A Resource Center for Dreamers

Excerpt from Dream Journal Technology

As computers become more of a fact of life for all of us, it’s inevitable that the process of keeping a dream journal, and working with our dreams in meaningful ways, should also be fair game for the software developers. Depending upon your tastes and techno-orientation (-phile or –phobic), the idea of recording and interpreting your dreams with the help of your computer may, or may not, be appealing. If you’re open to looking at an alternative to handwritten or word-processed dream-keeping, however, the following sampling of dream journalling and interpretation programs may help point you in a direction that’s perfect for your own personal exploration.

This review covers three journalling products: Alchera, Awake Software, DreamWave. While these are not the only programs on the market, they are the most fully developed (i.e., not in a testing stage) and readily available. Each product is reviewed in terms of navigation/ease of use, help and tutorials, dream journalling, diary or day journalling, search capabilities, dreamwork methods or techniques, symbol dictionaries, dream theme tracking, interpretation and analysis, formatting/editing, and file export/import.

Alchera
Alchera is the Aboriginal word for the mythic Dreamtime. This program is extremely easy to use, yet is surprisingly rich in features. The screen is designed like a web-page, with hyperlinked text, and a sidebar containing easy access to the online manual (which includes animated demos), dream descriptions, and symbol lists. This makes navigation through the program quick and simple. With Alchera, you can record and track characters, emotions, lucidity levels, and dream series; you can also drag-and-drop or cut and paste words, phrases, or other important information from dream to dream. Dreams can be recorded directly in the space provided, or can be copied from another word processing program. Because the program features a standard Windows interface, editing and formatting is relatively simple, both onscreen and for exporting as a printed document. In addition to being able to look up interpretations for symbols in a dream dictionary (based on the work of author Tony Crisp), you can also add your own personal meanings and symbols to the dictionary. Each dream can be “coded” to identify characters, symbols, and locations, and, once recorded, these symbols can be re-used in other dreams by clicking from a handy drop-down list. Dreams can be searched by key words or expressions, resulting in a list of dreams matching the criteria specified. Alchera also offers games and dreamwork methods, including free association, role-playing, story rewriting and Senoi tactics, to guide you in the interpretation of your dream. As an added bit of fun, you can create pie charts or bar graphs comparing the appearance of characters or locations in your dreams to those of the average dreamer.

Awake Software
Awake Software is also a feature rich application, but is a little more complex and difficult to use than the other products reviewed. Each dream is recorded in a two-sided notebook interface, which includes tabs for symbols, descriptions, interpretation, and notes or day journal. The notebook can be set to three levels of interpretation or dreamwork, from simple to in-depth. Browsing multiple dream workbooks is possible but not easy. You can also create your own dreamwork model, or configure any of the visual aspects of the program. Dreams can be recorded and interpreted either by your own preferred method, or through use of wizards which walk you through category, content, background, feelings, concerns and questions. Although Awake doesn’t include methods or help for interpreting your dream, it does offer extensive tools for tracking symbols, feelings, locations, actions, and themes. The fully editable symbol dictionary includes icons for each symbol, and drag-and-drop capabilities. Search capabilities are likewise sophisticated, but take some getting used to. This is the only one of the programs reviewed which offers many alternatives for file or content export/import, as well as for extensive editing and formatting capabilities, including adding pictures to your dreams and journals.

DreamWave
Dream Wave offers playful information on recording and interpreting dreams as well as beautiful illustrations and a searchable dream journal, all accessible in an easy-to-navigate format. This program is the simplest and most intuitive of the group, and will appeal to the artist in you. It is also designed to be interactive with DreamWave’s website. DreamWave includes four primary features: Dreamages (a poetic primer on remembering one’s dreams), Scribe (the dream diary), Dreamings (dream themes with sample dreams and interpretations) and Temple (an online guide to uncovering the underlying tone of the dream, and developing tasks to carry it’s message upward into waking life). DreamWave can be used as either (or both) a dream journal and daily diary, and includes a text editor and database, allowing the dreamer to format font styles and colors, and to conduct searches by keywords, titles or dates. Dreams or records can also be sorted and browsed with ease, making it simple to intuitively follow or identify dream patterns and themes. DreamWave’s “Help” feature is extensive and helpful, providing step-by-step guidance for all aspects of the program. DreamWave’s website, which integrates seamlessly with the software, is also a visual delight, full of compatible dream activities and participatory dream games, all enhanced by a highly textural environment containing art, poetry, color and movement.

Which program is right for you? It all depends on your needs and comfort zone in working with a computer. All these programs offer basic dream and day journals, search capabilities and some degree of file formatting and export. Most are easy to use and navigate, but Awake Software is somewhat more complex, and therefore is not as simple to immediately pick up and use. Alchera offers the most extensive techniques and methods for initiating dream interpretation and analysis. DreamWave is the most intuitive and artistically oriented, and also the simplest to use. Still can’t decide? Why not try them all?