Why Remember Your Dreams

WHY REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS?

        Your dreaming mind has access to information that is
not readily available to you when you are awake. Your
dreams may reveal your secret desires and subconscious
feelings.

        In remembering your dreams, you will have an
increased knowledge about yourself, bring about selfawareness
and self-healing. Dreams are an extension of
how you perceive yourself. They can be a source of
inspiration, wisdom, and joy.

        You don’t have to interpret your dreams in order to
solve your problems. But just as there is the saying that
“Death cures cigarette smoking,” you might find that
listening to your dreams may help you solve your problems
before you run out of time.

        Dreams are always “true”—it’s just that what they
mean isn’t always what we think they mean. Sometimes a
dream gives a warning of danger, but if you pay attention to
the dream and change your ways the danger won’t
necessarily happen. And most often a dream’s meaning will
be metaphorical, not literal.

        For example, a woman may dream that her husband is
having a sexual affair, but it would be a mistake to conclude
that her husband is really having an affair. The dream is
simply providing the woman graphic evidence that she
somehow feels betrayed by her husband. Once she
acknowledges that feeling, she can then start examining her
life consciously—and honestly—to find out why she feels
betrayed and what she needs to do about it.

        All dreams essentially tell us one important thing:
“Wake up!” That is, just as you must wake up from a dream
to remember it, the dream itself is telling you to “wake up”
to the truth that you try to hide from others—and from
yourself.

        Of course, there is a positive as well as a negative side
to remembering and interpreting your dreams.
       The negative side is that you may come across a side
of yourself that you really don't like or are afraid to know
about. You may discover that you aren't (always) the "Miss
Goody Two Shoes" or "Mr. Nice Guy" that you profess to be
during the day. You may discover that your childhood was
not all ice cream, roller-skating and amusement parks. You
may end up shedding light on dark places and recall secrets
long repressed. This can be scary stuff.

        The positive side is that you go through a
metamorphosis or catharsis and become -- you. You
become the “you” that you were always meant to be. You
will become truer to yourself and therefore, you will find
that you are happier.

        Learning to recall your dreams may help you become a
more assertive, creative person.
        In remembering your dreams, you are expressing and confronting your
feelings.
        Remembering your dreams can help you come to
terms with stressful aspects of your lives.
        But this may be easier said than done. Five minutes
after the end of the dream, half the content is forgotten.
After ten minutes, 90% is lost. Dreamers, who are
awakened right after sleep, are able to recall their
dreams more vividly than those who slept through the night
until morning.
        Obviously, remembering your dreams is vital to
interpreting them. So, how can you better remember your
dreams?   atj