One of the most common search strings that brings people to this site is “how to remember more dreams.” However, if you spend a little time on dreams-related message boards or social media channels, you’ll quickly learn that people are just as interested or motivated in forgetting their dreams as they are in remembering them.
I understand and empathize with both wishes. Dreams can be magical and mystifying. They can lead a person to wonder-filled curiosity and spiritual searching. Dreams can also be terrifying and anxiety-producing. They can wake us up in a sweat, screaming. They can cause us to question all we think we know about reality, time, memory, and selfhood.
Dreams can really get in the way of everyday living and life: both pleasantly so and unpleasantly so.
Lately, I often tell people that just the act of intending to remember and record my dreams every morning the last few years has become a rich spiritual practice that shows me so much about myself I didn’t already know, whether or not I ultimately produce a dream report in the morning.
Which dreams compel me to reach for my notes? Which ones are not strong enough to pull me from a much-needed deep sleep? Which dreams do I force myself to write down at 3am even though the content scares or disturbs me? What compels me to remember the embarrassing dreams, and then what drives me to share those embarrassing dreams with another human being?!
I’m curious about all this for you, too: What’s your reason for remembering or for forgetting your own dreams?
What’s it like for you to want to remember more dreams, but be unable to? What’s it like for you to want to forget a really “bad” dream, but can’t?
Have you ever almost remembered a dream in the morning, but then couldn’t? What does that feel like?
Have you ever remembered a dream mid-day spontaneously, as a result of some association with a waking life interaction? (ie. “Wait a second! I just remembered I dreamt about her last night!”) What’s it like to spontaneously remember a memory of a dream without even trying? How does that even happen?
When we stop and notice, even more complex questions may arise. Have you ever had a dream that came true in some small way the next day? Have you ever had a shared dream with another person? What then? How does it feel to remember such a dream? How have such experiences changed you?
Remembering and recording your dreams can make you aware of feelings you weren’t aware of before, of versions of yourself that were hidden from your conscious awareness, and even aspects of reality you had previously been taught were impossible.
There is much to be gained from recording our dreams, and then re-entering them using dreamwork. This is what I do with some of my remembered dreams, and with my clients. As a dreamwork practitioner, I of course would love for you to consider trying this next step out for yourself. But even if you’re not ready yet to delve into your own dreams deeply with someone else, you can start to slowly practice dreamwork on your own simply by choosing to try to remember more of your dreams, and acting on that intention. That, too, is a type of dreamwork.
I’ve written before that one of the most effective ways to remember more dreams is to write down whatever you do remember; even if it’s only a vague feeling, one fragment of a scene, a line of a song, or a hazy visual. Keep doing that every day, and likely you’ll remember more details of dreams in the mornings ahead. At some point, you may find yourself remembering 4-5 dreams per night, but then not have the energy or the will to write all of them down! And there you’ll be presented with a new challenge and perhaps a new consideration about yourself. What’s it like to want to be able to write down 4-5 dreams, but not have the energy or will to? Which ones do you make the effort to write down and which ones do you let go?
This, too, can show you something about yourself you may not have known before. It may evoke an emotional response in you. It may motivate you or frustrate your efforts in unexpected ways.
The practice expands as you expand. Next, you may find that you’re remembering ten dreams a night, and you wish for just one night of quiet, one night of forgetfulness. What’s that like for you? How is it different from when you couldn’t remember any dreams and wished to remember just one?
You may find, too, that some dreams defy language. It’s all senses and feelings, but somehow indescribable. What’s it like to remember a dream like that?
These are just a few examples of how the intention to remember and record your dreams is in itself a spiritual practice that can show you aspects of yourself you may be unaware of. Try it for yourself for a few weeks, and let me know what the practice brought up for you!
