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How to Recall Your Dreams: Remembering Dreams for Analysis & Understanding

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By pepper0617
User-Submitted Article
(4 Ratings)
Recall your Dreams
Recall your Dreams
dreamtime.com

Have you had a dream while sleeping, and couldn’t remember it. Well...it is important to remember our dreams, and to do dream analysis on their meanings. To recall our dreams later tells a lot about a person and their true feelings. These are our innermost thoughts, both good and bad. To have a better understanding of our dreams makes us able to live a better quality of life, mentally and physically.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
  1. Step 1

    One of the first things to improving dream recall is to regulate your sleep patterns. This isn’t an easy task for many adults as you have to regulate you sleep cycle. But having a regular bedtime, and getting up earlier helps to keep you more alert. It also makes it easier to remember dreams for later dream analysis. Avoid alcohol and medications that are going to interfere with your thinking. Also avoid fatty foods before bedtime.

  2. Step 2

    Before you go to sleep make sure your mind is clear of thoughts and distractions, so you can concentrate. Write down your thoughts and dreams in a sleep journal or mood journal. Tell yourself you’re going to remember the meaning of your dreams when you wake. Think to yourself over and over again that you will remember your dreams. Train yourself to remember your dreams.

  3. Step 3

    Dream Journals are a big part of dream analysis, and dream interpretations of your dreams. Always keep a notebook by your bedside, so when you wake during the night you can write down what you remember in your dreams. Write everything down. Better yet, set a small tape recorder by your bedside to speak into when you wake from a dream.

  4. Step 4

    Be still when you first awake as these small body movements will distract you from your sleep cycle and your dreams. Think about what you were dreaming as you lay there still. Think about what you dreamed of and try to get back to that same dream remembering images or symbols in dreams, and events. Try to recreate the scenario of the dream and put the story together. As all the details pull together write them down for dream analysis.

  5. Step 5

    Write down all your feelings, whether you were scared, happy, or whatever your feelings are at the time in a mood journal. Write down the feeling you have when you first awaken too, were they feelings of sadness, warmth, love, hatred? Be sure to write it all down in complete details for dream analysis. There is also a dreams dictionary that can help with you understand meanings of dreams. Be sure to give your dream a title too, with lots of descriptions, until you are able to put the story together. Dreams are like a story.

  6. Step 6

    During that day, reread your journal entries. Don’t try to find meanings in the dreams quite yet, but notice if there is any themes reoccurring in your dreams. Make notes of any familiar images, or characters; take note of any reoccurrences of events. Get a highlighter to make this stand out more in your journal for later viewing. Get up at least 45 minutes earlier than usual helps sometimes, if none of the tips help. Visualize the story character images of your dream in your mind, and try to associate your alarm clock with your dreams.

  7. Step 7

    Dreams are important, they are not just dreams they are trying to tell you something. Before you are able to do dream interpretations you will have to remember them first. With lots of practice you will eventually be able to remember your dreams, and do dream interpretation yourself. But it will take lots of practice. Dreams usually have something to do with something in our lives.

Tips & Warnings
  • Keep a Dream Journal
  • Write down feelings
  • Write Themes, images, or characters
  • Try to remember details of your dreams

Comments  

TCSongz said

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on 7/18/2009 Thanks a lot. :-)

kaytay said

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on 3/15/2009 I always remember my dreams and would love to have them analyzed

leanan said

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on 1/23/2009 Love my dream journal!

PhiMcRee said

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on 1/19/2009 This is great! I never rememeber my dreams. There have only been a couple in all my life that I can recall. I am going to try this!

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