The Dream Journal How Dreams Improve Emotional Health | Psychiatrist Loma K. Flowers on Emotional Competence
How do dreams support emotional health—and how can we use our feelings more skillfully in everyday life?
On this episode of The Dream Journal, host Katherine Bell is joined by psychiatrist Dr. Loma K. Flowers, author of Catching Your Feelings, for a practical, grounded conversation about emotional competence and the role dreams play in mental health.
Dr. Flowers introduces her model of emotional competence—balancing thinking, feeling, judgment, and action—and explains why ignoring emotions can lead to stress, illness, and impulsive decisions. Through real‑world examples, listener call‑ins, and a live demonstration of the dream interview method, she shows how dreams can function like an “emotional MRI,” revealing insights that help us make better choices.
The episode includes a step‑by‑step dream exploration of Katherine’s rearview mirror dream, tools for journaling facts versus feelings, and practical guidance on using good judgment as risk assessment. Listeners also share how dreams helped with major decisions, physical healing, and navigating life transitions.
This episode is ideal for anyone interested in dream interpretation, emotional intelligence, mental health, psychology, therapy tools, or personal growth.
Topics covered include:
- What emotional competence really means
- How dreams help regulate emotions and improve judgment
- The dream interview method (live example)
- Using journaling to separate facts, feelings, and opinions
- Managing anger, impulsivity, and emotional overload
- Why practicing on “small moments” builds emotional skill
Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to The Dream Journal & why dreams matter 02:36 – Introducing psychiatrist Dr. Loma K. Flowers 03:43 – Emotional competence: thinking, feeling, judgment, action 07:03 – Ignoring emotions and the body: a powerful personal story 08:09 – Dreams and psychosomatic health (blood pressure case) 10:29 – Dream interview method explained 10:36 – Rear‑view mirror dream: live dream exploration 13:30 – Handling rudeness, anger, and emotional triggers 19:34 – Journaling tool: facts vs feelings vs opinions 22:44 – Good judgment as risk assessment 33:50 – Listener calls: dreams for medical and life decisions
BIO: Loma K. Flowers, MD served as Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCSF and was the first Chairman of the Board of the IASD in 1984. She collaborated with Gayle Delaney for over ten years as the Delaney & Flowers Center for the Study of Dreams. Dr Flowers has many peer reviewed articles addressing the application of dream exploration for healing mental health issues including substance abuse and psychosomatic illnesses. She developed the Emotional Competence curriculum in 1994 that includes dreams as a powerful internal resource. She is recipient of the APA Distinguished Life Fellow and the 2019 Solomon Carter Fuller Award.
Her new book is “Catching your Feelings, Skills to Direct Your Emotions into Constructive Action.”
This show, episode number 356, was recorded during a live broadcast on March 21, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.
Videos available on YouTube at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.
Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:
Trauma is Universal but So Is Healing with Wendy Correa
Understanding Your Mind with Jesse Lyon
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.
SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at katherine@ksqd.org. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
The Dream Journal aims to: Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams. Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships. Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at onair@ksqd.org. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
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