Dream Journaling: Benefits and Some Tips to Improve It
“Neural activity in the primary sensory areas of the neocortex produces the impression of sensory perception. This means that neurons firing in the primary visual cortex create the illusion of seeing things, neurons firing in the primary auditory area create the illusion of hearing things, and so forth. If that firing occurs at random, these perceptions can feel like crazy, randomly fragmented hallucinations. It is easy to imagine that the random imagery and sensations created in this way could be woven together to create a complex, multisensory hallucination which we might call a dream.”
- Penelope A. Lewis, The Secret World of Sleep
Dreams are like being in a state of unconsciousness and experiencing our deepest desires or fears manifested in the form of images, emotions, series of events, or symbols. Every dream has a unique interpretation for the individual experiencing them.
It is believed by many that dreams are manifestations of the subconscious mind. They have the potential to change the mood and behavior of a person. Dreams affect your mind and get affected by it too.
Many people keep a dream journal or dream diary where they record their dream experiences after waking up from dreams. The process of recording dreams in a journal is called Dream Journaling.
Benefits of Dream Journaling:
It helps in remembering dreams.
Everyone experiences dreams while sleeping, but few remember them after waking up. Keeping a dream journal can help you remember your dreams. It will make it easier to recall your dreams after waking up. The more you record your dreams, the more details you get.
It helps in analyzing the dreams and records the repetitions.
Sometimes, dreams express the needs or fears of the subconscious. It can manifest in any form or symbol relevant to the person experiencing it. Dream journaling can help to determine the pattern or repetition in the dreams and get a deeper understanding of the subconscious.
It is crucial in understanding lucid dreaming.
Lucid dreaming refers to dreams that feel real and can get manipulated by the viewer to change the course of action. Instead of being a clueless bystander, you feel in power to take action during lucid dreaming. It feels closer to reality. Dream journaling might help you understand and control your lucid dreaming in a better manner.
It helps in creativity.
Dreams are weird and express the world in a new light within our minds. You can take inspiration and ideas from your dreams and solve real-life problems. In the past, dreams have helped in finding answers to tricky questions.
It makes you self-aware of yourself and your thoughts.
Dreams are a part of your mind. If you observe them, you might find yourself looking at your subconscious. This can be helpful for people struggling with trauma, PTSD, or other psychological issues. It also helps in understanding your discomfort, which helps in reducing anxiety.
It helps us to acknowledge our emotions and manage them in a better manner.
Dreams affect our emotions and get affected by our emotions. They are interdependent. Dream journaling can help in finding the reason for the emotions felt by us and help us understand them. When we acknowledge our emotions and accept them, it becomes easier to manage them.
Some Tips for Effectively Doing Dream Journaling:
- You should pen down the dreams as soon as you wake up.
- Keep a journal on your bedside or near the pillow to avoid laziness.
- Express your thoughts using all the means you can, be it words, doodles, images, or references.
- Try to remember as much as you can. Be honest in your recordings.
- Keep your journal organized and date-wise. This prevents chaos and helps in determining the patterns if any.
- Try to link the dreams and the symbols you see in dreams with real-life situations.
- You can use a template or setup to record your dreams. You can either seek help or create your system.
- You can use a journal or a dream journal app to record your dreams.
Dreams are curious happenings in our minds that have enthralled the scientific world for a long time. It provides a peek into the subconscious and brings to the surface the inner thoughts and emotions of a person. Dream Journaling has a scope of exploring the dream consciousness. It can help you understand yourself and find ways to express yourself. They are the logs of your portal in your mind.