Day Residue

Should we pay attention?

by Dr. Laurel Clark

“Day residue” is a psychoanalytic term referring to dreams that are related to the previous day’s events. Some people believe that “day residue” interferes with the transmission of intuitive or psi phenomena. They may even view such dreams as meaningless garbage; i.e., the mind’s way of getting rid of unnecessary stuff. Yet, some “day residue” dreams accurately communicate telepathic, clairvoyant or other psi material. How do we know when such dreams are significant?

Should we pay attention to these dreams? Do they have meaning? Can they be a source of guidance or insight? How do we know when “day residue” is communicating psi phenomena? What are these dreams? Are “day residue” dreams about the previous day’s events, or are these images from the brain memory used to communicate other messages?

In my experience, and through studies with the School of Metaphysics, I have found that all dreams can have meaning. The subconscious mind, or inner Self, seems to use whatever is most readily available to communicate a message. These messages may concern our waking consciousness, providing insight into waking attitudes, even giving advice for better health and well-being. They might be telepathic projections or clairvoyant communications.

In two IASD PsiberDreaming conferences, I was ready to dismiss as mere "day residue" the dreams I remembered the evening of the Telepathy and Mutual Dreaming contests. However, being willing to commit myself to submitting the remembered dreams, I entered them. The dream for the telepathy contest was so significant it won a tie for fourth place. In last year’s Mutual Dreaming contest, my “day residue” dream won honorable mention. Clearly, the images from the day’s events were used by the subconscious mind to transmit the sender’s message in a way that my dreaming mind received it.

So, the question arises, what do we do with “day residue” dreams? Do we consider them as important as dreams that are merely symbolic? Are they equally significant?

This paper considers some of my own dreams and those of other dreamers that feature images stemming from the previous day’s events. It discusses the importance of these dreams, and shows that even “day residue” can be a means for telepathic and psychic (mutual dreaming) communication. When two or more individuals intend to dream together, or to communicate mind-to-mind, the subconscious mind seems to draw upon whatever is most easily accessible or recognized by the dreamers. The “day residue” or images that are in the brain memory from the day’s events may appear as dream-images.

The paper describes the “mind,” as it is taught from a metaphysical perspective and a theory of how the subconscious mind communicates. It also describe the relationship of the conscious mind to the brain and five physical senses. This theory is taught by the School of Metaphysics, which offers teachings that derive from esoteric sources such as theosophy, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Objectives:
Describe what “day residue” is and differentiate between this type of dream and those that are purely symbolic.
Demonstrate two (or more) dreams that used “day residue” to communicate psi phenoma.
Explain and show a diagram of the mind as taught by the School of Metaphysics, defining the subconscious and conscious minds and explaining how the subconscious mind communicates a message to the conscious mind.

Laurel Clark, D.M., D.D., is the President of the School of Metaphysics, USA. A teacher since 1979, author, interfaith minister, and counselor, Laurel has also been instrumental in writing some of the www.dreamschool.org online dream course.