Dream Interpretation: Class Three

[cydira]

Overview

This class is going to be focused more on activities that you can do. I will be posting in three sections again, and please, if there are any questions ask. Much of what I am posting here will be exercises that I have learned or developed through the years, this means that they will not always work for everyone. A large part of interpreting dreams comes from knowing your own mind and being honest with yourself. After this, the biggest help that I have found to interpreting my dreams is meditation.

When all else fails, meditate on the dream for a few minutes and you'll have an idea on how to proceed come to mind. :)

With this aside, here are the three sections for this class:

1. Personal symbols and building your symbol list

2. Imagery focused meditation for dream recall

3. Good dream recall and dream work habits ;)

With the exercizes that I'm going to be presenting, I will be giving you something of an idea how they have worked in the past for myself and others who have used them. I am also going to try to give you something of an idea as to why they work. This is where all of that boring stuff from class one and class two start to get put to work. :D

Also, if you can take a moment to fill out my poll, I'd appreciate it. :)

[Faery-Wings]

Ugh, I am still stuck on remember these dreams. So I voted for that. But if everyone else wants to move on, please do so. I'll find a way to keep up. :)

These lessons have been very interesting!

Chris

PS How did your midterms go?

[cydira]

Everyone, I will be away from the boards for roughly a week. I'm going on thanksgiving break! <does a little happy dance> I'll be back soon, so don't yall disappere on me. ;) :T

Aside from that, midterms went well. Now I'm starting to get ready for finals. :p

[Silver Venus]

Thanks for the good advice Cydria.. I take that on board and try to remmeber more detail of my dreams.

Good vote too :) I voted for the first one for Precognitive dreams and visions but ewould alos really like to cover nightmares next.

Have a great Thanksgiving break!!! :boing: Where you going? :)

[cydira]

I'm going back home for thansgiving. :) I gent to be with my sweetheart and I'm going to get to see my family so it's going to be pretty good. Even if I have to bring homework with me. lol

[Silver Venus]

Have a brilliant time!! :D

[lucidfire]

wow, this sounds cool! I have lots of flying dreams, but I never remember them anymore (especially when I'm stressed about something). Dream recall can really help people I think

[Myst]

I'm excited about this one. A lot of people don't realize personal symbology is far more pertinent to dream interpretation then symbology you might find in a book. There are common symbols that often represent something in particular; but often you should turn to your own interpretations and experiences first. They are more personal and therefore more true to you.

[lucidfire]

Yeah that's the same thing my girlfriend says. That only you really know what your dreams mean. My mom's always reading these books, to tell her what somethign means. Just seems odd to me.

[maidenmoon]

I have a problem that maybe some of you out there can help me with before I avoid sleeping at all...Every night I have the same dream well, almost every night, but every night that I do remember my dreams it is the same one. I can not figure out what it could be trying to tell me but it must be important for it to be happening every night. I can't figure out which parts of the dream relate to my situation or even to parts of myself. The dream (nightmare) is that I am in this huge old house which is like a fixer upper that I am absolutely in love with. i have been to this house so many times in my sleep that I could probably draw a map of it. Every time I go back I work on it a little more and my family comes over. It has secret passages that lead to bad places and some time in the dream there will be some one chasing me trying to kill my family and myself and usually I am running alone. If anyone has any idea what this could mean I would appreciate it. I figure that the only way I am going to get it to stop is to figure it out so I can fix that part of my life or something like that. ...HELP
PS: sometimes I will have another dream after the nightmare which I am not sure is a continuation of it or another dream altogether, but I will be either in a video game or in an amusement park, usually lost and wandering around. I know it is odd, but my dreams never seem to make sense!

[lucidfire]

Wow, that sounds kind of scarry. I've heard this general theme before, being chased in an old house by someone who wants to kill you. Some ways to start figuring something like this out is to think of what object in the dream makes the strongest impression to you, can you see WHO it is chasing you, is your focus on running, or what would happen if you get caught? You'd be surprised at what happens sometimes if you stop running and manage to say to yourself "this is a dream, you have no power over me," or just stop running to say the least; I used to get chased down into a basement and then I'd come to a split where there were two hallways, and no matter which way I took I ended up in the same place, a little boy's room, and I knew this Freddy Krueger was going to kill him, so I hid in his closet, because I was scared too just like him, but nothing would ever happen, I would wake up terrified, so one time, I concentrated on my brother and he popped up in the dream, and I stopped at the hallway split and I stood up to Freddy, and he just poofed. Fear can be a real enemy in situations like this. That's just my personal <cough cough> Opinion though :D

[cydira]

I'm back from thanksgiving break and it went really well. :) I got to visit with my family, play with my neices, and spend time with my sweetheart. I even finished some homework, like a good college student. :D So, now I'm ready to start posting up here again.

