Recalling dreams in middle of the night.

[The G-Man]

Hey guys, Last night I was thinkin about alot of lucid stuff, and and tried to promise myself I would get up in the middle of the night and write my dream in my journal. I normally have been writing my dreams that I have had near the time I would normally be gettin up. or in otherwords, I am "skipping" the dreams I should be recording in the middle of the night. Anyway, on the with story. So last night I woke up probably around 4:00 or 5:00 AM, and I was very very tired, normally I would doze off again. But this time I attempted to remember my dream. As said in some tutorials, it says it works best if you remain in the position you woke up in, as I did. The problem was I could swear I just had a dream, but I just couldn't remember it at all. It wasn't coming to me, so therefore, I just went back to sleep again. My question is this. For those of you whom are frequent in dream recall and record multiple dreams per night, what techniques do you use to help yourself remember? Also, what is your motivation that you use to make sure that you basically "force" yourself to get up to record you dream. Final question: I have a lamp near my bed... normally at this time its completely dark and I cannot write at all without some light. Problem is if I turn on my light, normally I have alot of trouble gettin back to sleep because I like to write alot of detail about my dream. So once again, what do you use to record your dreams, or more specifically... what kind of lighting would you use to write in a journal. Anyway, thank you all for your responses and thoughts in advance. I definitly a newbie with LD, I've only had 1 very very short (4 second) LD before, but im trying my best. Once again thank you. Tyler

[Amethyst Star]

Well, I haven't done very well writing in my DJ, but here's what I've done in the past. First off, it's good that you're willing to write when you wake up very early. You also have the right idea in not moving after you wake, but while you're laying there, one thing you can do is go through the dream you just had. Then, when you've kind of got it solidified in your memory, turn on your light and just write a brief summary of the dream, just a sequence of words like, "squirrel, ninja, running, watch" or something that just displays the main points of the dream. Then, you can go back to bed and when you wake up to really journal, after writing down the ones you just had (so you don't forget them), you can go back and use your summary as a guide and fill in the details. That's just how I've done it in the past. That could also help cut down on how long you're awake nad have to have your light on. -Amé

[The G-Man]

Actually that sounds like a perfect idea, I'm going to try that tonight (also maybe with WILD or WBTB ) Thank you very much for that input ill give it a shot.

[Wildman]

Originally posted by The G&#045;Man+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(The G&#045;Man)</div> My question is this. For those of you whom are frequent in dream recall and record multiple dreams per night, what techniques do you use to help yourself remember? [/b] Waking up at intervals of a couple hours might help. When you wake up in the morning, it's a good idea to just try to think for a couple minutes about anything related to your dream. If you can only remember a small part of it, try asking yourself a bunch of questions on it like: What was I doing there (if there was a reason at all)? Was I alone or with someone else? Why did I do <something>? <!--QuoteBegin-The G&#045;Man Also, what is your motivation that you use to make sure that you basically \"force\" yourself to get up to record you dream. \"If I'm too damn lazy to get up and write this dream down, how do I expect to have the motivation or the focus to do a reality check in a dream!\" But yeah, it happens to be so tired that you pretty much fall asleep 5 seconds after, or go into a dream about writing in your dream journal... Originally posted by The G&#045;Man Final question: I have a lamp near my bed... normally at this time its completely dark and I cannot write at all without some light. Problem is if I turn on my light, normally I have alot of trouble gettin back to sleep because I like to write alot of detail about my dream. So once again, what do you use to record your dreams, or more specifically... what kind of lighting would you use to write in a journal. I usually write in the darkness, even though it does kinda turn out hard to read. I guess there aren't that many alternatives to using a lamp, but I guess maybe a flashlight can help. Either that, or write short notes about your dream, just enough to trigger the memory of it, so that you spend less time writing and it's easier to fall asleep.

[kafine]

I try to remember some key words. They say to write down some key words, but if you are worried about going back to sleep, you could just try remembering them. For example, this morning I had Rafts Chavs Beer Windscreen. The other thing is in the morning, to try and remember who was there. Thinking about something that was in the dream should trigger the memory. Your freinds and family are the most likely so think about each of them. So this morning I thought about each of my freinds, and when I thought of Mrsh, for some reason my last memory of her involved some kind of fair. And that gave me my second dream Writing in the dark is okay too, as long as you make sure you leave the notebook open at an empty page! Unlike Kafine, who recently wrote "MaRk loNdon fashioN BAD" over her part for a presentation...

[Asclepius]

Originally posted by The G&#045;Man+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(The G&#045;Man)</div> My question is this. For those of you whom are frequent in dream recall and record multiple dreams per night, what techniques do you use to help yourself remember? [/b] For the last month, every time I can remember a dream, I write something about it in dream journal. When I awake, I try not to move, and let my mind drift to recall any dreams. Then I roll onto my back, try and recall any dreams, then roll over onto my other side. I find that dream recall is very tied to my sleeping position. <!--QuoteBegin-The G&#045;Man Also, what is your motivation that you use to make sure that you basically \"force\" yourself to get up to record you dream. I remember the joy of lucid dreaming, and believe I will get more by recalling more dreams. Originally posted by The G&#045;Man ... what kind of lighting would you use to write in a journal. I have a pen that thas a built in light, its enough to seen what I'm writing, but doesn't make me wake up too much. Apparently they are available from Staples, mine was a gift.

[H Savvy]

A good technique if you can remember even just simple images, is to focus on each image, and work backwards. Where was that image found? How did that event happen? What led you to that event? Then try to piece together what you can.

[Forsaken Exposition]

As Far as The Light problem goes ( Too "Po" to buy a Fancy Pen. I can't even afford the rest of the word...("Po"...or) I use a blacklight that was sitting in my Sis's room collecting dust. I have a nightstand thing on the back of my bed so its behind my eyes and doesnt really wake me up, but I can still see well enough to write. If you don't have a nightstand, maybe you could hang it on the wall? Hope I was of somehelp.

[NeonBlack]

Focus your attention in something is usually hard for u to remember. For example for me is harder to remember feelings and emotions....maybe for some other is harder to remember the color of things or details in some way.... spend some time to identify things u easily forget and write them all after the main "keyframes" of your dream. Damn I have to find a Light-pen....is brilliant!!!

[Ryden]

Originally posted by The G-Man The problem was I could swear I just had a dream, but I just couldn't remember it at all. This is the hardest part of recall to do. There are many great suggestions here on what to do once you have something to work with, but it sounds like you (like me) are waking up after the REM period is over, making it very hard to get the little peice of the dream you need to start recalling off of. To overcome this, what I've found is best is to lie still, and clear your mind. Do not think of the past night or the next morning. The effect of this is that it forces your brain to recall the last thing that happened to it, in order to help you get your bearings. The last thing that happened is of course your dream, so after a little effort it should just come to you, and then from what you remember you can use the techniques in this thread to hammer out the details.

[NeonBlack]

another tip for the light problem...write your keys on your mobile phone if u have one... and if u can turn it on...lol