hardly   worth    the   effort   required    to    recall   them.
Moreover,  if  we  compare  ourselves  with  people  who
seem   to  have  a  natural  ease  in  remembering  dreams-
dreams  that  are  often  more  intriguing  and imaginative
than  our own—we  may  find  that  mere curiosity  is not
enough  to  sustain  our  efforts  to  acquire  a   proficient
memory for dreams.
   When casual interest fails, we need a more compelling
motive.  Take,  for  example, the  case  of   those  people
engaged  in  self—analysis  or  psychotherapy  who  have
found  their  dreams  to  be  a  source of  useful  insights.
They   look    to    their   dreams    to   find   solutions   to
difficulties, to gain  greater self—understanding,  and  to
spark the hope for growth.  These people have  an intense
interest  in  dreams   and   this  sustains  their  attempt  to
remember  them.  Their   example   suggests   that   when
dreams  are  seen  as   a  means  to  some  highly  desired
goal,  there  naturally develops  sufficient  motivation  to
recall them.  The time  and  effort  required  to develop a
fairly  reliable  memory  for  dreams   is  more  willingly
given when  we hold our dreams in  high regard and when
we  are  firmly convinced  that dreams  are  valuable  and
worth remembering.

The Potential Value of Dreams

     Unfortunately, it is as difficult to prove scientifically
that dreams  can  be  meaningful  or  valuable  as  it  is to
prove  that  life  itself  has  any  meaning  or  value. Even
though  there  is  growing   evidence  that  the  biological
aspect  of dreaming  has vital regulative  functions  in all
mammalian life,  dreaming  must be  approached, for our
purposes, on  a different level.  An  appreciation of life's
potential    worth    and    meaning    can   be   gained   by
examining  how  people  have lived their lives. Similarly,
we may gain  an  appreciation  of  the  potential  value of
dreams by considering  how  people have  found them to
contribute, for example, to their creative work.
     Many  creative  persons  in  history  have denied  that
their  own   efforts  were   alone   responsible   for  their

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