I just looked at the poll and I noticed an even split between three topics. We're going to be working on more dream recall techniques in this class, so that's a definate thing. I think that I'm going to move on to the topic of nightmares and such. There seems to be a theme right now on the boards of people having difficulties with nightmares. I think that it would be timely and helpful if we took a look at why we have nightmares and some techniques for coping with them next.

Now that there is a rough idea of how we're going to proceed, look for my next post on dream recall within the next two or three days. :) Please, continue to vote on the poll until the time expires on it. Any and all input is helpful. :)

[cydira]

Meditations and Exercises for Dream Recall

Often, it is difficult to sit down and write about our dreams first thing in the morning or whenever we wake up. Our first thoughts in the morning are not typically focused on dreams or remembering them, they're usually on more practical matters like breakfast or being on time to work. If it is possible, try to jot down a few notes about your dreams when you get up in the morning. Most dream journals will have only those few notes in for several different dreams simply because there wasn't enough time for recalling the dream and writing it down in it's entirety. I know because I've done this myself many different times.

At times, we simply can not recall the dreams of the night before or we're left with a fuzzy sense of something. We know we dreamed about someone or something, but we can't remember the details. In the case of having those vague details and the few notes from the morning, it is possible to return to the dream using a meditation simmilar to the one I've presented below. This meditation is much like those used for memory recall and can be altered for that purpose because in dream recall we are working with memory. This, however, is a different topic and I digress.

Meditation 1: The Dream Cave

This meditation often works best if there is another person to guide you into your trance and through the meditation. If this is not possible, then tape the instructions for this meditation and play them back when you have the time to meditate. With practice, you will not need the assistance of another person to reach this place inside yourself, you will have become familiar enough with it to reach it quickly and with ease. The visualization given below assumes that you have entered a meditative trance before this time. If you need trance induction techniques, please let me know and I'll post some of the ones that have worked successfully for me.

You are standing at the entrance to a cave, it is a large cave that is comfortably cool and dry. The limestone beneath your feet is covered with a faint dusting of soil that has been blown in by the breeze outside. Ahead of you, you see a passage leading farther into the cave system with a light at the other end of it. As you follow this passage, you notice that it is a bit longer then it first seemed and it gently slopes downward. The rough walls of the passage occasionally glint as the crystals embedded in the rock reflect and refract the light from the chamber ahead of you.

pause

As you emerge into the chamber, you realize it is even larger then the entry. Your eyes are somewhat dazzled by the ambient light surrounding you, but you can feel the vast size of the chamber. This bright light returns to a gentle glow as your eyes adjust and you see a series of doors about the chamber. All of the doors except for one are closed. You walk to the open door and look in. The chamber within is much smaller, roughly the size of a typical bedroom, with a large, comfortable bed waiting at the wall across from the door. You walk in and streach out on the bed. As you look around the room, you realize that there is a mirror at the head of the bed that is slightly longer then you are tall and as wide as the bed.

You look in the mirror and see fog in it. As you reach out to touch the mirror, your hand passes through it and you can see it in the fog. This room and the mirror are a gateway to your dreams. You can look into the mirror and watch your dream unfold like a movie. Or, you can step through the mirror and participate in the dream, seeing it through your own eyes in the dream. If you choose to step through the mirror, you can leave the dream at any time by taking a single step backwards and concentrating on the mirror. Knowing all this, you look into the mirror and tell the mirror that you wish to see your dream (state the day, what details you can recall, or what you had noted). As you concentrate on this, the fog begins to give way to fuzzy images. Soon, the fog clears and you see your dream enacted in the mirror in perfect clarity.

Watch the dream, pay close attention to what happens and how you respond to it all.

pause

As your dream reaches the end, the figures begin to become slightly fuzzy. Gradually, the mirror clouds over again with fog.

pause

You walk out of the room and into the lit chamber. You close the door to the dream room and then cross the chamber. As you follow the dimly lit passage to the entrance, it gently slopes up and seems a little longer then it first appeared to you.

pause

You step into the entrance of the cave, your eyes slightly dazzled by the light. Remembering everything that transpired in your dream, you begin to return to normal awareness refreshed and relaxed.

After this use your usual process for coming out of trance and record what you remember from the meditation. If your first few attempts at this are not successful, don't worry. This is a technique that takes a little bit of time, but with some practice, you will find that it is possible to visit dreams from a signifigantly earlier point in time

[cydira]

Here is the second meditation. From my experience and what others have told me, this meditation works best for dreams that you can not recall any details.

Meditation 2: River of Dreams

Again, this assumes that you have successfully entered a meditative state.

