We dream every night even if we don’t remember. Research also suggests that most dream activity occurs in the final hour of sleep, acting like a recap of the night’s dream sequences. So planning for a good night’s rest can be a vital component in the process of recalling our dreams. B vitamins have also been shown to improve dream retention because of their relationship to mental functioning and nerve health.

A powerful but simple tool in dream work is keeping a chronological dream journal. People often overlook the importance of this step, believing they will remember the key elements. Psychological studies in learning retention have proven the value of writing or typing the words whether it’s studying for a test, memorizing lines for a play or working with our dreams. Something occurs in the circuitry of our brains as a result of getting the words down on paper, or in a computer, which seems to be related to a dialog between the brain’s hemispheres and the function of memory. There seems to be a relationship between the physical actions and memory that we don’t completely understand.

The discipline of a journal sends a potent message to your subconscious that this is an important activity and that our subconscious faculty should “pay attention” to our dream work. Another benefit of recording dreams in sequence is that over time patterns emerge and people or things show up repeatedly. Understanding the meaning of these recurring symbols can lead to deep healing.

It’s vital to record a dream while it is still fresh in your mind, capturing the main symbols and scenes in the dream as soon as possible. The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge claimed to have received the lines for his amazing poem Kubla Khan in a dream. When he woke he wrote down the poem word for word. As he was recording line fifty-four someone knocked at his door. Regrettably, he answered, and when he returned to his transcription the rest of the poem was lost to him, and posterity. This story illustrates the importance of capturing dreams immediately as their presence can be fleeting.

The most basic and fundamental tools for dream work are pen and paper, or maybe these days a lap top. Creating an ongoing dream journal, and making the process enjoyable, reinforces to subconsciousness that you’re listening. One piece of powerful emotional evidence is the care taken in selecting a vessel to be a container for your dreams. This may sound a bit silly but our minds can be subtle at times. If we don’t take something seriously or make motions to commit, neither will our automatic consciousness. This is also true with other good intentions like diet and exercise. Decorating the journal with pictures, sketches, or images that serve to illustrate the dream can help evoke meaning from dream symbols. Accessing your creative side will enhance your memory and likely improve recollection as well as the quality of the information you receive.

Personally, I find choosing a special dream journal to be a crucial part of the process. I pick a new one for each calendar year and select something that makes me feel good every time I pick it up. I also enjoy having a matching pen, or changing ink colors to suit my mood, but this is admittedly the Venus influence in my horoscope. Having said that, the important thing is recording the dream, not where, so if you don’t have a sexy journal handy you can record your dream on any available surface, including the proverbial cocktail napkin.

Another technique which has shown good results is naming on titling a dream. This acts almost magically to isolate the essence or main thrust of the dream’s message. Once you name something it belongs to you and becomes real and personal.

A surprising fact which has emerged from research is the importance of recording the dream in the present tense. For example, “I was walking through the upper level of a house,” not “I walked through the house.” Psychologist Fritz Perls’s research indicates this actually captures the alpha pattern of the dream, enhancing recollection and aiding interpretation and synthesis. Other research indicates that shifting to past tense when relating or recording a dream may indicate an unconscious attempt to distance from potent emotional content. Relating the dream in present tense keeps the dream alive and appears to enhance the flow of information from the subconscious mind.

Julie Gillentine is the award-winning author of TAROT & DREAM INTERPRETATION and other books and articles. Each year she leads a sacred journey to Egypt. Julie can be reached through her web site www.queenofcups.com or in Colorado at 970-264-7474.