In this article we will figure out how to remember dreams. We all see them when we sleep, but for some reason, while some are happy to share their interesting dreams with others, others assure that they never dream. In fact, night visions come to them, they just don’t remember them for some reason.
Why people don't remember dreams
Scientists have long found out that a person can constantly forget about his dreams due to the peculiarities of brain activity. In some individuals, the area on the border of the parietal and temporal cortex functions more strongly than in other members of the human race. It is the first category that remembers their dreams better and more often.
Another part of humanity, in which the mentioned part of the brain is not active enough, waking up, they do not remember that they dreamed of anything. The first sleep sensitively and can often wake up at night, but the second sleep, on the contrary, is deep, calm and measured.
Why remember dreams?
But really - why? Well, in-First, in a state of sleep we spend neither more nor less, but a third of our lives. Somehow it's a shame that such a large piece of priceless being is in absolute darkness. But dreams have the most direct impact on our emotional well-being after waking up. And this happens even if a person does not remember them. Pleasant dreams cause cheerfulness and elation, give self-confidence, but a dreaming nightmare, on the contrary, can unsettle for the whole day, a person will be depressed and wonder why he got up on the wrong foot today.
In addition, the reasons for sleep can be different. Sometimes dream analysis helps to cope with psychological problems. Dreams can warn of something, they can be prophetic. No wonder there are so many different dream books in the world. Great importance was attached to night dreams: the founder of the system of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud, the astrologer and predictor Nostradamus, and the world-famous scientist Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev saw in a dream a table where all chemical elements were harmoniously and clearly systematized. All he had to do was fix his vision - and here we are using Mendeleev's periodic system of chemical elements to this day.
Dreams and reality
Real life and dream are interconnected, and very closely. Whatever happens to a person in reality, sooner or later it is reflected in his dreams. This is a natural necessity of consciousness and subconsciousness, the brain and the whole organism. The brain can be called a big bank of all life decisions thathas ever taken a person, a giant keeper of information about all words and deeds, about the world around. In a dream, when consciousness turns off, the subconscious has the opportunity to re-design, correct and refine what is happening around.
Being the protagonist of his dream, a person gets the opportunity to learn better about his attitude towards the people around him and about their response to him. Having fixed a vivid dream in our minds, we get a chance to know the depth of our true capabilities. Therefore, it would be wrong to underestimate the importance of what the astral shows us.
Sleep phases
Before we start talking about how to remember dreams, we would like to explain a little about the structure of dreams. When a person sleeps, he experiences two phases of sleep - slow and fast. Moreover, both of them alternate with each other and, in turn, are also divided into several phases. If a person is he althy, then his sleep always begins with the first, slow stage, which then passes into the second - fast. A long night's sleep goes through many cycles, during which the phases replace one another. Slow proceeds in four stages, or stages, of which the third and fourth are the deepest (by the way, they are also called delta sleep). In this phase, it can be difficult to wake a person, he is completely disconnected from the outside world and sees various plots. However, waking up at this time, people rarely remember that they had a dream.
It's a completely different matter - the REM sleep phase. This stage is characterized by muscle twitching,rapid eye movement. If at this time a person wakes up, then in most cases he will remember what he dreamed about. An interesting fact is that sleep a second before waking up is the brightest and is remembered for a very long time.
Tips for better memory of dreams
And now the most important part of our story begins. Do you want to learn how to remember dreams? Read carefully the following list of recommendations:
1. You need to go to bed as early as possible to get a good night's sleep. In the morning, with a fresh mind, remembering everything that happened in a dream will be much easier.
2. Try to establish close contact with your unconscious self. If you persistently and clearly make it clear to your subconscious mind that you want to hear and understand everything that it wants to tell you, it may begin to respond.
3. What to do to remember a dream? Before falling asleep, try repeating the words to yourself: "I will definitely remember everything that I dream of."
4. You should try to wake up several times during the night. To do this, before going to bed, you can drink plenty of water - in this case, the body itself will wake you up. In those moments when you wake up, it will be easiest to catch your dream and realize it.
