How to Interpret Dreams

Do you know how to interpret dreams? Hence, you should know that it is an excellent way to gain insights into your unconscious mind. Multiple people think it lets us realize what is happening in your waking life. Hence, you should begin keeping a dream journal. After that, it is possible to analyze each element in your dream to determine what it will refer to. Thus, it is possible to determine at last what your dream means.

What is dream?

It is a series of thoughts & sensations occurred in a person's mind while sleeping.

How to interpret dreams:

Part 1) Keeping it Journal:

Step 1:

Your first task is to place the journal beside your bed. Although you don't remember your dreams, you see these each night. Hence, if you write them down, it will help you to remember them. Besides, you should keep a pen or pencil with the journal. It reminds you to record it as soon as you wake up. Remember to bring the journal with you while traveling. That's why you should date the entries. If possible, leave room below each entry for your interpretation.

Step 2:

Once you wake up, keep your eyes closed. Then, you should try to remember your dream as much as possible. After that, you should write down these. You can make it your morning ritual to record dreams while in bed. Usually, you can remember the most right after waking up. Whether you wait for some minutes, your dream's memory will fade.

Never go to the bathroom during that time, as you can forget your memory. Try to note the thoughts immediately upon waking because these can have been on the verge of appearing in your dream.

Step 3:

You should record all that you remember. It includes what you were doing, who was with you, how you felt, etc. Then, you need to note down as much as possible. A few people can even draw what they saw in the dream.

These are the things which you should note down, including:

• Emotions you felt 
• People in the dream 
• Animals 
• The setting of the dream 
• Colors 
• A mode of transportation, if there was one 
• A journey, if there was one
• A plot, if there is one

Step 4:

Ensure you must not make a plot in your dream if none is there. Usually, it is common for dreams not to make any sense. But the conscious mind might want to make a story out of your dreams. You should only note down what you remember though it is a series of random emotions and images. Thus, it can provide a better interpretation than a made-up story.

Do you want to turn your dream into a story? If yes, you should focus on emotions you felt, saw, etc. For instance, you may see a dream of getting lost in the woods, or a wolf chases you. While writing out what happened and how you felt, you should draw a few trees representing a forest from your dream with words like "lost," "chased," and "wolf."

Step 5:

Ensure that you must not interpret the dream while recording it. It might influence what you write. For example, you may need to remove the necessary details from your dream. Hence, you should try to document what happened. It is possible to interpret it later.

Step 6:

Try to title it. Thus, you can challenge your mind to recognize a specific theme or what stuck out most to you. Never try to make titles meaningful. You should use whatever comes to mind first. It will provide a better idea of what you feel about it. For instance, title the forest dream above something such as "The chase," "Scary woods," or "Running scared."

Part 2) Analyzing Your Dreams:

Step 1:

You should ask yourself about it. Remember that asking questions can help you start picking apart the dream. For instance, you should ask what you dream about because you will question the meanings and relationships behind the individual elements. These are a few instances of queries you might ask like—

• Was I alone? 
• Who else was there? Did I sense someone? 
• How did I feel? 
• What does the setting mean to me? 
• How would I describe the setting? 
• What does this image mean to me? 
• What does this action mean to me? 
• When was the last time that I encountered this item in real life?

Step 2:

You should try to detect the underlying emotions you felt in your dream. These mean that you are feeling them in real. But the situation is different from what is happening in reality. The surface doesn't relate your dream to your waking life, but you should focus on how you felt.

You may ask yourself, "How did this dream leave me feeling?" and "When have I recently felt that emotion in my waking life?"

Step 3: 

After that, you should test the setting of the dream. Remember that the location where it takes place is essential, including the location's mood. Suppose a forest is bright and peaceful. In addition, it may be dark and foreboding. However, it is vital how you relate to the place personally.

You can ask yourself: is there anything to fear? Does the place cause you stress in real life? Suppose a beach indicates two different things to two people relying on their associations. A beach is a fun place for those who visit there. But if you almost drowned there, it becomes a symbol of fear.

