, starting with his pouch of sand, which can induce sleep and dreams. He tracks it down to John Constantine (gender-swapped to Johanna in the TV show), an occult detective, exorcist and magic user. Plus, a bit of a con artist to be frank. And yes, that’s the John Constantine from the Hellblazer comics, The Swamp Thing, and also the film with Keanu Reeves (sorry Keanu, I love you, but… just no) and the TV series with Matt Ryan (which is far superior in my view). The horror tones are quite apparent in this issue for exactly that reason, so if that’s not your thing, be warned. And perhaps that’s a general addendum: The first seven issues of The Sandman generally have quite a different tone to what comes after. Neil Gaiman himself has stated repeatedly that he struggled a bit to find his voice during the first issues, not least because there had to be references to the wider DC Universe at that point. So if you are new to the comics and not sure about them yet, I encourage you to stick with them until issue eight—it’s really worth it, and the whole arc (and quite frankly its depth) completely change from then onwards. But that’s just a sidenote…
Constantine agrees to help Dream find his pouch, which has been stolen by his ex-girlfriend Rachel (in the TV series, Johanna left Rachel, and the sand with her). However, Rachel has become addicted to the sand and its dream-inducing qualities (which comes at the expense of her body completely failing her, plus it makes everyone who enters her apartment vulnerable to get trapped in dreams and/or nightmares). Dream retrieves his pouch, but there is unfortunately no saving Rachel, and he puts her to sleep one final time so she can die in peace. We finally get a glimpse at his morality, his capacity for kindness—but only after John/Johanna basically tells him that he can’t leave her this way, which also tells us something about his at times still lacking empathy. Rachel’s last dream is of John/Johanna and her being together again.
In the TV series, this plot line alternates with that of John Dee, who is visited by his mother Ethel Cripps (the former lover of Roderick Burgess) in a mental institution (in the comics, this is actually Arkham Asylum, but the DC references have been removed for the TV series). She tells him that he needs to let her know where the ruby is because she wishes to protect him (if you aren’t sure why, this might help). Ultimately, she gives him a protection amulet that she used to stay alive for much longer than a normal mortal lifespan. As soon as she gives him the amulet, she ages and dies. Dee uses the amulet to escape and kills several guards in the process. He also encounters the Corinthian (we briefly talked about him in the previous issues), who offers him his coat and tells him that the only thing important to him is he get where he needs to get…
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The Pain Points
“Dream a Little Dream of Me” relates to several mental health topics which can all be interpreted at face value, or more metaphorically.
A very obvious one is of course addiction: Rachel becomes addicted to the sand, which gives her a temporary escape from reality and a sense of control (even if it is just via dreams). The downside is that her health and her relationships invariably suffer. She also becomes vulnerable to the nightmares that exploit her addiction and drain her life force—and that of everyone who gets close to her. It’s not hard to see how this translates to real-life addiction, and how it affects ourselves and our relationships to others.
Metaphorically speaking, the sand’s power to create extremely vivid dreams is of course very applicable to escapism in general. While a certain degree of escapism is normal and helps us to cope with difficult life situations, there is a warning in here that turning to constant (maladaptive) dreaming to e.g. escape loneliness, will ultimately make whatever we are struggling with worse. The fact that the nightmares attack everyone who enters her apartment (and ultimately drag them down with her) also speaks as a stark warning that it is never just about ourselves, but also about the people who are/get close to us.
Another recurring theme that also shows up in this issue is that of trauma. Both Constantine and Dream have experienced traumatic events in their pasts. Constantine lost Astra to a demon during an exorcism gone wrong. He/she blames him/herself for her death and is haunted by feelings of guilt, which show as recurrent nightmares. Recurring dreams are almost always stress-induced1 (we already explored Dream’s trauma in previous issues, so I won’t go into that in too much depth here). Trauma causes psychological and emotional distress, such as anxiety, depression, anger, shame, and isolation. It can also affect one's sense of identity, and agency. At first glance, Constantine seems confident (maybe slightly chaotic with a self-destructive bent), but he/she cannot fully move through his/her past experiences, and they affect everything and everyone else in his/her life, including Rachel. Especially in the TV series, we are told in no uncertain terms that Johanna's inability to cope with her own trauma led her to leave Rachel, which ultimately cost Rachel her life.
The fact that Dream takes Constantine’s nightmares away (in both comic and series) seems only a small consolation when we look at the damage that has already been done. And yet, is leaves a glimmer of hope that at least Constantine’s future relationships might not end up similarly haunted. This speaks to the fact that we are not responsible for the traumatic events that happen to us, and how deeply they affect us. We are, however, responsible for our healing, and how we relate to others.
Last but not least, the issue explores the repeated topic of the relationship between dreams and reality, and how they can affect each other. If we are looking at the TV show in particular, we can take both Rachel and John Dee as the prime examples for someone for whom these lines have become completely blurred. Since John Dee is in a mental facility, I would reckon that his most likely diagnosis would be some type of psychosis, because his perception of reality is so acutely altered. He believes that he can shape reality with the ruby, and that he is destined to destroy Dream. In the comics, he has very little empathy and shows no remorse. These traits, however, have been slightly altered for the TV show (we will explore them a bit deeper in the next issue), and I am actually glad about that. While psychosis affects judgment, behaviour and relationships, it is also deeply distressing and isolating for the sufferer, and I am always left feeling slightly uncomfortable when mental health conditions are continuously given the “serial killer” bent.
