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Basic
Dream Technique
by Tim Thompson
Everyone dreams. It is a natural gift, and a necessity. If we did not
dream, we would go mad. There are many scientific studies that demonstrate
the importance of dream or REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. Sometimes, people
say they do not dream. But what they really mean is that they usually do
not remember their dreams. There are many reasons for this, and it is a situation
that can be easily changed.
This article
is about basic dream techniques that anyone can apply to get more information
from their dream state. We spend about 8 hours a day in sleep, and much of
that time is in the dream state. It is a powerful mental experience, and
one of the few times in our lives when the two parts of the mind, the conscious
(or ego) and unconscious (or id) can directly communicate while we are aware
of it. These two parts of our minds communicate all the time, but we are
only aware of that communication while in the dream state. This article covers
natural dreams as found in sleep. It is not about goals and aspirations,
which are often referred to as dreams. Nor will it deal with "daydreams", flights of fancy, another important aspect of
our lives. This article deals with "night dreams", the experience
we have when in REM sleep. They are highly informative and can be very helpful
as a source for inspiration and solutions to problems.
What
is a dream?
A
dream is several things at once, and people have been trying to explain and
define dreams for centuries. Modern psychology considers a dream a message
from the unconscious that is observed by the conscious mind.
Some
dreams are problem solving exercises. Thomas Edison, the great inventor,
was well known for taking "cat naps" during the day in order to "come
up with" a solution to a problem or to generate a new idea. He got much
of this assistance from his dreams!
Dreams
are the source of great inspiration. In the 19th Century, Mary Shelly, author
of the classic novel "Frankenstein" (yes, it started
life as a novel, not a movie) needed inspiration for a story that would terrify
the reader. She had good reason. She was up against a big challenge presented
by Lord Byron and Percy Shelly (the poet laureate of England). They had set
up a "ghost story" contest. Mary had little hope of being able
to compete with these two literary giants, or so she thought. Until one night,
when she had a dream. In her own words:
"I saw the pale student
of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the
hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some
powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital
motion... On the morrow, I announced that I had thought of a story. ..."
(From the Preface to the 1831 edition of Frankenstein)
Of
the works composed for that contest, only Frankenstein achieved literary
and later, cinematic fame. It is now a common word in the English language,
and can be found in any dictionary and encyclopedia. That's pretty potent
stuff coming from a dream!
We
often re-hash daily experiences in our dreams, and often a dream is our way
of resolving emotional issues or conflicts that we cannot resolve in our
waking lives. Dreams allow us to freely express our emotions in a safe way,
without acting out. Thus we can have dreams about doing terrible things to
others, when in fact, we don't harm them at all. Such dreams are ways of
expressing anger and frustration which we cannot express in our waking lives.
Similarly, we can have highly erotic and sexual dreams about others which
we could not act out in our waking state.
The
unconscious mind works with symbols and symbolic logic, which is different
from the ego or conscious mind which works with literal experience and linear
logic. Both are important in our lives. But symbolic interpretation and experience
is much richer and more complex than literal experience. And, because dreams
are messages from the unconscious, they are often about symbols and abstract
ideas rather than something one can take literally. Rational experience does
not limit the unconscious, which sees everything as current and possible.
Thus we can do things in dreams that defy the laws of physics and rational
thought-- we fly, we run at lightning speed, we visit impossible worlds filled
with wonder. The power of the imagination is fully at work in the dream state,
opening doors of possibility that we would not be able to go through in our
waking lives.
In
dreams, there are no limits. We can dream in technicolor, with physical sensation,
have deeply felt emotions, hear music, and in some cases, experience a whole
new type of life!
Types
of Dreams
There
are many types of dreams that we experience.
-
There
is the "good dream",
where we have a wonderful time in some activity and wake up feeling a sense
of pleasure or wonder.
-
There
is the "problem dream" where we try
to work through some issue that has concerned us in our waking life, such
as a complex problem or endeavor which we cannot solve. We often "re
hash" it in the
dream in an attempt to find resolution.
-
There
is the "sexual dream" (sometimes
called a "wet dream" where
we become so sexually aroused that we actually experience an orgasm, often
called a "nocturnal emission".) This is common among adolescents.
-
There
is the "nightmare",
terrifying dreams that fill us with fear, sometimes so much that we awaken
trembling and shaken by the experience.
All
these dreams are healthy and necessary. They are ways we work through our
emotional issues and sometimes solve problems or experience that which we
could not experience otherwise. There is no morality you can attach to a
dream, and attempts to do so are counter productive to a healthy mental life.
