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Key points
- Exploring your dreams on your own can be a rewarding experience, but you’ll need some basic tools.
- There are numerous options available, all with their own advantages.
- Dream journaling gets easier and deeper over time, so choose the setup that helps you stick to a routine.
In the last few posts on this blog, we have reviewed foundational theories of dreams, considered why dreamwork makes therapy more effective, and covered basic concepts of Jungian dream interpretation. Now, we can discuss how to actually begin working with your dreams. As I explained in my post on dreamwork and therapy, exploring your dreams with a therapist is highly beneficial, but this option may not always be available. Fortunately, it is still beneficial to explore dreams on your own, and doing so enables you to deepen and get more out of therapy-guided dreamwork if that option becomes possible or available. As with any journey, it helps to prepare the right tools and equipment before setting foot on the path.
What to Pack for Your Dream Journey
The most basic and important items you will need are tools for documenting your dreams, typically a dream journal and pen. These tools are like the proverbial sword and shield that many a mythical hero uses to embark on documenting their dream life. You can use an ordinary notebook or something more elaborate, such as a journal explicitly designed for dreams. Dream journals are widely available, often with beautiful covers and illustrations; some people create their own. Anything that fosters a deeper sense of excitement and connection that allows you to commit to this journey—the way a visually attractive dream journal might—is encouraged.
A common question is whether to dedicate a separate notebook to record dreams versus including them in one’s regular journal. One pro to keeping a separate journal for dreams is that you can easily find your past dreams without sifting through non-dream material. You can also keep the journal close to your bed, which is ideal for dream journaling but is not an intuitive spot for keeping a regular journal. Finally, there’s a certain symbolic, ritualistic value to devoting an entire notebook just to your dreams. It’s a tangible, outward expression of the space you are giving to this part of your inner life.
On the other hand, some people prefer the minimalistic simplicity of keeping all types of journaling in a single notebook. Keeping your dreams and daytime events in the same journal may make it easier to associate parts of the dreams with your waking life or to contemplate the dream from a reductive or prospective perspective.
What About Digital Tools?
Another common question is whether or not to use a phone, tablet, or computer for dream journaling. Again, there is no “wrong” way to dream journal, and for many people, especially digital natives, using a phone, tablet, or computer might feel more natural than a handwritten journal. Dreamwork specialists more often recommend dream journaling by hand, since the slower, reflective pace of writing by hand lends itself well to memory and introspection. There are also minimal distractions when journaling by hand, something which can’t be said for phones with their alerts and notifications. However, phones and tablets also have advantages, including convenience, accessibility, and the ability to back up and password-protect material in the cloud. Digital devices may also be more effective for quickly recording dream material that easily slips from memory, especially for people who struggle with dream recall.
Computers present more of a challenge. Unlike phones, which can be kept close to your bed, using computers usually requires getting out of bed. However, most people find that physically getting up leads to promptly forgetting the dream or at least significant parts of it. No matter which tool you choose, keeping it close to your bed and easily accessible will help you document your dream in greater detail.
In addition to a dream journal and writing instrument, some people like to have a digital voice recorder next to their bed to orally dictate their dreams upon waking (an app on your phone can also work). This can be especially handy when waking up in the middle of the night while having a vivid dream. When this happens, you may want to immediately document the dream since going back to sleep often results in forgetting that particular dream, even if you can recall other dreams in the morning. A voice recorder allows you to simply press “record” and utter a few sentences to help with recollection in the morning instead of turning on the light and writing by hand, which risks disrupting your sleep.
Some people find that they prefer using a voice recorder entirely for all of their dream journaling. This, too, is fine, though going back over the dream's contents can be a logistical challenge and involves an extra step. Transcription apps and software can convert your dictations into written form for easier reference later.
An Excuse to Stay in Bed
As mentioned, physically getting out of bed leads to a quick or immediate forgetting of the previous night’s dreams. Regardless of which tools you use to capture your dreams when you awake in the morning, take a few moments to stay in bed and mentally recollect as much of the dream as possible. As you reflect on and record what is in your mind, you will often find that recalling parts of the dream, in turn, triggers further recollections. You will gradually realize that not only do you dream more than you may realize, but you can now remember more of it, too.
If you awake in the middle of the night, scrawling down a few phrases or even just a few words can jog your memory and salvage dream content that may have otherwise been lost. If you don’t want to clutter your journal with messy scribbles written while half-asleep, you might utilize a pocket memo pad or the voice recorder method described earlier. With practice, you can learn to briefly and quickly document middle-of-the-night dreams without turning on the light and disrupting your sleep or that of anyone else in the room.
Once you allow yourself a few moments to recall your dream as much as you can before it dissipates, you can put pen to paper or fingers to screen. Jot down the date and write as much of the dream as you can remember without overthinking it. When writing down your dreams, it is better to utilize the common analytic technique of free association. That is, write down the dream without filtering, censoring, editing, revising, or restructuring it. Write down the dream as it comes to your mind, even if it does not make logical sense. Do not transcribe your dream as if you were writing a paper, and do not worry about it being well-written or grammatically correct. Record the dream as you remember it, and do not add your associations to the dream when you initially write it down. You may wish to add your associations but include them after initially recording your dream. You can write in the present or past tense, whatever comes to mind—experiment with these different tools and methods, including combining them and comparing the results. Finding a setup that works best for you will help you stick to a consistent routine. Consistency is key since dream journaling is a practice that yields ever deeper rewards over time.
The next post will explore the journaling process and how to derive the most benefits and insights from it. For now, enjoy the first steps of embarking on your personal journey into the vast and endlessly rewarding world of dreamwork.
