REMEMBERING DREAMS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- THE FIRST STEP IN DREAM WORK IS TO BE ABLE TO CONSISTENTLY REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS IN DETAIL AND TO RECORD THEM. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. KEEP A PEN, PAPER, AND A DIM LIGHT NEXT TO YOUR BED, WHERE YOU CAN REACH THEM EASILY. WHEN YOU AWAKE FROM A DREAM, RECORD IT IN FULL DETAIL, EVEN IF IT IS ONLY A DREAM FRAGMENT. (A CASSETTE RECORDER CAN BE USED TO RECORD THE DREAM WHEN YOU AWAKE.) 2. SET UP A DREAM JOURNAL. RECORD ALL THE DREAMS YOU REMEMBER AND THE WORK YOU DO WITH THEM IN THE JOURNAL. 3. RECORD (WRITE OR TAPE) "EVERY" DREAM IN FULL DETAIL. RECORD, THE FEELINGS YOU HAD DURING VARIOUS PARTS OF THE DREAM, HOW YOU FELT WHEN YOU AWOKE FROM THE DREAM, ALL THOUGHTS AND ASSOCIATIONS RELATING TO THE DREAM THAT COME UP UPON WAKING. DATE EACH DREAM AND IF YOU AWAKE DURING THE NIGHT FROM A DREAM, RECORD THE TIME YOU AWOKE. 4. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER THE DREAM, PREFERABLY THE SAME DAY OR THE NEXT DAY, TRANSCRIBE YOUR DREAMS NOTES INTO YOUR DREAM JOURNAL, REREAD THEM, WORK ON THE DREAM AND RECORD THE RESULTS. CREATE A PERSONAL DREAM SYMBOL LIST IN YOUR JOURNAL, LOG YOUR KNOWN AND UNKNOWN SYMBOLS THERE. 5. "ENCOURAGE" YOUR DREAMS: OFTEN DURING THE DAY THINK ABOUT WANTING TO REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS AND WORK WITH THEM. TALK TO OTHERS ABOUT DREAMS AND/OR JOIN A DREAM GROUP. READ AND STUDY QUALITY BOOKS ON DREAMS. (A LIST IS AVAILABLE.) JUST BEFORE YOU FALL ASLEEP EACH NIGHT, SUGGEST TO YOURSELF, I SHALL AWAKE FROM A DREAM TONIGHT AND REMEMBER THE DRAM IN GREAT DETAIL. (PRAYER CAN BE USED TO ASK FOR DREAM REMEMBRANCE AND UNDERSTANDING, IF YOU ARE SO INCLINED.) (A DREAM REMEMBER CASSETTE TAPE THAT CAN BE COPIED AND USED IS AVAILABLE. YOU PLAY IT AS YOU ARE FALLING ASLEEP EACH NIGHT.) 7. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE INSTANT YOU AWAKE FROM THE DREAM, YOU RECORD IT AT ONCE ! IT IS BEST TO NOT GET OUT OF BED TO RECORD THE DREAM. ALL THE ABOVE SHOULD ASSIST YOU TO REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS MORE CONSISTENTLY. GANASHYAM DAS