The Power of Dreams in Later Life
Interpreting the Signs and Symbols

Name: The Power of Dreams in Later Life
Brand: Simon & Schuster Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Harry R. Moody
ISBN: 9781668175941

Author: Harry R. Moody, Connie Zweig

Narrator: Matthew Duplessie

Unabridged: 8 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Simon & Schuster/ Inner Traditions

Published: 11/17/2026

Categories: Nonfiction, Self-help, Aging, Body, Mind, & Spirit

Synopsis

• Explains how dreams are a source of guidance during key stages of aging, including midlife transition, retirement, illness, grief, and life review

• Shows how to work with dreams using accessible tools and practices, such as journaling, active imagination, and symbolic reflection

• Offers an approach to growth in the second half of life, drawing on research in gerontology, depth psychology, and spiritual traditions

Drawing on more than fifty years of research, teaching, and personal dreamwork, Harry R. Moody reveals how dreams can support psychological development and spiritual insight after midlife. Unlike the early phases of life, the second half often unfolds without clear direction. Moody shows how dreams can offer an inner roadmap for navigating aging, identity, and mortality.

With more than 100 case studies and personal accounts, Moody details how dreams reflect the key stages of aging. He explores midlife transitions, late-life depression, illness and caregiving, and the inner work of grief, forgiveness, and life review. Presenting a range of dream types, including recurring dreams, nightmares, and symbolic dreams, Moody explains their relevance to healing and self-understanding. He also provides tools for how to access the unconscious dimensions of your aging process and identify where change may be needed.

This book offers a practical framework for engaging with the unconscious as you grow older. By treating dreams as a form of guidance, you can uncover unfinished emotional work, strengthen your sense of purpose, and reclaim the imagination as a vital force for personal transformation.

About Harry R. Moody

Harry R. Moody, PhD, is a gerontologist and the author of The Five Stages of the Soul. A former Vice President at AARP, he has taught at Columbia and Fielding Graduate University and writes widely on aging, dreams, and spirituality. A long-time member of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, he lives in San Mateo, California.

About Connie Zweig

Connie Zweig, Ph.D., is a retired psychotherapist, former executive editor at Jeremy P. Tarcher Publishing, former columnist for Esquire magazine, and contributor to the LA Times. Known as the Shadow Expert, she is the coauthor of Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow and author of a novel, A Moth to the Flame: The Life of the Sufi Poet Rumi. She lives in California.

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Quotes

“Moody has worked on positive aging for years and is one of my heroes in the movement. This book is the first ever written on dreams and aging and is a must-read for anyone who is curious about how their life can manifest based upon their dreams.”

“Dreams can reveal both hopes and fears about growing old as well as ways to reconcile the two. The Power of Dreams in Later Life offers a guide to this rich inner landscape.”

“In this book, Harry Moody ingeniously shows us how our personal dreams often light the way for the years ahead. This is new territory that no one has ever explored with such depth and dimension. This is the book we’ve been waiting for.”

“One of the world’s foremost experts on aging, Harry R. Moody is a wonderful guide to all aspects of later life. This book will help you tap your dreams as a source of insight, healing, and creativity. If you’re seeking renewed purpose and growth in your later years, start here!”

“With this book, Moody proves himself to be a master of three realms: conscious aging, social action, and now the unconscious inner world of our dreams. His thoughtful and revealing new work provides an apt guide to unlocking the mystery of our lives and celebrating aging, not as a problem to be solved—but as a culmination.”

“Recounting gripping reports from diverse people, Moody illustrates how midlife dreams can inspire and guide dramatic development in our lives, where the new challenge becomes grappling with whatever the individual neglected in youth—from forgotten trauma to undeveloped talents. The result is psychological and spiritual flourishing—ultimately, wisdom.”

“Life can get richer and more meaningful with age. Harry R. Moody shows us how. In his purposeful book, he does what he does best—explores the depth of the human spirit and what it means to live life to the fullest.”

“Moody draws on decades of wisdom in the field of aging to illuminate the profound role dreams can play in helping us navigate life’s later chapters. I’ve seen firsthand his remarkable gift for helping people uncover meaning and insight through their dreams. This thoughtful and inspiring book is a true labor of love and an important contribution to anyone seeking greater self-understanding, growth, and purpose as they age.”

“An important and timely book for those navigating the second half of life. While our culture offers countless instructions on how to stay busy, productive, or youthful, it provides very little guidance for the deeper inner work that aging requires. In this book, Harry opens a doorway to a neglected source of wisdom—the dream life. With compassion, insight, and decades of expertise, he shows how dreams can illuminate life’s transitions, losses, opportunities, and ultimate questions. A valuable companion for anyone seeking meaning, purpose, and self-understanding as they grow older.”

“Exhibiting the same blend of deep scholarship and personal wisdom as his prior writings, this work demonstrates through multiple examples how to imagine courageously as we approach life transitions, including the last one.”