Thought control is different from self discipline. Attempting to censor a
dream or judge it is really an attempt at thought control and a denial of
the basic freedom of life itself.
Dream
Techniques
There
are three basic types of dream techniques.
-
The
Natural Dream - This technique is an exercise in allowing the dreams you
have to be perfectly natural and you experience them simply for the purpose
of experience. It's a "come
what may" approach
to dreaming. Most people use the natural dream technique throughout their
lives. It requires the least practice and work.
-
The
Lucid Dream - This technique is an exercise to allow the conscious self (or
ego) to be aware of the dream state. When in a lucid dream, it is possible
to interrupt the dream itself, talk to the dream characters, ask questions
directly, get answers, control the "story".
-
The
Programmed Dream - This technique is an exercise in creating a dream ahead
of time, laying out the "outline" of
what the dream will contain. For example, in a programmed dream, you might
determine that "in
my dream I will dream of a red car." This technique is often associated
with the lucid dream so you can be aware of what is happening and possibly
continue to program the dream.
To
use any dream technique takes very little effort, in fact, the more relaxed
you are, the better the chances of getting the outcome you desire.
The
first thing in any dream technique is to acknowledge THAT you dream. Some
people are convinced that they do not dream. This blocks them from remembering
the dream experience. It does not prevent a dream. If you do not remember
your dreams, there are reasons for this which you can change.
Because
dreams are free thought, and society has rules about behavior, and to some
degree what we think, you may be blocking yourself from remembering dreams
rather than have to deal with the conflict that dreams present against the "social norm".
This is a problem of self control being excessive. It doesn't stop any dream,
it simply blocks access to it during the waking state, from memory. The dream
still happens, but as soon as you awake, you dismiss it and remove it from
your memory access.
How
To Remember Your Dreams
-
Acknowledge
THAT you dream, that dreams are an important part of mental health, and that
whatever occurs in a dream is perfectly okay. Try as much as you can to remove
the censorship and control. Take the approach that dreams are important and
natural and have no moral value. They are just thoughts. Thinking a thing
does not make it happen, it is just an idea. So allow yourself to dream and
therefore to remember your dreams. You are fully capable of remembering your
dreams if you allow yourself to do so.
-
Expect
to remember your dreams. Keep it in your mind, especially when you go to
sleep, that you really do want to remember what you dream. This helps remove
the controls and blocks from remembering your dreams.
-
Take
it easy. If you are used to not remembering dreams, it may take a while of
reminding yourself that it is okay to remember your dreams. Allow the time
for this to happen, but be persistent in reminding yourself to remember your
dreams and expecting this to happen.
-
Be
at ease, have no fear. There is nothing to fear from dreams. Dreams are just
stories, and if you have nightmares or unpleasant dreams, they will pass
if you remove the fear of dreaming from your mind.
How
to Use a Natural Dream
-
A
natural dream is the easiest type of dream to have and work with. In the
natural dream you are just "going along for the ride".
You want to remember the dream, so have an expectation that this will happen.
You can even be a little excited about it to help move things along.
-
As
you go to sleep, think to yourself that you will dream. That is all, just
THAT you will dream, and of course, that you will remember the dream.
- When
you awake, do two things:
1)
Take an inventory of how you emotionally feel. The dream will have stimulated
some emotions, and you want to take inventory of what they are.
2)
Write down the dream you remember in as much detail as you can. You can use
this information later on for interpretation. Be careful of thinking, "oh, I'll remember this for the rest of the
day". Dream memories fade rather quickly.
How
to Use a Lucid Dream
-
A
lucid dream is a bit more of a challenge to come up with, but it can be a
very rewarding experience. In the lucid dream, you are expecting to be able
to converse with dream characters and basically, be aware THAT you are dreaming
WHILE you are dreaming. It is more interactive than a natural dream. You
want to remember the dream, so have an expectation that you will, but also
develop an expectation that you will be able to participate in the dream
while it is happening.
-
As
you go to sleep, mentally invite the dream to come, whatever it is, in an
open fashion so that you can participate with it. Do not try to force this
with "I WILL participate in this dream",
that just shuts down the process. Instead, think "I am open to and excited
about participating in my dream." Your purpose in a lucid dream is not
to control, but to partner.
-
Lucid
dreaming takes practice and does not occur consistently, so allow this. It
is not a failure to miss out on a lucid dream. It is just dreaming. So allow
yourself the option of not being able to participate in the dream. The less
pressure you put upon yourself, the more likely that you'll give yourself
what you want.
