I’ve been an avid journaler for the last decade (!), and in the last five years, I also started incorporating keeping a dream journal. This blog post breaks down how you can do this, too, the benefits of it, and how to work with your dream messages.
THE WRITING:
HOW: You can capture your dreams in your regular journal, a special separate notebook, or even in your phone. The phone option is cool for being able to go back and look at your dreams/dream patterns without having to lug out all your old journals. It also helps with the WHEN.
WHEN: It’s best to capture your dreams first thing upon waking up. You can also do it in the middle of the night if a dream wakes you up (probably best to keep a notebook by your bed instead of using your phone to document - protect your hormones and circadian rhythms!).
WHAT: A common question I get around dream journaling is, “What am I supposed to write?” When you’re first building the habit, you can start with quick notes: “Dog dancing in the street,” “saw a flying house.” Quickly capturing the high-level gist of the dream is a great place to start. Because it only takes a few seconds, it will help you to build the habit of writing it down. The key to getting the most out of your dream journaling is to do it consistently and over long periods of time. So, start small, integrate the new habit into your routine, and grow from there.
Over time, you’ll start to write more. The creme de la creme of dream journaling is to write it all down. You’ll capture as many details as you can recall from the dream(s) daily.
What if you don’t remember your dreams?
Waking up ready to write down about the experience you just came from will help with the recall. Setting the intention works wonders.
It’s important to remember your dreams. You have access to great healing and insight through your dream state. Your dreams can tell you much about your unconscious/subconscious mind and the broader collective unconscious. Not only does it help with making meaning in your life, but it can also help with decision-making. Sometimes before I go to sleep (after I’ve done my evening energy-clearing routine), I will say, “I’d like to encounter a sign tonight that helps me know if I should do X”.
BENEFITS OF DREAM JOURNALING:
When you start to bring awareness to your dream state, you are reclaiming your unconscious/subconscious power. Instead of being a passive participant with this part of your mind, you are cultivating a space in which you are willing and able to see beyond what is in your conscious awareness. The ability to go deeper into your mind is yet another way you can take the reigns on your mindset.
Over time, you can start to see trends and themes with your dream states. How do your dreams change based on what’s going on in your life? Can they help you plan or predict for what’s to come? How does your waking life relate to your dream life (or not?), and why is that important? Dream journaling is another way of generating a curious state of being to bring clarity into your daily life.
Keeping a dream journal can also create a deeper connection to your intuition and increase your self-trust. When you start to invest in what you cannot see in the physical plane (aka your dreams), you are reminding yourself that you can trust in your intuition (another thing you cannot see). Also, the act of interpreting your dream messages requires curiosity and curiosity and intuition to dance on the same dance floor. Connecting to curiosity is connecting to intuition.
WORKING WITH DREAM MESSAGES:
As you build your dream journaling practice, you can also start to interact with your dreams. Start by asking your intuition, "What does it mean?”
Here’s an example from my journal recently:
Me: “Last night, I dreamt about a rusty pair of scissors. What does that mean?”
Intuition: It’s time to cut something off. Cut a cord. Cut a connection.
Me: Hmm, let me journal on that to learn more.
Other ways to go deeper with dream messages include:
Using online databases or books with dream interpretations.
Working with a dream interpreter (I’ve never done this)
Happy Dream Journaling!