Many of us don’t remember our dreams, so when I am describing what it feels like to be in hypnosis, I often say it’s a bit like day-dreaming, something we are all familiar with. When we just allow our brains to drift, we enter a “trance” and this happens many times a day. When we are driving we often can’t really remember much about the journey, because we are in this state of light trance. When we go for a walk, bake a cake, sunbathe, listen to music our minds are in that restorative dream like state. It’s a nice place to be and hypnotherapy, which uses hypnosis is extremely relaxing and therapeutic. My clients often describe it as a “massage for the brain.”

Dreaming has been a topic of conversation recently in our house, as I have been having a number of very vivid dreams…and nightmares! I was chatting with a friend the other day who said the same, she was having extraordinary dreams and was putting it down to finishing off the Christmas cheese in the fridge!

What does it all mean, and do the people in our dreams tell us anything about what is going on in our lives? For centuries people have questioned dreams and whether they have any significance. Dreams are stories that play out in our head as we sleep and scientists estimate we have between 3-6 dreams a night. However, 95% are forgotten the following morning.

Dreams occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) cycle of sleep. This happens 90 minutes after you fall asleep and when your brain is still pretty active.

Dreaming is a thinking process and a continuation of thoughts from the day, which create images. Through this process you are in-fact more focussed and dreams can provide you with some insight into your hopes, achievements and mistakes.

Carl Jung, the renowned psychiatrist’s theory of subjective interpretation is considered by many to be the most reliable approach to understanding what dreams are about. He believed that paying attention to the dream characters and what is happening can offer powerful messages to us.

If you do remember your dreams and would like to examine more closely what emotions you associate with them, it can be helpful to write a few notes on waking up. Very often when we are stressed or feeling anxious, we can experience unpleasant dreams, so it can be very revealing and helpful.

I decided, after a number of disrupted nights, to invest in some restorative hypnosis to put a stop to my nightmares and listened to my own hypnosis Sleep Better audio. I can report that the bad dreams have stopped completely and I have also stopped waking up during the night with my heart racing!

Hypnosis for sleep will help you to relax, reduce tension and to fall into a restful calmness. When your body gets used to unusual sleep patterns, this can become a habit. Hypnosis will help break the negative thought patterns causing sleep disruption. Sleep plays such a vital role in our lives. How well we eat, how motivated we are during the day, all depends on getting enough sleep. A lack of good sleep can increase anxiety and health issues, so why not prioritise yourself and download my Sleep Better Audio, or book in for an online session to help yourself feel refreshed and energised – and we can chat about your dreams too!