It is often helpful to think of remembering "only" the Key as the indexing system provided for conscious awareness by the dream universe. In this light, a behavior which previously was thought of as "resistance" can be seen as a most efficient means of accessing dream content. Why squander the energy of consciousness to retain continuously the entire dream in waking awareness, when it is totally available at virtually a moment's notice by using the Key or indexing system? Implicit in adopting this attitude is an increased trust and appreciation of the power and basic friendliness of our more mysterious personality processes. We have begun to accept our unconscious as a force whose natural functioning is consistent with our general welfare and well- being.

Some people have reported that when they use the Keying system, the "dream" they "recall" is not always the same as the original dream. One possibility is that the dreamer has already unconsciously attended to and responded to some of the message in the original dream. Thus the dreamer has modified the symbology of the original dream. It is also interesting to note that in reporting that the keyed imagery is not the same as the original, the dreamer acknowledges some memory of the original experience.

Even if the dreamer sees something entirely different than the original dream, the dream universe may be saying, "Since you dreamed that dream, some other issues have become more important for you. Attend to these first." Some people have reported remembering the original dream once they had finished the "different dream." This phenomenon appears to support my contention.

The loss of dream recall tends to follow a certain progression. Let us assume that dreams are messages from our inner self to our conscious self that concern our continued growth. If our dreams are telling us something we are not willing to accept consciously and act on, then in effect the dream universe says, "OK, I'll give it to you in a different way." This process may be the basis for the recurring theme phenomenon. If we still refuse to admit the message to conscious awareness, the dream universe says, "Here's an instant replay." In this case we begin re-dreaming the exact dream. Finally, if we still avoid the issue, the dream universe says, "No further messages until you accept this one," and recall ceases altogether.

To re-establish an active relationship with the dream universe, the dreamer consequently returns to the last (or the most-important-feeling) dream Key that is remembered. By working through that dream, recall returns, often immediately.