There
are some things to remember in the lucid dream experience.
-
All
characters in any dream are really parts of yourself. They may appear to
be "others", people
you know, strangers. They are really you.
-
You
can ask any dream character a question, but be prepared for an unintelligible
answer. Language is not required by the unconscious, so a dream character
may respond to you in abstract ways, such as with body language, a nod or
wink, or by singing a note, or doing a cartwheel, anything! Do not expect
a "normal" response.
Expect the unexpected.
-
You
can adjust the dream, this can be some fun. For example, if you see a blue
car in your dream and are aware of it, think of it as being a red car. The
car may actually change colors, or a new car may enter the scene that is
red.
-
A
lucid dream is a lot like being a participant on stage in a play. The actors
are all playing their parts and have a script. You're the oddball, with no
script. The actors will continue to play "in character".
If you have ever gone to an historical exposition where people are acting
the lives of historical characters, you may have had this experience. They
are trained to respond to you from within character, not as another person
in your modern life. Dream characters do the same thing.
How
to Use a Programmed Dream
-
A
programmed dream is the most complex dream to cause to happen, yet can be
tremendously rewarding. In the programmed dream, you are basically asking
your unconscious for what it will discuss with you in the dream. This is
how to use dreams to solve problems, invent ideas and so on. You pre-plan
what you want the unconscious mind to help you with. Remember, the unconscious
mind is the source of ideas and the seat of imagination. It makes sense to
ask it for help when you need it. After all, it is yours.
-
The
unconscious mind may simply not cooperate. There are important mental health
reasons why dreams are spontaneous. When you engage in active programmed
dreaming, to a certain extent you are preventing these from occurring. Your
unconscious mind will know this and sometimes simply not play along. Be thankful
for that, your mental health is of prime importance, and your unconscious
mind, if it is healthy, won't allow you to do something that harms it or
you. It has a wisdom all its own. So the level of success with this technique
depends on what is best for you at the time, and you must allow your unconscious
mind to "run the show."
-
Before
you go to sleep, concentrate on some aspect of the dream that you want to
program. Don't try to program an entire story or script it out-- this won't
work. Simply concentrate on ONE thing, or aspect that you want to make happen
sometime within the dream. For example, if you need an idea for a story or
newspaper column, you can "program" the
dream to generate an idea or set of ideas for you. That is the the program
aspect, you are determining the subject of the dream.
-
Meditation
prior to sleep can help. In this type of meditation, you are sort of "pre-sleeping".
You go to your inner sanctuary (a common mediation and visualization component)
and meet with aspects of yourself whom you want to help you. You tell them
what you want, and then fall asleep.
-
Expect
your expectations to be met.
-
You
can combine some of the aspects of lucid dreaming with this technique. If
you are lucid dreaming inside a programmed dream, you should be able to know
if what you are looking for takes place while it is taking place. It isn't
necessary to do lucid dreaming inside a programmed dream, but it can add
to the experience.
-
When
you awake, remember your dream and see if what you asked for actually did
happen. Be aware that dream symbols may confuse you. You may not recognize
a dream symbol and feel you did not get what you wanted, when in fact you
did, but you haven't grasped the trick to understanding it. Also, if you
programmed the solution to a problem or the generation of an idea, be aware
that during the day, this may suddenly just "come
out".
You may find yourself doing something that solves the issue you wanted to
dream about, and it is so natural and easy for you to do it. That's the answer
you requested!
-
Always
thank yourself, acknowledge that something did happen.
The
Dream Journal
In
all these techniques a good practice is to keep a dream journal. This is
a little book (it doesn't matter what kind-- whatever appeals to you) by
your bed with a pen or pencil. As soon as you awaken, write down your dream,
your thoughts, your ideas, whatever is in your mind. Do this every day. Read
the journal every night before you go to sleep. By keeping a dream journal,
you are tracking your dreams. Some people keep years of dream journals, and
when they read back the dreams, they re-live the dreams like it was yesterday!
And, a dream journal helps you go back again and again to a dream and maybe
figure it out later when you couldn't understand it at first.
Dream
Interpretation
People
have been interpreting dreams for centuries and there are many books and
sources of dream symbols. Some of these are culturally based, so what works
in one culture may not work in another. Below are a few dream symbols and
their generally accepted meanings:
House:
The
house represents the mind and its levels. The attic or upper floors represents
the "higher self" and the basement represents the "guttural
self". The levels are similar to the mystical Chakrahs. If you dream
you are locked in a basement, it might mean that you are dealing with a basic
instinct that you need to understand, such as physical frustration, sexual
experience (or the lack thereof) or some aspect of bodily health, especially
in the digestive area. If you dream you are in the attic, this relates to
the "higher self", sometimes the spiritual self and issues you
are having there.
