The First Steps to Dream Tending

Throughout time, and across different cultures, dream analysis has been at the base of human creativity. Learning to work with dreams, as a source of healing, is beneficial to one’s own health. Many people are curious about their dreams and the meaning behind them. However, it is not uncommon for people to forget their dreams before they get out of bed.

The first secret behind dream-tending is to be consistent in remembering the events in your unique world of dreams. The practice of keeping a dream journal is crucial to understanding your dreams. A dream journal can be anything—a notepad, diary, computer, or smartphone, for example—that you use to jot down your fleeting thoughts and emotions immediately after you awake. The idea is not to write every detail of your dreams, but to write down every detail that you can remember.

At first, this may be just a descriptive word or two—perhaps a sentence or phrase from the few vague impressions left over from dreamland that describes how you felt when you awoke. As you continue to write down what you can remember after waking, it will gradually become easier to remember the next dream. The reason that consistency and immediacy are so fundamental when attempting to remember dreams is because dreams provide a natural access point to your subconscious. Think of the process as strengthening a muscle: when used every day, the ability to remember dreams becomes easier and easier.

It is important to keep this in mind: don’t judge or scrutinize your dreams while you are jotting them down. Just let it happen. Your dream journal may seem dreary or nonsensical at first, but you will soon fill it up with substance from your creative mind.

For more information or to speak to one of our staff at the West Valley Counseling Center, please contact us at (818) 758-9450 or email us at info@westvalleycounseling.org

West Valley Counseling Center is located at 19634 Ventura Blvd. Suite 212 Tarzana, CA 91356