The Dream Sourcebook: A Guide to the Theory and Interpretation of Dreams (20 page)

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Authors: Phyllis R. Koch-Sheras

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BOOK: The Dream Sourcebook: A Guide to the Theory and Interpretation of Dreams
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is the least attractive person I know! Why would I dream I fall in love with him?" What do your dreams mean? We don't have all the answers. But you do. It may be overwhelming at first to realize that your dreams are a depiction of your own wishes, fears, thoughts, emotions, and imaginings. And it will take a little practice before you are more fully able to recognize your dream themes and turn story lines into meaning. There are as many ways to explore dreams as there are dreamers. This chapter offers several different ways of interpreting your dreams. You can work alone, though you may also want to discuss them with others. As you continue to learn more about your dreaming self, you will discover which technique or combination of techniques works best for you.
Go at your own pace, in your own way, and don't be discouraged if you sometimes fail to make sense of a dream even after working with it. It happens to all of us. Some of your interpretations might become clearer or even change as you become more skilled at dream analysis; discussing your dreams with others can also lead to new insights. Some of the techniques we describe may not appeal to you at all; later, you may change your mind and try them. No matter where you begin, or which techniques you try, bear the following in mind:
The feelings you have upon waking from a dream or even after thinking about it are important. You can gather clues about what your dream means by focusing on these feelings and giving them time to sink in.
Don't feel compelled to analyze every dream. Some dreams seem unimportant, or like utter nonsense, no matter what interpretive skills you apply. Have fun with your dreams and, if you
 
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wish, go back later to see if anything new occurs to you.
Make your dream life a part of your waking day. Use the strategies in this chapter to access your dreams, and you may find you have more vivid recall, and more ideas about what your dreams mean than ever before. Let your dreams enrich you!
No matter what the outcome, there is tremendous value in just paying attention to your dreaming mind. A simple act such as remembering a dream and writing it down can help ease the transition from your dream world into your waking world. How do you begin? All you need is a dream to work with. As the producer of your dream, you should begin with a scriptonly this time, you create it after the movie premieres. Write your dreams down! We offer a number of suggestions for documenting your dreams in this chapter. Keeping some kind of dream record is especially helpful for dreamers who tend to forget their dreams a few minutes after waking up in the morning, but it is actually a good idea for all interested dreamers to adopt this habit. So many people say they never remember their dreams, or that they "don't dream," but everybody dreams, every single night, for up to two hours! So don't cop out. Your dreams are there for the taking. Commit to protecting these treasures and you will be able to foil the dream pirates who block your memory of the dreams you have every night.
Why We Forget, Why We Remember
There are many reasons why people forget their dreams upon waking. In our culture, and therefore in our families, dreams are generally thought of as unimportant or silly. Your parents may
 
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have consoled you with, "Go back to sleep, honey. It's just a dream." But whether they are pleasant or unpleasant, your dreams are a vital and expressive part of yourself, so don't discount them! Another reason why people might forget dreams is that they are embarrassed by their content. In dreams you might commit acts you would never do in your waking life, and it's natural to put those acts into the back of your mind rather than confront the issues the dream scenarios might have raised. Studies show that people who are good at recalling their dreams are generally better able to confront their own fears and anxieties; poor dream recallers are those who tend to retreat from confrontation. Learning to remember your dreams and discuss their meanings may help you to become a more assertive person!
"An Uninterpreted Dream Is Like An Unopened Letter From God."
The Talmud
You probably have a friend or family member who regales you with elaborately impossible tales of adventures in Dreamland. And if you yourself are a poor recaller, you may wonder how these images manage to stow away in this person's mind each morning. The fact is, people who enjoy sharing dreams are more likely to remember them. Any attention you pay to your dream life can help to increase your recall: keeping a dream journal, making a drawing based on a dream, acting on advice or insight gained from a dream.
Recall Techniques
Ready to begin your dream journey? These techniques can help, whether you want to remember your dreams, recall your dreams in more detail, dream more vividly, work on interpreting your dreams, or track your dream content over time. Recalling your dreams is the first step.
 
