Need help with my dream recall

[Phoenix422]

My dream recall used to be pretty good, especially the mornings, but, as of late, it's being terrible. Most mornings I cannot remember a thing and, on the days I do remember a dream, it's vague and unclear. I've being trying to improve it, but nothing seems to be working and I'm not sure why. I have a somewhat consistent sleeping pattern - in bed by 10.30/11pm and up by 6.30 or 7.30. 9.00 for the days I'm off work - I write in my dream journal every morning, even if I don't remember a dream, and I say a mantra before going to sleep every night and, if I get up in the night, as I go to sleep. It's "I wake up after every dream and remember them clearly!" So, what could be the problem? Is the mantra too long? Is the fact that I wake up by alarm clock causing the problem, etc? Any advice would be great.

[LouaiB]

My dream recall used to be pretty good, especially the mornings, but, as of late, it's being terrible. Most mornings I cannot remember a thing and, on the days I do remember a dream, it's vague and unclear. I've being trying to improve it, but nothing seems to be working and I'm not sure why. I have a somewhat consistent sleeping pattern - in bed by 10.30/11pm and up by 6.30 or 7.30. 9.00 for the days I'm off work - I write in my dream journal every morning, even if I don't remember a dream, and I say a mantra before going to sleep every night and, if I get up in the night, as I go to sleep. It's "I wake up after every dream and remember them clearly!" So, what could be the problem? Is the mantra too long? Is the fact that I wake up by alarm clock causing the problem, etc? Any advice would be great. The mantra isn't the problem. Even if it was long, I wouldn't call it a problem. It seems you place strong intentions to recall your dreams, so good. You sleep schedule seems fine. I assume you don't take any supplements prior to bed, right? All seems well, must be just a recall dry spell, it'll pass. Stress can cause bad recall too. Tip: write anything you can remember. Anything at all! Even how smudges there are in that wall, or the color of the cover of the third book in the top second shelf of that library! Lol! Seriously, the more the better! Before you know it, your dreams are very vivid, especially the LDs! Recall is the major factor for LD vividness, because LDs seem dull, not vivid, not because they weren't, but because your recall threw most of it's 'richness'. I'm not talking about throwing EVENTS, but 'richness'.

[Phoenix422]

The mantra isn't the problem. Even if it was long, I wouldn't call it a problem. It seems you place strong intentions to recall your dreams, so good. You sleep schedule seems fine. I assume you don't take any supplements prior to bed, right? All seems well, must be just a recall dry spell, it'll pass. Stress can cause bad recall too. Tip: write anything you can remember. Anything at all! Even how smudges there are in that wall, or the color of the cover of the third book in the top second shelf of that library! Lol! Seriously, the more the better! Before you know it, your dreams are very vivid, especially the LDs! Recall is the major factor for LD vividness, because LDs seem dull, not vivid, not because they weren't, but because your recall threw most of it's 'richness'. I'm not talking about throwing EVENTS, but 'richness'. Thank you for replying. I think you might be right in that it could be stress or a dry spell. I am someone who deals with anxiety a lot, so it could be that. Or maybe I just want great dream recall so badly that it's working against me. I know that, in the past, I've seen a lot of advice which states not to take lucid dreaming too seriously, to not treat it like a chore or consider it a failure if something doesn't work as expected... Right now, my recall fluctuates. One night, I'll remember three consecutive dreams (maybe not the most vivid, but I'll remember them enough to write them down in detail in my journal) and other nights I'll struggle to remember a thing. That normal? Haha, thanks for the tip! I try to do that all the time now. My dream journalling never used to be consistent, but now I try to make it that every time I wake up in the morning, I write something, even if it's just 'Can't really remember anything. Vaguely remember 'so and so', etc'. Another thing I've been doing lately is, when I'm at work, I study my surroundings, try and do a little ADA and self-awareness while asking myself if I'm dreaming. If I'm going to be just standing, might as well use it to my advantage and boost my awareness. ^^

[LouaiB]

