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The first thing I do when I open my eyes in the morning is close them again. I drift and search for memories of my dreams before they fade. Dream fragments float into view like seeds on a light breeze. I catch a seed or two and invite them to tell me more of their story. On a good morning, they do. Vividly detailed whole dreams instantaneously pop into view. I keep my eyes closed long enough to commit them to memory.

All of this takes maybe five or ten minutes. An overview interpretation of each takes a few minutes more, and then I may focus on one dream in greater depth while I get ready for my day.

“Can you always interpret your own dreams? Do some fox you?” It’s a great question, and one I’m often asked.

Some do fox me for a while. But I have a way to outwit the fox. I’ll let you in on the secret shortly.

The Art of Dream Analysis

Although I am a dream analyst, I don’t perceive analysing my dreams as work. The process took considerable effort at the start of my career, but after more than 33 years as a practitioner, I’m able to interpret most of my own dreams with relative speed. As a bystander, you might put that down to intuition. I see it more as an ability to process dream analysis steps at lightning pace, in the same way that we simply walk without consciously applying all the steps we discovered as babies learning to stand and propel ourselves forward, or the way our fingers fly across the keyboard without going through the step-by-step process of locating individual keys or spelling words.

Writers, myself included, often describe writing a first draft as ‘downloading’ because ideas seem to present themselves faster than we can think. Or are we simply so practised in generating ideas that we’re no longer conscious of the process?

Breaking Down the Process

When I sat down to write the first course for my online learning platform, The Dream Academy, back in 2017, I wanted to capture the steps I take when I interpret a dream. I had to work back from my familiar proficiency to slow down the process and become aware of each step, each technique.

Most of all, I wanted to break my methods down into the kind of easy-to-follow steps I wished I’d had access to when I was a young adult, before I became a dream analyst.

And so How to interpret your dreams step-by-step was born. The course centres around a Dream Interpretation Chart: I guide you through the steps and prompt you to write information and answers on your chart until, at the end of the process, you have neatly and accurately encapsulated your first interpretation.

Outwitting the Fox

Now, about that fox.

What do I do when I am foxed by one of my own dreams?

I have two choices. I can go back to basics, follow the steps, and fill in a Dream Interpretation Chart. Or—and this is my favourite approach—I imagine a client has brought me the dream. She sits opposite me in my imagination and describes her (my) dream. I know what to do. I ask a question, then another. I follow the steps I take as a dream therapist, and within moments I feel the goosebumps prickle my skin, signalling that deep recognition of my dream’s meaning.

I’m sure you’ve guessed: when I stumble over interpreting one of my own dreams, it’s because I’m in denial of what it means, or because I’m enjoying languishing in the shallower waters of its meaning rather than diving deep where the real magic happens.

Your Journey Begins

Whether you’re at the beginning of your quest to learn how to interpret your dreams, or you need a little more magic to outwit the fox when she throws mist—or misdirection—on your path, the steps, tools, and techniques await you at The Dream Academy. There’s no need to wait. You can do the courses in your own time, at your own pace, so you can begin right now.