Five steps to unlocking one's dream memories

[Giulia]

Over the years, I have heard several people complain that they “never dream” or that they find it really difficult to remember any dreams when they wake up in the morning. This is a pity! Not remembering dreams denies people one of the most frequent opportunities to hear from their departed loved ones, since it is when we are disconnected from most of the stimuli of our physical lives that we are most open to after-death communication. Dreams are also an opportunity to access mystical knowings and have spiritually-transformative experiences. On the other hand, it is quite natural for other people to remember their dreams. The luckiest seem to be those who get a chance to have lucid dreams, that is dreams when we are aware that we are dreaming. During a lucid dream, it is possible to consciously interact with the dream landscape, the Spirit World and with our departed loved ones who might be visiting at the time.

So I decided it might be helpful to write a post, based on my own personal experience, to provide some practical advice that may help those who appear to be struggling to remember their dreams and take advantage of this wonderful opening to connect with one's Higher Self, with our Divine Source and with the Afterlife, the amazing world that lies beyond this world.

First of all, I feel that it is very important to realise that everyone dreams: if we could not dream, we would probably die. Even though science has taken an interest in researching dreams only recently, with the birth of psychoanalysis, the invention of instruments that may detect and measure dream parameters (such as the electroencephalograph, which was first used in 1924) and the observation of Rapid Eye Movements occurring during REM sleep and related sleep cycles, I believe there is no question about the fact that humans have always wondered about the meaning that dreams carry and ascribed to them mysterious powers related to contacting the Divine or supernatural and/or non-physical entities.

I feel it is also worthwhile considering that we spend almost one-third of our physical lives sleeping, disconnected from most of our physical stimuli, in order to rest, heal, reset our vital functions, process our daily life experiences and any related hopes, fears and expectations, creating our future and much more. One-third of our physical lives represents a really large amount of time which, if better invested, might really offer us a lot of happiness.

Step 1 – If necessary, research the subject, acknowledge and become convinced that we all dream, even if we do not remember

With the exception of occasional or regular naps we may take during the day – when we are not as exhausted as we would be at the end of the day – the first dreams we have after falling asleep are usually brief and, practically speaking, more difficult to remember if we have just started training. It is much easier to work with the last dreams we have towards dawn. Indeed, the longest and most interesting dream tends to be the last one we have before waking up, when we have already rested for several hours and had a chance to process any concerns with our earlier dreams. This is even truer if we get a chance to sleep an extra hour and have no pressing engagements causing us to leap out of bed.

Even if we are sure that we are unable to remember our dreams, I feel that the important thing is to set up a daily strategy aimed at regularly keeping track of any fleeting insights transpiring from a night’s sleep, even if we do not yet realise that this is possible.

All we need to devote to this programme is 1 or 2 minutes a day, as long as we commit to carry out this task regularly and in line with the rules we will have set for ourselves.

As with all new habits we try to form, this need not be an easy task to start with, despite the little time and effort it requires. In the beginning, it may actually feel like we are stepping out of our comfort zone, but do not worry: your efforts will be soon rewarded.

Step 2 – Commit to devote 1 or 2 minutes a day to one's project, patiently and with perseverance

For the purpose of recording any dream-related memories, I recommend you use a tool you like, that is attractive and inviting, something that is a pleasure to use. For instance, I have always loved organisers for some reason, but somebody else may choose a notebook, a loose-leaf exercise book, a luxury writing pad, one’s mobile, tablet or iPad, or a voice recorder. I have a friend who is a professional painter and loves to create her own journals and notebooks, by using recycled paper, coloured cardboard and ribbons, which she personally decorates depending on the use they are meant for.

Step 3 – Choose a dream-catching tool that you like and find inviting

Once you have selected your recording tool, it is time to take action. We may choose to place our data gathering/processing tool in a strategic position that is within reach, together with a pen, pencil, or hi-tech pencil – if necessary – and get into the habit of writing down or recording every day something we might remember or simply have on our mind upon waking up. In the beginning, you may simply enter a few words to describe the mood you were in upon waking up, the feeling you had, a word or sentence you might have had in mind, a melody, a scent… anything you suspect you might have been even only vaguely aware of just before waking up. Recent studies have provided evidence that, during our sleep, our perception of time changes dramatically and a single instant may turn out to be the source of an amazing amount of memories.

Every single detail deserves to be reported in our case, so it is important not to neglect anything. The important thing at this stage is to realise how important this brief daily task is! In practice, what we are doing is training a muscle that is not being used yet and therefore only needs a little amount of daily exercise to gradually get fit for its job. When we join a gym, we know that, thanks to a regular commitment, we will eventually obtain our desired results. In this case, we are creating the same type of positive expectation, knowing for sure that the muscle we are exercising will become fit and healthy, and require increasingly less effort to work. Every memory you have upon waking up, even the most ephemeral, may in turn trigger another one. As we continue with our daily exercise and bring to light our nighttime experiences, our level of confidence and quickness of mind will increase dramatically. We will be excited to find out that certain dreams are in fact connected and possibly recurring, just waiting for us to become aware of them and lead to the next.

