Dreams, if taken literally, can be very mysterious and confusing to understand and accurately decode.
Whether you're dreaming about an ex, a deceased loved one, or simply flying, falling or having your teeth fall out while riding a pink elephant (we've all had that dream, right?), your dreams are constantly communicating with you and are integral to better understanding your waking life emotions, stresses, victories and mental well-being. Dreams are the voice of your unconscious mind and are filled with important messages... especially for those paying close attention to them!
Although there are many theories about why we dream, most experts agree that keeping a dream journal is an important first step -- and valuable source of personal insight -- into your inner world.
Keeping a daily dream journal can also be an easy and fun way to help you identify recurring patterns, trends and dream symbols, as well as improving your ability to continually remember more dream details (the more you do something, the better you get at "training" your brain), and pointing you towards an aspect of your life that may need some extra attention.
According to dream educator Bobbie Ann Pimm, author of Notes from a Dreamer ... on Dreaming: A Personal Journey in Dream Interpretation, "While you're sleeping, your dreams are telling you all you need to know to live a happy and fulfilling life. They deal with your emotions, relationships, career, fears, needs, desires, aspirations, spirit ... they reflect everything you are and everything that you can be. Keeping a dream journal is the best way to start learning from your dreams!"
Pimm Provided the Following 12 Easy and Helpful Steps for Starting a New Dream Journal, Tonight!
- Before you go to bed tonight, take a few minutes and write about your day. Who did you see or talk to? Where did you go? What did you do? What was the most emotionally charged (good or bad) event of the day?
Because dream symbols and their meanings are often not literal, but metaphorical, a Dream Dictionary can also be helpful for decoding and interpreting dream symbols, and how they may relate to your waking life events and emotions.
When asked about using a dream dictionary to help interpret your dreams, Pimm added, "It's important to remember that only you know what your dreams and dream symbols really mean. A dream dictionary can offer suggestions and additional food for thought to you - a starting point for you to consider. However, It should never be taken as offering the only interpretation of what the symbol means to you. Only you can decide that!"
By following these 12 easy steps, you'll be on your way towards a lifelong and fulfilling journey of understanding your dreams, and ultimately, yourself!
Have you ever kept a dream journal before? If not, let us know if you have any additional questions about getting started!
DreamsCloud is the world's leading online dream resource, with an interactive database of more than 1.9 million dreams. Offering a 360-degree approach to dreaming -- including a real-time global dream map, dream journaling/sharing tools, a massive online dream dictionary of over 5000 dream symbols, and the largest group of professional dream reflectors -- DreamsCloud empowers users to better understand their dreams and improve their waking lives. They also offer a free app for iOS and Android called DreamSphere.
