This article is about 10 tips for dreams and dream working. If you are interested in your dreams or want to become a dream worker, there are some tips here that can help you get started.

If you are already a dream worker, keep a dream journal, or are in a group of dream workers (on-line or a workshop, etc) you may find some of these tips help you along in your path.

Some of the things discussed here may be familiar, some may be new. Read the article and take whatever you can to help you along your journey.

All people dream, even some animals are known to dream because we can measure REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. That's the  part of sleep when it seems that dreams occur. The eyes move because we are looking at what we mentally see, and we automatically move our eyes as if the vision is real.

Dreams are many, many things, but basically, they are messages from the subconscious (also called the unconscious) that tell us about ourselves, help us work through problems (emotional, everyday work or life related), or tell us more about ourselves and how we relate to ourselves and others.

They usually play out as stories and often make no sense. Some are tremendously profound (as in an Epic or Cosmic dream) and you wake up still remembering the dream, with it nagging at your mind to figure it out. Others are resolved in their development so you may not remember the dreams because whatever they were dealing with became resolved during the dream itself!

The craziness in a dream is not craziness at all. It is a unique message, subtle, profound and enigmatic, but always with a purpose. Many people have dreams of being naked or in their underwear inappropriately. What does this mean? It can mean feelings of vulnerability in a situation (usually shown in the dream) or insecurity, or feeling lack of power (clothing is power). There are many interpretations. Which one applies to YOUR dream?

Well, that is the trick, figuring out what it means. But you can always know, for when you 'connect the dots' by working with the elements and symbols of your dream after you wake up, you will FEEL an understanding, you will KNOW what it means and then figure out how it applies to you. That can be profoundly life changing or simply a pleasant experience. The mind is wonderful in how it solves problems and comes to resolution!

Here are some tips to make working with dreams easier, enlightening, and fun!

1. Believe in your dreams.
It feels good to believe in something positive.Since dreaming is a natural and necessary part of life (scientific studies have demonstrated that lack of dreaming can lead to mental problems including loss of coordination, irritability, confusion and even hallucinations), it is positive and beneficial and it makes sense to use this natural ability to your best advantage.

Believing THAT you dream, and believing IN the beneficial aspects of dreaming encourages your subconscious mind to dream more effectively. If you expect to have meaningful dreams and almost 'demand' that of yourself, your subconscious mind will tend to cooperate.

Belief in your dreams is a useful component of being able to use your dreams more effectively.

2. Plan Your Dream.
Did you know you can 'plan' a dream? This is sometimes called 'programmed dreaming'. There is a simple way to do this and some 'rules' apply. The unconscious needs to be free to express itself. So it is difficult, and possibly annoying to the unconscious mind if you 'script' a potential dream and expect to have it play out as scripted. This often doesn't work.

However, you can give a general plan to yourself, and your subconscious mind will be happy to cooperate. For example, you can 'program' a dream to give you insight on a problem at work that you are dealing with, or a project that seems to be stalled. Writers and musicians can use dreams to generate inspiration when they hit a 'block'. Here is a method that can be very effective:

When you go to bed, think about whatever it is you want to have your dreams help you with. You do not have to concentrate on it or visualize it to the n'th degree, just call to mind what it is so you know it and are aware of it.

As you are falling asleep, think to yourself:

"I will receive guidance and inspiration about this from my dreams."

Simply think it a few times, believe it will happen, expect it to happen, and then allow yourself to fall asleep.

The chances are very good that your dream will provide a solution. You may not remember your dream and the answer. Instead, as you go through your day (or even the next) something ordinary will happen that will 'kick' your perception of the situation and you'll suddenly realize that answer that was provided in your dream! The more open you can keep your mind about this, the more observant you are of yourself, your feelings and situations around you, the easier this will come because sometimes the dream message is very subtle.

Once you 'catch' it, you'll know beyond all doubt, and the feeling that comes with it (the great 'a-Ha!') is wonderful!

3. Find a dream dictionary (or more than one) that you like and use it.
Look up any symbols you remember from your dreams and see what the dictionary tells you. Examine the definition carefully because this is YOUR dream and it may have a few twists to it. How does the definition apply to your dream and your situation?

