How to Prevent Recurring Dreams

According to a survey, about 5 to 10 percent of adults have nightmares once a month or more frequently. In my case, I kept dreaming about failing the exam when I was preparing for entering university. This kind of dreams which are repeated with same patterns is called recurring dreams. Generally, recurring dreams have a tendency to appear in a form of nightmare, and most of the people who experience these dreams are suffered from negative feelings such as fear and anxiety. However, suffering from recurring dreams can be prevented by a typical process. That process is, perceiving a dream by writing down a dream journal, exercising self-discipline during the day, and finally controlling dreams.

The easiest and the most fundamental step to prevent recurring dreams is keeping a dream journal and interpreting those dreams. Like “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know”, it is important to know the dreams specifically. Through this step, recurring dreams can be remembered and analyzed. First of all, dream journal should be able to be approached at anytime, anywhere so that all of the dreams can be recorded. Right after waking up in the morning, the first thing that should be done is writing down the dream. Even if a dreamer is awakened in the middle of the night, keeping the dream journal cannot be overlooked. Furthermore, this journal should be considered as the dreamer’s own dream dictionary. That is to say, specific details should be recorded as much as possible, and also categorized according to similar symbols and patterns. Finally, this journal can be examined and consequently, symbols and patterns of recurring dreams are analyzed. It means that every time those dreams occur again, the dreamer can consult this jour...

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...ing, and controlling, recurring dreams can be examined, the meanings that they try to convey can be identified, and ultimately, they can be overcome. However, these three steps are not separated but interacted on each other. The former step is indispensable to fulfill the latter step. For example, perceiving recurring dreams through precise journal is essential to enter a lucid dream. In addition, this process is not a temporary solution such as suppressing or evading. On the other hand, by analyzing and interpreting the root cause of recurring dreams, people who are suffering from these dreams can be more conscious of themselves. Furthermore, during the process of self-disciplining and controlling, the willpower can also be enhanced. In other words, through this process of resolving recurring reams, the crisis can be turned into the opportunity of the development.