Each night that we dream, we're gifted. Actually, we dream multiple times nightly but only remember a few. I'm never troubled by, and encourage patients to not be worried about not recalling every specific dream. It's impossible and unnecessary.
After over thirty years of doing dreamwork I'm convinced that dreams that are meant for us to remember, we remember. The rest do their work within like psychic housekeepers that come in after hours and take care of things without being noticed. Often, it's those that aren't remembered that can impart a profound gift: we awake refreshed without retaining a long dream narrative or a particular image.
Cherishing sleep as a time to receive the gift of dreaming and dreams is a sign of respect. We respect what we value. A senior Chicago colleague over thirty-five years ago, trained by C.G. Jung, told me, "I rarely watch television anymore. Sometimes it interferes with my dreams. I go to sleep now ready to dream. Dreams really are a gift, you know. A nightly gift."
