“Ugh. Not again. When is something going to happen?” That’s what I said to myself after the 20th night of meditating for over an hour, trying to get a peek beyond the veil. I was frustrated. But I had forgotten the simplest spiritual tool of them all: Dreams.
It comes easy for some people. For me, that’s never been the case. Maybe I fried my spiritual receptors by doing a little too much acid that one time. Maybe I’m just not committed enough! Well, look, whatever your stuggles are in this spiritual world, I’m here to talk about Dreams and how they have changed my life for the better.
Most People Don’t Dream Anymore
I’m going to start by talking to those people who say “well, I just don’t dream anymore.” It’s an easy answer, and one that I used to use all the time. As a matter of fact, I didn’t dream for about 10 straight years. Maybe even 12. I had many amazing dreams as a kid that I can still recall today, however starting from about age 7, the stress of school and life in general got to me. I simply stopped.
Now, as any dream buff will know, I never actually stopped dreaming. I just stopped remembering them. Not too important, but hey, it’s fun to know.
The most basic cause is stress and sleep deprivation. These will weigh on your body and cause it to stay in deep sleep longer and give shorter phases in REM sleep (where dreams happen). I’ve also noticed that these seem to cause us to forget dreams the instant we wake; probably because we are instantly drawn to the duties of the day (or maybe just our phone).
Another common cause is drug use, especially marijuana. I smoked this stuff for years, and when I would stop I would have these earth-shattering dreams, often lucid, but always abstract and intense. It’s something known asa REM-rebound, where your body compensates for the lost REM sleep by having more. You can read more about this here. Don’t let this be an advertisement for weed though. I absolutely lost years of valuable REM sleep due to weed, and I know many others who have as well. Not only this, but after working with dreams for awhile, the quality and intensity will surpass even the most intense post-weed REM relapse.
Reconnecting With Dreams: Strategies
I never really cared about dreaming, to be honest. I didn’t think much of it. But when I started to research the beneficial effects, I knew I needed to return.
The most essential aspect of dreaming is also the easiest to fix. All dreaming really requires is a relaxed mind before bed. So disconnecting from electronics, reading a book, or meditating can all be powerful tools (however, I will say that meditation is by far the most powerful. Some books or readers of books still stay in a less-relaxed state before bed). You can also bathe, pet animals, etc. Be creative. Once you start to observe the quality of your mind through meditation, you will know which activities are putting you in a more relaxed state.
The second most important in my own experience is not eating before bed. This is a very common habit that I had for years (and honestly, sometimes I still break this one). After all, food makes many people feel relaxed. But the truth is that food is causing digestion, and digestion at night is simply not a great thing. Personally, it seems that eating at night makes me ‘hibernate’ into a much deeper sleep, and actually depresses my energy levels and attention in dreams.
Finally, doing what you can to reduce stress is of the utmost importance. Most people know where their stresses are. I happen to offer free energy healing sessions for people who haven’t worked with me, so if you seek unique stress relief, I recommend you check that out.
What’s The Point?
At the end of the day, dreaming well is healthy. Not having stress is healthy. But why are you really here? What do you really want? Maybe that’s too deep haha.
I really want to connect more to the spiritual world. It is a powerful arena up there and it is also extremely exciting to see things beyond the physical world. At the end of the day, this is why I started meditating, then quit smoking, and studied how to dream. Now, I regularly get information through my dreams. I work on having lucid dreams which allow me to access the astral realm. I’ve been able to visit places in the physical and listen to things that are actually happening.
It all sounds crazy. But I think people with open minds understand that this is possible. And it doesn’t really take all that much (it is a LOT easier than meditating for hours with no results). I think it is the perfect place for most people to start on their spiritual journey.
Expect to start with dreams which help you process your unconscious and heal problems in the physical. Once you have done this, dreams will get more abstract and you may have to work more to understand them. As with everything, consistent work will produce results. And that is what I want for you.
Finally, here is one of the first books I read on dreaming. I really liked it.
I’ve since done a lot more work and study in this realm. If you want guidance through this process and everything else in life, consider reaching out and seeing if coaching would be a good fit.
Until next time,
Ryan