Strange form of dream recall

**WindOverWater** · 02-24-2016 12:11 PM

Almost a year ago, I developed this strange type of dream recall and I've wanted to ask someone about it but could never find the right person. What I seemed to develop has me truly puzzled, although I think it is a very good thing and I find it rather fascinating.

First, I will give you a little background. I think this started as a result of meditation, tai chi and qi gong, and well, psychedelic drugs. In the past, I was able to recall dreams fairly often upon waking but even when I wrote them down in my dream journal I was unable to recall these dreams later in my regular waking life.

Now, I remember both recent dreams and dreams from a long time ago at random times throughout the day. Sometimes a random movement or thought will provoke the memory but most of the time it seems to happen for no reason. Details from past dreams appear in my mind: Both dreams I have written down in the past and others that I had forgotten. It's as though something in my mind has been activated by past experiences.

This does not happen with normal memories, only with dreams. I have experienced recalling memories from the past during a massage or acupuncture or even just moving or stretching a certain way. But this had never happened before with dreams. I usually recall several in a row, one after another in a space of minutes. The details are strong enough that I can write them down in my dream journal even though they had previously been forgotten.

Does anyone have experience with this or know what may be causing it? I would like to ask someone such as a Buddhist monk or a tai chi instructor but no longer have the opportunity to do so. That's another reason I'm glad that I found this forum: You guys are experts on dreams and have a strong interest in the subject matter. It seems that even most psychiatrists and psychologists have little to no interest in dreams these days.

Thanks in advance for any insight you may be able to provide.

**Hirondelle** · 02-24-2016 03:42 PM

From what I've read on this forum there's nothing really strange about your dream recall, I mean you're not the only one who has this. Can't point you to where I've read it though, sorry! Hope somebody else will answer more specifically.

The only thing I've experienced that is a bit similar, is when I remembered a funny dream fragment because of something my husband said during the day after the dream took place. And, the clarity with which I remember a few lucid dreams, like if I've just had them, while in reality that's already quite some time ago.

**xxPhoebusxx** · 02-25-2016 02:47 AM

I get that too. Sometimes I'll touch something I dreamed about a while ago and it all comes flooding back.
Or I'll become lucid in a dream and realize I've been in that dream many times before. Then details from all the previous ones come back.

I think it's just a result of a more intuitive connection with your emotion.

**Sageous** · 02-25-2016 04:39 AM

I see this as a very good thing, WindOverWater, and, as Hirondelle said, not all that strange -- especially if you'vee taken an interest in your dreams.

What is probably happening is that your brain has adapted to your interest in dreaming, and has begun storing them in long-term memory as if they were waking-life memories. And for what it's worth, this actually does happen with waking-life memory -- it really must, or else you would have trouble functionong -- it's just that the phenomenon is so normal in waking-life that you just don't notice it.

I had this "problem" during my early years of intense dream exploration, where I was convinced that I remembered all my dreams, found myself being reminded often of dreams rather than waking-life events, and occaisionally confusing dream memories with waking-life memories. The spell wore off after about a year or two (mostly because dreaming had taken a back seat to waking-life at the time), and my recall returned to something close to normal.

So I wouldn't be too concerned if I were you, and maybe even consider yourself blessed, from a dreaming perspective... talk about a first-rate tool for lucid dreaming!

Welcome to DreamViews, BTW!

**WindOverWater** · 02-25-2016 12:29 PM

Thanks, everyone for helping me understand. I didn't realize that it was more common than I thought. And here I was thinking I had "opened my third eye" or something.

I guess one reason it felt strange is that I normally have very poor short-term and long-term memory for waking-life events. I only recall those when I move a certain way and they are triggered. With dreams, I can be standing perfectly still and it just comes to me.