A dream expert who says she’s helped people manifest love, healing – and even lottery wins – insists the key to getting what you want lies not in hard work or hustle, but in what you do before bed.
Kelly Sullivan, a hypnotherapist and bestselling author, has spent decades studying dreams. Her new book, Dreamifesting: Harnessing the Power of Your Dreams to Create the Life You Desire (out September 30), offers a practical guide to tapping into the power of the subconscious to manifest the life you want – starting with your sleep.
And yes, she claims it’s worked for real people trying to win the lottery.
‘There are people who have literally dreamed the winning numbers,’ Sullivan told Daily Mail.
‘Others dreamed business ideas that made them millionaires, or cures for illnesses their doctors couldn’t find. One man even dreamed his soulmate’s phone number.’
That story, she says, was one of her favorites: a British man named David Brown woke up with a strange sequence of numbers stuck in his head. It wasn’t a winning lottery ticket – but it was a real phone number.
On a whim, he texted it. On the other end was a woman who lived across the country. They started talking, met up, and ended up falling in love.
Another client dreamed of a cell tower disguised as a tree. He drew it, patented the concept, and is now a multi-millionaire.
A woman diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor dreamed of floating and being told to ‘smile as big as you can’.
Kelly advised her to meditate on that feeling for five minutes a day. Six months later, her tumor had vanished – without surgery, chemo, or radiation.
These aren’t isolated stories, Sullivan insists. In fact, they’re part of what she calls the Dreamifesting Hall of Fame – real-life cases she’s collected where people followed her process and saw astonishing results.
Sullivan says you too can start tonight – no crystals, vision boards, or Instagram quotes required.
Her four-step method is designed to rewire your brain for success while you sleep.
‘This isn’t woo-woo,’ she says. ‘There’s neuroscience to back this up. And it works because your dreaming mind is the most powerful, untapped part of who you are.’
1. Clarify your ‘ego goal’ and your ‘soul goal’
First, figure out what you think you want – what Sullivan calls your ‘ego goal’. Maybe it’s winning the lottery, landing a big promotion, or buying a red Ferrari. Don’t judge it.
Then, ask yourself why. ‘If someone says they want a Ferrari, I’ll say great – but how would that make you feel?’ Sullivan explains.
‘Usually they’ll say it means success, freedom, pride. So I say – that’s your soul goal.’
To anchor it, Sullivan recommends placing a small object on your nightstand that symbolizes both goals.
It could be a toy car, a feather, a coin – whatever feels meaningful.
‘Touch it before bed,’ she says. ‘It becomes your signal to the subconscious: This is what I’m ready to receive.’
2. Sleep – and pass the baton to your dream self
Your only job here is to go to sleep, but Sullivan says what you think about before bed matters deeply.
‘Your last thought before sleep is the baton you pass to your dreaming mind,’ she says. ‘It will pick up where your conscious mind left off.’
3. Record your dream – even if it’s just one word
When you wake up, write down anything you remember – even fragments.
‘One morning all I could remember was a shoe,’ she laughs. ‘But even that tiny symbol held meaning when I unpacked it.’
She recommends the Temenos app, which lets you whisper into your phone as soon as you wake up.
‘You’re still in dream state, so your logical mind won’t reject it yet,’ she explains.
‘That’s where the gold is.’
4. Decode your dream – and act on it
This step is where Sullivan’s signature dream interpretation method comes in.
She calls it the JETSET formula, and it’s a simple six-step tool anyone can use to break down a dream – even the weird ones:
- J – Jumpstart: Start with anything you remember from the dream, no matter how small.
- E – Emotion: Identify the key feeling in the dream – fear, joy, confusion, peace.
- T – Theme: Look for a storyline or recurring dynamic – are you searching? Running? Winning?
- S – Standout Symbols: Pick one or two specific images or objects from the dream.
- E – Explore Associations: What do those symbols mean to you personally – not just what a dream dictionary says.
- T – Take It Into Your Day: Do one small real-world action inspired by the dream – something that keeps the message alive in waking life.
Sullivan says this final ‘action’ step is crucial. One woman dreamed of biking at the beach and feeling pure joy. Inspired by that image, she rented a bike the next weekend – and met her future husband while checking out rentals. They’re now married.
‘It’s not about obsessing over symbols,’ Sullivan says. ‘It’s about using the dream as a nudge, a compass, and doing something with it in the real world.’
‘You’ve already won the lottery’
Sullivan says Dreamifesting isn’t just about money or fame – it’s about shifting your mindset and accessing a part of your brain most people ignore.
She opens her book with a bold statement: ‘You’ve already won the lottery.’
‘Most self-help books start by making you feel broken,’ she says. ‘They tell you your life is a mess, and have the solution. I think that’s manipulative – and false. You’ve already overcome astronomical odds just to exist.’
Her book doesn’t shame you into improvement. Instead, she says it reminds readers they already have everything they need – if they’re willing to listen to the deepest, wisest part of themselves.
And what if you don’t dream?
You do. You just don’t remember them – yet.
According to Sullivan, the average person has between three and nine dreams a night. If you’re not recalling any, she says, it’s a habit issue – not a biological one.
To fix this, she says before touching your phone in the morning, spend 60 seconds writing down anything – a feeling, a song lyric, a memory, a word.
‘Even if you didn’t dream, you woke up thinking something,’ she says. ‘That’s your thread. Write it down, and your dreams will start to reappear. It’s like saying to your subconscious: ‘I’m listening now.’
So whether you’re trying to meet your soulmate, heal your body, or hit the jackpot, Sullivan’s message is the same: your dreams hold more power than you think.
‘It’s not about forcing your life into shape,’ she says. ‘It’s about aligning with what your soul already wants for you – and dreaming your way there.’
Dreamifesting published by St. Martin’s essentials will be on sale September 30, 2025.
