Unlocking the Power of Dreams: How Dream Interpretation Fuels Self-Development.
Dreamwork is the one self-development tool that has helped me and strengthened my intuition more than any other practice I have used. Dream interpretation is a gentle, free and easy way to better understand your subconscious and help you to manifest the life of your dreams. There was a period of time in my life that was stressful and chaotic. My dreams were awful. They were recurring nightmares, and got to be so emotionally stressful I dreaded going to sleep. These reoccuring nightmares prompted me to get curious, which lead me to dream interpretation. I educated myself about the significance of dream work, and learned to work with my nightmares and eventually grew to appreciate them.
Every time you dismiss dreams as random nonsense or don’t recall them, you miss the opportunity for self improvement. Your dreams are your subconscious talking to you about you. They are trying to help you bring your dreams into reality. Dreams, when interpreted, are powerful tools to help you grow. Dreams can help you work out painful and stressful situations that occurred during your waking life. Then you can move forward when your eyes are open. Dreams can reveal patterns and show you situations from the past that you are repeating in the present. Your dreams are specfically created to help you evolve and grow.
What are dreams? What do they mean? Are they random? Why do we have them? We have a lot to learn about sleep and dreaming. There are several different theories about what dreams are. Because researchers don’t fully understand dreams, they do not all agree on the meaning of dreams. However, all the theories agree dreams are wonderful for our mind, body and spirit and that they help us be vital and whole when awake.
How to recall your dreams
Keep a pen and notebook next to your bed. Jot down what you remember immediately upon waking. You may also record them into your phone or a voice recorder. Whatever you do, record your dreams as soon as you wake up. As you build this connection, you will gradually remember more and more dreams.
Your dreams are filled with beautiful images, symbolisms and messages meant just for you. Remember to have fun as you recalling and interpret your dreams. If you are getting frustrated or tense, take a breath and let it go. Dream interpretation is best approached in a lighthearted and relaxed state. You don’t need to interpret every single dream you remember, some are just meant to be enjoyed. Yes, some dreams have some important messages they are trying to tell you but don’t get obsessed. Interpret what you can and leave it at that.
How to interpret your dreams.
Dreams are in the language of the subconscious. The subconscious is like a poem. It speaks in metaphors, with symbols and rich imagery. The images, people, places and events in your dreams are not meant to be interpreted literally, but personally. The best person to interpret them is you. This is because it is your feelings and desires being translated into images and a story. Remember, your dreams are about you. The people in your dreams often are an aspect of you.
One way to interpret your dreams is through association. Express the first thing that pops into your head when you recall the dream. For example you might have been in an ice cream shop in your dream. And your first job in highschool was working at an ice cream shop. So for you, this could be reminding you of your adolescence and a situation that is similar in your present life to back then.
Overtime the more you interpret your dreams the easier it will get to understand the significance for you. You may dream about the same people and things like friends, family, pets ect. Each time you dream about them you will know what aspect of your personality they are representing. Most dreams are not to be taken literally. They need to be decoded and deciphered. This will help you to get to the deeper meaning. In fact interpreting dreams literally could be harmful and dangerous. Your dream the symbolism and its interpretation are unique to you! I love using a dream dictionary to help me decode and interpret my dreams. It is very similar to learning a different language.
If you are having trouble interpreting the symbols of your dream pay attention to the emotion of the dream. Was it tense? Joyful? Fun? The emotion is there to be witnessed and observed. It is there to show you that you have a choice of how to live your life. Remember you are not your emotion. It just wants to be acknowledged.
What to do
As you continue to record and decode your dreams you are strengthening the connection between your conscious and subconscious mind. You are also strengthening your intuition and deepening your connection to it, and your inner guidance. When you pay attention to your dreaming mind it will get excited, and will keep sharing with you. Keep at it. The potentials of self discovery and transformation are limitless.
Take Action: Listen to your dreams, and live out a harmful aspect of your dream. For example, if red was a prominent color in your dream, wear a red dress, or red lipstick. Have fun bringing your dreams to life. Be safe and responsible. If you dreamt about an old friend, send them a message and see how they are doing. By taking action on your dreams your subconscious will know you are paying attention, and keep helping you to remember your dreams. You may find that throughout the day more dreams come back to you. Write it down, acknowledge it and thank your dreaming mind for bringing the dream back to you.
Save your dream journals: As you continue to record your dreams save your journals. You will be shocked when you go back and read what you had dreamt about months ago. See if you notice themes or if your dreams were predicting themes or events that happened months later. You may notice that your dreams guided you to make choices and take actions that helped you to become a better version of yourself.
Common Blocks to Dream Recall
Not remembering -This is the most common block to dream interpretation. Do not fear. Treat your subconscious is like a lover. It needs some attention and wants to know you are paying attention. Before falling asleep, set the intention to dream. Close your eyes and say to yourself “I will sleep deeply and peacefully and when I wake up I will remember my dreams”. Or you could write that phrase in your dream journal “I will remember my dreams when I wake up and I am looking forward to it”. You can also do a visualization. Close your eyes and see yourself in your mind as if it is the next morning and you have just woken up. See yourself grabbing your dream journal and pen and start excitedly writing down your dreams. Then bring yourself back to your present and notice your breath in and breath out. Then state out loud “ I will remember my dreams when I wake up in the morning”. All of these practices are bring your attention to your subconscious and dreaming mind. Where your attention goes energy flows. The more you continue to put your attention on to your dreams the more you will start to remember and the more you will have to decode in the morning!
Nightmares- If your dreams are chaotic and frightening and you don’t want to spend anymore time thinking about them -I get it. AND you subconscious mind is trying to get your attention. Something in your life needs to change and be acknowledged. The nightmare is trying to help and wants you to acknowledge the message behind the story. The more you acknowledge and deal with emotions and problems in your waking life the less disturbing and scary your dreams will be.
Dreams have the potential to connect you to your inner world and help you understand yourself at a deeper soul level. Whether you decide to practice dream recall and interpretation know that your dreams are here to help you. They have your highest good in mind and are always trying to lead you to your North Star, or to your highest potential. May you develop a new appreciation and respect for your dreams. And if you are curious try recording your dreams for 41 days and see what unfolds. It may just change your life.
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