What was I just dreaming about???

Dreams are like letters from God. Isn’t it time you answered your mail?

~Marie Louis von Franz

At this point, if you’ve been reading this blog chronologically, you know what a dream catcher is…now it’s time to become one! Incorporate as many of the following suggestions in your early morning awakening routine, and you will be well on your way to remembering more of your dreams and becoming a more masterful dream catcher.

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1.)  Don’t Move A Muscle!

As you lie on the bridge between asleep and awake after a night spent journeying through the multi-dimensions of your dreamscape, as best as you can, DON’T MOVE A MUSCLE! Remain in the position you were in while dreaming. Your body’s position, the particular crumple of your blanket, and the smush of your pillow are part of the container for your dream. If you have to move too much, your dreams will evaporate like smoke from a genie’s lamp. To the best of your ability, maintain the position you were sleeping in, or climb back into bed and do your best at recreating your body’s sleep position in order to catch your dream(s). 

2.)  What Was I Just Dreaming About???

One of the reasons more people DON’T remember their dreams is because the first question on their mind as they begin to awaken in the morning is, “What do I have to do today?” This question leads to an onslaught of 10,000 things that could never possibly get done in a year, much less a day. This thought process activates your adrenal glands to go to the races…and in ten seconds flat, your dream is gone, baby, gone! However, if you can remember to allow the very first question you ask yourself to be, “What was I just dreaming?” You will have a shot at catching your dream(s).

3.)  Rewind, Replay, Review

Now that you’ve been able to catch a dream, before getting out of bed, press the rewind button in your mind and replay your dreams at least three times. Don’t assume that just because you’ve been able to recall your dream while lying down in your sleep position you will recall it once you move your body. Your dreams take place in the part of the brain where our short-term memory is located. Within just five minutes after the end of your last dream, half the content is gone. And after only ten minutes, 90% is lost. In order to transfer your dream(s) from short-term to long-term memory, you have to review it several times in your mind’s eye before making the long journey from horizontal to vertical.

4.)  The Snooze Alarm is Your Friend

In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need an alarm to get up—our bodies would complete their sleep cycle and deliver us to our waking state, perfectly refreshed with detailed dream recall. However, if you are like most people, you need your handy dandy alarm to make sure you don’t sleep through your morning board meeting. For most of us who are engrossed in the enchanted and cozy realm of our dreamtime, the blaring siren of the alarm shoots adrenaline through our veins, and sends our dreams back to Never Never Land faster than we can say, “What was I just dreaming about?” The good news is that if you have to wake up to an alarm, you have the miracle of the “snooze” function:

•  Set your snooze alarm 30 minutes before you have to actually wake up. As soon as you press the snooze button, you are headed right back to dreamland…with an awareness to PAY ATTENTION to your dream.
• Create an alarm sound that will wake you up but not scare the living daylights out of you. I suggest Tibetan Bells, or instrumental music that inspires you.
• Place your alarm clock where it is easy to reach to keep movement at a minimum. When you hit the “snooze” button you can resume your original sleep position in order to “catch” the dream you were just having…or catch a new one.

5.)  Put Pen to Paper

Now for the critical last step is to “physicalize” your dream: transferring it from the intangible realm of your dreams to the tangible realm of your waking life. The easiest way to do this is to pick up a pen and scribble (as legibly as you can, please) your dream in your journal, with as much detail as possible.

• Some people prefer to record their dream into a voice app on their phone (i.e. www.DreamsCloud.com).
• You may be one of those dreamers that prefer to draw a picture of their dream. If this appeals to you, then go for it!
• Others prefer to roll over in bed and whisper their dream to their lover, husband, or wife (or all of the above—no judgment from me—whatever works for you.) The only challenge with that is you need to make sure you don’t interrupt the dream recollection of the person you are sharing your dreams with. Unless your beloved has already captured their dream in 3-D, they are then in jeopardy of losing their dream as they get wrapped up in yours. So, make sure whomever you share your dream with has “physicalized” their dream before you share your dream with them.

What is your best technique for catching dreams?

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Excerpted from It’s All In Your Dreams (Conari Press). Once you buy your copy, click here to receive $4,000 worth of fr*ee dreamy gifts throughout the month of May.

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Join the conversation! Post your dream on Dreams Cloud, then tweet it using #DreamChallenge.

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