We all dream every night and each morning we jump when the alarm clock goes off and dismiss what we have dreamed, that is if we even remember.Not so fast, new research suggests that dreams are a great opportunity for self- knowledge. Experts say our dreams can supply us with insights that will help heal emotional stress and trauma, enable us to sleep better or even help us solve problems. Thoughts that occur while you sleep mingle with recent events, buried memories and hopes and fears providing fertile soil for neural connections that might never be made through conscious thought alone. Dreams shape your self- image by helping you work through unresolved emotions from waking life. Here are some strategies to help you understand your dreams.

First of all, wake up slowly. Your conscious mind can erase memories of a dream in minutes. Lie still in bed when you wake, keeping your eyes closed and concentrating on what you were dreaming about. When you recall all you can, jot it down in a notebook by your bed. Come back to the entry later for insights by looking for recurring characters and themes.

Don’t take your dreams literally. Straightforward dream interpretations seldom yield insight. Try a little free association to get at a dreams real meaning.

Confront your “demons”. People who experience trauma in life often relive it while asleep, but eventually they acquire mastery in their dreams, finding a way to take charge of unpleasant images. When I was in college, living alone in an apartment, I had a recurring dream that a man broke in the apartment and was about to murder me. Just as he was about to plunge the knife into my chest, I would force myself to wake up. One night I decided not to wake up. In my dream, I woke up, brought my knees to my chest and kicked at him as hard as I could. He fell backwards and I was able to run out the back door and escape.

Put yourself in the dream after waking. Because your life is unique, it’s important to understand the specific situation or emotion that may have inspired your dream. It may be helpful to imagine yourself as one of the central characters. If you dream about a particular tree, imagine you are the tree. See if there are any traits you have in common with the tree.

Describe your dream to an alien. If you were talking to someone from another planet, how would you describe your dream so it made sense? Write down the parts you would emphasize and why. You may be able to zero in on important aspects of the dream so you can better understand it.

Plan a course of action. After you have identified the events and emotions that may have inspired your dream, decide how to deal with them in the future. If your dream ended poorly, imagine a new ending for yourself. If your new outcome is healthy, appropriate and practical, then the advice you gleaned from your dream is worth following.

If you want more information on the latest in dream research, read Dream Language by Robert Hoss.