If you keep a dream diary for a while and try to understand each dream you recover, you’ll soon realize not every dream has a deeper meaning.
Not every dream illuminates some insight into the subconscious.
Sometimes a dream illustrates a slice of your life from the near-present or the past.
But sometimes the dream won’t be a scene from your life. Sometimes it will be fictional and without symbols.
This kind of dream will typically be pleasant. It’s lacking symbolism. It’s happy, nothing more.
They’ve been called “sweet dreams,” a type that’s literally the opposite of a nightmare.
When you sleep, you’ve got to be laying in bed for a hours at a time. The sweet dream keeps your mind pleasantly occupied.
They don’t necessarily provide any great insight.
Sitting in a rowboat with my wife listening to Elvis Presley play guitar?
Sitting in a dark club at a table while Lucinda Williams plays “I Just Wanted To See You So Bad” on a stage?
Playing with my deceased dog under a tree in a field near my old house?
The only insight in those dreams is that I miss the dog and that I like music, especially seeing great entertainers in small venues.
That’s really not much of an insight. I could have told you that before.
It’s a sign that your life really is stable, at least temporarily. Maybe it’s the calm after or before the storm. Perhaps you’re looking forward to something pleasant in the future. Either way it’s okay. Life doesn’t have to be nor should it be a continual struggle.
How do you know it’s simply a happy dream?
The way you’re going to tell that it’s simply a sweet dream is that you’re going to use the PACTREPS mnemonic to fully remember the dream. Then you’re going to use the NEO mnemonic to record the dream. Finally, you’re going to try to understand the meaning and symbolism of all of the objects in the dream.
When you do, you’re going to come to the realization that the things in the dream are all things that you like or love.
It’s a dream your subconscious constructed to please and entertain you while you slept. A fantasy. The mental equivalent of a silly comedy or action picture.
Not everything has to be or is profound or deep.
So what?
So what? Knowing what you enjoy and what makes you happy is valuable information. Happiness is an objective in life. You’ve got to know what you’re aiming at in order to achieve it.
The next time I think about going to see an artist in a small venue in person, I can go with the secure knowledge that, in the end, there’s a good chance I’m going to really enjoy it.
I’ll probably enjoy it more than staying at home and watching TV. The money I spend will be well worth it.
What is your sweet dream telling you?
For Further Reading:
An Arizona downtown decorated by dreams
How to harness the power of dim dreams
What to do when you’ve had a stupid dream
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