Monday, September 26, 2011

Dreaming about Dreams

Do you dream each night? Do you keep a dream journal? Can you control your dreams (a technique called "lucid dreaming")? Have you ever written anything inspired by a dream before?

In my non-fiction class, another student wrote his piece on how he tried to learn lucid dreaming. In order to do so, he started a dream journal and wrote down his dreams in order to look for patterns in them.

After reading it, I found myself thinking a lot about my own dreams, or more, my own process of dreaming. Sometimes, I know I'm dreaming and I can control what happens, but I'm not always aware of it. In fact, many times, I'll be going along wherever the dream takes me, believing it, until something happens that I don't want to (for example, I'll be hiding from someone and they'll find me) and I'll be, like, "Nope, that didn't just happen" and "undo it." This only worked so long until my brain eventually figured it out, and now most of the time when I change something, the next thing I know I'm "waking-up" in my dream, only to realize I'm still dreaming because the room isn't the right one, I'm not in the right place, clothes, etc. Once, I "woke-up" six times before I woke-up in real life. It's a lot like the movie inception, only I can't do into other people's dreams, just my own :P

As a psych student, I hear a lot about dreams and dreaming and all the different theories of what they are and how (or even if) you can interpret them. The truth is, all they really know is that, even though everyone dreams, it is a unique, individualized process and no one knows for certain what they mean... but if anyone could figure one out, it would be the person who dreamt it.


  1. This is very interesting. "Experts" say we dream every night, but we don't always remember. One technique I read is that, upon waking up, we should remain as still as possible until the memories come drifting in. I've tried it a few times and it works. If we jump up and get on with our day as soon as we wake up, we lose it.

    On another note, my novel that is with agents now was inspired by a dream. The title and story idea came to me and I wrote it down immediately. A whole book sprung from that idea!

  2. Dreams are fascinating. I once wrote a short zombie story inspired by a dream. I should keep a journal. Sometimes dreams help me put certain aspects of life into perspective, but I don't remember most of them anymore. :)

  3. This is so interesting, dreams are just so mysterious. I love it! I like your idea of a dream journal, maybe I should start one

  4. btw I LOVE the book cover for Chronicles of Vallanie Sharpe!! I never even though of combining the two together, genious

  5. Ron- I've noticed that I always remember my dreams when I first wake up, but I tend to forget them shortly after if I don't ponder them for a while... maybe I should start a dream journal. That's so exciting that you have a novel with agents, and very cool that it was inspired by a dream!

    Laila- A zombie story-that sounds interesting :) I tend to try to focus more on my dreams if I'm ever up against writers block.. it usually helps me get ideas, but not for the story I need them for.

    Lydia- thanks! I completely forgot you hadn't seen the final cover. I forget whose idea it was to change it... it may have been my sister's.