Dream Work is the journey toward greater self awareness through the use of dreams. It is the process of learning the language of dreams, and then becoming familiar with the unique dialect of your own dreams. Dreams encourage us to move past our fears, and embrace all of who we are.

The Ten Principles of DreamWork

Before diving into the practice of DreamWork, we must first build a foundation. That foundation is made up of guiding principles—ten of them—that serve as markers on the inward journey. These principles provide more than just structure; they cultivate the kind of inner landscape where dreams can truly speak and be heard.

When followed with intention, these ten principles can lead to emotional healing, help resolve internal conflict, and offer clearer insight into one’s unique identity.

1. Protect Your Sleep

The journey begins where the dream begins: with sleep. Without healthy sleep, there are no dreams to remember or explore. Chronic sleep deprivation is not only damaging to physical health—it contributes to emotional instability, cognitive decline, and a shortened life span.

Protecting your sleep means prioritizing rest, creating a healthy sleep environment, and practicing good sleep hygiene. It also means recognizing that sleep is not a luxury but a necessity. Before we can access the wisdom of dreams, we must first make space for them to arrive.

2. Value Your Dreams

Everyone dreams. On average, every night includes at least 90 minutes of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep—the phase in which most dreams occur. However, since REM sleep becomes more concentrated in the final third of the night, those who regularly cut their sleep short miss out on the richest period of dreaming.

To value your dreams is to value the part of yourself that speaks through them. When we neglect our dreams, we risk ignoring the signals from our own inner world. DreamWork begins with the belief that dreams matter—and that they are worthy of your time and attention.

3. Practice Remembering Your Dreams

“You value what you record.” This simple truth applies powerfully to dreams. Writing down or recording your dreams signals a commitment to listening to your inner self. It trains your mind to pay attention, to capture, and to reflect.

Even if you feel like you rarely remember your dreams, that can change. Place a notebook or recording device by your bed. Before sleep, say aloud:
“I know I dream every night. Tonight, I want to remember a dream. I will record whatever I recall, no matter when I wake.”
This ritual primes your mind to retrieve and honor your dreams—an essential step on the path of self-discovery.

4. Learn the Language of Dreams (and Your Unique Dialect)

Dreams speak in symbols. Their language is not linear or literal, but emotional and metaphorical. Learning this symbolic language takes time, and every dreamer has a unique "dialect" shaped by personal experiences, culture, and memory.

Dreams reflect both the conscious and unconscious mind. Neuroscience reveals that REM sleep helps wire the brain—especially in the womb and early life—and continues throughout our lives to regulate emotion and strengthen neural connections. Understanding the functions of dreams (which we’ll explore later) deepens our fluency in this symbolic language and enriches our ability to interpret its messages.

5. Set Aside Dream Dictionaries

Though dream dictionaries are popular, they often oversimplify. Assigning fixed meanings to dream symbols overlooks the unique context of each individual’s life. Instead, DreamWork invites you to be curious about what a symbol evokes in you. A dog might represent loyalty to one person and danger to another, depending on personal experience.

Learn the general language of symbolism, but resist the urge to plug your dream into a formula. Trust your own emotional and intuitive response. The true meaning of a dream image is not universal—it’s personal.

6. Pay Attention to the Emotional Weight of the Past Few Days

REM sleep serves a vital role in emotional regulation. It is nature’s nightly emotional reset, helping you integrate and release the emotional residue of the day. Often, the dreams you have tonight are a reflection or recalibration of the emotions you felt yesterday or the day before.

DreamWork teaches us emotional mindfulness. The more you pay attention to your dreams, the more you’ll become attuned to what’s happening in your emotional life—even the parts you hadn’t yet noticed.

7. Do DreamWork with Someone

Though DreamWork is deeply personal, it need not be solitary. Working with a trusted companion—be it a therapist, spiritual guide, friend, or dream group—can provide clarity, accountability, and emotional safety. Another person can help you see patterns you may be blind to, ask questions that stretch your thinking, and offer encouragement when the journey becomes difficult.

The person you choose to accompany you should be someone invested in their own growth, and someone who respects the vulnerability that DreamWork requires.

8. Apply a Theory of Personality to Your DreamWork

You don’t need a degree in psychology to do meaningful DreamWork. However, having a framework for understanding human personality can help you interpret your dreams more effectively.

Two helpful theories are:

• Psychoanalytic theory, which views dreams as expressions of unconscious desire, conflict, and symbolic meaning.

• Internal Family Systems (IFS), which sees the psyche as made up of “parts”—each with its own voice, agenda, and emotional history.

Dreams often express these parts in vivid detail. The curious observer can learn to recognize them, work with them, and integrate them into a healthier sense of self.

9. Pay Attention to the Shadow

The shadow is the part of ourselves we push away, deny, or fail to acknowledge. It may appear in dreams as a frightening figure, a confusing character, or a disturbing scenario. Shadow dreams often contain strong emotional content—fear, anger, grief, or shame—and may wake us in the middle of the night.

Rather than ignore or repress these dreams, DreamWork encourages us to face them. These images often point to the places where healing is most needed. The shadow is not the enemy—it is a wounded part of us asking to be seen, heard, and brought into the light.

10. Put What You Learn into Practice

Insight is only as valuable as its application. DreamWork is not just about reflection—it’s about transformation. When your dreams show you something about yourself, take action. Speak the truth you’ve discovered. Extend grace to a wounded part of yourself. Make the change you’ve been resisting.

The ultimate goal of DreamWork is to reclaim and live from your true self—the self beneath the layers of fear, expectation, and performance. Your dreams can help you rediscover who you are, and what you are uniquely called to offer the world. But only if you take what you’ve learned and live it out.

These ten principles are not rules—they are invitations. Each one is a doorway into deeper awareness. Taken together, they form a framework that supports emotional growth, spiritual insight, and creative flourishing.