Begin to keep a record of your dreams. We will be talking about them at several points during the semester with regard to a variety of therapy systems, including psychoanalysis.

Most people dream about every 90 minutes throughout the night. Most people also are dreaming right before they wake up. Therefore, keep a notebook next to your bed and record your dream as soon as you awake, prior to doing anything else -- even getting up to go to the bathroom. Dreams are very fragile beings and interfered with easily.

If you do not remember dreaming, be assured that you do but do not remember them readily. Try setting an alarm for 15 minutes earlier than usual and see if you catch a dream in this manner. If this does not work, try setting your alarm clock for various times in the night. Be patient.

In your write-up for one dream include:

• as much detail as you can, including names, colors, textures, smells;

• your emotional responses to aspects of your dream;

• aspects that seem related to events from the previous day;

• your free association (at least one page) to various aspects of your dream;

• a brief evaluation of this process.

Page by jms
URL= http://psy1.clarion.edu/jms/cptdreams.html

Last updated August 31, 1998