All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream. - Edgar Allen Poe

♡ Welcome to my Dream Journal ♡

I have always been fascinated by the concept of dreams, and I used to keep up with a physical dream journal because I would have the most vivid lucid dreams as a child. I dreaded waking up because my dreams were so engaging, and nightmares never fazed me because I was able to calmly wake myself up from them.

My curiousity about dreams, what they meant, and how and why they happened led me to believe I would become involved in Oneirology, the scientific study of dreams. That never happened, but I have been meaning to start a dream journal again for the longest time, and this website would be the perfect place to start. Dreams are associated with a pleasant visual aesthetic, and this way, I can save paper and track my dreams while simultaneously improving my digital literacy.

About Dreams

What are dreams?

Why do we dream?

Significant theorists

Dreams are images, thoughts, sounds and sensations that we experience in our minds while we sleep. They evoke a range of emotions and can seem confusing or perfectly rational.

Vivid dreams typically occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep because that is when the brain is almost as active as it is when awake.

Lucid dreams are dreams in which you are aware that you are dreaming and are able to influence what happens.

Nightmares are unpleasant dreams that are often remembered upon waking up.

There is no one answer as to why we dream, but some theories suggest that dreams help us with memory processing, are reflections of our waking lives, are a form of consciousness, are a means by which our brains work toward psychological and emotional balance, and are a result of our brains responding to biochemical changes and electrical impulses as we sleep (Psychology Today).

Other theories suggest that dreams are inspired by the supernatural and may even act as visions of the future.

Sigmund Freud theorized that dreams express repressed desires from the unconscious mind. Freud considered dreams the main vehicle for psychoanalysis, and explored latent content (what we don't remember, as opposed to manifest content, which we do remember) through free association (Wikipedia).

Carl Jung built off of Freud's ideas and proposed the objective and subjective approaches to dream analysis. In the objective approach, every person represents the person they are, and in the subjective approach, every person in the dream represents an aspect of the dreamer. Jung also believed in archetypes (symbols/figures) that represent unconscious attitudes (Wikipedia).

Dream Journal

March 2, 2020

Here is where I am going to input my dream entries! In later stages, I will probably make this section more blog-like and only include excerpts from recent dream journals that will link to another page where they are written out in their entirety. Each blog post will be dated, summarize as many details about the dream as I can remember, and a potential reading of what the dream could mean in the context of what is happening in my life at the time (perhaps hiding some of the context in the code for personal/future reference).

About Me

Hi, my name is Denise Zhu and I am a second year student at Western University. I am currently pursuing an Honours Specialization in Creative Writing and English Language and Literature alongside the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities (SASAH).

I am passionate about writing, reading, film and television, and learning. Dreams have been an interest of mine for a long time, so hopefully I am consistent with inputting dream journal entries. Doing so would also inspire me to write more, as I always claim to be too busy to write.

I aspire to work in the communications, media, and entertainment industries as a writer in Los Angeles someday, but as of now I am a full-time student, part-time bartender and escape room game master, and member of the Leadership and Academic Mentorship Program, Arts and Humanities Students' Council, Chatting to Wellness, and Iconoclast Collective.

Favourite Websites

Dreamy Resources:

• Read others' dream journals and start your own
• Dream interpretation sites:
  • Dream Doctor
  • Dream Bible
  • Psych2Go (YouTube video)
• Academic resources:
  • The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud
  • More (reading list)