Thread: For those with Recall trouble

Do you find that you have trouble recalling your dreams at night? The most common and probably effective method is, indeed, keeping a dream journal. Some of you might say, "Well, I can't remember anything when I wake up!" Here's my advice.

1. Wake up early enough to have time to focus on the journal.

-When you first wake up, try not to move any more than necessary. Picture in your mind any image you can recall from your dream, anything at all.

2. Try to detail the dream

-Focus on it and really try to think of what came before that. Often merely focusing on an image will lead to more information and a better recollection of the dreams you had. Once you've been able to picture your dreams, with as much detail as possible, move on to step 3. If you had trouble even recalling a shard of an image, write down how you felt when you woke up. Sometimes that will trigger something in your memory and provide more information.

3. Write down a brief summary

-Don't try to write down the dream by rote all at once. So that you don't forget everything, at the top of the page write a brief description of what happened in each of your dreams. Include one or two word phrases like "ocean, monster, hero" or "villan, scared, escape" or something along those lines, just as a guide for step 4.

4. Fill in the blanks

-Then go back and write out your dream in as much detail as possible, including settings, characters, actions, emotions, or whatever you can recall. The more detail you use, the more often you'll recall details in the future.

5. Consistent recording

-Write in your journal every day or as often as possible. As with anything, recall takes practice.

That is the process that I use when writing in my dream journal (or Dnevnik Mechty as it is in Russian ). If you have something to add or critique, please feel free to add to this as there is usually no one right way to do something. Hope this helped those who are new or just have been going through a dry patch.

-Amé