This is like fitting the pieces of a puzzle together. Since everyone has their own puzzle (called life), the pieces fit differently for each person. Using several dream dictionaries can be helpful because they often contain slightly different definitions, and therefore one may give you a clue where another may not.

4. Keep a Dream Journal.
Most dream workers know this one. You simply write down your dream as soon as possible when you awake so you have a record of it. You can also make a voice recording telling your dream. Telling your dream to another person might help -- at least you are telling it -- but be careful. They may try to help, and they may send you on the wrong track. This isn't their dream, it is yours and only YOU can fully know what it means.

Some people keep lengthy dream journals, some keep short ones. It's up to you. Include enough information so you can work with the dream, but don't over analyze it, just write it down.

TIP: Write the dream in first person, present tense: "I am walking into a store and I see a puppy." Write your FEELINGS in the dream as well: "I feel such affection and tenderness. I want to hold and cuddle the puppy."

An example from real life:

My Background:
I am a tape recorder buff, I love the old vintage machines, but they are hard to come by where I live. I usually have to buy on E-Bay and often I can't find what I am looking for or at a price that seems reasonable.

My Dream:
"I am in a store and in the back is all this old vintage electronic equipment. I see an old tape recorder and I feel very excited, I mean REALLY excited because I want to buy it. I feel upset because I fear it will be too expensive, probably cost hundreds of dollars. I look for a price tag and find none. I really want the machine, I feel such a desire to own it. I ask a checkout clerk about the machine. She calls the manager. The manager seems indifferent but we walk to the machine and he says: '25'. I feel heartbroken, I cannot afford $2,500 dollars for the machine. I tell him I cannot afford the price. He smiles and asks, 'You cannot afford 25 dollars?' I am thrilled! I tell him I thought it was $2,500. He says only '25'. That number seems very significant. I buy the machine. I feel so happy! Then I awake and no machine. I want to go back to sleep and get that machine!"

My Result:
This was actually a 'prophetic dream', one in which our subconscious mind knows something that our conscious mind is missing and tells us, but because we don't consciously know what we are missing, it seems like a prophecy.

During the day after the dream, I had the strongest impulse to go to E-Bay and look at the vintage tape recorder listings. I went looking for the machine I saw in my dream. It took some digging, but eventually, I found it. It looked exactly like the machine I saw in my dream, I RECOGNIZED it! And this is the kicker… it was a "Buy It Now" item, for… $25!

I was amazed at first, thinking this was magic. But upon closer examination of the listing, I saw that it had been up for about a month. Of course, I had seen the machine before, but for whatever reason, consciously ignored or dismissed it.

It was the dream that reminded me of it and that it was available. By the way, while most vintage machines sold on E-Bay don't work, this one does!

5. Play Puzzle Games.
This may sound very silly, that playing puzzle games will help with your dream work, but it does.

Dreams are like puzzles and the more you understand the complexity and methodology of puzzles, the more you will be able to 'puzzle out' your dreams. I like the on-line puzzle games like the ones that are available from MyLifetime (see link at the bottom of the page) . They are great teachers for dream work. The one's I like are the 'hidden object' types of puzzle games.These seem to reflect the methodology of dream puzzles because they involve finding hidden items and meanings.

In such games, you see that looks like a collage of many, many related and unrelated objects. You have a list of the ones you must find. You must look at the picture, all of it, and seek them out.

For example, you may have to find a key. So you look for a key. But there is a trick to this. What exactly IS a key? What does it look like? There are many types of keys; skeleton keys, door keys, piano keys -- get the idea here? A 'key' can be many things! What these types of puzzle games do is help you learn to think beyond the obvious. They are entertaining, but instructive as well. So when you see a 'key' in your dreams, the TYPE of key may be as important as the aspect of it BEING a key.

Dreams work with symbols, and symbols can have many meanings.

6. Thank Yourself.
We all like it when people acknowledge something we have done for them. Our subconscious minds are the same. They are ourselves, and part of the journey of self-love and self-acceptance is to acknowledge our own power and healing, and the many aspects that make our lives meaningful. This includes dreams.