You are standing on a path that leads off to a stream that you can hear near by. The trees around you screen this stream from sight, but you can hear it bubbling over the stones in the stream bed and rushing through the reeds that grow at it's edge. You follow the path, walking between the tall trees, listening to the sounds of the forest surrounding you and the stream's musical sound. You enter a clearing with a stream running just before you.

pause

As you look down at this stream, you see it is not like an ordinary stream. Pictures form in the waves as you look at them, and you realize they are images from dreams that you have had. As you look at the stream and concentrate on a particular time, you see the dream that you had then. Watching as your dream unfolds on the surface of the water, you discover that you can hear and smell everything going on. You look up from the stream and to the other bank and find that in the fog wafting up from the stream, you can almost see your dream as well.

You know that if you cross this bubbling brook, you can step into your dream and take part in it. To leave the dream state, all you need to do is take two steps back.

pause

You take two steps back as your dream begins to fade away from the surface of the water. You know that this dream is at it's end and you turn back to the path through the trees. You walk down the path , listening to the sounds of the forest and the softening sounds of the stream.

pause

Remembering everything that you saw and experienced in your dream, you begin to come out of your trance relaxed and refreshed.

[cydira]

Assignment number five

Part one: Journaling

For those of you who are keeping dream journals, this assignment is particularly aimed at you. Those who are just starting to keep a dream journal, please look at assignments one and three before starting this one.

In your dream journal, you should have the following information:

1. Date of the dream
2. Details of the dream
3. Blank page for interpretation

I now want you to add two additional things to your dream journal:
1. Dream recall technique used
2. Recurring images/themes/emotions

The purpose of recording the recall technique used is to find the one that works best for you and eventually improve on it. If one technique works better then another, keep using it. Right now, though, experiment some and try playing with the techniques that I've given you.

The objective of recording the recurring images/themes/emotions is to beging building the basis of your personal symbols list. This list is *always* growing and can become an exceedingly useful tool in not only dream interpreatation but many other forms of divination and psycho-spiritual work.

Part two: Experimentation

As I said earlier, I want you to play with the techniques that I have given you. This means, I want you to develop your own "tools" for dream recall and share them with us. What I have given you is a basic framework that you can either use, alter, or reject.

In the end, however, I'd like for you to share at least one technique that you have improved on with the rest of the class.

[cydira]

Just after posting the assignment, I realized that I forgot one addtional tool for dream recall. This is one that works for some one of any age, I actually learned it as a child.

Dream Doll

As children, we all at one point or another probably had our teddy bears, security blankets, or stuffed critters of some sort or another. A dream doll works in a method simmilar to a dream pillow, it can be adapted to work like a dream pillow but right now I'm going to give you the basic concept behind it.

A dream doll is a tool that you use for remembering your dreams. Find a small stuffed animal, doll, or other soft item. It can even be a soft ball. When ever you handle the doll, tell yourself that this doll will help you to remember your dreams clearly and accurately. Carry the doll with you to bed, some find holding the doll while they sleep helps with the association with dreams. Others simply place the doll near the bed. Which ever practice works best for you, do it. The goal is to teach your mind to associate the doll (or other soft item) with dreams and remembering them.

When you sit down to record your dreams, have the doll with you. When you find that you are having difficulty remembering your dream, handle the doll and think about the dream. Again, this is something that will take a few weeks to start to really work. It is, however, quite effective and I've found it works best with children.

[maidenmoon]

I will try the dream doll, that is a good idea. I just thought what if one were to stuff it full of herbs and other items related to dreams also and sleep with it under the pillow? I may try that. Anyway, you seem to be pretty educated when it comes to dreams. Could you look at my last post and tell me what your interpretation of it is? It is driving me nuts. I have been really sick lately, do you think that could have something to do with it, missing alot of work (And right around the holidays, that isn't good...)

[cydira]

I will try the dream doll, that is a good idea. I just thought what if one were to stuff it full of herbs and other items related to dreams also and sleep with it under the pillow?

This will work just like a dream pillow. Some would call it a dream poppet. The dream poppet (poppet is another word for doll) or dream pillow would work a little differently from the doll that I suggested. Dream pillows use a combination of aromatherapy and magic to meet a wider array of needs then the doll. The doll is simply a visual or tactile memory cue for you to recall your dreams. It is simmilar to a memonic device for remembering the names of the planets or some other fact.

Dream pillows and poppets use herbs and magic for anything ranging from dream recall to easing nightmares. A poppet can still serve the basic use of the doll, but it expands the applications of it.

The dream (nightmare) is that I am in this huge old house which is like a fixer upper that I am absolutely in love with. i have been to this house so many times in my sleep that I could probably draw a map of it. Every time I go back I work on it a little more and my family comes over. It has secret passages that lead to bad places and some time in the dream there will be some one chasing me trying to kill my family and myself and usually I am running alone.

