Dream Interpretation - Remembering Your Dreams

Before you can go about interpreting your dreams and learning what

they have to teach you, it is important to remember your dreams. It

is estimated that as much as 50% of a dream's content is lost within

five minutes of waking, and as much as 90% of the content can be lost

after only ten minutes.

This short window of recall is one reason that many people insist they

rarely or never dream, even though sleep scientists have proven that

every human being dreams from between four and seven times each

and every night.

One great way to remember your dreams, and to begin to analyze and

interpret them, is to keep a dream journal. A dream journal does not

have to be anything elaborate or fancy. The dream journal can be as

simple as a table kept on the nightstand by the bed.

Try to get into the habit of writing down what you remember of your

dream every morning immediately upon waking. It is important to do

this as soon as you are awake, since the majority of the dream can be

lost in just a few minutes. If you cannot remember the entire dream,

just jot down a few words, or even your impressions of the dream.

Many people begin to see patterns emerging after they have kept a

sleep journal for a number of nights. For instance, even if your

dreams are different each night, there may be similar themes or

locations. These themes and locations can be a big help later on when

you begin attempting to interpret your dreams.

When interpreting your dreams, try to make it fun and interesting. If

it seems like drudgery it probably is not worth doing. Most people

engage in dream interpretation for their own entertainment and

enlightenment, and not for any deeper philosophical or psychological

reason.

Some people, however, are able to use their nightly dreams as

springboards into their subconscious, and these people are often able

to use the locations, people and events found in their dreams to work

through issues they are facing in the real world.

For instance, if you dream constantly about falling, it could indicate

that you feel your life is out of control and unstable. If you can

examine your life and take control of it, it can result in not only a

cessation of those bad dreams but in a better and more fulfilling life as

well.

Fear of certain events in your life, or anxiety about things you cannot

face, can often manifest itself through dreams in which you are being

chased, or pursued by an attacker. Those experiencing these

frightening and disturbing dreams often benefit from performing a self

examination to determine what they are afraid to face. Once these

challenges have been faced, the chasing dreams usually go away.

It is even possible to work through some traumas while still in the

dream state. For instance, those who dream of being pursued are

sometimes able to turn their dreams around by confronting the

attacker within the dream. Simply turning around and asking the

pursuer what he or she wants from you is often enough to turn the

dream into a positive one, and to begin working through the

psychological issues that caused it.

Of course not all dream issues are so easily solved. If your dream

journal reveals frequent nightmares or similar disturbing dreams, it

could be related to a past trauma that will take professional help to

address. For instance, soldiers returning from war zones, and rescue

workers returning from floods, fires and other natural disasters, report

a higher level of nightmares than does the general public.

It seems that bad dreams and nightmares may be the subconscious

mind's way of dealing with issues the conscious mind is not ready to

confront. Confronting these demons, and banishing the nightmares

they engender, often requires the help of a qualified counselor or

therapist.