Are dream journals completely neccesary? (Your opinion)

[Reagan]

I had my first lucid experience a while back (my first thread discusses that), but I haven't been able to repeat this. It was a DILD where I used the nose RC (I'm assuming out of habit because I didn't really have any intention of doing it). Is the reason I can't have another LD is because my dream recall is bad? I had been able to remember most of my dreams pretty well but this is no longer the case. Do I need to be keeping a journal to attain lucidity?

[TruMotion]

The dream journal is a crucial part, yeah. Unless you're a natural, but I guess that's not your case. It improves your dream recall, and afterall, what's the point in having lucid dreams if you can't remember them when you wake up?

[FancyRat]

Spending time recalling your dreams is definitely necessary though writing them down isn't always a must. Still, I almost always write them down because it keeps me from being lazy about it and skipping over remembering the details. If I'm rushed for time in the morning though, I will sometimes just make a mental note of what I dreamed and then try and relive the details while on the bus or whatever. Usually my lucids stand out without my having to dig them out of my memory but just last night actually I had a lucid where if I hadn't tried to remember, it would have been lost. These always suprise me and I wonder how many lucids I am actually forgetting.

[faceonmars]

Remembering your most recent dreams is very important in lucid dreaming attempts as the human brain, it is theorized, dreams in symbols. Knowing those symbols... and visualizing then, can help with lucid dream induction. If you have forgotten your most recent dreams you cannot visualize them whilst trying to sleep. Simple math. Good luck to you!

[Reagan]

Remembering your most recent dreams is very important in lucid dreaming attempts as the human brain, it is theorized, dreams in symbols. Knowing those symbols... and visualizing then, can help with lucid dream induction. If you have forgotten your most recent dreams you cannot visualize them whilst trying to sleep. Simple math. Good luck to you! Maybe it's because I'm sleepy, but I don't quite understand the concept you're trying to explain. Are you speaking of dream signs? Either way, can you explain more thoroughly or a different way?

[Mzzkc]

Journals are helpful, yeah, but not entirely necessary to LD. Even if you don't want to journal all the time, throwing down a few entries every week or so is better than doing nothing at all.

[ShadowOfSelf]

Unless your quite experienced then yes. Doesnt really matter how you journal them, or even if its just keywords. Its about wanting to remember your dreams in the morning, then writing them down to become long term memories.

[MissLucy]

I find I can recall my dreams a LOT better (and more dreams per night. I went from "1 fragment if I'm lucky" to "2 fully detailed dreams and 1 fragment to 3 fully detailed dreams if I'm lucky" in only 2 weeks since starting to use a Dream Journal. So I'd say it's pretty important.

[cmind]

IMO, dream journalling is essential if you can't remember anything, but won't make a difference if you can already remember parts of your dreams.

[MissLucy]

I beg to differ. I used to be able to recall 1 fragment of 1 dream per night if I was lucky. Now since I started journalling them (2 weeks ago), I can easily remember 2 whole, detailed dreams and usually 1 fragment of a third dream too. Sometimes I can even rememeber 3 fully detailed whole dreams. I'd say the journal dramatically improved my recall.

[Puffin]

Dream journals are pretty much a necessity to keep up your recall, unless you have a naturally easy time remembering dreams.

[cmind]

Dream journals are pretty much a necessity to keep up your recall, unless you have a naturally easy time remembering dreams. This is just my experience, but I found that once I understood the "trick" to remembering dreams, it made no difference whether I was keeping a journal or not.

[ShadowOfSelf]

This is just my experience, but I found that once I understood the "trick" to remembering dreams, it made no difference whether I was keeping a journal or not. I would like to know this "trick"

[pepsibluefan]

I agree with everyone saying that dream journals diffidently help. Like a poster said, he had a lucid dream he barely remembered. So it is quiet possible you are experiencing lucid dreams but just not remembering them. Also it does help to get at least 7 hours of sleep to help recall. You see dreams are like a spider web, and webs are very fragile. When you wake up and your mind gets active in the waking world, it is like having a large rock being thrown at that spider web and now its torn to pieces. Better recall is much like having better control of that rock and making sure it doesn't damage the web much or at all. I really think describing dreams like webs is really accurate actually.

