Stop

 “Legend says that when you can’t sleep at night it’s because you’re awake in someone else’s dream. So if everyone could stop dreaming about me that would be great.” (CoolFunnyQuotes.com)

Dreaming is non-essential when it comes to survival as a human, but it is necessary in regard to our development as emotional beings. It is the connection between both our conscious and our unconscious minds by helping individuals create completeness in their existence.

Dreams are the bridge that allows movement back and forth between what you think you know and what you actually understand. They can allow you to process painful or puzzling emotions (or confusing experiences) in an environment that is emotionally real (but physically unreal).

There are five major characteristics that most dreams have in common:

·        Dreams are difficult to remember.

·        Dreams are frequently disorganized and illogical.

·        Dreams often feature intense emotions.

·        People often experience bizarre sensations.

·        Strange dream content is accepted without question.

Here five simple steps to interpreting your own dreams:

Record your dreams-As soon as you wake up, write down your dreams in a notebook (or speak them into your smartphone). Even if you remember only a moment of a dream, you can work with it. The more you record your dreams, the easier they will be to recall over time.

Identify the symbols-A tree, your childhood dog, a movie star crush who makes a cameo appearance, or even the location or setting of a dream: all the images are symbols. They are the language of the dream, and they likely represent some aspect of you.

Note your personal associations with the symbols and write those down, too. What do you think of when you imagine the tree? What qualities do you ascribe to the movie star crush? You can have fun looking up traditional meanings of the symbols, but what is most important is what they mean to you.

Connect the themes to your current life-Dreams often reflect the big dilemmas or questions in your life, and can show you parts of yourself that have been withdrawn. It’s these repressed parts that run wild and sometimes lead to self-destructive behavior and a feeling of imbalance. Consider the symbols as information. For example, if you dream of a strong feminine symbol overcoming adversity, perhaps it is a calling to claim more of your power.

If the dream shows you a playful child, and you experience a longing as you uncover your associations with that symbol, perhaps it’s time to have more innocent fun. There’s no one right way to interpret a dream. Like interpreting a painting or a poem, the work is about self-discovery. What have you been craving more of in your life? What current conflict or life transition are you struggling with? The images in your dreams can point you in a new direction or understanding, provided you learn how to read them.

Honor your dream with action in the real world-If the dream is about claiming more power in your life, maybe it’s time to shift the dynamic of a relationship in which you are always sacrificing your needs. Maybe you sign up for a boxing class, to connect more directly with your sense of physical power.

The action can be something fun, simple, creative, a mini adventure, or simply sketching an image that holds meaning for you. As long as the action connects you to the meaning you gathered from the dream, you are giving space to the longing or repressed part of yourself, thereby creating more balance.

Ritualize the process-The more consistent you are with this process, the easier it will become. Have fun with it. Think of your dreams as chapters of a story you don’t have time to live in your waking life, but can during your sleep. Don’t be reluctant to turn to your dreams for a little symbolic guidance in sorting out whatever is troubling you. You might be surprised at how much wisdom you have even as you sleep.

Did you know the following factual statistics about dreams?

·        You forget up to 95% of all your dreams shortly after waking up.

·        A typical dream lasts 5 to 20 minutes.

·        About 51% of people believe that you express inner fears and anxieties in your dreams.

·        About 53% of Americans dream about falling over and over again.

·        You have 4–6 dreams every night.

·        People who are under the age of 25 rarely report dreaming in black and white. People over the age of 55 report black and white dreams about 25% of the time.

"Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams, or wake up and chase them." (MotivationforMore.com)[i]

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[i] Adapted from:

·        “27 Fascinating Dreams Facts and Stats for 2021” by Whitney Swann

·        “5 Ways to Reboot Your Life with DIY Dream Interpretation” BY ANNIE ARMSTRONG

·        “How to Analyze Your Dreams (And Why It's Important)” by PsychCentral

·        “Interesting Facts about Dreams” and “5 Major Characteristics of Dreams” by Kendra Cherry 

For more information on dreaming (and sleeping), please refer to the following posts on this blog: “Illustrations,” “Sleep,” “The Same,” “The Latter Part,” and “The Golden Chain.”