Dream Life

Tips for recalling and recording stories from the unconscious

Some of the first writing I did on the internet was on dream interpretation. I wrote for The Hairpin on occasion, where I explored the dreams of readers, and then created my own blog on which I wrote long-form about the symbolism and meaning of dreams and nightmares.

I know many people feel squeamish when a friend says, “I had the weirdest dream last night…”. Others likely pressed delete the second they saw “dream” in the subject line above. This aspect of our lives—something that most of us experience every night—is often viewed with about as much respect as a “Live, Laugh, Love” refrigerator magnet. Rather than being understood as providing insight into our psychological anatomy, dreams are casually tossed aside as banal nonsense that no self-respecting, intelligent person could believe has value.

But for clinicians with the training, a dream is like an X-ray to a radiologist: they’re among the greatest tools we have for understanding what is happening below the surface for a patient psychologically (and sometimes physically). Not only are dreams not banal and ridiculous, but they can be the key to unlocking what’s happening with a client and—like an X-ray—indicate where to focus the healing.

As a young clinician, I was obsessed with learning everything I could about dreams and dreamwork. I wanted to understand dreams as a diagnostic tool, develop a catalog of archetypal symbols, and learn patterns of psychological development visible in the story structure of a dream. I wanted to know what methods of dreamwork were most effective, and how to support the healing of anxiety, depression, trauma, and neurosis through encounters with the unconscious.

Despite this, I’ve never considered myself an expert on dreams. Far from it. And I’m not saying that to be coy. With every dream I hear, there’s yet another piece of mythology I wish were part of my knowledge bank or another thread of archetypal symbolism that I wish I understood more fully. When given the respect they deserve, dreams are nothing if not humbling. They’re easy to reject as pure nonsense because they challenge our sense of competence. An easy defense is to call them absurd. Like any relationship—especially with someone who speaks a completely different language—a genuine engagement with dreams demand patience, respect, and interest to be understood. They also require us to come back again and again.

“Sugawara of the Tsuruya dreaming of Daikoku,” Isoda Koryusai, 1778; Art Institute Chicago

I fail here too. Despite my intense interest in dreams and my desire to record all of the images I remember when I wake, I still arise many mornings with only vague memories of what unfolded throughout the night and decide not to write them down. I can only “work” so many dreams, I reason in my waking fog, so what’s the point?

But within a day or two, I tend to regret this neglect. Those vague memories often take on new importance. I may realize that a dream had been offering insight into a conflict or information about a creative project I’m chewing on, or that there had been some prescient awareness about a world event. In each case, I strongly wish I’d written down what I’d seen and felt.

---

What follows are tips for recalling and recording dreams that I share with students when starting a class on dreamwork—and that are always helpful for me to review as well. We can always use a nudge from time to time.

Tips for Enhancing Dream Recall:

• Keep a journal and pen by your bed—or quick access to a recording device if you’re more likely to speak a dream than write it down.

• Set an intention before going to sleep to begin training your attention on dreams and encourage your conscious mind to remember them in the morning.

• Stay still in bed, in the dark for a short while after waking to see what you can remember. Dream recall is easily disrupted by blue light from screens, sounds, early morning conversations, and a lot of activity.

• Start writing or recording as soon as you can, even if you remember almost nothing at first.

Tips for Recording Dreams:

• Begin by writing your dreams in the present tense — “I am walking down a dark street and I see a cat...”

• Start with whatever you recall, no matter how tiny. Write down the images, feelings, and phrases; you can begin anywhere.

• Add details. Try not to believe “that’s not important” and other similar self-editing that commonly arise. Write it all down.

• Follow a single image, if that’s all that you remember, and work to recall whatever details you can before getting up to write. One small piece of a dream can open up a much larger story when given attention.

• Dreams aren’t always linear and in rational, chronological
  order. Don’t worry about it making sense while you’re writing.

• Date your dream. (You’ll want the date.)

• Give your dream a title, without over-thinking it.

Other Things to Keep in Mind:

• Dreams rarely mean what you think they mean. No, dreams never mean what you think they mean. Even if you feel certain that “that’s just about my worry about X” write down the details.

• Dreams are rarely singular. A great deal of information can come through different dreams in one night, and in dreams over weeks, months, and years. Notice if themes emerge. Consider tracking patterns, recurring characters, or recurring images. Notice what stays the same, and what is different.

• Alcohol/drugs/substances can affect how you’re able to dream and the quality of your consciousness. If you use substances frequently, especially before bed, you may want to see what shifts without using them.

• Movies, TV, and scrolling before bed also affect our dreams, especially those that arouse the nervous system. These stories can be invasive so that the unconscious is forced to process them instead of life events. Consider a media diet in the hours before bed if you want to focus on dreamwork.

• Notice the beginning, middle, and end of dreams. Just like a good story, the way they start and conclude can hold tremendously valuable information.

• On recurring dreams: If it feels like things are just repeating, almost identically, try to capture the tiny differences that you notice over time. This can help offer cracks of understanding to what these often perplexing dreams are about—and what they’re trying to tell you.

What other tips are helpful to you in remembering and recording dreams? What questions do you have about this work? Would you enjoy a series on dream interpretations of readers’ dreams if I were to dust off that old writing?

---

Coming Up:

Sunday, April 28: My next workshop for paid subscribers of Self & Society at 10am PDT | 6pm UK (Paid subscribers, look in your email footer for the registration link and send me a DM if you only use the app.)

Friday & Saturday, May 3rd + 4th: The Christiana Morgan Lecture and a Workshop on Christiana Morgan, her Tower, and Papers, Brunswick, Maine.

Friday, May 10th—: A six-week seminar on Community Dreamwork. Online. Paid subscribers to Self&Society get 15% off registration.

Wednesday, May 15: In conversation with the fabulous

Emma Gannon

at Up Up Books, Portland, Oregon. 6:30pm. (This is a ticketed event with limited space.)

Sunday, May 26th: Gathering for paid subscribers of Self & Society at 10am PDT | 6pm UK - save the date!

June 19-23: A retreat on San Juan Island for Quarterlifers on the journeys of initiation, transformation, and the summer solstice with exquisite food by chef

Gracie Gardner

.