[Z-man]

If you haven't watched the flick "Inception" check it out...

Dreams are very interesting - while there are many interpretations of what dreams are, my $0.42 is that they are simply the mind sorting random jumbles of memory - sometimes they weave a sensible story, sometimes they don't.

Sometimes your 'awake' circumstances prompt you to have a specific themed dream. For example, I have a recurring dream that I'm back in college, and half way through the semester, I realize I haven't attended a class I enrolled in. My interpretation of that dream is that I am preoccupied with a project or task that isn't complete yet, and I am concerned about missing an important component. (Ex: filling out tax forms, and you miss a deduction...)

There are things you can do to remember your dreams. First, before you fall asleep, convince yourself that you will dream, AND when you awake, you will remember the dream. (Repeat to yourself "I am going to dream, and I will remember those dreams.") It can help you remember your dreams. Another thing to do is to place a notepad & pen on your nightstand. When you awake, jot down any recollection of your dream. In the morning, you may have forgotten what you dreamt about, but you have the story on paper, and that will 'jog' your memory.

Your mind does not differentiate emotions from dreaming vs. emotions from real life experiences. Thus, if you had a dream that makes you happy, and you awake, you will likely have feelings of happiness. Weird.

There is an interesting concept called lucid dreams -- that's when you are actually able to control your dreams. Not sure how to get in the state of mind to be able to do this, but is an interesting concept.

-Z-man.