When you nestle yourself into bed, turn off the bedside lamp, and close your eyes to your daytime reality, your “conscious self” goes to sleep. Meanwhile, your “dreaming self” slips out of the covers and tiptoes upstairs to the attic of your mind to explore the enchanted realm of dreams.
Within this nocturnal territory, you are transported beyond the ego’s five senses to a multidimensional playground of unlimited possibilities. In the realm of dreams, you can peruse memories of your past or future, learn a language, converse with a departed loved one, study at the feet of a master to receive answers to perplexing questions, discover the solutions to a health challenge, or explore the larger meaning of your life.
I’ve been an active dreamer since I was old enough to say, “I had the strangest dream….” I’ve had dreams that have guided and even saved my life. I’ve witnessed countless dream-related miracles in the lives of people I’ve worked with personally and professionally as a certified clinical hypnotherapist for the past twenty years. I’ve worked with thousands of dreams and dreamers and have written seven books on the subject.
Here are a few facts about dreams:
We all have three to nine dreams every night.
- According to the American Hypnosis Association our conscious mind is (at best) 12 percent of our mind’s power and our subconscious (dreaming) mind represents at least 88% of our mind’s power.
- We can all learn to remember our dreams.
- Dreams (even the unpleasant ones) can become our greatest allies.
- We cannot afford to take our dreams lying down if we want to thrive while being alive.
Two of the most common questions I receive are these:
- How do I remember my dreams? And…
- Once I remember a dream, what do I do with it?
To answer these questions, I’ve devised this simple D.R.E.A.M. formula:
D—Declaration
R—Remembrance
E—Embodiment
A—Activation
M—Mastermind
Allow me to elaborate…
D is for Declaration:
The Founding Fathers of America didn’t create the Intention of Independence; they created the Declaration of Independence, and thus a new world was born. Set a dream declaration (an intention on steroids) before going to sleep, as you meditate, or writing in your journal (i.e. “Tonight I will remember my dreams.”)
R is for Remembrance:
As you begin to awaken after (hopefully) eight hours spent journeying through the multi-dimensions of your dreamscape, don’t move a muscle! While remaining in your sleep position, allow your first thought to be “What was I dreaming?” Deliberately press the rewind button in your mind and replay your most recent dream three times. Immediately write it down (in a journal or a dream recording app). This will help you strengthen your dream recall muscle.
E is for Embodiment:
Whether or not you remember your dream in vivid detail, recalling the way the dream made you feel and the energy it produced, is vital to being able to mine the gold from your dream. If it’s an unpleasant sensation, ask yourself, “Where in my waking life do I feel this way?” then you’ll know what is attempting to be healed. If the feeling is pleasant, then you can expand the benefit of the dream by marinating in the feeling of it throughout your day.
A is for Activation:
I believe every nighttime dream requires action in the waking world. Ask yourself, “What action can I take to honor this dream?” Dream-inspired action will open the floodgates to synchronicities and unforeseen miracles. When you take one step (in waking life) toward the DreamMaker, the DreamMaker takes ten steps toward you.
M is for Mastermind:
When you share your dream with an interested friend (or group) you receive the benefit of hearing details that might otherwise have been lost — even entire plotlines, previously obscured, pop out from behind a mental corner. Dream sharing also gives you the opportunity to gain feedback about your dreams, which shines a brighter light on its meaning. It often takes a team to realize the true meaning of a dream.
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Do you have a question about your dreams? Contact Kelly at info@KellySullivanWalden.com. She is the author of seven books including It’s All in Your Dreams: 5 Portals to an Awakened Life. For more info, visit www.KellySullivanWalden.com.
This article is a part of the April / May 2017 issue of Whole Life Times.