How to Remember a Dream?

Dreams are a wonderful opportunity to understand yourself more deeply, to see your life from a different side. To see what the subconscious sees, but what the conscious mind passes by. Thus, a dream provides the opportunity to receive your subconscious commentary on the situation you are currently in, on what is happening in your life. There is a saying that an uninterpreted dream is like an unopened letter from God. Freud said that the dream is the royal road to the unconscious. You can work with a dream individually, as well as in psychotherapy or a dream analysis group. But to work with a dream, to analyze it, you first need to remember it. Many people say they do not dream, or do not remember their dreams. However, research confirms that the vast majority of people dream, only not everyone remembers their dreams. That is why here I will share a few things that can be helpful for preserving dreams. These are simple actions that help remember dreams. It is possible — most likely — that this will not happen right away, after the first night, but as my experience shows, it does not take too long and soon upon waking there will be something to remember. There are things that need to be done in the evening, and others that need to be done upon waking.

Evening Preparation

The main activity in the evening is to set the intention to remember the dream. Going to bed, you can tell yourself, your psyche, your dream master about your intention to dream and remember the dream. For example, “tonight I will see a dream, in the morning I will remember it, and I will write my dream down.” This should be the last thought as possible before falling asleep. If another thought comes (about work, about the day’s worries, or tomorrow’s plans), you can thank the other thought and return to the thought about remembering dreams. “I will remember my dream.” Also in the evening — possibly even during the day — you need to take care of the technical aids. The aids are also essential in helping to set the intention for dream recall. I recommend getting a journal (notebook, exercise book) — specifically and only for dreams. This should then be placed next to the bed. Also prepare something to write with, perhaps also special and only for dreams, and make sure it works. In the evening, looking at them, they will once again remind about the resolution to remember a dream. Looking at the notebook and pen, you can remind yourself once more, “in the morning I will remember my dream and write it in this notebook.” Of course, it is also possible to use modern devices (voice recorders, computers), but more on that a bit later — the main thing is to set yourself up for dream recall.

Upon Waking

Whether it is in the night or in the morning, it is important to ask yourself — what did I see in my dream? Sometimes the answer will come immediately, sometimes it will arrive after a shorter or longer moment. Here it is essential not to fall into other thoughts — plans like “so, now I had to do this, then that, how not to forget all of it…” but to stay a while longer in that border zone between sleep and wakefulness and linger on the dream images. Some people find it helps not to change the position in which they woke up, because moving can chase the dream away. Another thing that helps me personally is — I “rewind the film” several times — I go through, remind myself of what I just saw — first there was this, then there was that, there were such details, such colors, such people, such moods. This film can be rewound several times until the fleeting dream material is more consciously grasped. It is possible that already at this point you can somewhat structure your dream: for example — at first I was alone, then people came, then alone again in a different place. Or — first I was at home, then on a journey. Two parts. This helps recall the dream later. Dreams are easily fleeting — studies show that a dream fades at 10% per minute — meaning that after 10 minutes only 10% of the original remains. That is why the first minutes are so important. When the dream has stabilized in short-term memory, the dream needs to be written down. While writing, you may not immediately manage to form a coherent narrative structure — but that is OK. You can and should write everything that comes. Let the dream speak, and slow down your critical mind. Even if there are some details that cannot be placed in context, it is important to mention them, note them, write them down. Also if there is something incoherent — a word, a number, a sound, a feeling — that too is important to record. Once more — when writing down a dream, it is essential to turn off your critical mind, your inner censor — so that the dream is as it is preserved in memory. Afterwards, you can say thank you to your psyche, your subconscious, your dream master for having successfully remembered the dream. This is essential — to acknowledge what has succeeded. It is important to follow this procedure even when it seems that nothing particularly stuck in memory — even if what remains is one image (for example, a slice of bread) or one word (for example, “let go”) or one action (for example, “someone runs away”) — it is important to write down this one thing so that the process of dream recall and recording has begun. In this way, we teach our psyche that dream images are significant and worth paying attention to. Next time, it may be possible to see — and remember — something more. Just as in other areas of life, here too practice — repetition — matters.

Other Technical Aids

Of course, it is also possible to use a voice recorder (or a phone with a voice recording function), or to type on a computer. The only risk here is — we are not always awake enough to manage the technology. People have told stories about cases when technology failed — for example, the voice recorder did not turn on (or was forgotten to be turned off), or — one man told how he had long and carefully typed out his long and interesting dream on the computer, only to notice after a while that the computer was not even turned on. Besides, a computer or phone are devices with which we do many other things. In that sense, a dream notebook, journal — one that is special, intended for this one purpose only — itself nudges us toward dreaming. (Psychologists call this a stimulus that triggers a conditioned reflex.) And just a few more things — definitely also write down the date of the dream, when you saw it. Also write down very briefly the main events of the previous day, what was on your mind when going to sleep. And also write down your emotions, your feelings upon waking after the dream — all of this can help understand what the dream’s message is. With recorded dreams, it is then possible to work, to analyze them — both individually and in dream analysis groups or psychotherapy. And dreams can greatly help in understanding your life. May you dream well! The next dream analysis group is scheduled for May 18, in Riga. If you are interested in signing up, please write to email, or call 29213238.