Problem Solving Through Dreams

The dream world has fascinated and mystified us for centuries. People have long attempted to decipher their unconscious minds, fears and desires through their primeval nightly escapades. From scientific studies to dream book dictionaries, we’ve discovered certain useful methods for interpreting and benefiting from our very own unconscious message board.

Dreams: Answers to Questions We Have Yet to Ask

Your conscious mind can and does come up with many different ways to circumvent or avoid certain realities in your life that you’d rather not face. It’s easy to distract yourself when you’re awake and fully engaged in the daily responsibilities most humans face: jobs, family needs, social engagements, etc. However, when you finally give your mind a chance to rest at night, all those submerged thoughts and feelings come right to the surface, albeit sometimes in rather cryptic ways. No matter how negative these dreams may be, you should appreciate them for what they ultimately represent: important messages sent from your unconscious self in an attempt to merge your unconscious with your conscious mind. When you face your problems head-on, you take away much of their power to do continual damage. With a clear mind, you can then intelligently and courageously tackle whatever problems plague your life.

Dream Journaling

Part of the problem with dreams is that they can be difficult to remember, and often the bits and pieces you do manage to recall offer a convoluted message at best. Because the human mind dreams about three hours a night, there’s a lot of potential material to work with. One way to retain more of your dream material is to start a dream journal. This will give you a written record of your dreams, which should be recorded as soon as possible upon awakening in order to retain the most details. Because dreaming is a right-brained, metaphorical activity, your dreams tend to fade quickly, as the waking mind doesn’t easily grasp these images and concepts. As you awaken, still in a metaphorical state, you can use your left brain’s logical side to record these events on paper.

This journal should be kept right beside your bed, enabling you to write down all images, emotions, feelings, symbols and physical sensations immediately upon waking. When you analyze your dreams, view them metaphorically rather than literally, as your brain uses personal memories to create your dreams. You should try to compare your dreams to real-life situations to assist you in understanding them. Asking yourself questions such as how you felt, why you felt it, whether you felt deserving of the feeling and how you could alter the dream, are likely to point you to the basic motivation of the message. Talking through your dreams with a friend can also help put them in perspective; they know you well, but exist outside of you and might be more objective in assessing your dreams. Sometimes, you are so close to a harrowing experience or a loved one that you simply have no perspective on related issues. Your confidants can take that necessary emotional step away from the situation and provide new insights into your dreams.

Dream Visualization

An assertive approach to managing your dreams is to constructively meditate on their plots and outcomes right before bed. Before falling asleep, come up with a problem in your life that you would like solved. You should hold this situation in your mind clearly and vividly, but not so specifically that your mind will be inflexible in coming up with possible solutions.

You can also visualize the problem as resolved by imagining yourself already experiencing the positive results of the resolution. This visualization should also be as vivid as possible: see yourself as lucid, effective and powerful. Upon awakening and reviewing your dream memories and their successfully resolved problems, you can begin your day with a clear focus on achieving your goals, as well as a more open mind towards another fascinating piece of the human psyche. As Astrid Alauda has so eloquently said, “Dreams are free, so free your dreams.”

4 thoughts on “Problem Solving Through Dreams

  1. Pingback: DreamCast: Zombie Horror Flick | California Psychics Blog

  2. mer9779

    Hello everyone! I was hoping someone would have some input on my crazy situation. My dreams are so intense that I wish that I would not dream at all. I have been in and out of love with a pisces man, whom it has never been the right time to start a relationship with. It’s truely nobody’s fault. It has been for legitamate reasons & I am thankful that we have not started at the wrong time. For over two years we have been in a subtle tug-o-war over being friends & being immensely attracted to one another. We met in college & did not become intimate for over two years until this summer. But it got too hot & heavy too fast as all of that pent up energy was finally released. He had just broke up with his fiance whom he found out was telling horrible, elaborate lies in mid-June & it is probably going to take him a long time to trust & recover. I had never believed in soalmates, the thought has always been quite irritating to me but I have some very strange spiritual connection with this man. I am a Libra in western astro & a Horse in Chinese astro & he is a Dog. I am Scorpio in my Venus & Mars, so I don’t know!! I know that destiny is partly what you make it & my diplomatic Libra side has forced me to remain friends with him hoping that he will have a strong change of heart & chase me once again. Which brings me back to my dreams…I have dreams that he comes to me smiling & soothes & comforts me. Last night I dreamt that I was free diving down into the ocean & feeding sea creatures. One giant squid kept coming back for more, as I was sharing hunks of cooked abalone flesh with him. An immense jelly fish kept resurfacing in the same spot but I couln’t figure out what to feed him. Then this adorable & playful sea otter was taking mussels from out of my hand. I tried to unshell them & then throw them to him but he only got more confused chasing the empty shell instead. Finally I figured out that I had to give him the entire mussell in tact… then I woke up & felt good. I can’t help but think that maybe this ocean creature dream has something to do with my pisces man. Could someone hopefully enlighten me?? I am tempted to be friends with benifits because he is soooo, sooo good but I don’t want to ruin my chances of his loyal love either…please somebody help! :o)

    Reply
  3. Gina Rose ext.9500Gina Rose ext.9500

    Hi Alina,
    This is the best article on dreams I’ve read to date…….keep up the great work Alina!

    Besides psychic readings…..I also do dream analysis…..I was taught dream analysis by one of the top Psychiatrist M.D. in the USA today…..( I traded this Doc, back in the 80’s, free readings if they, in turn, would teach me dream analysis, it was a fair trade and I really learned alot ).

    I love doing dream analysis…..so if you have troubling dreams, let me & my Guides help explain them.

    Blessed Be )O(
    Gina Rose ext.9500

    Reply
  4. velvetoversteel

    Great suggestions, Alina! I often meditate my listening to meditation and self-hypnosis cd’s before going to sleep at night. Wanting to dream and find some insight or answers to questions I have about people and situations in my life I am unsure of trusting usually. I often have dreams about those people and truly feel these dreams give me the answers I need to confirm my intuition and even ways of handling these people or situations.

    It really is important to be relaxed when you go to sleep at night and to journal at least some quick notes on your dreams as soon as you can. Even if you don’t have the time or energy to analyze or consider the meanings until later that day or evening.
    Thanks again for more Great advice and insight, Alina!

    Hugs,
    Coreen @ VOS

    Reply

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