The Dream Sourcebook: A Guide to the Theory and Interpretation of Dreams by Phyllis R. Koch-Sheras
Authors: Phyllis R. Koch-Sheras
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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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rather than be forced to admit them in writing. But we know more about memory today, just as we know more about dream content, and we therefore know that you are much more likely to remember your dream if you write it down. In fact, having a permanent record of your dreams can really help improve your skills
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
Page 124
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
Page 125
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,
Page 126
rather than be forced to admit them in writing. But we know more about memory today, just as we know more about dream content, and we therefore know that you are much more likely to remember your dream if you write it down. In fact, having a permanent record of your dreams can really help improve your skills
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