THE POWER OF YOUR DREAM SELF-IMAGE

A psychiatrist and entrepreneur offer an unusual plan for fulfilling one’s dreams of success.

Khawaja and Shuja intend this 2020 foray into the field of motivational self-help to act as a complement to similar works by such authors as Stephen R. Covey, Bob Proctor, Brian Tracy, and Tony Robbins. Indeed, they specify that one should only read writers who are already financially successful, which readers may find rather odd: “You don’t want to read a book written by an author who is broke.” The authors go on to explain that wealth-seeking readers can find the key to success within themselves—in sleep, specifically. “You can go in and out of your subconscious mind and program, actually reprogram yourself so you can get what you desire,” they write. Surveying a wide field of (presumably wealthy) self-help authors, including Zig Ziglar, Jack Canfield, and Milton Erickson, Khawaja and Shuja present a series of straightforward chapters that are easy to digest, highlighting ways to tap into the subconscious, as revealed in one’s dreams. One primary goal, they explain, is to resolve a hidden, inner conflict between one’s conscious and subconscious minds: “You want to be in harmony,” the authors write. “You want them to be synchronized.” Each of the book’s short chapters concludes with a quick summary and a “call to action” designed to encourage readers to engage with the material. This results in half the book consisting of blank, lined pages, but readers may find themselves more frustrated by the way that Khawaja, a trained psychiatrist and sleep-medicine doctor, presents assertions about dreams (such as “dreams are a way of giving you a boost”) without accompanying citations or references.

An emphatic, if overreaching, guide to finding wealth through better dreaming.