Nightmares are usually fairly difficult to work with. There is a wide range of possible causes, everything from latent or repressed fears to stress to just having poor health. Looking at your nightmare that you've given here and at the other dream, which I have copied below, it appears that there is a signifigant amount of stress at play here. Recurring nightmares usually indicate high stress levels and will be along some theme surrounding the primary stressors.

Working with what I know at this time, all I can say is that there appears to be some form of anxiety revolving around your family and the possiblity of some outside influence trying to cause harm and separate you.

Sometimes I will have another dream after the nightmare which I am not sure is a continuation of it or another dream altogether, but I will be either in a video game or in an amusement park, usually lost and wandering around. I know it is odd, but my dreams never seem to make sense!

This dream also seems to have the same feel of anxiety as the first one. Both dreams have a strong theme of possible abandonment or misdirection and seem to present the atomosphere of desperate flight, to me. Something that you can try to assist in breaking these dreams is to turn and face the person or being that is persuing you. Ask it's name and why it is there. Because this is your dream, they must answer you and when you know it's name, you will have power over it. This will remove this nightmare figure's hold on you in your dreams and possibly give you deeper insight into anxieties that you are currently facing.

Dreams don't always make sense, they hold a mysterious quality that presents both an invigorating and vexing challenge. To help you in interpeting these dreams, try to conciter these questions:

1. What is occuring in your life as you are having these dreams?

Stressful events can creep into your dreams through nightmares, even events that can be happy. By looking at the stressors and doing what you can to reduce their impact, you will find that this helps resolve your nightmares.

2. Are there some issues that have been troubling you that you are neglecting or some how downplaying the impact?

Repressed or belittled troubles will always return full force in your nightmares. This is your mind's way of telling you that there is a problem that you need to focus on.

3. Are you in good health?

Poor health can contribute to these nightmares, according to the reaserch that I have done, most people will report having more nightmares when they are ill and feaverish then when they are healthy. I believe that this is more then just a conicidence.

4. How long have you had these dreams or dreams along these themes?

If you have been having these dreams for a few months or a few days, look at the events that occured at the beginning of that period. Often, one will find that a particularly stressful event at an earlier point in time will have lingering effects, which if unresolved, will manifest in nightmares.

5. At the time that these dreams began, was there some particularly stressful event occuring to evoke feelings of anxiety that were similar in some fashion to those from the dream?

This primarily comes into play in identifying the stressful event and it's impact.

[Silver Venus]

Wow lots of reading :D
Ill print all this out and read it over Cydira! This is so great!
I had such a strange dream last night but I didnt wirte it down and cant remember it now :( I is so true how dreams area bizzare reflection of your waking thoughts because mine last night was soo fitting for me at the moment.
:)

[maidenmoon]

Thank you for the help on the dream. I will have to meditate on what was going on and what now it could represent. it is hard to figure out because there are 3 actual things that bother me and don't know how the house/death theme relates. One problem that bothers me is my sex life (lack of )to be blunt, the other is how much I hate my job and the last thing is xmas stress, paying bills and getting presents all at the same time. (yikes!) But, the dream happened long before xmas shopping began. But the other problems were there when I started with these nightmares. What do you think?

[cydira]

Silver Venus, I'm thrilled to hear that you're enjoying this. :cool:

Maidenmoon, it sounds like your biggest problem right now is the fact that you have so much stress in your life. If you try to incorporate some more relaxation techniques and self soothing when things get really stressful, it will probably help in several different areas.

In the light of what you've told me, I can give you a possible guess at the meaning of the death/lost/loss/abandonment theme and the house theme. I may be completely wrong here, because these are *your* dream symbols.

With the death/etc. theme, I'm one to argue that is a manifestation of the anxiety this stress is causing you. It is fairly common in stressful situations to have dreams of death, bodily harm, or something else equally traumatic. Generally, they tend to reflect a combination of anxiety and a sense of hopelessness that may be presant at the time.

With the house theme, it looks like it represents the efforts that you are making to get everything into order. You've made alot of progress, but like an old house, there's always one more thing. The family element in this picture is probably related to the holidays and prepairing for them. Unfortunately, your efforts are part of the causes of your stress. Hence, the death themes attached to the house.

Something that may help, if what I've said is even close to the facts of the situation, is a change in your taictics. If you have a tight budget and a ton of people to gift gifts to, use inexpensive gifts and put together a gift basket for someone. For example, one year, my parents gave my uncle and his family a family giftbasket instead of purchasing gifts for everyone.

