I have tested dream journal meditations orally with
live audiences and in written form with participants in
the A.R.E. Dream Research Project. I have observed
that writing inspirationally in a dream journal medita-
tion, though not inevitably promoting experiences of
dream realization, often does give dreamers a sense of
rapport with their dreams. Being convinced that this
approach can be effective, I am confident in presenting
one of these meditations to you for your experimentation.
      Presenting the meditation in printed form, however,
does pose certain problems. A dream journal meditation,
as a form of inspirational writing, is best approached in
innocence, without planning ahead. When the instruc-
tions are printed, the reader may look over the entire
meditation first, and can become tempted to speculate
and anticipate what might result. A more serious
problem is that for some people the printed instructions
arouse something like "test anxiety," eliciting concern
about doing the meditation "correctly." Be assured that
the instructions are meant to serve only as a guide. In
this regard, let me share with you a dream related to me
by someone who was working with some journal
meditation instructions I had printed:

      I am in a college ... a hospital ... hurrying upstairs to
talk to a friend on the top floor about a test I must take. I
am afraid. It is a test where I must read problems and
then translate them into formulae and work them out.
During the test, the teacher, named Bonanza, says, "Be
quiet a moment and let me figure this out."

      The dreamer appreciates the dream journal as being a
place of learning and healing, and wisely seeks
inspiration from the "friend upstairs." But the dreamer
regards the meditation itself as a test, and is anxious
about performing it correctly. I have to accept with good
humor the dreamer's perception of the meditation
instructions as being like "problems" with "formulae,"
and you may appreciate this simile yourself after you
have experienced the meditation. I like the teacher's

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