How To Catch And Use Your Dreams Part 1

There’s this dude named Calvin Hall (a dream theorist) who thought of dreams as plays and the dreamer as a playwright. Hall admitted that dream images and ideas tend to be more primitive than waking thoughts. Nevertheless, much can be learned by simply considering the setting, cast of characters, plots, and emotions portrayed in a dream (sounds like high school English all over again right?)

Another dream theorist, Rosalind Cartwright, suggests that dreams are primarily “feeling statements.” According to her, the overall emotional tone (the underling mood) of a dream is a major clue to its meaning. Is the dream comical, threatening, joyous, or depressing? Were you lonely, jealous, frightened, in love, or angry?

However, even though Cartwright and Hall had different views on dreams they both believed that exploring everyday dream life can be a source of personal enrichment and personal growth.

In many ways, dreams can be thought of as a message from yourself to yourself.

Thus, the way to better understand dreams is to remember them, write them down, look for the messages they contain, and become more deeply connected with your inner self in a way. Here’s how.

How To Catch (Remember) A Dream

1. Before sleeping, actually plan on remembering your dreams. Keep a pen and paper or a tape recorder beside your bed (or wherever you sleep).
2. If possible, plan your day so that you wake up naturally, without an alarm clock. Natural awakening almost always follows soon after a REM period (the only stage you dream in).
3. If you rarely remember your dreams, you may want to set an alarm clock to go off an hour before you usually awake though. Even though this is less desirable than awakening naturally, this may let you catch a dream.
4. When you awaken, lie still and review the dream images with your eyes closed. Try to remember as many details as possible.
5. If you can, make your first dream record (whether by writing or by tape) with your eyes closed. Warning: Opening your eyes will usually disrupt dream recall.
6. Review the dream again and record as many additional details as you can remember. Dream memories disappear quickly. Be sure to describe feelings as well as plot, characters, and actions of the dream.
7. Put your dreams into a permanent dream diary/journal (yeah, I know how it sounds, but it does work). Keep dreams in a chronological order and review them periodically. This procedure will reveal recurrent themes, conflicts, and emotions. It almost always reveals valuable insights you never knew about yourself.
8. And remember, drugs affect your dreams. For example, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine decrease your chances of remembering your dreams, while LSD actually increases them (I’m not telling you to do any of them however… say no to drugs kids). And don’t worry coffee lovers, you can relax, caffeine has no effect on your dreams.

How Dreams Work

Because each dream has several possible meanings or levels of meaning, there is no fixed way to work with it. Telling the dream to others and talking about its meaning can be a good start though. Describing it may help you relive some of the feelings in the dream. Also, family members or friends may be able to offer you interpretations which you never thought of. Watch for verbal or visual puns and other “playful” elements in dreams. For example, if you dream that you are in a wrestling match and your arm is pinned behind your back, it may mean that you feel someone is “twisting your arm” in real life.

The meaning of most dreams can be found through a little detective work. Rosalind Cartwright suggests asking a series of questions about dreams you would like to understand.

1. Who was in the dream? Do you recognize any of the people?
2. What was happening? Were you active in the dream or watching it happen from the sidelines? Did someone else do something to you?
3. Where did the action of the dream take place? Have you seen the setting or any part of it in real life, or was it a fantasy scene?
4. What was the time frame? What was your age in the dream?
5. Who is responsible for what happened in the dream?
6. Who are you in your dreams? Are you someone you would like to be or someone you’d rather not be?

Keep recording your dreams and interpreting them, it’s a gradual process, the longer you do it the easier it becomes to remember them. Now tune in on Wednesday for “How To Catch And Use Your Dreams Part 2″, where I talk about using your dreams and lucid dreaming (one of the most amazing things I’ve discovered).

Written by Arsene: Hey, I'm Arsène. To sum everything up briefly I'm a krump dancer/teacher, mixed-media artiste, social media manager, writer, ex-ubervegan, ex-polyphasic sleeper, and a genocide survivor (yes, that's the brief version). If you must label me, call me "fool" or "revolutionary". I don't mind, I've been called both countless times. Find me working on my current project over at Quotes-Clothing.com <--- Quotes can change the world.

Related posts:

1. How To Catch And Use Your Dreams Part 2
2. Reclaim Your Dreams: A Refreshing Personal Development Book
3. “I Sleep Two Hours Per Day”- Week One



One Response to “How To Catch And Use Your Dreams Part 1”

1. Ross says:

   April 28, 2010 at 8:07 PM

   Hmm, very interesting. Thanks for this! I’m going to definitely share this and give it a try while I’m at it…

   Reply