How To Make Your Dreams "Come Alive" with Author Jamie White

And dreams in their development have breath,

And tears, and tortures, and the touch of joy

Byron's "The Dream"

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’ve already talked about how a dream helped to inspire my new release, Stains on the Soul, so I thought that I would go a little bit more in depth on dreams and what they can do for you in other ways. Plus, I have a few tips and recs. Let’s begin with the basics…

What’s In It For Me?

Dreams are your mind’s way of processing information and dealing with things that may be too much for your conscious mind to deal with. By paying attention to your dreams (especially recurring ones) you may just be able to solve a problem you’ve been stressing over and let go of things that are holding you back. Dreams allow this information to be dealt with in a safe way, especially when the subject of the dream is a difficult subject for the dreamer.

Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday” was the product of a dream, along with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The sewing machine, the periodic table, and insulin are also the result of dreams. There are a lot more here and here. It’s fascinating how many things were inspired in this way. (NOTE: I am not affiliated with, nor endorse the product being sold in the second link.)

How Do I Make Dreams Work For Me?

Remembering your dreams is the first step. According to Sylvia Browne’s Book of Dreams, writing about dreams encourages more dreams. I can say that I personally have found this to be true. By putting my attention on my dreams, I’m putting an intention out into the universe and my subconscious mind responds. She recommended starting a dream journal by writing about old dreams you are able to remember or doing some of the exercises, something I did and enjoyed very much. Be as detailed as possible and break it down into different sections: Setting, Characters, Etc. who appear in it. The more you write down, the better the result. Once you have them down, start looking for common themes and patterns. Read about dream symbols so you can understand some of the things you may be seeing in them, but remember to also take them with a grain of salt. While a lot of the common symbols may work for you, you might get a completely different feeling or perception of others.

Ways to Encourage Dreams

Again, writing about them is huge--even if you’re writing about a childhood dream. Try meditating before bed and drink/eat things that encourage sleep and relaxation. There’s a listing of some here you might want to check out. I’m a big fan of crystals and crystal kits, so I recommend getting some of the stones listed here and trying them out. Make sure your room is as conducive to sleep as possible as well. If that means you like having music on at night, do it. If you need complete dark and silence, do that. It’s all about what works for you to create a sleep-friendly environment. Happy dreaming!

Blurb:
It’s her last summer before going away to college and Fiona finds herself facing more than she bargained for: A boyfriend she doesn’t want who has a strange hold over her, a friend pushing her to expand her boundaries, and a new guy named Ted whose presence is more than a distraction.

If that isn’t enough, Fiona is being haunted with horrifying nightmares of burning at the stake—nightmares so real, she feels as though she’s losing her mid.

Are they only dreams, or are they trying to warn her about this new guy she can’t help but want?

Jamie White is an author, blogger, photo geek, music addict, editor, pop culture geek, paranormal junkie, and a pet servant. 

She spent more than a decade as a Journalism student, geeking out over Pagemaker, layout design, and other stuff. 

In college, she took it a step further and became the only student to be on all three of her college's publications, serving as Editor-In-Chief for two of them. Later, she went on to freelance writing and blogging. 

Jamie began her journey into fiction writing in 2010 after joining a writing group. Since that first meeting, she has completed a bunch of short stories, five manuscripts, and several in progress. Her first novel, The Life and Times of No One In Particular, was released in 2012. She followed it up with a story in the Lyrical Muse Anthology in 2013. The end of 2013 will see two releases with Pagan Writers Press.

When Jamie's not writing or blogging, she takes pictures, meditates, practices Reiki and chanting, watches favorite shows/movies, takes walks, and serves as a volunteer for the Florida Writers Association by running their social media and a writing group (Gulfstream Writers).

Links:
www.jamielwhite.com
www.jbcultureshock.wordpress.com
www.jamiebmusingspics.wordpress.com
www.twitter.com/JamieWAuthor
www.facebook.com/AuthorJamieWhite
www.pinterest.com/AuthorJamieW/
www.plus.google.com/+JamieWhiteAuthor
www.youtube.com/user/Jamieavon77
www.plus.google.com/106849014174968997370/posts

www.jamiebmusings.tumblr.com