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Throughout this chapter we refer to a dream journal, the notebook in which we suggest you record your dreams. If you prefer, you may use a tape recorder; some people find it more effective to think out loud when telling a dream or working on it. We do recommend that you go back later and transcribe the tape into a notebook reserved just for that purpose. You could also create a special dream file in your word processor, and write your dreams down there.
Before You Go to Bed
Tibetan and other Eastern dreamworkers consider the preparation for dreaming throughout the day to be the primary practice of dreamwork. Western dreamworkers, too, believe that certain rituals can truly enhance the dream experience. Try as many of these suggestions as you like, devising a formula that works for you:
1. Set your notebook, dream journal, or tape recorder near your bed so that it is within reach as soon as you wake up.
2. Think of this equipment as a friend who looks forward to hearing from you, and picture telling your dream to that friend.
3. As you relax in bed, give yourself a strong suggestion: "I will remember my dreams. They are worth remembering. They are worth recording."
4. If you use an alarm clock, make it part of the ritual. Tell yourself, "When the alarm goes off, I will remember my dreams and record them."
5. Try to go to sleep and wake up at a regular time. This seems to encourage more dream recall.
 
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6. You can make you own dream alarm clock using a tape recorder and an appliance timer. Record yourself saying, "Wake up and tell me your dream" over some soft background music. Program the recorder to turn on at a particular hour, gauging it on a rough estimate of your sleep cycle (see chapter 1).
7. Thumb through your dream journal or read from a book about dreams before going to sleep.
8. Make a note of the date in your dream journal, or say it into your tape recorder; you can use either that night's date, or the next day's date, but be consistent with whichever method you choose. Writing down the date signals your dreaming mind that you are ready to focus on a dream.
9. Put your dreaming mind to work. Trying writing down a question you want an answer to that night. It may prompt you and your dreaming mind to pay attention. And you may actually discover the answer you're looking for.
10. Avoid drinking alcohol or taking medication before going to sleep. These substances can inhibit dream recall; however, prescription antidepressants are reported to increase dream recall and intensity. (Indeed, you may wish to avoid drinking any beverage right before bedtime so you don't have to rush to the bathroom in the morning.)
11. Use relaxation to ready your body and mind for your dream adventure. Try tensing and relaxing each set of muscles, starting with your feet and working up to your
 
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face. Once you have relaxed your body, give it the message to remember your dreams. Your own relaxation strategies, such as meditation, are other options.
When You Wake Up
These morningtime suggestions may help you to remember your dreams more completely. Try whichever ones you wish.
1. Hold everything! Don't open your eyes. Don't even move. As soon as you know you are awake, try to recall as much of the dream as you can.
2. Even if you only recall a fragment, hold onto it, really focus on it. Other pieces may appear later and the sequences will then link together.
3. Roll over! Shift positions in bed to stimulate further recall.
4. If you have trouble piecing it together, start at the end of the dream. Work backward from there, thinking of each key element, until you can remember the story.
5. If you wake up with a feeling, but no memory of a dream, let your mind wander. You may spontaneously turn to thoughts that trigger the memory of the dream. Often, thinking about the events of the previous day or two can jog your dream memory. Thinking about people close to you may cause you to remember their appearance in your dream.
6. Rehearse the dream. Tell it to yourself aloud (or tell it to the tape recorder or a member of your household) before you write it down. Vocalizing it etches it more deeply in your waking mind, which is important, because even
 
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vivid dreams can slip away after the first few minutes of being awake. The only sure way to preserve it is to document it immediately upon waking. Once you start writing down your dreams, you may notice that doing so stimulates you to remember more and more dreams, especially as the process leads to interesting insights and revelations.
7. Throughout the day, let your mind remain open for elements of the dream to enter. If you feel as though you almost remember something, take a minute to let it come into your consciousness.
8. Don't get discouraged if you still aren't remembering your dreams. It takes time and energy to learn this skill. If you have remembered dreams in the past but are having trouble now, you may be going through a dry spell. In either case, more intense focus on these dream preparations should eventually lead to success.
Your Dream Journal
We call this part ''preparing the script"no matter that the complete film premiered last night! You've already solicited the script outline through various dream recall strategies. Now, you can develop it. As the director of your dream movie, you will want to note not only the story and characters, but also the stage directions: lighting, costumes, sets, locations, whatever details you remember.
Interestingly, Freud discouraged his patients from recording their dreams because he thought this would increase repression of the threatening content. In other words, if a patient had had a dream that revealed wishes or fears he or she would rather keep hidden, the patient would "forget" the details of the dream,

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