The Exploration
I’d like to get into the exploration from a slightly different angle this time and will pull three of my favourite quotes from this issue, because I think they offer lots of food for thought.
You can know anything, it’s all there. You just have to find it. (John Constantine)
This is a quote that will be mirrored in other issues, and I don’t want to give away too much at this point. However, it is certainly worth contemplating as we move through our own lives. It would be very easy to just look at this quote in the context of acquiring “hard” knowledge, but in a graphic novel like The Sandman (and spoken by an actual occultist), that would be far too easy, right? The whole issue is centred around nightmares (in one way or another), but also around the dreams that shape us. So I’d like to encourage you to take this as a question that deeply relates to yourself:
How do you deal with unpleasant experiences (which are symbolised by nightmares)? Do you generally try to avoid them, confront them, or interpret them (aka, do you see them as something that has the potential to teach a life-lesson which ultimately leads to growth)? What are some current strategies or techniques that help you cope, and where do you feel you need help?
It is never only a dream. (Dream)
This comment by Dream relates to John awaking from a very vivid dream. Again, it is a quote that is really important for the whole run of The Sandman, and our own potential interpretation of the events therein. But let’s stick with what we can take from this quote when we relate to ourselves and others. And a very important question that comes up in this context is how we balance our dreams and reality:
Do you use your dreams (you could also relate to them as goals or values) as a source of inspiration, escape, or problem-solving? How do they influence your decisions?
An perhaps one step further: Do you allow yourself to dream, and your dreams to be an expression of your true self, even when you are awake/not daydreaming? Is there a sense of freedom attached to it? Or does it feel like it is dragging you down because there is an overwhelming sense of, “It’s never going to happen anyway”? And if the latter is the case: Is there anything you could do about it to get closer to those dreams/goals?
Because sometimes, our dreams seem to be “too big”. But are they really? Or is it just that we lose sight of all the little, sometimes exhausting, everyday steps that are necessary to reach those goals, and we exclusively look at the bigger picture, which becomes quickly overwhelming and discouraging?
Related to this, do you communicate your dreams to others? Are they a source of connection, or is this something you have never thought about because it feels embarrassing or self-indulgent? It is hard if we are only surrounded by people who don’t share our vision/our dreams—that’s why social connection is so important, and why it is even more important to find people who share that vision. Or at least people who want to see you thrive, and who don’t think that our dreams are in any way ridiculous.
The last quote I would like to look at today is:
Smells are a hotline to memory. (John Constantine)
This might strike you as an odd choice for a meaningful quote, but I am a therapist, and I cannot stress enough how important our senses are. They can work with us or against us. They can fortify, and keep us trapped in, traumatic experiences, or they can help us process them.
Sensory coping skills involve engaging one or more of the five senses (and switching away from a sensory channel that distresses us, which should always be learned under supervision): sound, taste, smell, sight, and touch. The main goal is to keep us more grounded in the present moment—and that’s a skill that is absolutely helpful for everyone, even those who haven’t experienced trauma. So the next time you feel stressed, try to engage one of your five senses.
One sensory coping skill is to listen to music that makes you feel relaxed, happy, or energised. You can choose music that suits your preference, or create a playlist of songs that evoke pleasant memories or feel inspiring. Music can be a source of comfort, and also a way to express your emotions. But it could be far simpler than this: You can just tune into the sounds that are present around you at any given moment. What are they like? Where do they come from?
A massively under-appreciated sensory coping skill that is really effective in the moment is tasting. You could try eating something with a strong flavour, like a mint, or a citrus fruit. Or if that doesn’t seem to be appealing, try to drink something with a strong flavour, like herbal tea or juice. Focusing on our sense of taste immediately grounds us in the present.
Engaging our sense of smell is equally effective, but again something many people don’t think about. You could smell a candle, perfume or an essential oil. Smelling is extremely helpful when we feel stressed and want to stay in the present moment instead of thinking about the past or the future.
Or how about looking at something that makes you happy, like a picture of a loved one, a beautiful scenery, or a favourite object? Engaging our vision helps us focus on the present moment, but only if we stop visually engaging with the things that stress us (which isn’t always possible. In that case, switch sensory channels and use one of your other senses).
Last but not least, our sense of touch is also extremely helpful to keep us grounded in the moment. You could give yourself a hug, wrap yourself in your favourite blanket, give yourself a massage, cuddle your pet, or even have a little object on you that feels nice to touch, or that you can fidget with.
It might need a bit of experimenting before you find what works for you, but sensory coping skills are really helpful to give yourself that little space between stimulus and response/reaction…
That's it for this week’s issue. Please share your thoughts in the comments , or join our subscriber chat. And if you like like this newsletter, please subscribe and share it with your friends who might be interested in The Sandman, too.
In a fortnight, we will discuss one of my all-time favourite issues: “A Hope in Hell”.
Until then, sweet dreams! 😉