“How do you prevent bad dreams? Or even make good dreams, if possible. Any time something emotional happens to me, I have way over exaggerated nightmares that I noticed reflect the way I am feeling partly, and partly don't make sense. Or sometimes I have nightmares that just fully don't make sense. I hate it though! I want them to go away. I've been having a lot lately..... I refuse to sleep until I find a solution haha. They can be so scary.” (F.)


Did you notice that you mentioned those “over-exaggerated nightmares” occur “any time something emotional happens” to you? Your subconscious mind attempts to get rid of any stress and fears you have through your dreams. It's as though it is saying, "Okay, so you may want to repress these awful feelings and shove them away. I have to find a way to get them out!"

Reviewing your dreams
Dreams, good or bad, reflect waking life concerns so they can serve you if you pay attention to them. Instead of feeling anxiety over them, try to write them down and examine them or have them interpreted for you. They can help you understand what you can do during your waking life to alleviate stress or conflict which, in turn, will reduce the number of bad dreams you have.

One method of banishing bad dreams
This three-step process works first by using your physical body to work the stress and emotions out of your system so your mind won't feel as though it needs to hold onto them. Then, you employ your conscious mind and waking life habits to feed only positive incoming data to your subconscious mind.

Body
1.Release the stress through physical activity instead of through your subconscious dreams. Be sure to get physical exercise to work off any stress or other emotional feelings. This is important. Run, dance, work out, just do something until you are out of breath.
2. Cleanse your body. This is not only spiritually symbolic, but it is physically important. Take a bath or shower to wash away the toxins excreted through your skin cells during exercise.
3. Drink water. Drink pure, clean water to replenish the moisture in your cells. Cells require plenty of water to maintain health, and unhealthy cells upset your biology which, in turn, affects your brain and both conscious and subconscious processes.

Conscious mind
1. Do not dwell upon your bad dreams. Once you have reviewed or interpreted them for clues to your waking life, do not spend another moment telling anyone about them. Do not mull them over in your mind. Don't relive them. Simply say, "They do not exist. I have only good dreams." When you focus on the bad dreams, you give them life and, thus, power.
2. Before you go to bed, as you lay there, envision what you would like to dream. This used to be my favorite part because I felt like the creator of my own dream world. Start a story or adventure for yourself. Paint the details with your imagination. Close your eyes and slowly dream your dream...you will fall asleep with a smile upon your face.

You may or may not continue your dream once you fall asleep but bad dreams won't take over either. It might take practice with this process but it will work. During the daytime, think of your funny, favorite, happy dreams.

Remember not to give your bad dreams any life, power or place in your waking world. Bad dreams? What? You don't have any, remember? You have only these wonderful dreams that are so amazing that you can't wait to get to sleep each night. When I was a kid, I would read a happy storybook and dream about lands made of candy. When I grew older, I'd dream of handsome princes. Or exciting travels. Today, I fill my head with so many pleasant things that there is no time for bad dreams.

Waking life habits
1. Minimize stress. The subconscious mind dreams in order to process the stress you experience during your waking life so eliminate stress and you eliminate bad dreams. Of course, this is easier said than done. But manage your waking life and your dream life will follow suit.
2. Do your best to live a happy, healthy waking life. Sickness, addictions, immoral living and the resulting angst or guilt come through your dreams.

About dream catchers and worry dolls
You have to truly believe in them in order for them to "work" for you. It is your belief system that will be tested. Those tokens work for those who believe. A worry doll is a tiny doll to which you tell your secret worries. Then, you place her under your pillow until morning when you wake up and "take back" your worries again so she can sleep peacefully, too. A dream catcher is a Native American totem made of a circle of wood and strings that form a net. Mine has beads and a feather. You hang it over your bed, and it will catch your nightmares before they fall upon you. Again, you must have faith—or belief.

I believe that you have the power within you to banish bad dreams and invite the good dreams into your sleeping mind with or without tokens. Just believe in your own power. Live well. Sleep well. Dream happy.