How to go about exploring ego and/or dark emotions/experiences in a healthy way?

[EvolvingPhoenix]

So I've been having nightmares, and in a private email, somebody said to me that dreams (including nightmares) are a kind of feedback from the self. And even though they're terrifying, there's some experience or emotion asking to be examined.

So I'm wondering if there's a healthy way to go about examining the experiences and/or emotions which might be causing nightmares and negative dreams?

I'm also wondering (kind of related) how one might develop a healthier ego, rather than going through outright ego death?(which many of us are just simply not ready to do yet)