My Grandmother Claims She Doesn't Dream

**Reamous** · 10-21-2011 03:40 AM

Hello there,

My grandmother tells me that she only dreams a couple of times a year. I told her that everyone dreams every night, but she just doesn't remember them upon waking. She seemed sort of skeptical when I told her that, so I think she has bad dream recall. Can someone list some simple things to do or take that will increase her dream recall? She talks about the few dreams she does have to me sometimes. She says they are so amazing, and she wants to dream.

I feel so bad for her, I told her I would look into it.

So, anything?

Thanks!

**Oneironaut Zero** · 10-21-2011 04:01 AM

Hey there, Reamous.

Well, the first thing she has to do is just become a little more pro-active in her desire to remember her dreams. It's safe to assume that, before now, she really didn't think all that much about trying to remember her dreams. She just figured she didn't dream often. So, now that she knows she dreams every night, it's important for her to 'get serious' about remembering her dreams. That frame of mind is like 80% of the battle.

Make sure she's using some auto-suggestion, and telling herself that 'she will remember her dreams, upon waking', whenever she goes to sleep. And when she wakes up, tell her to try just sitting still for the first 60 seconds or so, and trying to replay the last few thoughts/visualizations that she had, in her head. By now, I'm sure she's stuck in the routine of waking up and making her way out of bed, or thinking about something that has more to do with her daily life than what she'd just been dreaming about, so changing that habit will be the first (and most important) thing she would have to do, in my opinion.

**dakotahnok** · 10-21-2011 04:31 AM

O pretty much hit the nail on the head. Telling her to start a dream journal wouldn't be a bad idea. If she writes her dreams down every day then it will make her brain realize that remembering dreams are important to her.

**Darkmatters** · 10-21-2011 07:09 AM

My mom once told me that she never dreams, and furthermore when I was explaining some of Jung's theories to her (archetypes in particular) she scoffed and said she doesn't believe in it.

A few days later, I think because of our conversation, she told me about a really crazy dream she had in which she was an insane woman sitting in a rocking chair while a doctor (Wise Old Man - HELLO!) prescribed medications that she felt would keep her insane, but there was a kindly old woman (Arcehtype alert!!) who helped her to escape - it was some kind of asylum.

So possibly if you just keep talking to her about dreams, maybe tell her some of yours, or ask her if she remembers any from the past she could tell you about - that might trigger some dreams that she'll remember.

**Reamous** · 10-22-2011 05:46 AM

Thank you all for the responses.

I will try to engage in more dream-related conversations with her, and I'll tell her to keep a DJ. She is pretty intent on thinking she never dreams. She said one of the few dreams she had last year involved rats eating me and her other grandchildren. She woke up screaming. From all the dreams I've heard her ever talk about having, they have all been nightmares. Do you all think maybe that has something to do with it? I'm not sure how, but could only remembering nightmares somehow cause you to not want to dream?

Just throwing things out there. But thanks again!

**Reamous** · 10-22-2011 05:48 AM

My last reply sounds like it contradicts the first one, where I say she only has nightmares. When she says they are amazing, I meant she said they were so real it was amazing. I think the dreams she does have are very vivid, though she doesn't really have too much of a scale to go by, so....