By Lynn Light
Dreams, we all have them, pleasant dreams, erotic dreams, nightmares, lucid dreams, waking
dreams, prophetic dreams. Unfortunately, it’s rare most of us remember what we dreamt. We wake up with a vague sense that we dreamt something but cannot recall what.
To improve your dream recall, start a dream journal. Keep it by the bed so you can document dreams immediately upon awakening.
What if you still can’t recall your dreams?
Don’t move. Remain in bed and see if anything surfaces in your first thoughts. Sometimes a vague sense of the dream may linger. Consider the vague feeling as a virtual string attached to the dream that’s right there on the edge of your consciousness, teasing you. Pull it in by asking yourself:
What was I dreaming?
What was I doing?
Where was I or when?
Who was I with?
Why was I there?
Were there any smells or tastes?
What did I touch?
Were there any words spoken? If so, what were they?
What did I hear?
What was I looking at?
Were there any colors?
Such questions often open the neural pathways to the elusive dream details that are filed away in the storage cabinets of your brain. If you can recall just one thing from the dream, the rest of the dream usually comes back to you. It may not be immediate. Recall may come later during the course of the day. Something in your daily activities can trigger a full recall.
And once you have recalled it, it very often stays with you in vivid detail. Write it down.
Importance of a dream journal
Keeping a dream journal allows you to track your dreams and see what symbols and themes reoccur, and can indicate what may be ailing you, either emotionally or physically. You should review your dreams often for reoccurring symbols and themes.
Dream Interpretation
Taking it a step further, there are many dream dictionaries available to help interpret dreams. They are good for a basic outline of meanings, but by no means rely entirely on these. Use them as guidelines along with your intuition.
Dreams can be literal, symbolic, metaphorical and even in the form of a pun.* Interpretation can be tricky. What a particular symbol means to you may differ from what a dream dictionary says. In this case you should take both into account. This is when you have to rely on your intuition to divine its true meaning.
Alternatively you could seek a professional dream interpreter but be aware this would likely cost you money. I prefer to interpret my own dreams and use my intuition. I believe this strengthens the link between mind and body.
Dream on…
Recommended Reading:
*Your Dreams & What They Mean, Nerys Dee
The Dreamer's Workbook: A Complete Guide To Interpreting And Understanding Dreams, Nerys Dee
Enhance Your Dream Life, Ryan Hurd – free e-book
The Secret Language of Signs, Denise Linn
A few links:
http://thedreamtribe.com/
http://dreamstudies.org/
http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/
http://www.dreaminterpretation-dictionary.com/
About Lynn
Born in the UK in 1959, Lynn Light never lost the rich imagination she had cultivated as a child and soon put pen to paper to give life to her imaginary adventures. Mother of two children, grandmother of five and now a great-grandmother, Lynn has lead an eventful life. After dropping out of school at 15, she later continued her education, acquired her GED, then attended college and graduated with an Associates of Science with High Honors. While in college Lynn was interested in Astronomy, Drama and Geology, as well as Administration of Justice classes and holds a certificate for Forensic Specialist I. Lynn worked as a Library Aide and Library Technician for several years before she published 2 novels and several short stories. Lynn currently resides in Yuma, AZ, with her hero, husband Dennis, an Assistant Fire Chief.
PS. Lynn just completed the 27 Days Self-Discovery Journaling Challenge which helped her break through her writer's block. Next 27 Days Journaling Challenge is September 3.
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