Problem-Solving During Sleep

When brain surgeon Dr. Wilder Penfield electrically stimulated areas of the right temporal lobe, visual memories were elicited with crystal clarity.

Electrical probes touching parts of the left hemisphere did not produce such a response.

Is the right brain the storage location for long term memories?

Tests have shown that electrical activity during REM (rapid eye movement) or dream sleep is more active on the right hemisphere than on the left.

As a problem solving exercise, first review to yourself all the aspects of a specific problem in your life just before going to sleep.

Write down a pertinent question to your problem.

Think of this question over and over again before falling asleep.

Then as you doze off, give yourself the suggestion that your subconscious mind will work out a solution in your sleep, and that you'll awaken with the answer.

You can also do this with lost objects that you want to find.

Mentally say to yourself, "I need the solution to the following problem (define it), and I want to have this information at 8:00 A.M.(or whatever time you expect to awaken)."

Repeat the instruction 2 more times, then forget it and go to sleep.

Afterwards you may notice a sense of peace and confidence when you awake.

Perhaps you may not even know why, but you just KNOW everything will work out for you, and you just start doing the things necessary to bring about the solution.

Sometimes this technique will work right away, and sometimes it may take a few trials, but keep at it and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Also, keep a pencil and paper on your night table, just in case you need to jot down some information in the morning.

For instance, your last dream in the morning may have a lot of symbolic meaning not readily discernible.

Write it down and ask yourself later what your subconscious could be telling you.

Also, since you are the best interpreter of your own dreams, ask yourself as soon as you just begin to awaken, but before rising out of bed, what the emotions you feel or symbolic aspects of the dream mean.

Often the answer will clearly pop into your head.

Then write it down upon rising for review.