If you remember your dream, take a second (it only takes a thought) to say or think 'Thanks for the dream'. When you talk about dreams, say positive things, such as: 'I really enjoy my dreams, I am so glad I have them.' Or 'I often have the best most amazing dreams!'

Your OWN subconscious mind will get the message of appreciation and automatically become more cooperative. After all, there is nothing as encouraging as appreciation!

7. Relax!
If you are new to dream work and you aren't getting the results that you want immediately --  relax about it. Becoming an effective dreamer takes time and practice.

It is like walking -- an inherent ability. But techniques must be practiced and learned. Once they are, they become second nature. Be patient with yourself and stick with it.

Did you learn to ride a bike? Do you remember what a trick it was to learn to keep your balance? It didn't happen all at once, you had to practice. But once you learned it, you never forgot.

It's the same with dream work. Keep practicing. In time, you can easily get so much out of your dreams and the dream time that you will be delighted and amazed.

8. Manage Nightmares.
Sometimes we have bad dreams, called nightmares. They can be absolutely terrifying. There is a natural tendency to dislike nightmares and be angry that you had one, fearful that it will return, etc.

A nightmare is just a dream, and it has ALL the functions of any dream. But, it often deals with extremely difficult emotions or internal conflicts, which is why it is so scary. You are facing some aspect about your life or yourself that is frightening and you want to avoid it. If you use the tips suggested here, you can figure out the message of a nightmare and thus resolve it. Often, just knowing what it means is a big step to resolution. Once resolved, it will never return.

Tip: If you are having a 'lucid dream' one in which you are aware that you are dreaming (sometimes this happens in nightmares as a type of safety valve) you can address whatever terrifies you.

Your natural tendency will be to fight with it or try and make it go away. However, here's a better way:

Ask it to tell you it's name. Say 'What is your name?'. Dream characters reveal themselves when called upon. Asking 'Who are you?' may also work.

The answer you get might be very upsetting or it might be very revealing and give you the resolution you need. You will now KNOW what you are dealing with. It no longer hides in the shadows. When you know what you are dealing with, you can work it out, and the nightmare will never return.

9. All Dream Characters Are You!
No matter how many characters appear in your dream, what gender they are, what age, etc, they are all, to some degree, aspects of yourself. They may appear as friends, celebrities, strangers, neighbors, but they are parts of yourself. By knowing this, you can understand yourself better.

For example, if you dream about a nosy neighbor looking through your window, that can mean there is a part of yourself that is seeking to know something about yourself that another part of you is trying to hide. It seems like a nosy neighbor, but it is yourself, seeking a deeper understanding of yourself.

If you have a dream where someone holds your hand or hugs you, it can mean that a part of you has come to peace and terms with another part of yourself, and is expressing self-love which is healthy and necessary for a happy mental life.

If you dream you have an argument with someone, it can mean that you are trying to argue against your own feelings about a situation. By understanding this, you can come to a greater self awareness and resolve many issues in your life.

10. Learn More!
This little article barely touches the tip of the iceberg about dreaming and dream work, but it's a good place to start.

Now, carry the journey forward. Take the next step.

There are many practitioners and dream workers who publish books, essays, run workshops, both on-line and off. If you are interested in working with dreams, they can be a great resource to help you. Seek them out while you do your dream work. Find other dream workers and learn from each other. This is a journey of life and insight,  rich with rewards!

The human mind is a wonder to behold. It is one of the greatest mysteries humanity can ever try to unravel. It comes equipped with powerful mental tools; intelligence, intuition, imagination, inspiration, wonder, play, humor… all to give value and meaning to our lives.

Dreaming is one aspect of our metal lives. It is required by nature and beneficial to our physical and mental health. Since we spend so much time dreaming, it MUST be important. Nature doesn't waste energy, and since dreaming is energy -- and natural -- it has an important purpose.

Our challenge is to figure out that purpose and use it to our advantage. Dream work is one way to do this. You may find delving into dream work is just the ticket for a more interesting, happier and more fulfilled life.

Since dreams are a natural resource, it seems silly not to use them, doesn't it?

HAPPY DREAMS!