5. When you wake up, don't get up right away. Try to enjoy a little the state of half-asleep, where dream and reality seem to be mixed with each other.
6. Discard the alarm clock - this device can interfere with the memorization of the plot, because its sound roughly interrupts sleep and makes a person abruptly switch to a waking state. Inside we haveyou have your own biological clock, and if you tell yourself to wake up at 6 or 7 in the morning, then it will happen.
7. Feeling that you are waking up, try not to move immediately and do not open your eyes for a while. Lie still, focus on the images and visions that will arise in your head.
8. How to remember a dream? Fix in memory certain key images or moments of the dream. If the whole dream is not completely remembered, then describe to yourself its fragments, feelings, mood.
9. Tell loved ones about what you dreamed about. The words will give the night visions a more stable shape and may trigger a chain of memories of their details.
10. Put a notepad with a pencil or pen on the nightstand next to the bed, and let there be a source of weak light nearby that can be easily turned on if necessary. Such a light will not be able to drive away sleep completely, but will allow you to write down what you just dreamed of.
Dream journaling
So, you have got a special notebook, the pages of which you will check all the details of night dreams. This is a very important point! Do not rely on your memory even if you had a dream so vivid that it seems impossible to forget it. After only a few hours, you may find that your memory has failed you again. So it is imperative to keep records, and this must be done immediately after waking up.
12 questions for the magazine questionnaire
In order to facilitate the work with the dream journal, we recommend using a special questionnaire prepared in advance. Just try to answer the following twelve questions as responsibly and honestly as possible every time:
1. What was your role in the dream (passive, active, aggressive, etc.)?
2. What emotions and feelings did you and other participants experience in the dream?
3. Does the plot of the dream have anything to do with what is happening in your life right now?
4. Who were the heroes of your dream - relatives, friends or strangers? Try to remember everyone.
5. Were there any symbols (animals, house, gold, body of water, etc.) or unusual properties present in the dream? How could this have anything to do with you specifically?
6. How does this dream relate in general to the properties of your personality?
7. What are the main events of the dream? It is very important to trace at least partially the logic of what is happening in order not only to understand later how to remember dreams, but also to really learn how to do it.
8. What would you like to avoid happening in your dream?
9. Think about what actions or thoughts this vision prompts you to do?
10. Did the dream trigger any forgotten memories, is it related to the past?
11. Did your sleep give you other questions that weren't included in this questionnaire?
12. Do you think there was any meaning in the dream, what message did you havetransferred and why?
How to get ready for sleep
Going to the kingdom of Morpheus, you need to keep a clear mind, not clouded by alcohol, sleeping pills or too much fatigue. Lie on your back and try to completely relax. It is not so easy, we are under the yoke of constant muscle clamps, and some muscle groups cannot relax even during sleep. Calm your breathing, let it be even and rhythmic. By the way, this is also an excellent recipe for insomnia. If there is an understanding and loving person next to you, ask him to give you a light relaxing massage. Under the pillow, you can put bunches of herbs: thyme, rosemary, lavender.
Lucid dreaming
Here's another very important tip on how to remember a dream: try turning it into a lucid dream. To do this, you need to have a firm intention. Give yourself the setting that as soon as you feel that you are falling asleep, you will immediately try to find your hands with your eyes. If you master this technique, then your dreams will be more clear and memorable. This is the first step on the path to mastering the technique of lucid dreaming, and it will be quite enough for you. Further practices are more dangerous and require the obligatory presence of an experienced mentor.
Ancient magical rite
If you are not afraid of magical practices, then here is a description of a simple ritual that will help you achieve your goals. Necessary conditions for thisactions: the presence of any musical instrument and the night without fail from Thursday to Friday. Before going to bed, you need to make one musical sound on the instrument and say the following: "Clarify my dream. What I see, I will remember." And then add: "Hidden cutting, empty - muffle." After that, you can go to bed, lie down, remember the musical sound and repeat the magic spell in a whisper.
Conclusion
Now you know how to learn to remember dreams. But only one knowledge will not help to master this science, a mandatory practice is needed. If you follow the simple tips given in our article every day, then gradually everything will start to work out.
