The Psychology Behind Why We Remember Some Dreams And Not Others

Have you ever had a dream that you couldn’t quite shake off for the rest of the day? Replaying scenes and sensations throughout the day and even having to remind yourself that yes, it definitely was a dream, you’re fine?

Apparently, according to dream researcher Kelly Bulkeley Ph.D, this is called a ‘carry-over effect’ and it’s actually quite common.

Writing for Psychology Today, he says: “Carry-over effects are feelings, sensations, and bodily responses from dreaming that are still experienced even after awakening. It’s like a part of the dream world manages to seep into the waking world.”

Some dreams just are more memorable than others

While the researcher admits that “some dreams are simply impossible to forget”, the physical sensations experienced with these kind of dreams may also have their part to play.

Ever awoken with your heart pounding after a nightmare? Or feeling devastatingly nostalgic for a former partner or lover? That’s part of it. He explains: “This variety of carry-over effects shows that dreaming is not just a complex mental process, but a complex bodily process, too.

“Many different physiological systems can be activated during REM sleep and dreaming, but instead of being directed outward, as they are in the waking state, these systems are directed inward, toward the creation of the imaginal world of the dream.”

However, Bulkeley urges that figuring out these dreams comes from within, advising: “A helpful approach to the interpretation of dreams with carry-over effects starts with a focus on the emotional continuities between dreaming and waking.

“To discern the meanings of these dreams, a good question to ask is where else these same feelings can be found in current waking life, whether in a relationship or a work project or a health-related issue.

“Whatever the situation may be, the dream is doing everything possible to highlight its emotional importance and make it a priority for waking awareness.”

Your brain is essentially telling you to stop ignoring your problems.