The Secret Mind: Unlocking the Transformational Power of Day and Night Dreams with Bonnie Buckner

Episode Summary

In this rich and deeply reflective conversation, Amy Wheeler speaks with Bonnie Buckner, author of The Secret Mind: Unlock the Power of Dreams to Transform Your Life. Together, they explore how dreams—both night dreams and daydreams—can become a powerful path to healing, self-awareness, and transformation. Daydreams and night dreams are not just subconscious wanderings—but powerful tools for healing, insight, and transformation. Bonnie explains how the default mode network of the brain, active during dreaming, holds the key to our creative and emotional intelligence, bypassing the inner critic that often stifles our potential. Together, they unpack the symbolism of animals in dreams, the science behind functional mutuality in the brain, and how re-entering a dream through waking imagery can bring resolution and clarity. Amy even shares a personal dream about a mountain lion, and Bonnie gently guides her to see it not as a mystery to decode, but an energy to honor and heal. This episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of neuroscience, yoga philosophy, and the art of listening deeply to the inner self.

Drawing from both neuroscience and imagery-based therapeutic tools, Bonnie shares how the default network of the brain, often activated during non-linear, imaginative states, plays a crucial role in our inner healing. She explains how dreams reveal our inner blocks, and how we can use waking dream exercises to address unresolved patterns—without needing to overanalyze or “figure it out.”

Amy and Bonnie reflect on:

• The importance of daydreaming as a seed of creativity and vision
• Why sleep dreaming bypasses our inner critic and opens access to deeper truths
• How to re-enter dreams to resolve internal conflict and restore inner harmony
• Why images are the language of the nervous system, and more powerful than words alone
• How dreamwork intersects with yoga therapy, and why Patāñjali encourages dream observation as a path to self-knowledge
• The relationship between creativity and blocked energy, especially for performers and professionals who feel stuck

Amy even shares one of her own dreams, and Bonnie offers a moving example of how we can tend to the symbolic beings that appear in our subconscious—offering healing not only to the dream, but to the dreamer.

About Bonnie Buckner

Dr. Bonnie Buckner is the founder of the International Institute for Dreaming and Imagery, and teaches globally on the power of dreams and the creative mind. She works with leaders, creatives, and performers to help them access their potential through dreaming, imagination, and intuitive intelligence.

She also leads programs like the Dreamer World Artist Lab and Project Dreaming, where participants use dreams as portals into creative breakthroughs and transformational growth. Bonnie teaches at centers like Kripalu, and continues to bridge ancient inner wisdom with modern cognitive science.

Connect & Learn More

BonnieBuckner.com – Book, blog, classes, and dream mentoring

Institute for Dreaming and Imagery – Courses, retreats, and training in dreamwork and creativity

The Secret Mind – Available wherever books are sold

Host Reflection

“I loved Bonnie’s presence—soft yet strong. Her insights reminded me that our deepest transformations often come not through effort, but through stillness, receptivity, and inner listening. As yoga therapists and seekers, this is an essential reminder: we are dreaming ourselves into being every day.”

— Amy Wheeler, Ph.D.