Analyze dreams in 8 easy steps

Have you ever wondered how to analyse dreams? From cradle to coffin we all dream. Some remember them while others don't. Some don't care and others do. Those who do care often believe there are meanings behind our dreams and seek ways to analyse those meanings. One method is to use a dream dictionary. I contend that dream dictionaries can help, but they don't reveal the whole story. The following dream analysis method will explain a simple 8 step method to analyse dreams that anyone can do.

As soon as possible after the dream, it is important to record your dream. It should contain as much detail as you can manage. While you are writing, it is important to use "process writing". When we do process writing, we write as quickly as we can without stopping to think, re-read or correct spelling or grammar. It is important to let your thoughts flow - very much like a dream flows.

It's not essential, but it is a good idea to have a special dream journal book that you write in. The one I use is simply colored paper with a spiral binding. When it is full, I can add more pages and a bigger spine. However, it should be a special book. As your skills of analysis improve, you can check back for similar dreams or themes and symbols.

Once you have recorded your dream, the next step is to record your feelings about the dream. This does not have to include a lot of detail (unlike step 1). It is sufficient to write perhaps one or two sentences. Below is an example from a dream I analysed the other day.

Feelings:

I found the environment of this dream to be magically enchanting. It was a very friendly place and I felt as though I had been given a very special treat. I didn't want to wake up when the alarm went off.

Sounds easy? Not always! Sometimes it is really difficult to allocate earthly words to astral experiences - there can often be no earthly words available. If that's the case, you can make your own words up, but I'd suggest that you collate them into a dictionary so that you have a reference. Basically, a title should be up to 8 words in length, and that is usually sufficient.

My Title

Underground wonderland

Sometimes the background is a little difficult to remember, but it should tell something about how, when, or why you were at that particular place in your dream. This is also a good place to record anything that didn't seem to fit into the dream record. It might have been a background noise, or particular trees, or a color that didn't seem to fit into the story of the dream. In the analysis of my dream I wrote:

Background: 

I was a privileged guest in this land and I was being given a guided tour.

This is where the hard work begins. Go back to your dream record and using a different colored pen, go through your story and underline all the action verbs - this means that you ignore the verb "to be", words like was, went, go, get, etc, and focus on the verbs that show action or thought. In my dream I found the pattern changed with each paragraph:

Themes:

Paragraph 1 - tried, turned off, broke, tied it, broke, fixed, make (Theme: breaking and fixing)

Paragraph 2 - told, sick, told, driving, told, bath, arranged (Theme: communication)

Paragraph 3 - was allowed, went head first, lives (Theme: permission, moving forward)

As you can see, the verbs changed quite a lot as the dream progressed, and you have to come up with the themes yourself according to the general overall meaning of the verbs as a group. As I complete this hub, I will reveal more about how this progression of themes sets the scene for my understanding.

Now, with a different colored pen, circle nouns that are important to the story. Sometimes this might be people, but at other times, you may consider the other people to be unimportant. For example, my dream began with my husband and son present, but they were such a minor part of the dream that they are almost "background". However, shortly into the dream I met our office manager who organised the tour of the magical wonderland, so I considered her to be an important symbol of work.

My Nouns:

empty beds, old light cords, kitchen, doll, very old doll, Joe the chain rattling ghost, Office manager, antique dolls, sick doll, dolls, (Symbols: old, tired, sick, work)

historic castle, castle, strange underground world, minature castle, tiny steps, tiny opening, miniature, puddles (Symbols: New environment, small things)

large swing, sea, special people (Symbols: big, special)

It is interesting so see the three paragraphs also showing different symbols, just as the previous step showed different themes.

The symbols can be difficult to ascertain, and this is one step that a dream dictionary can help you with because they have a focus on symbols of dreams. So if you find this step a bit difficult do feel encouraged to consult a good dream dictionary.

When you write the meaning of your dream, you need to consider all the above information, but the themes and symbols should be the focus of your attention, linking them to each other as the dream progressed. See my dream meaning below:

Meaning:

Things at work seem to be not working very well at the moment, but you could find help closer than you might think as a work colleague could introduce you to some new ideas. Things may start out very small, but as you take small steps you will realize that you are able to move forward and get into larger opportunities.

The final step can help to link the dream meaning back to concrete daily activities. In particular, think about things that had happened during the day before the dream as this is most likely to be impacting on your subconscious thoughts when dreaming.

Previous day:

I was quite happy that I had completed a grant application and it was ready to post.

Final Analysis:

I have not been completely happy at work, and have been craving a holiday, so applied for a grant to travel overseas. I knew about the grant from a person at work (not the person in the dream as people are only symbols of something). Finishing the application was the small steps forward, and the big swing was my anticipation for bigger things to come in the future if I win the grant.

Dreams are wonderful windows into our souls. Now that your know how to analyse dreams, you can enjoy them and understand them.