Thread: Getting Started {Inducing Dreams}

Ah Entropy I'm glad you had some level of success and it sounds like it worked quite well. Did you end up writing your dreams down in your journal? Another suggestion for relaxation techniques which is one I use is called reverse blinking. It gets you tired fairly fast and is actually a way to induce sleep paralysis. Not sure the exact link, but I know the thread is here on the website so just use the search option

I actually just jotted down the randomness. The "dreams" just felt like a bunch of very brief, sporadic, short events. Nothing enjoyable, nothing scary... they literally stirred no emotion. At least, none that I can remember.

But regardless of how random, I did jot down everything I could remember. I'm already on the lookout for reoccurring themes or events. I think I have my work cut out for me, though: not once in the dream was I able to look at my hands, find a clock, hold my breath, or do any of the basic Reality Checks I've been practicing.

Reverse blinking? Wow, just the name alone sound intriguing. Consider it Googled. I know that when I was younger, I used to look around the room in a really wild, crazed motion. I imagine my eyes - darting from the ceiling to the floor, to the sides, to the corners... everywhere - must have made me look insane... but after 30 seconds or so, they get worn out. And once the eyelids began to relax... I was gone. That was quite a while ago, though... and depending how your recommended Reverse Blinking works, I may or may not have to try it again, sometime.

My dream recall has increased a lot since I started a dream journal, but since you don't remember them at all we'll have to train your body to remember them.
The first thing you must do, is when you want to wake up keep your eyes closed!! This helps me recall dreams so much. Another thing, don't start moving instantly, or you'll forget be still keep your eyes closed and try and remember that dream which is quickly disappearing. Then right it down immediately.
If this doesn't work, since you listen to music anyways slip a binaural beats cd in. I use one called ipoddrug, if you are familiar with torrents you should have no problem finding the ipoddrug cd, or you can buy one of the net. Listen to it when you sleep(through headphones is better) and it can increase your chances of dreaming more vivid and possibly lucid dreams, which I think would help with recall.
Also, if you'd like post a dream journal on this site, I'd love to read how your progress with dream recall is going based on what you write down, that is if you don't mind.

Hey, DK, thank you much for taking the time to reply. I'll definitely have to look into that iPod Drug album. I don't really (can't really) fall asleep with headphones on, but I'll at least give it a go over the speakers.

I've been meaning to update this thread for a while now, actually. