The Importance of Dreaming

by Bambi Corso

It’s interesting to realize that we spend approximately 6-8 hours of our daily life sleeping. When you add that up over a lifetime, that’s almost 1/3 of our lives! Along with all the benefits that sleep offers including rejuvenating the body, mind and spirit, there is another benefit that we sometimes don’t acknowledge, and that is dreaming. However, most people don’t pay much attention to their dreams because they don’t understand them.

They show up as apparently random situations with oddities that we could hardly think of on our own even if we tried. The reason we don’t understand our dreams generally is because they come to us in symbolic form, they come as visitations in our original language, and that is the language of symbolism, story and metaphor. If one starts to look at dreams symbolically, we realize that they are not so confusing after all.

The truth is that dreams come to us every night to help us work out issues from the day, give us guidance and to help heal us on deeper, more spiritual levels. As you continue to pay more and more attention to your dreams, the more they reveal to you about your own psyche, state of mind, belief systems and how you truly feel about things. In addition, dreams come to inform us about our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Working with the Law of Attraction, dreams allow us the ability to move into a deeper, feeling state. And, as we know, it is that emotional guidance system that helps us realize whether we are moving upstream, or going with the flow in our lives.

If you have an interest in working with your dreams, one of the most important things required of you is your commitment to the process. You will be making an investment in yourself, so be prepared to find some extra time in each day to dedicate to your dream life. In getting started with dream work, it is very important to keep an open mind, and to be patient with yourself. Sometimes it takes a while to train yourself to remember your dreams, but that is not always the case. In order to start remembering your dreams, or just to have better recall of them, following are some suggestions that you may find helpful:

• To allow ourselves the delight of paying attention to our dreams, we need to first shift our perception about dreams. Create a sense of adventure within yourself as if you are embarking upon a new journey, and be willing to see undiscovered parts of yourself.

• Choose a special dream journal and pen that will be used only for the purpose of writing down your dreams. This kind of intention sets the stage for your dreams to be remembered as they are given special care and attention. And you will find that the more attention to give to them, the more often they will be remembered.

• Keep your dream journal open with your pen nearby and a flash light by your bed. This will keep your unconscious and conscious mind reminded that you want to remember your dreams. As you fall asleep every night, create intention by telling yourself that you will remember your dreams in the morning. Repeat this a few times, as it will sink into your subconscious and work with you to remember your dreams.

• Basic health measures can help you in remembering your dreams. It is important to eat a balanced diet, full of vitamins and nutrients to help keep you mindful and strong on your new dream journey.

Once you start remembering your dreams, the way in which you record them is also very important.

1. Each night, write the date at the top of the page of your dream journal, then write a few things about your day. These are called “Day Notes”. It doesn’t have to be detailed, just write about any of the highlights. This helps when you are working on the dream to see if there is a correlation between your waking life and your dream messages. In addition, you can also write a few lines about an issue you would like your dreams to help you better understand and resolve.

2. When you write the dream, write it in the present tense, not in the past tense. It is very helpful in showing how you really feel about things, and it helps us to see the dream itself more clearly.

3. Describe any feelings or emotions you felt in the dream. Make the dream a very real explanation of how you felt in it. If you were scared, yet felt a strong inner strength, write it that way. If you were happy, but apprehensive, state that. The feelings are very important.

4. Write the details of the dream as best you can. Maybe you see an animal that is very unique or different. Write down what makes the image different, including colors, smells, sounds or whatever comes to mind. Incorporate all the senses in your description. Include the landscape in which the dream takes place; was it the desert or the ocean, a city or a park, your childhood home or an office.

I am sure that once you start giving extra attention to your dreams, you will find them to be most insightful and a guiding force in your everyday life.

Best wishes on your new inner journey, and good dreaming!

About the Author:  Bambi Corso ,  "As far back as I can remember, I have always been fascinated with life, with people, with the whys and why not’s of things. My curiosity led me to study all types of beliefs, teachings, cultures and spiritual aspects of being human. And now, I want to share what I’ve learned with you". www.bambicorso.com