How do you Remember your Dreams?

[Higurashi]

The only way I can remembeer my dreams when I wake up is by autosuggestion. As soon as I feel sleepy, I say to myself: I will wake up after my dream periods and perfectly remember my dreams. Then, when I wake up I write them in my dream journal. If I don't do this and just fall asleep, I won't remember my dreams, or I'll only remember scattered bits and pieces.
So how do you all remember your dreams?

If you do something other than auto suggestion, please comment so I can try it myself, thanks :D

[Exdream]

The only way I can remembeer my dreams when I wake up is by autosuggestion. As soon as I feel sleepy, I say to myself: I will wake up after my dream periods and perfectly remember my dreams. Then, when I wake up I write them in my dream journal. If I don't do this and just fall asleep, I won't remember my dreams, or I'll only remember scattered bits and pieces.
So how do you all remember your dreams?

If you do something other than auto suggestion, please comment so I can try it myself, thanks :D

Interesting, I've never tried auto-suggestion before. I should give it a shot.

[Higurashi]

This is off topic, but what are shikai??

[simo]

I just lay in the same position when I wake up and backtrack through my dream. You may not think you remember much, but as soon as you remember one event in your dream, you remember what preceded it. It's really amazing how much you can remember of a dream when a few seconds before you recalled almost nothing.

[adraw]

I would just add something to this and it would be. Its easier not to forget a dream, than remember it at first place. Thats why many recalling methods mention waking up without alarm clock and not moving a muscle, becouse every distraction tends to speed up fading out of a dream. So after you wake up naturally, dont make fast movements and the dream wont be forgotten.

The only thing what may do problems after these conditions are met is, that you dont have enough concentration to be able to use rational brain while making sense of imagery comming after you wake up. But with practice it can be learned.

You mentioned, that you need to do autosuggestion to recall your dreams. Please. If you are honest with your lucid dreaming, dont look at recalling in terms of technique. I would phrase it differently. Techniques are soooo cold.

What you did at the evening was, that you increased the level of awareness at night, so the process of recalling is easier. What you did was, that you simply payed attention to your dream world and it rewarded you.

SO dont take what you did as just autosuggestion. It was an act of you wishing something. Really feeling the wish, You opened yourself to the idea of recalling and you were rewarded.

I know. It may sound silly, but if you dont feel good about the wish you make at the evening, even saying words like "I will remember my dreams" wont help.

[Higurashi]

I would just add something to this and it would be. Its easier not to forget a dream, than remember it at first place. Thats why many recalling methods mention waking up without alarm clock and not moving a muscle, becouse every distraction tends to speed up fading out of a dream. So after you wake up naturally, dont make fast movements and the dream wont be forgotten.

The only thing what may do problems after these conditions are met is, that you dont have enough concentration to be able to use rational brain while making sense of imagery comming after you wake up. But with practice it can be learned.

You mentioned, that you need to do autosuggestion to recall your dreams. Please. If you are honest with your lucid dreaming, dont look at recalling in terms of technique. I would phrase it differently. Techniques are soooo cold.

What you did at the evening was, that you increased the level of awareness at night, so the process of recalling is easier. What you did was, that you simply payed attention to your dream world and it rewarded you.

SO dont take what you did as just autosuggestion. It was an act of you wishing something. Really feeling the wish, You opened yourself to the idea of recalling and you were rewarded.

I know. It may sound silly, but if you dont feel good about the wish you make at the evening, even saying words like "I will remember my dreams" wont help.
Autosuggestion isn't so much a wish for me than a routine. I've tried to just wake up and backtrack for weeks, and that worked only barely, I still couldn't remember much. As soon I tried autosuggestion, I immediately got results.

[Walms]

Always had good recall, averaged 1/night before getting lucid at will, it improved with the time and practice.

[Snowy Egypt]

Sometimes they just stay with me when I wake up, almost like I just experienced something in real life. Those are the good recall days. Other day (most days, really), it takes anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to remember them.

[Jamoca]

A combination of the two. Sometimes I just remember them, sometimes I autosuggest, and sometimes I try and drink water so I wake up to pee after REM cycles and can write my dreams down. Sometimes I take B6 for a little dream memory boost.

[shotbirds]

Well I have been remembering a bunch for the past week, but If I can't quite remember I go through a list of names/activities in my head, usually it'll link to what you were doing in your dream

[JET73L]

It really doesn't matter whether or not I attempt autosuggestion, I usually just remember dreams if I remember them, and try not to wake up too suddenly. If I attempt autosuggestion, or lucid MP3s, i often can't remember anything aside from having had a dream, or even don't get to sleep at all.

[Blink]

Autosuggestion for me- I tell myself I will remember my dreams- I used to remember dreams hardly once a week and last night my body automatically woke up after each dream so I could write it down. I wrote down 5 last night =)