Definition

• A series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.
• A daydream; a reverie.
• A state of abstraction; a trance.
• A wild fancy or hope.
• A condition or achievement that is longed for; an aspiration: a dream of owning their own business.
• One that is exceptionally gratifying, excellent, or beautiful:The act of relaxing your body and quieting your mind.

Every person on earth dreams every night – every mammal in fact. It follows then that something extremely important must be going on while we sleep and dream, yet in this industrialized world, the majority of people pay little attention to dreams, and sometimes shortchange themselves on sleep because it is perceived as lost time, or at best unproductive.

Dream related mental skills such as dream recall or dream interpretation and information on subjects such as the meaning of nightmares or precognitive dreams isn’t taught in our schools, and the majority of our parents knew or passed on little about the value of dreams as we grew up. So it's no big surprise that many adults remember few or no dreams, and even more rarely contemplate or set out to interpret the guidance and mine the jewels of creative inspiration hidden just below the surface of consciousness in dreams. Basically, nobody told us or showed us how dreams can be extremely practical.

The result of where this long-standing trend of disregarding dreams has brought society is that the current misguided concepts about the value of dreams are not only crucial misunderstandings, but also represent and even bring about a lack of connection with the subconscious and our own deeper nature. This artificial rift may indirectly, or even rather directly be the source for many of our current personal, cultural and planetary social, political, and environmental challenges.

Now, this said, I would like to mention, there is a healing instinct within you that can manifest in dreams. You'd be surprised at the straightforward health advice they give, either spontaneously or on request. Tips on food, preventive therapies, treatment options constantly come through -- but we miss them. Once remembered the essence of many of our dreams is lost because we, misinterpret them.

Keep it simple. Try something new. If you dream of eating a luscious mango, run out, devour one. Or when, in a dream, you're soaking in a spa, make a date to go. I have a friend who dreams of the ocean and heat and every few years when she's overly stressed. She takes it as a signal to make a reservation.

How do you know if the advice you receive is right? What if you feast on an entire, incredibly scrumptious, gigantic chocolate mousse cake in a dream? Does that mean you should run out to buy one, then eat the whole thing? Of course not. Who needs the calories or the bellyache? Count on common sense to direct you.

Though some intuitive flashes may seem impractical or unexpected, the authentic ones will never suggest anything to jeopardize you or anyone else's physical welfare. So, for instance, if you have heart disease and a dream tells you, "It's okay to smoke cigarettes," don't do it. Question all messages that risk your health. Along with this guideline, begin to familiarize yourself with traditional dream interpretation. I suggest Carl Jung's classic text Man and His Symbols, or take a look at Creative Dreaming by Dr. Patricia Garfield.

In addition, there's an intuitive level to understanding dreams of which I'd like you to be aware. Reliable intuitive information stands out in very specific ways. Watch for these clues:

• Statements that simply convey information

• Neutral segments that evoke or convey no emotion

• A detached feeling, like you're a witness watching a scene

• A voice or person counselling you -- as if you're taking dictation from an outside source

• Conversations with people you never met before who give instructions about your health

I've found that my most dead-on intuitions either come across as compassionate or have no emotion at all. Develop a careful eye as you practice separating the content of your dreams from your reactions to it. Soon you'll be able to tell what is reliable health guidance and what is not.

Be aware that your dreams go by different rules than your waking life. Get ready for a mind shift. Physical laws no longer apply. Gravity changes. In dreams you can fly! Remember as a child when you took off wingless, soared over mountains and valleys below. This is a reminder of the vitality and freedom that is in you. A dream's tone can be as restorative as its content.

You are in partnership with your dreams. Initiate an ongoing dialogue with them. It's like consulting the wisest old-time family doctor you can imagine who knows you inside out. You can ask your dreams anything -- even what seems most impossible. Are there ways to stop catching so many colds? No question is trivial if it is meaningful to you. Expect answers. Some will be direct. Others may require interpretation.

Dreams can keep you well. Dreams provide answers. But first you must retrieve them. How many nights have you awakened with the most amazing dream you were certain you'd recall? The next morning it was gone. Our memories deceive. During sleep we experience a kind of amnesia. Dreams are not of the rational mind. Your intuitive memory is what is needed. Here is a method I recommend to remember your dreams. It's helpful to practice it each day. Soon it will become second nature to you.

Four Strategies to Remember Your Dreams

1. Keep a journal and pen by your bed.

2. Write a question on a piece of paper before you go to sleep. Formalize your request. Place it on a table beside your bed or under your pillow (like you did as a child when you made a wish to the tooth fairy).

3. In the morning do not wake up too fast. Stay under the covers for at least a few minutes remembering your dream. Luxuriate in a peaceful feeling between sleep and waking, what scientists call the hypnagogic state. Those initial moments provide a doorway.

4. Open your eyes. Write down your dream immediately; otherwise it will evaporate. You may recall a face, object, colour, or scenario, feel an emotion. It doesn't matter if it makes perfect sense -- or if you retrieve a single image or many. Record everything you remember.

When you're finished refocus on the question you asked the previous night. See how your dream applies. One, two, or more impressions about the who/what/where of your solution may have surfaced. My own answer to preventing recurring monthly cramps came in a dream: the flash to eat more fish. Take note of yours. Get in the habit of recording your dreams regularly. Be assured I've never met anyone who can't be taught how to remember. Keep at it. If your answer doesn't come the first night, try again. More details will emerge, rounding out the picture. Then look to your daily life for evidence of what your dream tells you. The woman's/man's image you glimpsed for that split second could just be that of the healer/guide you've been searching for.

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