Dreams Sometimes Need To Be Coaxed Into Memory By Katharine Donovan Kane

Guest Post

Have you ever been aware that you are lingering in the space between sleep and awake; that you’re in a liminal place when the first rays of wakefulness begin?  Perhaps there is a vague appreciation that you are still dreaming. I sometimes sense I’m still asleep and say to myself, “Now, when you wake up you have to remember this or that detail.” There are times I’ll even repeat this like a mantra to myself in my dreaming. If I’m lucky I wake up with a good chunk of a story, or maybe some bits and pieces of what happened in the dream. This is what I write down in my dream journal. There are times, however, I make an intention to remember my dream, and the second I open my eyes it all fades away. It’s frustrating especially if – in my dream – I sense that I “need” to remember. Because it’s important.

Nudging The Dream World

There are dreamers who have said to me that they’ve always had a hard time remembering their dreams. Or, women who have said that they were avid dreamers until menopause and then…nothing. No more dreaming. Their capacity to dream seemingly stopped, went away. This non-dreaming period in your life may be when transitions happen. It may occur when your body changes and there’s hormonal havoc, times when taking medication is necessary, or when stress disrupts your physical well-being. And yes, sometimes we don’t really want to remember what happens in the dreamscape. However, there are times when lack of dream time memory feels like a loss. If you want to coax dreams into the conscious mind there are a few things that can be done.

The modern world impacts our time in the dream state as much as it does when we are awake. As highly sensitive people we know this intimately – perhaps more than most. So, changing your habits in the hours before sleep becomes necessary. Eating, drinking (whatever beverage of choice), watching the latest series on Netflix, or doing computer work needs to be done in moderation. This includes using mobile phones. In fact, when I implemented this habit, I needed to press the pause button on all of it at least 2-3 hours before I planned on sleeping. 

Finding Your Unique Dream Style

I am a writer so dreaming and recording dreams seems to come in words, and often in a narrative form. I always have a journal and pencil next to my bed. Occasionally, when still in that liminal space of “not quite awake,” I’ll reach for the journal and write what I remember. This can be a story – and yes, they can be weird – or it may be only one word, a phrase, a color, an animal that appeared, a shape, or a question or statement from a dream visitor. Don’t always expect a dream to come as a story though. Some of us are dancers, artists, musicians, poets, and scientists too. Keep in mind our dreams are tailored just for us. It’s possible we can’t remember dreams because we are forcing a creative framework that is meant for someone else. How does your creative spirit like to be expressed? Your type of dreaming will often follow suit.

Dream incubation is another way to bring dreams forward. What if we offer a prayer or an intention before we sleep to remember our dreams? We can ask to re-enter a dream that wasn’t fully remembered. Additionally, we can invite a healing dream to assist us in solving a daytime idea or challenge that we are working on. 

Some of us have immediate responsibilities when we first awaken. A dream message can fade away because we are saying to ourselves, “I don’t have the luxury of time to record dreams.” Well, yes, that is true for many of us. When my children were young I would often say the same thing. However, it’s not necessary to record them immediately. A word, or a brief description of a scene, a color, or an emotion you felt upon awakening can be jotted down, drawn, or audio-recorded in less than one minute. Then, at some point later, when you can find that wonderful, blessed silence – add more to your dream notes. Perhaps you won’t recall everything. But do whatever you can. 

Dream Messages – Not For Night Time Only

There are guided meditations called active imagination that help us re-enter the dreamscape. Persons trained in Jungian-inspired dream work, such as the training that I’ve received, often recommend this exercise. In practicing active imagination we are tapping into a part of ourselves where intuition and synchronicities arise. Intentionally relaxing your body widens an awareness of this realm. The meditation gently guides you back into the dream and calmly prepares you to “just” listen. When you are re-entering the dreamscape in this way, there is nothing to do. Simply look around, observe what’s there and wait for whatever or whoever wants to appear. No interpretations are necessary at this point. You are only there to observe and see what emerges. This is what you record in your journal.

In my professional practice of Inner Wisdom Wayfinding and Dreamwork I offer guided meditations called Visio Divina. Using photography or some other visual I bring the participants through a meditation that – like the dream – offers an image, a message, and encourages an energy to emerge. All of this can be illuminated and clarified the same way as a dream.

Recently one dream circle participant described a period of time when she experienced no dreaming. She developed a practice of gratitude instead of solely focusing on the loss. She explained that prior to sleep she offered thanksgiving to the dream maker for her past dreams. She recognized that she’d already been given dream gifts and thanked herself as well as the dreamscape for providing these vital messages. Nearly three months after starting this practice she began to remember her dreams again. 

The First Step

Remembering dream messages – in whatever form – is only the first step. Next, the fun starts. Now unfolding an understanding of the symbolic language of the dream world is possible. This is where your inner wisdom that wants to make itself known begins to emerge.

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BIO

Katharine Donovan Kane is professionally trained and certified. Her work is Inner Wisdom Wayfinding and Dreamwork. She relies on her intuitive gifts to help highly sensitive clients access inner wisdom by tapping into their unique story and dreams with all their emerging sensations, symbols, and imagery. She recently published a book entitled Soul’s Homecoming: An Empath’s Journey to Inner Wisdom. To learn more, visit www.kdkane.com and Katharine’s other social media channels.

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Julie Bjelland is a psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, Author of The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person, host of The HSP Podcast, and founder of the Sensitive Empowerment Community. Her books, blog, online courses, and free Webinars have helped thousands of highly sensitive people (HSPs) worldwide reduce their challenges, access their gifts, and discover their significant value to thrive to their fullest potential. Her HSPs in Heart-Centered Business Group connects and supports HSP healers and practitioners. Julie loves connecting in her Sensitive Empowerment Community and warmly invites you to join this positive, safe, and welcoming space. JulieBjelland.com❤️🌈❤️ (she/her)