Note: This article is based on the work of Mary Jaksch, in which she tells us about her experience in dream journaling.
consciousdreaming is the experience of being aware of your dreams as you have them
Think of a dream you had recently. Now imagine all the possibilities if you're aware you're dreaming. If things are not rolling out the way you want in your dream, you can change course. If something happens and you enjoy it, you can continue with it.
A conscious dream gives you the opportunity to explore your dream world. Since your dream world is made by your mind, a consciousdream allows you to explore your mind. consciousdreams are not only fun, but are also great to pull through fears and challenges in your life.
The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. By practicing consciousdreams, can go on any adventure you can imagine, but keep in mind that the laws of reality don't apply in the world of dreams, so if you want to fly, you can. You can swim to the bottom of the ocean or go to places you've never been before. All your greatest fantasies can come true and you can even take on, fight and overcome your biggest fears or obstacles.
Sounds fun, right? But if you want to explore the world of consciousdreams, you should first start writing them down, and the best way to do that is to keep a consciousdream diary.
Writing down dreams is a must for any consciousdreamer
It helps you remember your dreams. Otherwise, they are forgotten as soon as you wake up. By getting used to keeping diaries, you adapt your mind to the details and to be more aware of your surroundings in your dream.
You may find it hard to keep a diary of your consciousdreams at first. Because it's not a story, more like a puzzle you need to solve. But before you know it, you'll learn to follow the strange “dream logic” and remember more of your dreams.
After some entries, you can study the features of your dreams, which will help you get to know them for what they really are. And by features, I mean situations, places, people, or other characters you dream about.
I give each of my entries a short title and I keep a table where my dreams are listed with their features, so I can easily check if a particular feature is new, recurring or connected to other features. For example, if I dream of people I know in real life, I'll find them in a familiar place like my home, old school, work, etc.
You might notice over time that some places or characters may change and look different in your dreams, but there are always some consistencies indicating that a feature is recurring.
I found a recurring character- after reviewing about 30 entries in my journal - that would change in appearance, but somehow can't change the color of hair and eyes. I call these features "Eve" or "big empty building". As for you, after you learn how to recognize them, they often lead to clarity.
Another problem that we often come across is that most of us have to get up early for school or work. When we switch in a blink from a sleep state to a wake-up state on the sound of an alarm, the dream is often "erased" from the waking memory due to the sudden transition.
I looked for an alternative solution to this problem and eventually settled on changing my sleep habits. I got used to going to bed early and getting up at six in the morning without an alarm. This method leaves me just enough time to fall asleep and dream, and time to wake up slowly, which is most important to restore the way of dreaming.
Remembering your dreams
In dream analysis, it's recommended to start by remembering your dream while you're half asleep and not yet fully awake, as it often leads to another dream that continues or even explains the previous one. I don't go back to sleep but try to stay asleep long enough to remember what I dreamed of, and then when I'm a little more aware I get into key moments. What places or characters did I see? What rings a bell? And what's new?
Then I can follow my morning routine. I usually take a little notebook with me and write the dream over breakfast, on the bus or on my way to work.
In the evening, when I have enough time, I save all the information in a file on my laptop filling in the details I missed earlier, noting the level of vividness of each dream and what triggered it. By comparing the dreams in my table, I can easily see which feature is most likely to trigger the obvious case.
Other consciousdreaming techniques
There are other techniques of course. You can keep a notebook near your bed and write immediately after waking up, and you can use keywords, audio recording, or even sketch your dreams or write poetry.
Form, style and technique It's all up to you. You just have to try until you find the best. What's important is to make it a habit to keep a diary and write or record every day, as it won't do much good if you make entries once or twice a week.
For me, when I couldn't remember most dreams or didn't even have enough time or desire to write, I used a “conditioning technique”: I wrote one single keyword in my notebook - anything I could remember, like “school” or “black puppy”, and if I was lucky enough to remember what the puppy was doing during the day or what I saw in school, I would write another keyword even if my entries only contained one word by the end of the day. At least I knew I hadn't skipped my important task and that I hadn't completely lost my dream.
I saw that black puppy again in another dream, and I suddenly remembered I had to follow it to finish what I was writing. My thoughts were clear for about two minutes.
Highlights
Writing down dreams requires patience, time and perseverance. Dreaming is an ancient art that needs to be learned, and learning takes work. But if you choose to learn, there's a wonderful journey ahead of you.
A notebook is the easiest and most useful tool to explore your dreamland, raise your awareness and master the art of waking up through a dream.
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