How to Build a Foundation to Start Working with Your Dreams
Name TBD/Untitled (2024)
Most people approach dream interpretation like they would a puzzle: they recall a symbol, search for its meaning, and hope they’ll find an answer. While some symbols carry broad archetypal associations- for example, water often represents one’s emotional state- much of the symbology is based on personal context and can’t be captured simply by reading a dream dictionary. After years of recording and working with my own dreams, I’ve found that dreams rarely communicate in a straightforward way. Dreams communicate through a unique language filled with symbolism, metaphor, emotions, and memories that can make understanding and interpreting their messages perplexing. Rather than taking a symbol’s definition and seeing how it fits into your dream experience, it's about looking within and learning your dreamer’s language.
But before we can begin to understand our dreams’ messages, we have to address a big challenge that many people face with dreams: remembering them! This can be especially challenging, depending on what's occurring in your waking life and the quality of sleep you get. If you’re someone who has a hard time remembering if you dreamt at all, the first place to look is whether you’re getting the rest you need at night. Start by improving sleep by creating a nighttime routine that relaxes your mind, such as journaling and turning off screens by a set time. If you’re already getting a decent night’s rest, the next place to look is how you’ve historically treated your dreams. Have you always had a deep curiosity about what your dreams mean? Or do you wake up and dismiss them?
Dreaming is like a bridge to the subconscious mind. Like any other relationship, you have to tend to it with care. Consider any other relationship you have in waking life. If you had a friend who consistently brushed you off and didn’t make time for you when you tried to make time for them, eventually you’d take a step back and stop investing so much energy in someone who isn’t matching you. If you’ve spent years dismissing your dreams, it may take time to rebuild that connection, and that’s perfectly normal. As you begin to show interest and curiosity, dream recall will become easier over time, like a muscle you exercise.
Here are 5 practices to help you start developing a relationship with your dreams and the unique way they communicate with you.
Set an intention before going to sleep
Setting an intention tells your brain that it’s important and that you want to prioritize dream recall. Before going to sleep, visualize yourself waking up in the morning, writing down your dreams, and repeating a simple mantra: “I remember my dreams when I wake up.” Do this every night before you go to sleep, and notice whether you’re able to recall more details when you wake up. You can even thank your dreams for showing up. It might feel silly at first, but think about how you’re building a bridge for communication with a deeper part of yourself. It helps to talk kindly to yourself!
Write your dreams down upon waking
Before you reach for your phone and start thinking about what's ahead for the day, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and recall any memories from your dreams. It's okay if it's only fragments! Those are just as important as full-blown storylines.
As soon as you wake up, your mind will start trying to organize the dream into a logical narrative, and it may create a sense of paralysis that keeps you from recording. Notice it, but keep going. Write down everything you recall, even if it isn’t in order.
Your mind may also judge what is “worth” writing down or not, but simply put those thoughts aside and record any and all details. I encourage you to physically write your dreams down in a journal, if possible. There’s something powerful about putting pen to paper that doesn’t translate the same way when typing it out.
Title your dream
When you give your dreams a title, it allows your subconscious to communicate additional layers of the messaging behind a dream and makes it easier to spot patterns and themes, especially when reading them together over time. Titles help capture the dream's power and essence in the moment, which is really helpful as the dream memory fades. Here are titles from some of my recent entries. What themes or insights come to mind when you read them?
A Snake in (and out of) my Ear
Driving Forward in Pitch Black
Waking up from Sleep
Driving up an Insanely Steep Incline
Foot Stuck on the Gas (Too Fast)
Will we miss our Exit?
Even without having worked extensively with each dream, I can see themes of control and uncertainty that have me reflecting on where in my life I feel uncertain or may need to surrender.
Leave space in your journal after your entry for reflections.
I recommend leaving at least half, if not a full page of space, so you can come back to record observations, associations, questions, or insights. Sometimes, as you’re writing down your dream, you’ll receive intuitive nudges about what it means. Other times, a dream may leave you with more questions than answers. One of the most important things I’ve learned through dream work is that understanding takes time. Some dreams reveal their meaning gradually through recurring symbols, future dreams, or events unfolding in waking life. I’ve had dreams that didn’t make sense until months or even years later. Sometimes I’ll return to a dream entry and discover additional layers of meaning. Rather than rushing to find an answer, try approaching the dream with curiosity. What emotions were present? What stands out? What questions does the dream leave you with? Use this space to continue the conversation with your dream.
Dreamwork, at least for me, is about maintaining a relationship with a deeper part of myself. It requires curiosity, patience, trust, and a willingness to sit with uncertainty. Not every dream will offer immediate clarity, and some may remain mysterious, but that's the fun of it. When I first started recording my dreams, I assumed that the goal was to figure out what they meant as quickly as possible. Over time, I realized that the practice was in noticing patterns, challenging assumptions, and developing a greater trust in my intuition.
If you’re just beginning, try not to worry about figuring out all of the answers right away. Focus on building the habit of showing up. Record what you remember, stay curious, and allow the patterns to reveal themselves over time.
In future blog posts, I’ll share some of the methods I’ve used to uncover deeper layers of meaning and work with recurring symbols, themes, and messages. If you’d like to follow along, subscribe to my newsletter below. If you want to talk about the dreams you’ve been having lately or have questions, I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and let’s chat!