Animals:
Animals
in a dream are characters, and therefore parts of yourself. However, the
animals represent aspects of yourself that are associated with the animal
itself. If you dream of a fox, you are dealing with your sense of cleverness
and cunning. If you dream of a cat, you are dealing with your sense of independence
and self absorption. But remember that you have relationship and ideas about
some animals, and that affects the interpretation. If you live with a cat
and dream about a cat, you may be dealing with some part of yourself related
to how you yourself deal with your cat. For example, if you yelled at your
cat for scratching the furniture and then dream of yelling at a cat, you
have a parallel. In this case, your unconscious is dealing with your own
sense of self discipline.
Teeth:
People
often dream that they lose teeth or their teeth grow or some other aspect
of toothiness. Teeth generally represent a sense of growth in a dream. We
all lose our "baby teeth" and
grow new ones. If you dream of losing a tooth, it may mean that you are preparing
for some level of growth. If you dream of someone yanking out a tooth or
knocking it out, it may be a sense of attack or having something you need
being taken away from you and you might be allowing it to happen simply by
not preventing it.
Money:
People
often dream of money. Money is power and ability. If you dream you lose money,
it may mean you feel a sense of losing control of something. If you dream
of coming into money, it may mean you are coming into your own sense of power
and ability. However, if you spent the last few hours before sleeping going
over bills and checks, it may be just a representation of how you feel about
the process of paying bills and balancing checks!
Sex:
People
dream of having sex with others quite often, or trying to have sex and being
interrupted. Sex is a basic function of life and a natural drive. Sex means
the ability to create, to cause something to happen in your life. The person
you are having sex with, the gender, the circumstances do not matter because
the person is actually you. Some people apply a moral dilemma on a sexual
dream and feel ashamed and so on. This is unnecessary because sex in a dream
is not about sex, it is about creation and causality. If you dream that you
successfully have sex with someone, it may mean that you are very close to
making something happen in your life that you really want (i.e. about to
close on the purchase of a new home). However, dreams also work to help the
body take care of itself. In adolescence, when the sexual organs are developing
and hormones are filling the bloodstream, a sexual dream that ends in actual
orgasm may be a response to a physical need.
Passion
and Love:
A very common dream experience is passion and love which
is usually not expressed sexually. In this experience, you feel a tremendous
attraction to someone in the dream and get to embrace or express a passion
for them and with them. They may or may not respond, or you may be interrupted.
This is a very high form of self love, which is necessary to survival. The
character is you and you are expressing devotion to yourself. If you are
frustrated and unable to embrace the dream character, it may mean that you
are having difficulty giving yourself the attention and love you deserve.
You may be in some type of self denial that needs to be worked out. If you
do have an embrace and passion, it may mean a healing of the self, a form
of self acceptance. Sometimes, the passionate and love oriented dream is
the most profound and pleasant dream you can have.
Flying:
People
fly in dreams all the time. For some, it is terrifying, for others, it is
a delight. Flight in a dream usually means you are moving beyond the norm,
expanding your boundaries and taking risks. If you feel fear in the flight,
it may mean you are not ready for the risks and fear failure. If you feel
exhilarated and joyful, it may mean that you are really "into" the
experience in your life that is lifting you beyond where you were.
These
are a few items and interpretations. There is NO hard and fast rule and nothing
is "carved in stone". In the end only YOU can really
tell what dream symbols and experiences mean because they are highly individualistic.
When you DO figure out the meaning of a dream, you will feel a sense of relief
and satisfaction, that great "AHA!". That's how you know, "you
got it!"
Finally,
be aware of double entendres, the puns that dreams contain. If you want to
be able to see something, you may dream of the sea. If you feel you have
a crazy plan or project underway in your waking life, you may dream of something
that has loose screws (a screw loose) or a bowl of nuts! If you have a very
strong and playful sense of humor, it will express in dreams as much as it
does in your waking life. Be sure and get your own jokes!
Dreams are wonderful and rewarding experiences. In this article, I have
discussed some very basic concepts behind understanding and working with
dreams. I strongly recommend that you look on the Internet for more information
and also, if you want to really work with dreams, that you join a dream workshop
in your local education center, if one is offered. We spend 1/3 of our lives
dreaming and it is such a valuable resource, it is worth delving into!
Happy
Dreams!
ClydeSight
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