Dreamtime: Remembering Dreams

By Machiel Klerk

by Machiel Klerk

Dreams can tell us much about ourselves—better retention of our dreams is all in the attitude.

dreamsI am engaged in a discussion with Bill Clinton. Then the mailman brings me a letter that says I am drafted to fight in Vietnam. The next moment I am in full combat in the jungle. When I wake up, I think I will remember this dream. In this space between dreaming and waking, the dream experience still feels real. It also makes total sense to me that I am in a conversation with Clinton and running through the jungle. Nothing about it seems strange, and I am not sure if it requires writing down. Plus, I am not convinced there is much more meaning in it than I already know. I am confident I will remember all of it. But if I don’t write it down, the dream experience will probably evaporate, as so many dreams do within minutes after awakening. The moment I reach my desk to jot down the dream, I notice that already some images I was sure I would remember have become very vague.

 

This article was originally published on November 1, 2010.