How to Keep a Dream Journal

Why Keep a Dream Journal?

Have you ever woken from a dream that felt meaningful only to forget it moments later? Keeping a dream journal invites you into a deeper relationship with your unconscious like an ongoing conversation between your waking self and the symbolic world within.

Carl Jung saw dreams as a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious mind. They reveal hidden emotions, unresolved conflicts and aspects of ourselves we might otherwise overlook. By recording your dreams you can:

• Improve dream recall - the more you write, the more you remember

• Identify recurring themes - patterns in dreams often point to deeper psychological material

• Explore symbols and archetypes - dreams use metaphorical language that can offer personal insight

• Develop self-awareness - tracking your dreams helps you notice inner conflicts, longings and shifts in your growth

How to Start Your Dream Journal

1 Keep a notebook by your bed

Use a physical journal, digital notes app or an app specifically for dream journaling that you can download to your smartphone. Something that's easy for you to reach for when you awake. Dreams fade quickly so jot them down as soon as you can, even if it's just a phrase, an image or a feeling.

2 Write down everything you remember

Even if the dream seems fragmented you can include:

• Images, symbols or people

• Emotions you felt

• Colours, sounds or sensations

• A general sense of the dream's story line.

Jung believed the emotions in dreams are just as important as the images. If you can't remember visuals, just note how you felt.

3 Use free association

After recording the dream, spend a few minutes reflecting. What do the symbols mean to you? For example, if you dream of a cat:

• What is your personal relationship with cats?

• How did the cat behave in the dream

• What feelings did it bring up

Jung emphasised that symbols carry both universal and personal meaning. While a cat might symbolise sensuality or mystery in collective myth, for you it might represent independence, comfort or childhood memories.

4 Look for archetypes and patterns

Dreams often contain archetypal figures from the collective unconscious. These might include:

• The Shadow - A representation of the parts of ourselves we keep hidden

• The Anima-Animus - The inner feminine or masculine parts of the psyche

Pay attention to repeated images or emotional themes. They may be your unconscious drawing attention to something important.

5 Reflect and revisit

Return to your journal now and then. Patterns often emerge. You may start to see how your inner world shifts alongside life-events, emotional changes or stage of growth. Some insights only make sense in hindsight.

Engaging With Your Dreams

Dream journaling is more than simply remembering dreams, it's an invitation to engage with them. Jung encouraged active imagination; a process where you creatively explore your dream symbols through drawing, writing or meditation. You don't need to interpret every dream perfectly. Showing up with curiosity is enough.

Dreams are not a puzzle to solve. Your journal can be a quiet place where those stories can live.

Dreams are not puzzles to solve but stories to sit with. Let your journal be a quiet place where those stories can live