The parts of the gift basket they bought was the candies and the basket. Aside from that, my mother baked three types of cookies and wrapped them up and put them in the basket. My father mixed together a batch of hot coco mix from some of the baking ingrediants we had around and put that into an extra canning jar that my mother had. Gifts like this are not only inexpensive, but they have a homemade touch and they're practical. They are also easy to put together.

This is just one change in your approach that can be made. There are probably many others that if you sit down for a moment and put your creativity to work on solving these logistics problems, will not only let you be successful in handling the holiday stress but also enjoy the holidays as you do so.

I hope this helps. :)

[Myst]

It should be noted that being chased, running from something, or thinking something is going to kill you, are some of the most common dream themes (along with flying and falling, etc.), and usually are a simple manifestation of stress in your life "chasing you" or problems "out to get you", etc. Houses are commonly representations of your life (at this time or any other time of your life). I dream about houses and buildings allllll the time, especially now since we're moving into a house next year and I'm excited. I can't tell you how many times I've found myself decorating that house in my dreams... :)

[maidenmoon]

Thank you so much for all the effort you took trying to help me with my problem. I will try to figure out ways to relax more to deal with this stress and ways to rid out alot of it. You couldn't of been more right! The house does seem to represent my stage- working on something that isn't complete. Alot of the stuff really triggered something deep in me that said it was right. I appreciate all the help. I am going to start keeping a dream journal and then relate it to what is going on in my life. And I have been stressed over xmas, now the shopping is done, I have all these bills I have to deal with. I think if I were out of debt these nightmares would go away. It is weird when we were discussing the poppet the other day and how a doll can help you recall your dreams...When I woke up from a dream the other day the first thing that popped in my head was a doll and I concentrated on it till i remembered my dream. It does actually work. You should consider doing a site for dream interpretations. It would be interesting and you would help alot of people. Such as, the people could send in their dreams and brief descriptions of their life at the moment and you could give them an analysis. Like a Dear Abby problem. Just a thought. By the way, Myst I see you have changed your signature. I remember that incident. You are so right and it is all about respect here. this should be the one place where we can get away from people lashing out at us. We have to support our brothers and sisters, not fight with them. Anyway, I like the new signature. I chuckled when I first read it. I wonder what others think of it?

[Myst]

Ok I had to type this one out before I forgot it. If you want to comment, feel free. I woke up from the kind of dream that makes you run around and turn all the lights on, making sure to turn around and see what's behind you half a dozen times, this morning. I think as soon as I'm done typing I need to really do a cleansing in here too. Ugh.

Flash into me in a building, looks like a classroom the way the desks are set up. There are several people here, a book at the front. Me thinking about preventing something (creature, spirit, not sure) from manifesting at the front of the room over the book. I knew this whatever was scheduled to show up due to some thing that was foreseen to happen, and I was going to use my magickal tools (athame, wand, etc.) and some magick to stop them I think. I was going to show people how it can be done.

Anyway he (spirit of some sort I think) shows up, and basically all out ignores what I'm trying to do, he's carrying a heavy weapon (like a heavy scythe or kama) and flies to the back of the room over me, and back to the front again, but on the way back I become him or he becomes me or both (imagine taking a deep breath and finding yourself watching yourself in the body of someone of the opposite gender, and he (me too now, I'm in him, even though it's a guy's body, and I'm just watching, I think he used me to take physical form) says something about bringing the chosen child with him.

Suddenly a blonde girl of about 2 or 3 appears, and I (he) look upon her and he's pleased, but inside I'm thinking of terror and what to do to restrain the child. And he says something about how she's hungry and he's got coal black eyes (no whites) and they flash. Suddenly we are at the back of the room and there's a baby on the table (uhm I don't know why) and he says something about how "well you're just useless laying here so" to the baby (I think its dead already) and the little blonde girl jumps on the baby and rips it's skin from it's throat right down past its bellybutton right open, starting to eat it, two of the people in the class scream and then I wake up.

Wierd thing in this dream is not only the spooky feeling I still have half an hour later bundled up in my fiance's shirt with all the lights on, and after grounding and concentrating on my shields (ok that did help).. but also the fact that I'm in the point in my dreams where usually I observe and know what's happening as well as participate - for instance as I'm doing something in my dream I'll be thinking of what will happen next, why something happened, etc. and usually that affects the unfolding of the dream. But in this dream I didn't have time to think about what was happening let alone control it.

It was in colour btw and it was at 9 am so it's daylight but it's pouring outside and is really dark and rainy. So yes these are the kind of nightmares I have when I need to reive the apartment and reset the shields.

