Psycotherapist Katie Mason helps clients tap into their dreams to awaken creativity
By Harper Thomas
For many, dreams fade with the morning light—fragmented images slipping away before coffee. But for licensed psychotherapist and dream specialist Katie Mason, dreams are anything but disposable. “I went to graduate school specifically to study dreams,” she says. “They’re not random. They’re an access point for uncovering parts of ourselves we didn’t know existed.”
Mason has spent more than 15 years helping people navigate both the practical and poetic dimensions of dreaming. Her Denver-based practice bridges clinical work—such as supporting clients with PTSD and recurring nightmares—and what she calls “spiritual and creative exploration.” For Mason, the two are deeply connected.
“Dreams can be a portal for healing,” she explains. “But they’re also an incredible source of creativity. I help clients express their dreams through poetry, performance or art. When you take a dream image and bring it into creative form, it becomes a dialogue with your unconscious. You’re moving energy, not just interpreting it.”
That creative process can lead to profound insights. Mason describes one dream of her own that became a turning point: a surreal encounter with a cockroach the size of a dog cuddling her in bed. At first, it felt like a nightmare. But through research and reflection, she discovered something else. “Cockroaches are some of the most resilient creatures on the planet,” she says. “I realized I wasn’t weak because of my trauma—I was resilient. That was the ‘aha.’ I am a cockroach. I am crazy tough.”
Mason often uses a Jungian concept called active imagination, guiding clients to converse with images from their dreams until they experience an emotional click—a moment of intuitive recognition that words can’t quite capture. She believes this embodied, creative approach is more effective than traditional dream interpretation, which can stay stuck in the intellect.
Her sessions might involve spoken word exercises, writing “bad poetry” to free up creative flow, or translating a dream image into movement or color. The goal isn’t to get the interpretation “right”—it’s to stay in relationship with the dream and let it express something true.
“Our culture is obsessed with quick answers and productivity,” Mason says. “Dreaming asks us to slow down, to think metaphorically and imaginatively again. It’s about developing a poetic relationship with life, not just a literal one.”
Even for those who don’t consider themselves creative, Mason says dreams offer a way back to imagination and vitality. She believes there’s a direct link between creative energy, physical wellbeing and the ability to dream vividly—and that modern life too often severs that connection.
To begin, Mason recommends a simple practice: Track your dreams. “Write them down or record a voice memo as soon as you wake up,” she advises. “Give each dream a title and a date. Don’t worry about understanding it—just build the relationship.” From there, she suggests choosing one image and exploring it through creative means: writing a poem, drawing it or even dancing it out.
Ultimately, Mason sees dreamwork as a form of creative medicine for modern life. “We’re starting to lose access to dreams,” she says. “We’re tired, medicated on screens all the time. But dreaming is ancient—it’s our original language. When we dream, we remember that we’re not just here to be productive. We’re here to be human—and to be curious.”
Learn more about dream therapy and exploration at katiemason.com