Yeah inconsistency is very normal when it comes to dream control. Happens to all of us, especially when the sleep schedule is inconsistent. Yeah you shouldn't work too hard on LDing. How to know when to slow down a little? When you feel like you're about to blow your fuses. In other words, try to avoid frustration, which is really hard for all of us, but we try to do our best. Also, try to be motivated as much as you can, and try to be, how can I say it, engaged in the plot. For example, when I feel 'zoned out' or not in the mood for LDing, I start imagining my goals that I want to do in my LDs, start feeling how real it is, how amazingly stimulating and overwhelming it would be. Treat it like it's an amazing adventure you'll have in real life, like really get into the zone of it, imagine you're gonna really be there, you know, think of it as entering your animus (assassin's creed lol). Don't think of it as just "yeah I'm going to fly in my dream tonight *bored voice*". Think of it as " oh it's gonna be amazing when I fly and soar up the windy cliff tonight! (With visualization and drooling). Really BELIEVE it! I do consider dreams as reality too, you know, "we experience a mental model of the world" and "perception is dreaming limited by sensory input, dreaming is perception not limited by sensory input". Also I'd stay away from ADA, it doesn't really work. When we sleep, our cognitive functions turn down. That's why a dinosaur wouldn't seem weird if you saw one. Having more awareness won't help.. We already have good awareness in dreams, we just can't ration weird things. Instead practice mindfulness, lots of videos about it in YouTube. You hone it by meditating.

[Phoenix422]

Maybe the best thing I could do, in regards to my sleeping schedule, is maybe to have it that I wake up at a certain time continuously, even if I don't have work that day. That way, my body will naturally awake at said time without an alarm clock to jolt me awake and, if I don't have to get up at that time, I can just sleep in and benefit from REM dreams. I really do think the alarm click might be working against me a little. I am a little frustrated, but only because I so want my dream recall to improve and it's just really bad right now. I'm not even aiming for any lucid dreams - though they would be a huge bonus - I'm just focused on improving my dreams enough so that an LD is possible. I think you have a great point there. Back when I was my having my LDs, I remember I'd have this routine I'd do when saying my mantras before bed. They were probably all just substance but, because I did then fully believing they'd help me have lucid dream or good recall that night, my dreams were always long and vivid. I guess I should try and get back into that mindset, huh? I've heard of Mindfulness and will definitely check it out. Know any good tutorials for it in particular? I'm not really that good at meditation, but if I try it, I want to get it right. Would observing what's going on around me, looking out for anything out of thee ordinary, and questioning if I'm dreaming count as mindfulness?

[LouaiB]

No, this doesn't count as mindfulness. I learned this from YouTube but forgot the video now Mindfulness is living in the now, not getting destracted by future or past matters, and observe your current state non-judgementaly; Just observe without reacting through emotions, whether good or bad. Yeah, pretty much just do that like 15 minutes a day, that would be enough if you're not rushing things. Waking up at the same time each morning is better. An alarm does slap you out of sleep. Having a natural awakening is much better for recall. I was talking about more of a mindset that what you do in your LD is very exciting and real. This keeps you more tuned in. But the mindset you mentioned is also a very handy one

[LukeSid]

