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Why we dream and how to remember a dream
We dream every night, and the most vivid dreams come in the phase of rapid eye movement, which returns about every 90 minutes, four to six times a night. Most dreams are forgotten soon after waking. According to Freud a dream processes wishes, according to Jung it speaks in symbols; dream dictionaries interpret those symbols.
Sleep
Why do we dream?
Sleep runs in cycles of about 90 minutes: from light to deep sleep, back to light, and then a phase of rapid eye movement. In it the brain works almost as when awake, and dreams are most vivid. Deep sleep comes early in the night, and towards the morning the phases of rapid eye movement grow longer. That is why the dream just before waking is the easiest to remember.
Why we dream at all, science is still working out. According to Freud a dream fulfils hidden wishes dressed in images. According to Jung a dream speaks in symbols and shows what the day has left aside.
In the esoteric tradition it is believed that in sleep the soul travels and receives messages. Dream dictionaries interpret the symbols of a dream in this tradition.
The kinds
Types of dreams
Ordinary
Most dreams. They mix impressions from the day: conversations, places, worries. They are often confused and quickly forgotten.
Recurring
The same dream or the same theme again and again. Psychology links them with anxiety or with a question that is not yet resolved.
Nightmares
Dreams of strong fear after which a person wakes up. Occasional nightmares are common; frequent ones that disturb sleep are a reason to talk to a doctor.
Lucid
A dream in which the sleeper understands that they are dreaming and sometimes steers the events. It happens most often in the phase of rapid eye movement.
“Prophetic” is what people call the dreams they feel predicted something. This is a personal belief: there is no confirmation that a dream predicts the future.
Three steps
How to remember your dream
Intention in the evening
Before you fall asleep, tell yourself that in the morning you will remember the dream. Leave a notebook and a pen by the bed.
Stay still
When you wake up, stay still with your eyes closed for a minute or two and go back to the last image. Moving and the phone scatter the memory.
Write the first word
Write down at least one word at once, still in bed. The other images usually come back around it.
The dictionary
From the remembered dream to the dictionary
First record the dream in your own words: setting, people, event and feeling on waking. Then choose one symbol to look up.
For example, water may appear as the sea, a flooded room or a glass on a table. Preserve that context instead of replacing the entire dream with one general meaning.
Search the dream dictionaryDescribe the whole dream for interpretation
Interpreting a whole dream needs an account on the site.
Dreams
Frequently asked questions about dreams
Is it normal not to remember my dreams?
Yes: everyone dreams, but most dreams are forgotten soon after waking. A dream is easier to remember if you wake straight from the phase of rapid eye movement and write it down at once.
What does a recurring dream mean?
In psychology a recurring dream is linked with anxiety or with an unresolved question from the day. The feeling you wake up with matters more than the plot.
Should I worry about nightmares?
Occasional nightmares are common. If they are frequent and disturb your sleep, talk to a doctor: that is not a question for a dream dictionary.
What is lucid dreaming?
A dream in which the sleeper knows they are dreaming and sometimes steers the events. It happens most often in the phase of rapid eye movement.
Are dreams prophetic?
There is no confirmation that a dream predicts the future; it is a personal belief. Most dreams process what was lived through during the day.