Dreams have been found to create fundamental themes of experience for children but adults can’t seem to remember their dreams, until dream journaling came along that is!
As a young child, our innocence can be reflected in our dreams. Our parents often ask us what we dreamt of or what we dream of. Children recall dreams more easily than adults. Children are encouraged to think inwardly and realize their dreams. As adults, “We get socialized out of our inner worlds pretty quickly,” researcher Kelly Bulkeley said to an interviewer at New York Magazine. However, dream recall is an important part of understanding yourself and your experiences.
Bulkeley explains in another article by NYMag that what we dream in childhood can be so vivid that those dreams can be the basis for “primal themes.” If our childhood dreams have the power to influence the way that we see and interact with the world, what power do our dreams have in our adult life? If we fail to recall what we dreamt of, how do we learn what our mind is subconsciously teaching us?
Dream journaling can be a key part of developing dream recall in adulthood. Dream journaling looks different for different people. Some people jot down short memories, others write about every last detail that they can recount, still others sketch out a representation of their dream. All of these are conducive to the process. By practicing you can find the method that’s best for you.
When you are journaling, you should keep a few things in mind. First, before journaling your current dreams, try to think back to your most prominent dream and take note of it. Do you have reoccurring dreams? Do you have any other memorable dreams or dreams that you often confuse with reality? These can all play an important part in understanding the way that you dream.
Secondly, always record your dreams as soon as you wake up. This will help you recall the most detail before the memory fades. If you find that you are having a hard time recalling your dream, start by recording key words to jog your memory.
Finally, it is important to remember that not all dreams have a deeper meaning. Taking note of all of your dreams can help you understand the bigger picture. There might even be a hidden theme in your seemingly meaningless dreams.
Once you have written down your dreams, you will not only have a hard copy of memories but the process of writing will aid you in understanding your emotions and subconscious. Some people don’t believe that dreams have any connection to reality. However, it has been discovered that we can only dream of things that we know or have experienced in some way. If we dream of what we know, aren’t our dreams a formulation of our knowledge of reality? How can formulated thoughts not have any meaning? Letting your subconscious run free might be just what you need to figure out how you feel about and experience the world.
Recording your dreams can have other benefits besides emotional development. Most of us have heard that Stephanie Meyer wrote the Twilight Series based mostly on her dreams. What you might not know is that Meyer was ranked as the second highest paid author in 2010 by Forbes when she made $40 million in 2009 from the series. While we might not all have $40 million dreams, recording your dreams could help you become more creative in your educational, professional, or personal life. Who knows what your subconscious could think up next!
So the next time you wake up thinking “that was a crazy dream,” break out the pen and notebook and jot it down!
Want to learn to interpret your dreams? Check out this article by New York Magazine: How to Interpret Your Dreams, According to a Therapist