There are many ways our external experiences communicate with our internal experiences. Our external experiences form our beliefs and understandings of how the world works, and vice versa. So how do dreams fit into that equation? How do dreams inform our reality or mirror it? They’re not something we’re usually in control of, and while sometimes they can feel completely real and realistic, other times they’ll send a unicorn trotting through the scene. But whether they seem realistic or not, dreams are amazing. They’re a very specific and unique form of communication with our subconscious mind. And when dreams feel clear and realistic, it’s usually to communicate something with us. But when they seem outlandish, it can be hard to decipher what the underlying message may mean.

While many cultures and extremely well-known scientists have offered their input on the theory of dreams, many have come to one conclusion: dreams communicate. Whether it’s a communication of vision or a message, they’re here to tell us something. And inside the conversation of Manifesting, Intentional Living, and Spiritual Connection, dreams represent the subconscious messages we’re not usually receptive to. So how do we become open to their messages and interpret what they mean?

What Our Dreams are Communicating

Over the last several weeks, I’ve had my own reoccurring nightmare that has been cause for some deep self-reflection. In this week’s episode of the Do the Damn Thing Podcast, I go into great detail about this nightmare and what I think it’s communicating with me. I also go into great detail about some really great advice I’ve received on trying to eradicate this dream or even change the narrative of it. But in this week’s blog, I want to talk specifically about what our dreams are communicating and how we can interpret them into actionable advice. For example, in my interpretation of my own dream, it’s become clear that I need to continue healing feelings of grief and more specifically, guilt surrounding the loss of my brother.

How our dreams communicate action

If our dreams are communicating a deep subconscious understanding, how can we turn that into actionable advice? If we have dreams about flying, does that mean we should take or trip or move? What if we have a dream about getting sick, does that mean we should go to the doctor? It’s not a matter of the literal message/ images of the dream, but about what they represent to you. In more clinical terms, dreams are like a brain dump of data that doesn’t have the ability to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not. Which is why our dreams can seem so crazy at times. But even in the craziest dreams, they’re communicating something about our reality. It’s about getting analytical about the underlying message of a dream to decipher what it may actually convey.

Maybe you dream about getting you teeth pulled, but you were just at the dentist and they said your teeth look great. Or maybe you dream about cramming for a final or writing a paper, but you’re not actually in college. Our dreams don’t have to directly reflect our reality. In fact, they often pull from pervious experiences we’ve already lived through as data or evidence to establish the underlying message of the dream. So stressing about a test may just mean you’re feeling similar emotions you once did about studying with something else in your life. We have to look beyond the surface of a dream to understand what it may be trying to tell us.

How our dreams create imagery

When we’re asleep, specifically reaching R.E.M., our analytical brain shuts down and this is when our subconscious mind works independently. Do you remember all of those previous times I’ve mentioned the file folders of our brain? Well, this is the time the subconscious mind takes to sort all of those files. Throughout one day, we’re receive thousands if not hundreds of thousands of stimulious and pieces of information. And when we go to bed, our brain takes time to sort that data into it’s rightful destination. It all becomes evidence for what we believe. For example, let’s say you were walking down the street today and saw a little kid carrying a balloon of a purple elephant.

Your conscious brain understands that purple elephants do not exist. However, your subconscious brain may use that imagery to exemplify a belief or memory—like the time you went to a zoo when you were little and felt terrified of elephants. Perhaps that is a memory you forgot about, and then you have a dream about a purple elephant and remember that fear quite cleary. Now translate this into our typical manifesting and intentional living conversation. How/what have your dreams communicated to you?

Let you Dreams Speak

Our dreams can be a very powerful form of communication between our conscious and subconscious minds. This is usually a communication we don’t have active access too. We can’t deliberately speak to our subconscious mind to ask questions like, “hey, do you remember what I’m scared of?” While we dream, our subconscious brain has space to communicate with us, and I encourage you to listen. Althgouh the message my subconscious mind has been trying to communicate with me has felt scary, it’s also been enlightening. I encourage you to start paying closer attention to your dreams.

When you wake up, write them down, even if you only remember details. They make not make sense in the moment, but perhaps something will happen to create that connection. Ask yourself what your subconscious is trying to communicate with you. At times, this may feel scary, especially if your dreams are actually nightmares. But allow the communication to flow and be open to recieving the message. Perhaps it ends up turning into a strong pull to heal old wounds. Maybe your dream will draw clarity to an important decision you’ve been trying to make. Either way, our dreams, when we allow them too, can offer great insight into the mind that we may not always have access to.