Work That Dream!

Let's be realistic. Some dreams don't require analysis. But if certain dreams do recur or strike you as intriguing or peculiar, then they're worth recalling, recording and reviewing. Here's how to do it:

Get enough shut-eye. You have four or five dreams a night but remember only one or two a week, on average. The less sleep you get, the smaller percentage of REM time you'll experience, so it's less likely that you'll have and recall dreams.

Keep a dream journal. Before going to bed, write down three or four sentences about what you did and felt that day. Scribble notes down if you wake up from a dream in the middle of the night, and don't leap out of bed as soon as the alarm blares.

"Just lie there for a second and see if there's a hint of a memory, mood or image," psychology professor Deirdre Barrett says. Think backward and ask yourself, "What was just going through my mind?" Put pen to paper, and let the answer tumble out.

Return to the dream journal later in the day. Compare the night and morning entries. Take each of the key events and emotions in the dream and think, "Is there something in my waking life that resembles this?" For dreams that you do understand, ask, "Why am I dreaming this now ?"

"Dreams reflect waking life," professor Clara Hill says. "Ponder them and wonder why you had them, because those images come from you."

Vocalize the dreams if you can't crack them on paper. Talk about it with a friend or family member, or start or join a dream group, which is a bit like a book club, except everyone brings a story of his own.

"We can reflect on our daydreams, but our night dreams tend to be more honest, more eclectic, freer in expression," says Gary Goodwin, an urban planner who lives in Alexandria and has a dream group of his own.

For those interested in starting such a group, Goodwin recommends Montague Ullman's book "Appreciating Dreams" (Cosimo, $17.95) as a step-by-step primer. Goodwin also teaches classes on dreamwork at the Inner Arts Center in Old Town. For details, visit http://www.theinnerarts.com/ .

The Metro D.C. Dreaming Community usually meets for free group sessions on the first Saturday of every month from 1 to 5 p.m. in Vienna. It is on hiatus, but proprietress Rita Dwyer hopes to resume the gatherings in January. For details, e-mail Dwyer at dreamrita@aol.com after Jan. 1.

-- D.Z.