Maybe the best thing I could do, in regards to my sleeping schedule, is maybe to have it that I wake up at a certain time continuously, even if I don't have work that day. That way, my body will naturally awake at said time without an alarm clock to jolt me awake and, if I don't have to get up at that time, I can just sleep in and benefit from REM dreams. I really do think the alarm click might be working against me a little. I think you may be right about the alarm. I started by using one and often it seemed to me that my brain took that as a dream "start time" I stopped using it and soon started getting wake-ups...they vary of course in number and quality. I have a SST of midnight...apart from anything else it makes it easier to identify your REM periods I am a little frustrated, but only because I so want my dream recall to improve and it's just really bad right now. I'm not even aiming for any lucid dreams - though they would be a huge bonus - I'm just focused on improving my dreams enough so that an LD is possible. I'm old (70) but I've managed LD's...not many yet but you'll only need your first one to boost your confidence enormously and it will probably happen when you least expect it...so be prepared and stay determined (and don't get too excited when it happens...I felt extreme joy and fell straight out of it!) If I can do it at my age and condition then so can you. I've returned to Dreaming recently, so I'm working at getting back to LD's. I'm trying all sorts of things. Silly as it sounds I walked around my local town centre yesterday with my mobile connected to in-ear phones (just using one phone and tucking the other out of sight) I have pre-recorded messages on my phone, using its internal mike then, using VLC, converted them and fed them back to my music playlists. (You could use an ipod or something) So, in one ear I'm getting things like "check hands" (and I look at peoples hands as they pass) "feel the effects of walking" "where was I ten minutes ago?" things like that. It's unobtrusive, it's not too loud so I can still conduct a conversation and it calls me back to the task...and I can pick out things at random as the message scrolls. I'm loving it and it's my little aural secret. I've got an ADA message for indoors (concentrating more on myself and things like the feeling of clothing, my feet in shoes etc + "what was I doing 10 mins ago" of course) but I'm making sure It isn't just a subliminal background noise...I'm reacting to it. The important thing is always be trying to move forward...think of new things...recognize every little advance however small. I think Mindfulness ADA) is the way and my little in-ear helper takes some of the sting out of learning. Worth a try?

[Phoenix422]

No, this doesn't count as mindfulness. I learned this from YouTube but forgot the video now Mindfulness is living in the now, not getting destracted by future or past matters, and observe your current state non-judgementaly; Just observe without reacting through emotions, whether good or bad. Yeah, pretty much just do that like 15 minutes a day, that would be enough if you're not rushing things. Waking up at the same time each morning is better. An alarm does slap you out of sleep. Having a natural awakening is much better for recall. I was talking about more of a mindset that what you do in your LD is very exciting and real. This keeps you more tuned in. But the mindset you mentioned is also a very handy one Okay, being trying my hand at mindfulness and just wondering if I'm doing it right. I followed what you described by just taking fifteen minutes out of my day to relax and pay attention to my surroundings and myself without thinking over anything. Just calmly observing. Is that right? My dream recall is still not that great. Any other tips on how to improve it other than mantras would help a lot! Whenever I try my mantra as I'm going to sleep, it just keeps me awake, while saying it before I go to bed doesn't seem to be as effective as it used to be...

[LouaiB]

Mindfulness isn't for recall, it's more like for induction. Being mindful is simple, just observe. Don't try to stop anything, not even your thoughts. Just watch what your mind is thinking and what your body is feeling, and your emotions. As for more techs for recall, it just needs practice, there is no magic potion for it. It's like practicing piano. Don't worry, it's normal that your recall is bad at first. We all start like that, well, almost all of us. I have strong recall but frustration problems. My intentions are very weak because of frustration but I'm working on it. I don't get frustrated anymore though, but the weakness is still there. You gotta keep in mind though that the first year of LD practice is kinda dull. It's only really awesome when you're good at it.

[Phoenix422]

Well, brief update, there seems to be some major improvement going on. I've recently started wearing earplugs to bed because I'm a light sleep and somewhat sensitive to background noises and, in the last two nights I've worn them, I've had some really vivid dreams. Considering I've had little to no dream recall for a few weeks, that's pretty good! I don't know whether it's the earplugs themselves or because I'm just not stressing over it as much and letting it happen naturally, but it's better than nothing, right? ^^

[LouaiB]

Well, brief update, there seems to be some major improvement going on. I've recently started wearing earplugs to bed because I'm a light sleep and somewhat sensitive to background noises and, in the last two nights I've worn them, I've had some really vivid dreams. Considering I've had little to no dream recall for a few weeks, that's pretty good! I don't know whether it's the earplugs themselves or because I'm just not stressing over it as much and letting it happen naturally, but it's better than nothing, right? ^^ Hmmmm.... Maybe bcz you've slept more comfortably due to less annoyment?? Or maybe bcz you were thinking more about LDing those nights, hence the considerment of this adjustment? I'm just spitballing here, I really can't tell Anyways it's an improvement to the better, if not recall at least comfort!

