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“Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?” I suppose Edgar Allen Poe thought so. He originally asked the question, and answered it, in his poem, “A Dream within a Dream.” I have always been intrigued by dreams. My first journal was actually just a dream-log. It’s amazing what you discover when you study your dreams. I would try to remember as much as possible and then write it down. Even if I could only remember a little fragment of a dream, as I would write it down more and more details would come back to me. Later I would analyze and try to interpret what I wrote. I still look back at my old dreams occasionally and I'm amazed with what I find. I’ll discover elements of a dream which made no sense back then, makes perfect sense now. I’d dream about places I would visit or work at years before I actually got there! After a while standard journal entries, like daily thoughts and events, became more frequent and dream entries became less frequent. Lately I don’t write down and study dreams as often as I used to. As I got older I had too much trouble remembering my dreams and finding the time to devote to the cause. My dreams also became so suppressed that it would frustrate me. (I’ll get more into suppression later).

Sigmund Freud was considered an expert in dream interpretation. His book, “The interpretation of Dreams” first published in 1899 was one of his earliest, and favorite works. It helped set the stage for modern psychoanalytic theory and dream interpretation. Freud wrote, “Dreams are disguised fulfillment's of repressed wishes.” Many of Freud’s interpretations revolved around latent sexual desires and repressed memories. Some modern scientists believe that dreams are nothing more than a by-product of waking life or the “residue of the day” (Domhoff, 2001, 2003).
I wonder if a person making such a claim ever actually studied their own dreams? If they did I doubt they could seriously believe that is all dreams are?

Personally I have practiced memory techniques, dream control and waking up in dreams. I have also dabbled with astral projection a bit. I find all of these subjects fascinating. One of the biggest problems for people who are serious about studying their dreams is having the ability to wake up naturally and peacefully. Waking up naturally gives you a much better chance of remembering the content of your dreams and writing it down. Most of us wake up to a horrible alarm clock blaring in our ears which violently rips us right out of our dream making the memories slip away rapidly, as the alarm clock hits the wall! Another factor that can seriously affect our ability to remember dreams is suppression. Many of our favorite vices, such as alcohol and drugs, suppress dreams making them hardly noticeable or virtually non-existent. These substances can keep you in deep, non-REM sleep (stage 4) where you don’t dream at all. In fact stage 4 is where most sleep disorders exist. I believe that suppressing your dreams too much can cause stress, attitude problems and confusion. On the other hand, if you have quality, healthy REM sleep, you will have greater energy and more lucid thoughts.

These days who has the luxury of waking up naturally or the time to write down their dreams? Most of our lives are too chaotic with work, taking care of our families and hanging out with friends to worry about dreams. These things are set in reality and are very fulfilling so why should anyone waste time and energy concentrating on their dreams? Wouldn’t that be like trying to escape reality and living in a fantasy world?

The answer is both yes, and no. Dreams certainly can be an escape. You can live out your fantasies and do all the things you can’t do in real life. On the other hand, living out those fantasies and achieving your goals in the dreams might actually make it easier to accomplish those tasks in reality. The dreams can help build your confidence and add structure to your normal life in a profound way.

I’m not going to elaborate at this point but I will in future posts. If you are interested in learning more about dreams and dream control there are many good sources of information available. Freud’s book might be a good place to start. I wouldn’t say it’s the best dream book out there but it is where modern dream interpretation began! There are also tons of other good books out there and lots of information on the internet. Be cautious! There are also many books and publications that I would consider sub-par. Do some research and see where it goes. Just don’t move too fast. Start slow by simply writing down what you remember in the morning. If you have trouble getting started don’t get frustrated, just try to figure out what might be creating the block.

Thanks for reading.