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.