Thread: I Need Help With My Recall And Recording My Dreams!

The first thing you should do before sleeping is affirming to yourself that you will remember your dreams.
It should help.

About the dream journal, you don't have to write all of your dream in the middle of the night, just write down some keywords and you can complete it when you wake up.
If you just remember some details of the dreams, don't worry ! Even little snippets may help you increase your dream recall. Write them down, it doesn't matter if you consider them unimportant, they are

I also read that smoking or drinking before going to bed can inhibit dream recall.

And here's a little quote from Burns:

Originally Posted by Burns

When you wake up in the morning, don't move, just lay there with your eyes closed. Concentrate on what you were just dreaming or thinking about. Work in reverse and try to think about what you were doing before that. When you feel like you've remembered all the details you can, open your eyes, and snatch a piece of paper and a pen. Quickly write down keywords and sentences, or feelings, before they fade away.
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Hope that helped

Originally Posted by Lonewolf

Ok so I have a dream journal and pen layed out an inch away from my bed but it still doesnt seem to help. Today I remember having an amazing dream but couldn't remember what it was about. I had a conversation with a dream character and I was anxious to record the dream but I think I was half asleep and I just had no strength to get up and write it down. I fell back asleep and had another amazing dream that it was the end of the world but again I was unable to record it. When I finally woke up it was all but a blur. A couple details are in my mind but they are unimportant ones. Can someone help me with easy ways to get your dream recorded? I dont think I can wake up in the middle of the night to record it either, it would probably mess up my sleep clock. Last night I went to bed at midnight and woke up at 11 and I think I had many dreams but couldn't record any. Please help!
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For me its just one of those things you gotta do no matter how much it sucks at the time. I, like you, have found out if I don't write them down the second I wake up (even if its 4am in the morning...) they are gone. I tend to wake up well before it's actually time because of dreams. Usually at this point I go over them. If they have meaning to me, or are particularly interesting, I'll write em. If not I usually let them go. When I wake up in the morning I will be aware of the ones I "let go", but usually completely lacking any recollection other than "I had some dreams..." You can try just writing down short notes to remind you when you wake up in the morning. Or you can try to use a voice recorder and dictate your dreams. It isn't a process which has a real quick solution, at least not one I've found. It is important to try though... even if you only remember a small fragment.

This is a problem I used to have also. I had to gain the will power to get myself up, not necessarily out of bed but up enough so that I'm awake. I take a moment to try and remember what I was dreaming about by thinking about random thoughts. Eventually, those thoughts trigger a memory of my dream and then I just write away in my DJ. I believe that it's a good way to spend those 30-60 minutes after using the WBTB method. Also when writing in your DJ, trust your feelings! Another thing I might suggest is to try and get some more sleep. Either sleep earlier or take a nap during the day.

so writing down keywords and simply believing you will remember are the best things to do so you will remember, you see i suffer from the same problem as lone wolf, i remeber little tiny things from the dream and simply whether it was a good dream or a bad one.but its getting a little less hazier, as time goes on i guess.