If you’re someone who has dreams every so often, you may begin to wonder why you’re having them or what they mean. If so, today’s discussion is for you because we’re going to talk all about dreams!
So firstly, what are dreams? Well the idea behind dreams is that our brains don’t completely turn off at night. Instead, we slip into the subconscious realm where our brains continue to buzz. There we process what happened the day before, plan out future ideas, and explore ourselves.
They do all this in the form of dreams, which yes, everyone has. A lot of people think they don’t dream. While that’s understandable, what’s actually going on is that when they wake up, they don’t remember their dreams.
It’s really normal not to remember your dreams, in fact most people don’t remember all of their dreams. Our brains make multiple dreams each night. So, if you’re not waking up remembering multiple storylines each morning, you don’t remember all of your dreams.
Remembering your dreams
So if you’re a person who doesn’t remember their dreams, how can you go about it? Well, you’re in luck. You can teach yourself to remember your dreams. The easiest way to begin remembering your dreams is by starting a dream journal. It’s a very simple practice. All you need is a notebook and a pen or pencil.
When you wake up in the morning you will write in your dream journal. Write all the things that you remember about your dreams, in the best detail you can manage. If you can’t remember anything, even after trying for a while, you just write that you don’t remember. Writing in your dream journal even when you don’t remember anything helps you to get in the habit. It also teaches your mind that this is something to pay attention to in the future. And believe me, if you stick to it, over time, it’ll work.
If you find yourself struggling to remember your dreams even after a while taking on this practice, then consider that you may be rushing yourself in the morning. A good way to remember dreams is to just lay still when you wake up. Don’t even try to open your eyes while you try to remember. I’m not sure why this helps, but if you’re interested in remembering your dreams, then it’s worth a try. If you start looking around your room or moving your body, it’s like your brain shifts quickly into waking reality and your dream self is left completely behind.
So what do dreams mean?
There are a couple different outlooks on dreams that give us perspective. Some people like to look at the different kinds of dreams like nightmares, problem solving dreams, and wish fulfillment dreams. Others have a philosophy that states that every aspect of your dream is you in some form. Even still, some believe that dreams are sent to you from some form of higher power.
Scientifically, what we know about dreams is that they are made by your own brain, your own subconscious. You can think of your dreams as a sort of message from yourself, in code. Only you really have that code, so you are the authority on what your dream might “mean”.
There are, however, resources that may help you gain perspective on the meaning of your dreams if you find yourself at a loss. I would encourage anyone to get into the works of Carl Jung, as well as looking up dream correspondences online. (Dream correspondences are posted on multiple websites. You can find them by googling “x dream meaning” or “what does it mean to dream about x”.)`
You can learn lucid dreaming too!
There is another way to work with your dreams, and that is by acquiring the skill of lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming, if you’re not familiar with the term, refers to something that happens in dreams sometimes: you are self-aware. Basically, when you are lucid dreaming, you know that you’re dreaming, and you are able to control your actions, and even the dream itself.
If you want to start being able to lucid dream, the key is to become aware that you’re dreaming, without getting too excited and waking yourself up. Once it becomes a normal practice for you, you’ll be able to do it with greater frequency and skill, but until that point it may prove to be a bit of a challenge.
To begin your awareness journey, you want to start implementing what are called “reality checks”. You want to get in the habit of checking if you’re dreaming every time you’re in a strange situation. This way, when you dream, your dream self will pick up that habit, and you’ll start noticing that you are dreaming.
Some reality checks include looking at your hands, trying to pinch yourself, seeing if you can read a sign, looking at a clock twice in a row to see if the times are the same, or trying to flicker the lights on and off. The easiest thing is to just pick one of these things and stick with it so the habit cements easier. Another thing you can do is make a distinctive mark on yourself with a pen, and again, check it when you’re in an odd situation. If it’s not there, then you know you’re dreaming.
As you keep up this practice, you will be able to recognize that you’re dreaming. At first, the realization may be so exciting that you wake up, but as it becomes more normal you will find you are able to stay and explore the dream as you wish.
How do dreams help us?
Now, it’s reasonable to ask how working with our dreams will really help us in our real lives. And I would say that there are a number of different ways.
Firstly, it’s been studied that our brains use our dreams to work out problems in our daily lives. So being aware of them will help you get in touch with solutions that you are forming in your subconscious. Not only that, but it can help you work through things more quickly.
Also, you can really get to know yourself better through your dreams. You can face your fears, learn your true feelings about things and explore the depths of your rational and creative mind. I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you that I’m advocating for self-discovery.
But even if all of that weren’t true, it can be a lot of fun. You hear people saying all the time that they wish they had more hours in the day. Well in a strange way, dreaming can give that to you. You have more time for fun and creativity and exploring. More time for almost anything besides tangible productivity. And if you can explore your more fun pursuits in your dream life, maybe you can use your waking hours for more productivity too, if you wish.
Altogether, I would definitely recommend getting into dreamwork. For fun, healing, and for personal growth. It is a lovely, nuanced practice that can be used to further your life experience with great versatility.