Step 4:

You should reflect on other animals. Try to consider the background of the animal or person and what these symbolize for you. In addition, you should also note how much you feel about the person or animal.

Suppose you have recently fought with a person. If it happens, the dream is related to it. Alternatively, you should understand if the person represents something to you. Suppose your favorite teacher appears in your dream as your unconscious mind is willing to learn something.

People you see in your dream represent yourself instead of that person. Suppose you are afraid of dogs. A dog in your dream might represent a threat. It can mean safety when you have a dog for your protection.

Step 5:

You should choose the images or symbols in your dreams. It might be anything appearing in your dream. You should consider which things may represent you. Whether you remember some images or symbols, you should focus on which seems the most meaningful.

Whether you face similar images or symbols regularly, it helps to make a special key enabling you to understand their meaning. It can interpret your dreams more quickly. For instance, you can see a free bird while feeling good about a situation. But if you feel trapped, you will see a caged bird.

Step 6:

You can find recurring themes in your dream. For instance, it may be a thought you had in the dream. It is a kind of emotion that remains throughout your dreams or a sign that you see continuously. You should consider how the theme is connected with your waking life. Sometimes, it is clear how the dream is connected with your real life. But it can work as a metaphor that you want to test further.

For instance, you can have recurring thoughts in the dream, like you lose things and can't keep track of items you carry. If you are willing, connect the feeling to a real-life situation where you lost a necessary item that you want for work. On the flip side, you might dream about being repeatedly chased and threatened. It is a metaphor for feelings of insecurity at work or school.

Step 7:

You can take the help of a dream dictionary only while you get stuck. Dream dictionaries are a famous tool used to analyze dreams. But according to multiple experts, these are not so useful. A similar symbol can indicate different things to various people. Hence, you should focus on how you feel in your dream and what every item means to you.

However, you may be willing to use a dream dictionary or find extra interpretations. Besides, it is possible to look for dream dictionaries in print form or online. For instance, you might have several dreams containing a key in the background. You may look up rare M meanings for the key symbol.

Part 3) Determine Your Dream's Meaning:

Step 1:

You need to identify that dreams are not a prediction of the future. A few people believe these can work as premonitions that foreshadow the future.

But according to the experts, it isn't the case. Despite this, these are stories that you say yourself while sleeping. Sometimes, these can help you to work through a situation in your waking life or cope with emotions. But a disturbing dream can scare you. Hence, you should focus on your feelings.

Step 2:

Put all pieces of the dream together. As soon as you analyze every part of your dream, put it together. It can provide a deeper interpretation of the dream.

Step 3:

Try to link your dream with real-life situations. A few dreams are simple, making them easy to interpret. But others work as a metaphor for something happening in your life. You should use your analysis to determine how the dream links to waking life.

Step 4:

You are merely the one who knows yourself properly. It makes you the best person to interpret your dreams.

Step 5:

You can have love dreams. These correspond to feelings of love and sex. Usually, these are about intimate connections in your real life. Even you can get closer to the person in your dream.

Step 6:

If you see dreams or patterns, your unconscious mind might want to say something. However, you may face struggle with a situation in your waking life. You need to pay attention to recurring dreams or patterns.

Step 7:

If necessary, you can talk with a therapist about whether these upset you. Sometimes, these can affect your waking life negatively. For instance, a few people have recurring frightening nightmares. In this case, a therapist can assist you in working through your upsetting dreams.

Conclusion:

Dreams generally do not have deep meanings. It might be about something that happened recently. Ensure that you must not allow your dreams to harm your real life.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Q. Can you interpret your dreams?

Dream analysis is an exciting tool to explore your mental and emotional health.

• Q. Can dreams reveal truths?

While a few can reveal hidden truths, a few are noise.

• Q. Can dreams tell your future?

According to small scientific evidence, these can predict the future.