[ReverendAJS]

I'm not trying to belittle your dream, Myst, I'm sure it was very upsetting, but it sounds to me like an episode of Buffy. Just an observation.
Rev

[Myst]

Yeah I know. I thought the same thing a few minutes ago :)

Except you don't usually see the toddler rip skin off the baby and eat it on Buffy... :D

[ReverendAJS]

might not hurt the ratings (?)

[Hope]

I just wanted to say thank you!!! for the class I am really enjoying it and have been printing out each assignment with my notes to refer back too. I have found this a valuable tool.

love
hope

[Silver Venus]

Hope your alright now after that horrid nasty nightmare Myst.
I had a funny one last night where my parents walked in on my bf and I having sex! (Im 23 and live on my own so no worried there!) then I made this big fuss over changing a jacket my mum gave me at a shop, and then decided I liked it in the end and took it with me :crazy:
Sounds like parent anxiety!

[cydira]

I'm a bit peeved with myself because I haven't posted much in here recently. I do apologize. In getting ready for finals, I've accidentally forgotten to check the boards for a few days. Then, last night in a bout of insomnia, I check the boards and find there's replies on this thread. I'll be posting up the next section for y'all tonight.

But I just wanted to let y'all know what's up. :)

[Silver Venus]

No worries hun! Your finals are much more important :)
Thanks for caring about us :p

[cydira]

Why thank you, Silver Venus. I know that y'all have really been enjoying the class and I'm thrilled. To tell the truth, it's actually helping me stay somewhat sane right now. That's why I try to keep up with posting and answering questions. ;) I'm not just addicted... really. :T I expect finals will go well... I just need to keep working on them bit by bit and stay focused. If my plants will tolerate my babbling as well as my roomate does the desklamp being on at 2 to 3 in the morning, I'll get through it all. :)

Controlling your dreams:Overview

This section is a little different from lucid dreaming. We will be discussing lucid dreaming soon, because it is closely related to this. Often, when we dream, we will find that our dreams tend to have a certian pattern or sense of logic to them. It is possible to control the direction of these dreams, there by making them a powerful tool for psychological, spiritual, or magical means.

There are three major ways to control your dream. The first is to become aware of the dream (this is known as lucid) and then influence the dream through your conscious will. Second is to become partially aware of your dream and through limited use of your conscious will, shape your dream to move in a direction. It is by becoming semi-lucid of your dreams and the minor shifting of your dreams that you reach a fully lucid state.

The third method of controlling your dreams is to use some elements from classical conditoning and training yourself to have a measure of control over your dreams, even if it is unconscious. It like the concept of body memories. Any one who has trained themselves to respond to a certian situation in a specific way will continue to do so long after they have consciously forgotten their training. Hence the fact that people who were trained in the martial arts as a child being able to use some of the blocks long after they had forgotten the names of the techniques or their formal application.

There are elements of the third method that we have applied in teaching ourselves to recall our dreams and to recording them. The use of a repeated command to remember the dream, the use of a visual or tactile cue (like the dream doll), and other simmilar methods are forms of what is called operant conditioning. Operant conditioning, also known as classical conditioning, teaches the mind to associate an unconditional responce with an unassociated event.

Like Pavlove's dogs drolling at the tinkle of a bell or a child able to recite the multiplication tables when their in their 9:30 mathematics class and not at all at any other time. In the case of our dream recall, we are teaching our minds to associate the unconditional responce of recalling a memory (the dream) with the unassociated object, like the dream notebook. This method of teaching and instruction has been emploied for a long time in most class rooms. What we are doing is much like self instruction. Some times it's more effective if we've got some one else to help us, but it's possible to do this on our own. :)

I think I've rambled enough. I'll post more soon, right now I need to run.

[Silver Venus]

Thanks Cydira! that was really informative!
Sometimes I can lucid dream but I manage it once every now and again :)
& I can totally relate toi recalling your dreams at the sight, smell, time of a day ~ I use a dream diary and can recall them when I look at it in the moring.. then in the shower sometimes my mind filters through a bit more of my dreams and if needed all the extra information and images and sounds come through :) Its so great when it suddenly clicks into place!

Im really looking forward to your next lessons on Lucid dreaming!!
Keep up the great work :sunny:

I just did a search for lucid dreams ~ felt like reading a bit more ;)
& found this site http://www.lucidity.com/
have you seen it before? looks pretty good :)

[cydira]

Lucid Dreams

Lucid dreams are some what exotic when you compare them to what's discussed in any psychology text book or most books on dream analysis. When one sits down and seriously looks at the sleep cycle, it is possible to argue that we have several lucid dreams in the night, but that we don't remember them.

A lucid dream can become a laboratory for you to explore yourself and your dream world. Often, lucid dreams are dreams of flying or floating. Most people realize this is something that isn't real in their dream and will become lucid. To recognize the little things, like the newspaper you're reading being full of nonsense words, you must train your brain to be aware of this.

