Dream diary: how to do it and what are its benefits

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From some psychological perspectives, dreams are considered valuable information from our unconscious. Therefore, today we want to teach you how to keep a dream diary.

Written and verified by the psychologist Elena Sanz.

We spend a third of our lives sleeping and much of that time dreaming. However, despite the valuable information that dreams can provide us, we generally do not pay attention to them.

Keeping a dream diary is a powerful tool to understand our inner desires, conflicts and fears.. Well, during our night’s rest our unconscious transmits important messages to us.

Many people are reluctant to do this type of exercise since, usually, they do not even remember having dreamed. However, most people have several dreams each night.

What happens is that depending on the phase of sleep in which you wake up, it may be more or less difficult to remember it. Besides, the memory fades almost completely in the first minutes after waking up.

On other occasions, it happens that despite remembering dreams, they seem like a set of disjointed and meaningless ideas. Nevertheless, With practice it will be easier to remember and interpret all that dream content.

How to keep a dream diary?

Keeping a dream diary is a very simple exercise that only requires consistency and perseverance. For it, The first thing you need is a notebook or notebook that you are going to dedicate solely to this task.

Every night before going to bed, write down the most relevant events of the day.: where you went, who you were with, what impacted you the most emotionally and what state of mind you are in at the moment. All these details are relevant because they will help you establish relationships with the dreams that occur next.

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Afterwards, make sure to leave the notebook in a place accessible from the bed; For example, the nightstand. This detail is important since Every morning, when you wake up, you have to write down everything you remember about your dreams. Do it as soon as you wake up, even before you get up, as this way you will be able to access a greater number of details.

Do not despair if you do not clearly remember what happened in the dream. It is enough for you to write down details, people or scenes that you remember. But, above all, focus on writing down the emotions you woke up with, as well as those you experienced during sleep.

What is this tool for?

Maybe at the beginning the information you write down doesn’t tell you much. But, over time, you’ll be able to start spotting patterns. Depending on where you sleep or the events of your day, dreams can be different. and, probably, they are related to it. Well, let’s not forget that during sleep the mind processes and assimilates what happened during wakefulness.

Try to focus especially on those dreams that are recurring or that share elements with others. Well, they will allow you to check the evolution of your internal state.

For example, if you frequently dream that you are being chased by a wild animal, notice how you feel and react to it. Maybe the first night you freeze, the second you run away, and the third you manage to find a safe haven.

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Through symbolism, a dream can show you an ability to face a problem and find solutions. Well, very Dreams are often simulations in which we rehearse and improve skills. that we will later transfer to our daily lives.

Frequently, During sleep, unconscious emotional aspects that we are not aware of during the day are reflected.. Imagine that you have distanced yourself from a friendship and you think you are coping well with the separation. If this person appears in your dreams and generates negative emotions such as anger or sadness, pay attention. It’s possible that that’s what you’re really feeling and you’re repressing it.

The key to self-knowledge

In short, a dream diary reflects the internal state and evolution of each person. Therefore, its interpretation must be individualized and adjusted to the particular situation.

Contemplating and examining your dream content can help you become more in touch with yourself and your emotions.. It can shed light on those aspects that remain hidden from the conscious mind, so that they can be useful information in your conscious state.

Since this is a truly simple exercise with great potential to improve your personal development, we invite you to try it. Let’s take advantage of the hours we spend resting.