Why is it important to remember dreams and find out what they mean? You may be surprised that they can hold answers to questions and solutions to problems that you would normally reject outright by your logical thinking. Essentially, dreams are a product of the integration of the right and left brain hemispheres, a whole-brain thought process that is a far more effective problem-solver than the left brain alone.
As we grow up, we shift our ways of thinking from predominantly right-brain (hemisphere) to predominantly left-brain. Unfortunately, as adults, we are faced with an ever-increasing amount of input (especially in today’s Information Age) and we rely mostly on our logical, rational, time- and language-based thinking to solve problems… not always with any real success.
If we could solve all of our life problems using just the left-brain way of thinking, we would – and there would be no such thing as stress or worry! Sometimes, it is critical to let go of the left-brain’s logic and allow unbounded imagination to solve the problem. This is how genius thinking works. The geniuses of the world are not limited by logic and their sense of “what is” (otherwise, we would not fly, X-ray broken bones, or connect with friends across the globe via the internet). In fact, many world-changing inventions were first ‘seen’ or experienced in dreams, whether waking dreams or “asleep dreams”. As Albert Einstein said, “Logic gets you from A to B. Imagination gets you everywhere.”
Embrace the life-enhancing power of your dreams with the Silva Method’s Dream Control technique. Your brain remains quite busy while you are asleep. This is when the brain processes things – the worries, the dramas, the past, the future, the problems; everything that your mind chews on during the day, it works on, overtime, during the night. Since dreams integrate both hemispheres, our answers will be unexpected, and therefore we often dismiss them as impossible…
However, the Silva Method teaches you to interpret your dreams in a whole-brain-thinking kind of way and thus very effectively become inspired to use novel, unexpected ways to problem-solve, create, invent… the sky is the limit once you use the whole-brain way of thinking, right? Wrong! In your dreams, there are NO limits.
As you learn to interpret your dreams, first you will notice symbolism that is unique to you, and you will be able to relate the dream to something happening in your life. The right hemisphere does not operate with language. It operates with images and uses symbols to communicate concepts. For example, driving a car up impossibly steep roads can be symbolic of some struggle in your life. Running, but not being able to escape, is a powerful symbol as well. Gradually you’ll be able to interpret your dreams by associating your unique, repeated symbols with situations in your life, and gain a better understanding of yourself.
Laura Silva explains how our brain works
Knowing what your dreams mean points to the problems you’re having. Since much of the internal dialogue that goes on concerning your worries goes on subconsciously, you may not even be aware that something is still bothering you (you may think it’s been resolved, but in your subconscious, it has not!). Of course you can only fix problems if you’re aware of them – so dream recall and analysis is a great tool to gain awareness of hidden issues.
The Silva Method teaches you to solve problems using dreams. As incredible as this may seem, you can actually deliberately control your dreams, lucid dream (be an active participant) and understand the meaning of the symbolism that points to the solution. Using the Dream Control technique, you can control the type of dream you wish to have (including learning to eliminate nightmares); you learn to resolve issues and problems by exploring hidden memories; and you can actually create problem-solving dreams where you actually state your intent to dream about a specific problem or project, and you state your intent to receive information and solutions! This fascinating ability is something we all possess. The Silva Method teaches you how to access and refine that ability.
Laura Silva explains how to interpret dreams with the Silva Method
Keeping a Dream Journal is an effective – not to mention fascinating, illuminating and even entertaining – way to monitor your dreams, and watch them change as your life situations change. As you resolve certain issues, the associated symbolism will be replaced by new symbols representing the current challenges. As you grow as a human being, your symbolism may change dramatically; although most of our symbolism is pre-programmed by your experiences, new experiences can create new symbolism. You will be fascinated by the depth of your personal symbolism and the creative ways your mind processes your life experiences! By journaling your dream experiences, you will be able to solve problems quickly and holistically, with more satisfactory results.
Dream Journal
To interpret your dreams, first write them down. Next, recall recent events and notice what happens in the days following the dream. Finally, try to establish a correlation between the events.
Yes, recalling dreams may mean awakening once or several times during the night to write in your dream journal. But you only spend a very brief time awake – just enough to record the basics of the dream (“who, what, when and where”). When you awaken in the morning, you can add details and begin to ponder “why”.
As you journal, you write the content of your dream, and beside that entry, you write recent events that relate to the dream. This has the additional benefit of raising your awareness. After the dream, you become more aware of what happens in the days following the dream. Often, you will notice “coincidences” and synchronicity you may otherwise have missed. These are the answers to your problem; if they do not surface in your dream, they will surface in your physical reality and because of your enhanced awareness, you’ll notice them!