Here, you use the techniques that you have been employing in your efforts to recall your dreams. Except for now, your focus is on noticing strange things in your dreams and becoming lucid. Perhaps using the technique of repeating to yourself, "My dreams tonight are lucid" as you fall asleep will help. Or, teaching yourself to associate not only recalling your dreams but lucidity with your dream doll.

If you experiment with this, you will find that there is a technique that will help you to do this. In a nightmare situation, when you become lucid, you are now in control of the dream. Most nightmares, the dreams are controling you and you are running about in your dream scared out of your wits by something that is inreality as harmless as a shadow. When you are lucid, take your nightmare and change it.

Make it become something funny or make it become a learning experience. Confront the nightmare creature and ask it what it has been chasing you, sit down and talk with it. Many times, it will point out that there has been an issue you have been avoiding and it's trying to bring it to your attention. It is in this way that lucid dreams can help you to control your night mare.

There are some old myths about lucid dreams. One is that if you fall off of a high surface in your dream and hit the ground, you will die. This one is not true. There have very, very rarely been recorded cases that this happened. And then, it was only happenstance. Another is that if you dream something in a lucid dream that it will always happen.

Lucid dreams are different from precognitive dreams. Precognitive dreams usually have some form of sequence of seemingly unrelated events and are some what disjointed compared to lucid dreams. They will also repeat for a period of time before the first in the sequence comes to pass. Or atleast, this is what my reaserch as shown me to generally be the case. Also, precognitive dreams can not be influenced directly by the dreamer. At best, you may beable to change your vantige point, maeby.

Most of the old myths about lucid dreams are said to keep a person from experimenting with them and gaining personal power. They were given out and still are in many cases, by the psychological and religious community to keep people dependent on them for assistance in interpreting their dreams. While the psychological community can help you in interpreting your dreams, I promice you, most of your dreams do not have some kind of Freudian meaning or indicate psychocis.

[cydira]

Partial lucidity and Classical Conditoning

Partially lucid dreams are simmilar to lucid dreams except for your control over the dream is limited. You can distinguish that you are dreaming and that the dream is not real, but the characters in your dreams may not be under your complete control. In these situations, the practice of confronting the nightmare creature is best.

There are two options in confronting the nightmare. The first is to ask the creatures name and why it has been bothering you. The second is to banish the creature. Keep in mind, however, that if the nightmare creature represents a latent problem that you have been avoiding, there will be more nightmares and different creatures will replace that one until the issue is resolved.

Classical conditioning works a little differently.

In the case of classical conditioning, one can look at the practices that we have been using up until now and at how they work. We're going to take a brief trip back into the boring realm of neurology for a moment, but don't worry we won't be staying there for all that long.

When we have a thought, a pathway is carved into our brain and we get a new "wrinkle." With the continued practice of that thought, the wrinkle deepens and gets larger. This is how we can remember our multiplication tables from elementary school and yet forget a phone number in five minutes. :D Classical conditioning uses this to teach the brain certian things. One of the things that we have been teaching our brains over the course of this class is how to remember our dreams when we write in our journals.

The first time, we created that small wrinkle, saying "When I write in my journal, I'll remember my dream." The continued practice of this, eventually deepens the wrinkle and soon less and less effort is needed to travle down that neural path. This is why some of you are finding that using the dream journal works. For those of you that haven't had success yet, keep working on it, it will be successful, you just need a little more effort.

Oh, and by the way, this has nothing to do with IQ or anything else like that. It's strictly neurobiology. For some people, it's easier to learn things then it is for others. The think this is why some people have photographic memories, but I don't know too much about that. :)

I'll be posting more about classical conditioning soon. For now, let's try to have people post what's been working to help them remember their dreams. I want to see how everyone has found this to help them so far. :)

[Silver Venus]

Hi Cydira, Great lesson!! :sunny:
Youve made me understand what I dreamt the other night
Background (real life) ~ my dad is coming to stay at the weekend (first time hes visited from Spain) and hes very fussy to say the least, so Ive been stressing about getting everything just so...

I dreamt I was running round the house cleaning but as I cleaned and left one room it began to grow this disgusting hariy black stuff so I ran back in and cleaned and scrapped it of the walls and surfaces again, then left.. but it grew back... I began to get really scared, not of the black hairy mould but of what my dad would think and say.. but then somehow I realised I was dreaming and said 'its a dream' to myself, I then though I change my whole house and make it really new and shiney!.. then I cant remember any more and if I did change it.. must of woken up.
But I was deffinatley in control at the end! :)

The same night (monday) I dreamt I was talking with a large group people who in the dream were my friends, but I didnt know them in realy life... I then noticed that under my armpits was black kind of egss... like fish eggs!! Yuck!! (But relates to the black, hairy mould!) I tried to wipe it off but couldnt and so decided to find a bathroom, in the bathroom I wiped it of with tissue and washed..
Again i felt very much incontrol, I didnt panic of feel embrassed at all ~ not like I think this kind of dream normally goes (worse and worse) so maybe these two are connected, I deffinatley think that although they were pretty wierd and yucky ~ I had some kind of control!

