According to Ellis, the dream journal acts as a tangible way to interact with, and reflect on, our nightly adventures in the dreamworld. And the more attention we give them, the better; “The more we pay attention to our dreams, the more we recall them—and the more helpful they are,” she says.
Once you start your journal, it will become easier to discern what your dreams might be trying to tell you about your waking life, Ellis notes. “In particular,” she says, “dreams can help us get a better understanding of our blind spots, and shine a light on things that are important that we may have been avoiding.”
And, when we record our dreams, we can spot repeated patterns and themes over time. “You’ll start to be able to use your dreams to track changes, and take note when something in your dream life begins to transform,” she adds. “This can often reflect major changes and progress in relevant aspects of your waking life.”