Step 4 – Take action

Now that we know that all we need to do is train and build a muscle with just 1 or 2 minutes of exercise a day, we will find it much easier to simply expect to remember our dreams and free these memories from the place in which they have been secluded all along. The positive expectation and confidence that will build up, in turn, will bring to the surface wonderfully vivid experiences, including unexpected meetings with our departed loved ones who find in dreams the easiest way to stay in touch with us. All we need to do, at this stage, is consolidate our routine, by creating, if we so desire, some kind of ritual that may strengthen our motivation, perseverance and dedication.

In my case, for instance, I love to wake up with a stimulating and fragrant cup of coffee, as I enjoy the blissful quietness I am entitled to as a natural early waker. However, there are countless factors that can make this time of one's day unique and motivating, so that one may more easily focus on recollecting what they were experiencing a moment before waking up.

Step 5 – Create a routine

We will soon find out that, even though in the beginning our memory need not display constant performance levels, if we manage to write down or record at least a few words or insights each day, the volume of information we daily report will gradually start to increase and, depending on the time we wish or can make available for this task, we may reach the point of reporting several long dreams per night.

I would therefore like to encourage all those who for instance hope for their departed loved ones to visit in their dreams to identify this muscle we are building as some kind of thread connecting our physical world to the world of disincarnates, two worlds that are only apparently separate. With a minimum daily practice, this thread will soon turn into a door that we can choose to leave open upon waking up, at least for the time required to report our dreams.

Like many other Afterlife researchers, I firmly believe this physical life is in fact just a dream compared to the greater, eternal life our spirit is always aware of. By consciously opening the door that leads into our dream life, we can find out for ourselves that our Higher Self, our Divine Source and the Spirit World as a whole are truly here at hand and that these few minutes of daily training can help us regain awareness about this fact. For example, for those who are seeking proof of life after death, it is as if our loved ones were living in the room next door: the door is never locked and is literally flung open every time we dream. It is up to us to train so that it does not snap shut when we wake up and we can bring to light the wonderful awareness that death is an illusion and that we are always connected to our Spirit Selves and to the Spirit World.

[DTR1975]

It's always bothered me that I can't remember my dreams. I know that I have had some interesting ones, but it seems like as soon as I wake up, my memory of it just disappears. Every now and then I will get a fleeting memory of some parts of a dream I've had, but nothing concrete that I could put into words. So I think that I am going to try this.

[DTR1975]

The link went to the download the app screen but it never says what the video is.

[Giulia]

How To Self Administer EMDR Therapy

MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN STAR TREK

Hi, Tony.

I am not quite sure what self-administering EMDR therapy to resolve trauma has to do with dream recollection.

[Giulia]

In this process we ACTUALLY DREAM THE MEMORY WHILE AWAKE during the EMDR exercise and control our brain's REM.

Thank you, Tony, for explaining that your post had to do specifically with dreams following a traumatic event. I am familiar with EMDR and I find it works wonders.

[DTR1975]

I just unintentionally did an interesting dream experiment. I fell asleep watching YouTube(again). Apparently there was a video on about a series of video games (Metro2033). I was dreaming about the stuff that the guy in the video was talking about. My dream featured both the setting of the games,events, and characters from the games. So apparently it is possible to (sort of) influence my dreams by means of an outside stimulus. Has anyone else ever known this to occur with their dreams?

[DTR1975]

I have an idea about why we don't remember our dreams. It's related to Aldous Huxley's concept of the brain as a filter. Most people only retain vague impressions of what they do from one day to the next in their waking life, and only remember the details if something memorable happens. In dreams, reality is constantly in flux. Places shift from one location to another seamlessly. Characters morph from one person to another. Even your own identity is subject to change at a moment's notice. Since dream reality is so dynamic, there is nothing to build a normal impression out of. Furthermore, because of the constant change, your brain has no way of differentiating between the normal and the abnormal. Thus it has no standard by which to judge whether something that happens in the dream is memorable or not. What do you think?

[Giulia]

I have an idea about why we don't remember our dreams. It's related to Aldous Huxley's concept of the brain as a filter. Most people only retain vague impressions of what they do from one day to the next in their waking life, and only remember the details if something memorable happens. In dreams, reality is constantly in flux. Places shift from one location to another seamlessly. Characters morph from one person to another. Even your own identity is subject to change at a moment's notice. Since dream reality is so dynamic, there is nothing to build a normal impression out of. Furthermore, because of the constant change, your brain has no way of differentiating between the normal and the abnormal. Thus it has no standard by which to judge whether something that happens in the dream is memorable or not. What do you think?

Hello, Derek.

I tend to suspect there is another reason why we might not remember dreams, and that is because they happen while we are asleep.

I have a very vivid memory of this morning’s dream, for some reason.

Also, I would say that memorable things DO happen in my dreams. A memorable event would be dreaming of my husband, for instance.

[DTR1975]

It doesn't seem fair that some people can't remember their dreams. I can recall every minute of my boring, waking life where I'm a nobody, and every day is usually the same as the one before it. But then there's this other world where I get to be the hero and main character that goes on wild exciting adventures- The dreamworld. But most of the time when I wake up, I can't even remember it. I think that's one of the reasons that I am working on the dream journal. That life, that dream life is yours. You should have the right to remember it.

[DTR1975]

Copy

I have been doing dream journalING for about a week or 2 now. It has definitely been enhancing my recall of the dreams. I think that I might try to use a notebook to write my dreams in. I find it difficult to type them into an app while I am still groggy. I probably need to structure my sleep pattern. As it is my sleep pattern is fairly chaotic.