:)

[ReverendAJS]

I just have one comment. How do we know if, even rarely, people die from dying in their dreams? Woulnd't they be dead and not able to tell you what they were dreaming?
Reverend aJS

[Silver Venus]

I think its just superstition of some beliefs and so recorded superstitions..

[cydira]

Actually, when I was in psych 101 my instructor had told me about a sleep study and one of the patients actually died while dreaming. <shudders> The idea of dying while hooked up to all of those wires gives me the creeps. But according to what the prof told me, there was a report done on this and that before the subject's heart stopped, they were dreaming according to the EEG.

I may have been a sucker to take the prof at his word though. But I had that written in my notes from psych, which I *finally* found. :D I'll go bother the poor man after final exams are done, perhaps at the beginning of the winter session classes. :) I'll see if I can find the study for you or if I bought the brooklyn bridge. :T

[Silver Venus]

lol You bought Brooklyn bridge!! Maybe you dreamed it ;)

Id be a sucker for a story like that too :)

[Hope]

I have been doing much better at remembering my dreams! Yeah!!! And I have had them make sense to me and been able to apply them. Not all of them but suprisingly quite a few.

And I haven't had one bad dream since we started this, which is really odd because I have Bad dreams so often that I don't sleep much. And I have actually been sleeping more. To the point that friends have called late at night and been shocked that I was in bed and not up. LOL

I can't help but think it is because I have been thinking about my dreams and sleep from a different angle. Right??!

love and thanks
hope

[Silver Venus]

Thats great!! ;) I think its about thinking about dreams and calming your brain down more when you go to sleep and really relaxing into sleep.
sure Cydira will have some great reason! :)

I had a really wierd (sexy) one last night that has left me very puzzled!! Very wierd!
:eek:

[cydira]

Just peeking in while on my winter break. I wanted to wish everyone a happy yule/solstice/christmas/holidays! :D

On a slightly different note, more in line with the thread, I think that the use of the techniques that we've been exploring in this dream interpretation class has been helping with everyone's stress levels. One of the most common triggers for nightmares or other bad dreams is a high level of stress. Also, the various techniques that we've been using are helpful in controling stress and how respond to it.

This might be what is helping you to resolve your sleep problems, Hope. Either way, I'm happy that it has been helping you out. I'll try to post something more substantial soon, but I'm not sure if I'll be able too because I have very limited compter access right now.

I hope everyone has a lovely new year and I'll talk to y'all soon. :)

[Silver Venus]

Hey! Happy 2002!!
Ive ben having a lot of 'stress' dreams even though Im not stressed at all for once! Ive had a total break for a week now which has been great! lol think the stress has to crept in somewhere and its my dreams ;) they have been nice stress dreams so no worries.
Lets hope that 2002 is filled with lots of happy dreams for all of us!
:sunny:

[cydira]

Just a quick note to let everybody know that I've returned from my winter break. :) I'll be posting more soon. Right now, I need to resolve a few of my computer problems.

Here's a quick little time table for all y'all.

Jan 7-17 Finish up Class 3 and start Class 4
Jan 18-28 Brief pause in class 4, because of a lack of computer access. (I'll be going home for a week soon.)
Jan 29-Early Feb Finish Class 4 and start Class 5
Mid Feb Finish Class 5 and start to wrap up the class :)
Late Feb Concluding notes and parting suggestions this will be the last class .

This is flexible, but here's the rough game plan for the next little while or so. :)

[Hope]

You are so oraginzed! Want to teach a class on that in the spring! :)

love
hope

[Silver Venus]

Go Girl! :D

[cydira]

I'm sorry that I vanished on you folks. I suddenly developed major computer problems and I then had some serious health problems. :( It was horrible to be confined to bed rest, but I'm up and kicking again. :D

I'll start posting soon. There's a little bit of chaos right now with the beginning of the spring session right now. :)

Talk at y'all later. :D

PS: I just love my sweetie! :heartthro He bought me another tarot deck, the Faery Wicca Tarot! :T Now I get to play with a new deck! Yay! :T :D

[Hope]

Sorry to hear you have had it so rough!!

((((HUGS)))) glad you are on the mend and will be back teaching soon.

Oh and COOL! on the new deck.
love
hope