[Phoenix422]

Hmmmm.... Maybe bcz you've slept more comfortably due to less annoyment?? Or maybe bcz you were thinking more about LDing those nights, hence the considerment of this adjustment? I'm just spitballing here, I really can't tell Anyways it's an improvement to the better, if not recall at least comfort! It could be because of a combination of trying a new mantra, sleeping a bit more consistently and having a more 'Can do' attitude towards lucid dreaming, but either way, my recall is definitely picking up. Most of the time now, I'm remembering two very vivid dreams, three when I can sleep in. I'm also able to pick up a lot of dream signs and seeing a lot of moments where reality check would have been perfect (I had a dream recently where I was studying myself in the mirror, for instance). Now, I'm trying to get back into doing WBTB and having a WILD or DILD from there. This morning I failed because I think I woke myself up too much and kept expecting something to happen, which was silly of me because I know from the last three WILDS I had that, if it's going to happen, it happens pretty fast. If I'm lying there for 15 minutes and wondering when I'm going to fall asleep already, I'm doing it wrong, haha.

[FOATL]

i wear earplugs too sometimes, and yes, they can be of help

[Sensei]

You set your intention, but do you actually wake up in the night? If not, then it is no surprise that you don't remember many dreams. When my intention isn't going to work, I use the water method to wake up a few times through the night. Your mantra is very long. I normally just go to bed with a time in mind. This is much easier intention. You want your mantra to be something that applies to LDing more than recall. Using your schedule for recall and your mantra for dreaming. I like the mantra "I'm dreaming" because it is the first thought when I wake up and when I go to bed. I can reinforce it throughout the day with the words, thoughts, images, and emotions. Just some food for thought. The longer and more diverse the mantra, the less powerful the idea.

[Phoenix422]

You set your intention, but do you actually wake up in the night? If not, then it is no surprise that you don't remember many dreams. When my intention isn't going to work, I use the water method to wake up a few times through the night. Your mantra is very long. I normally just go to bed with a time in mind. This is much easier intention. You want your mantra to be something that applies to LDing more than recall. Using your schedule for recall and your mantra for dreaming. I like the mantra "I'm dreaming" because it is the first thought when I wake up and when I go to bed. I can reinforce it throughout the day with the words, thoughts, images, and emotions. Just some food for thought. The longer and more diverse the mantra, the less powerful the idea. I actually do. It's a little annoying since I set my alarm and everything, but, because I'm expecting it, my body wakes me up naturally round that time, rendering the alarm useless. Lately, I have been shortening and changing my mantras a little. Right now, I'm trying for a DEILD, so I say "When I wake up, I will stay still and keep my eyes closed." Still think that's too long and that there's a better mantra for it?

[Sensei]

Affirmations are good, but they are different than a mantra. You should have 1 mantra. Different affirmations are good at different times, but only 1 mantra, always in your head. The idea of a mantra is to be something that is always in your head, something simple and powerful. an idea that you always want there.

[Phoenix422]

Ah, right. Well, in that case, my main mantra is "How did I get here? Reality check!" which I do throughout the day when reality checking. It's my way of trying to get a DILD. As for affirmations, I say those before I go to bed and while I fall asleep. Most of the time they actually work out pretty well. Right now I'm trying to get a DEILD since my dream recall is really good lately, but I just don't know how to ingrain it into my head to stay still and keep my eyes closed when waking up...

[Phoenix422]

Wow, today really is Christmas Day because, this morning, without even trying I had the first WILD lucid dream in months! It was short and I didn't have much control or clarity, but I transitioned from awake to sleep lucid after a WBTB, something which I haven't done for ages. Anyway, Merry Christmas everyone!

[LouaiB]

Wow, today really is Christmas Day because, this morning, without even trying I had the first WILD lucid dream in months! It was short and I didn't have much control or clarity, but I transitioned from awake to sleep lucid after a WBTB, something which I haven't done for ages. Anyway, Merry Christmas everyone! Congrats! That must be an exciting achievement Oh, and merry Christmas to you too!!

[ThreeCat]

I wanted to add that mindfulness is definitely a part of recall. It is very difficult (if not impossible) to remember something you never noticed in the first place.