It turns out that I didn’t grab my journal or my digital recorder last night to record my dreams, because my dreams… or at least the two I remembered at the time, just vanished. and I had nothing to report.
I found out that when you make an abrupt movement, or are woken up by a sudden noise or even a loud alarm clock, this can actually push away your ability to recall the dream you just had.
I believe that is partly what happened to me last night. I suddenly turned onto my other side because I was cold and went to grab the blanket to pull it further up towards my chest. And with just those little movements, the dream slipped away even though I know that at that moment when I was awake, I was starting to remember it.
What do you do in this situation? Some books have suggested that again, it’s all about the comfort you feel when you’re sleeping. Having the right mattress, pillow, and temperature in the room may help you prevent you from having to make sudden movements that distract your dream recall.
Also, I have been reading how waking up naturally, if you can do it on some days, without any buzzers or outside noises to startle you awake, can help train you to remember your dreams.
This is because at this time in the morning, you are coming out of a dream state. Take the time to think about the images that come to mind as you rest in bed for a short while. Don’t get up. Just lie there in the moment, and let your mind scan over the details that come up in the silence, in that very instance.
Although this is hard before you have to go to work, and because we are often in a hurry when we get out of bed, it might mean trying it on the weekend or a day when you don’t have to worry that you might be late or miss your time to get up.
After awhile, the more you get used to this, you may be able to try more frequently. Honoring your dreams by spending a little extra quality time with them just after you awake from the dream state means your are giving value to your dreams. And just a few minutes each time will help to develop your ability to recall these dreams and find out what the dream world might be telling you.
I’m going to see if I can spend a few minutes… maybe I’ll start with 5- lying in bed tomorrow morning, letting the images from my dreams sink in- before I actually get up and start my day.
You try it to! We can exchange notes on how it all went.
Catch That Dream 