Have any weird dreams last night? Let’s talk about them.
We caught up with certified dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg to delve into what’s really going on in our heads when we drift off each night—and she had a wealth of knowledge to share.

Q: What kind of power do dreams hold in our lives?

A: Your dreams are your built-in GPS system, helping you navigate every twist and turn and roadblock life throws at you. Your dreams are messages from you, to you, about you... in order to improve you.

Q: How does stress affect our dreams?

A: Your dreams are a continuation of your day. If your day is stressful, your thoughts are worrisome or negative... your dreams will be, too.

Q: What’s the best way to start analyzing your dreams?

A: Keep a dream journal in tandem with a day journal. Journal your day on the left page. Record your dream on the right. Your day and your dreams, side by side.

Q: How do we know what a dream actually means?

A: Whatever emotion you experience in a dream is almost always connected to something in your waking life causing you to feel that same way. The feeling in the dream is often the most important clue to its meaning.

Q: Is there anything we can do to remember our dreams more clearly?

A: When you wake up, don't move. Stay still. The position you wake up in is typically the position your body was in when you were dreaming. Moving your body is like unplugging yourself from your dream.

Q: Can we actually set an intention and influence the dreams we have?

A: Yes. It's called Dream Incubation, or “dreaming on demand.” Before bed, decide exactly what you want to dream about. Write it down by your bed, like pressing enter on your dream computer. As you fall asleep, play it out in your mind or repeat it silently. Your subconscious may have bigger fish to fry, but this greatly raises your odds.

Q: Does the season we're in affect our dreams?

A: As the air warms and color returns to the landscape, your dreaming mind may begin exploring themes of starting over, discovering new opportunities, and stepping into a new phase of life. This is one of the best times of year to use dreams as a tool for real change because the external world is supporting the internal shift.

Q: What are some of the most common themes you see across people’s dreams, and what do they tend to point to?

A: Finding hidden rooms in your home that you didn’t know were there is a dream theme I get asked about quite often.This type of dream usually occurs when you are discovering something new about yourself, something that has always been within you but hasn’t yet been explored or acknowledged. The hidden room is a metaphor for a talent, ability, belief, memory, desire, or emotional capacity that is just now coming into your awareness. Dreams about filthy or unusable bathrooms and toilets are also very common. These dreams typically point to holding in frustration, negativity, or emotional stress rather than speaking up or finding a healthy way to release it.Another common theme is death: your own death or death of a loved one. This one is particularly upsetting to have but, as always, you have to keep in mind that dreams are not literal but rather symbolic. So death, to the dreaming mind, is actually about changes or endings that are happening in your life or within you.

Q: How can paying attention to our dreams help us better understand what we’re feeling or moving through in waking life?

A: I like to think of dreaming as the other side of your mind, the side that is brutally honest yet always has your back.

When you start paying attention to your dreams, you begin to gain valuable, life changing insight. Dreams aren’t random. They are practical tools created by your own mind to help you better understand yourself and navigate your life. No one knows you better than you.

Thanks for the conversation, Lauri.

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