How amazing is it that we dream? When your head hits the pillow and you drift into a deep slumber, you’re being transported to another realm beyond your wildest imagination.
But have you ever really pondered what the significance of your dream was, or what it reveals about your deepest thoughts, feelings and desires? Or are you, instead, frustrated that you never seem to remember a dream once you’ve woken up - and have always wanted to?
In either case, this blog article is for you. A dream journal is the key to discovering more about your dreams and the inner workings of your consciousness. You’ll be surprised to know that what you’re dreaming about is significant and that you should be paying attention to what your dreams are trying to tell you.
Why Do We Dream?
Here’s the crazy thing about dreams: no one actually knows why we do it. There are several theories around it, like the one about Psychological Processing, which suggests that dreams help us process emotions and experiences.
In other words, they could help our brains work through feelings or unresolved issues from our waking life. Other theories suggest that it’s about Memory Consolidation, in other words, they help us process and organize our memories.
While so many theories exist out there about why we dream, what we do know is what dreams truly are. They are complex fragments of our daily lives, memories, and emotions - heavily influenced by our thoughts and feelings prior to sleep.
You could, for instance, have a symbolic dream that reflects deeper thoughts or fears, or straightforward dreams that reflect the experiences you had that day. You could have an extremely bizarre or outlandish dream or straightforward and direct one. Either way, you can always extract meaning from what you are dreaming about.
What Is a Dream Journal?
A dream journal is a journal, or diary, you write your dreams in upon waking up. The idea is to jot down right away what your dream was as soon as you wake up so you don’t forget. That way, you can look at the symbols of your dreams, look at patterns, who was in the dream, the overall message of it and what feelings you took from it.
The more you write in your dream journal, the more you’re priming your brain to remember your dreams. That way, you will actually retain them a lot easier and actually start dreaming - in vivid detail - a lot more frequently.
How To Get Started
Get a nice dream journal and make sure to set it beside your bed with a pen. If you wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning, jot down everything you remember from your dreams. If you don’t remember anything at all, lay very still for a few moments and try to recall anything you can. Don’t worry if nothing comes to you immediately. The key is to be open minded every time you go to bed.
Put it out into the universe that you are open to receiving the messages you are meant to hear at bedtime. Ask a very specific question, either outloud or written in your dream journal, something that you’re looking for more answers or clarity about in your life. It could be, for instance, “What is my dream job?” By asking a very direct question, you’re prompting your brain, and your consciousness, to reveal answers that you’re seeking.
While you may not get a clear cut answer the very first time you pose a question, know that it will come through in some way. Keep up the practice and be consistent, and be open to receiving messages.
What Are the Next Steps?
Now that you’ve got your dream journal and you’ve started jotting down streams of consciousness following your first waking moments, now’s the time to dive deeper into those messages. The whole point is to really understand what the messages of those dreams are.
Once you’ve read over the messages, dive deeper into what you think it meant. Tap into your intuition for this exercise. Our dreams shine a light onto the parts of ourselves that we may not want to see, look at or deal with. On the flip side, our dreams are also great catalysts for change, because if we really listen to the messages we get from them, we follow the guidance of our dreams, then we start building out a path that is aligned and focused on our true selves and journey in life.
Polysleep Takeaway
A dream journal is an amazing tool to discover what you’re dreaming about and why. It also reveals a great amount of insight into yourself, your thoughts, your emotions, your direction, and your life path. The more you practice writing down your dreams and their significance, the more you’ll tap into your inner wisdom, authenticity and power.
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