[Klikko]

It is, your brain is not naturally tuned to remember your dreams for very long, you need to keep it tuned by keeping a journal. By doing this you also train yourself in recognizing the patterns in the dreams.

[cmind]

I would like to know this "trick" Remember a small number of key words that associate with key visual images. Then elaborate on those images, working from the end of the dream back to the beginning, until you can reconstruct the entire sequence in your mind. At this point, the dream will be in your long term memory, so writing it down makes no difference unless you need to see it years later.

[ShadowOfSelf]

Remember a small number of key words that associate with key visual images. Then elaborate on those images, working from the end of the dream back to the beginning, until you can reconstruct the entire sequence in your mind. At this point, the dream will be in your long term memory, so writing it down makes no difference unless you need to see it years later. Thanks, though I was hoping more for a trick to actually remember the dream upon awakening. I'm starting a dream journal today. Actually just made my first entry! I hope that it helps me remember more and gets my mind more focused so I can DILD more easily! Good, keep at it for a few weeks and you will notice your entries becoming longer and more detailed. They are also great reading material for motivation.

[cmind]

Thanks, though I was hoping more for a trick to actually remember the dream upon awakening. Huh? I don't know about other people, but for me when I first wake up the dream is still fresh in my memory.

[ShadowOfSelf]

Huh? I don't know about other people, but for me when I first wake up the dream is still fresh in my memory. Well yeh though somedays its more of a struggle, plus theres the other 3-5 dreams of the night. Was just intruiged as to whether you had a 'trick' to it.

[Spyguy]

It's usefull, but certainly not necessarily. Can't say for sure though, my own recall comes quite natural. You could choose to focus on DEILDing instead of DJing, or perhaps do DEILD and DJ after ur alarm clock goes off in the morning. That would reduce the amount of dreams remembered though. Try some stuff out and see what works best Dont forget to try each technique for at least a few weeks though.

[ryndisher]

I'm starting a dream journal today. Actually just made my first entry! I hope that it helps me remember more and gets my mind more focused so I can DILD more easily!

[Robot_Butler]

I can normally go a week or two without writing in my journal. My dreams gradually deteriorate to nothing until I start recording them again. Translation is a very important aspect of journaling. You can't really replicate it any other way. Translating your memories and emotions into words helps solidify and organize them in your mind.

[theCambino]

I can normally go a week or two without writing in my journal. My dreams gradually deteriorate to nothing until I start recording them again. Translation is a very important aspect of journaling. You can't really replicate it any other way. Translating your memories and emotions into words helps solidify and organize them in your mind. Much of what Robot Butler said... Plus, our mind is programmed to forget most dreams and a dream journal is much like a photo album. Most cases, you can't remember every waking memory with clarity or ease, but a photo (or a detailed sentence in this case) will refresh and strengthen that memory. Something solid that has been documented, like dream journal entries, will not only help improve your recall abilities, but you can hold onto those memories of dreams. Personally, I have a large amount of non-lucid dream entries that I value more than most waking memories... In my opinion, yes, dream journals are necessary for both a tool used to progress in lucid dreaming and as a photo album (or external hard drive, per say). This is just my experience, but I found that once I understood the "trick" to remembering dreams, it made no difference whether I was keeping a journal or not. Same here. I have had the ability to remember large dream fragments for nearly my entire childhood. Although, I now keep a dream journal for long-term purposes, since I value my dreams. But like almost everyone, I do have those days where I can't remember a thing... and this morning has been one of those days.

[Quinchi]

I believe that they are helpful/useful, but if you can remember your dreams quite vividly then i don't think that it is really necessary.

[oneironeer]

For non-WILDing, consistent lucid dreams, yes. No question about it. When I was being very diligent, I'd drink something that encouraged brain activity (like apple juice), wake up around 5 hours, use the restroom, while voice recording whatever I could remember of my dreams up to that point, do a reality check, maybe take some Acetyl-L-Carnitine (400mg) with Lipoic Acid (200mg) and/or Vitamin B Complex, and go back to bed. If I DIDN'T write anything down, I'd recall FAR less of my regular dreams, and typically never had random lucid dreams.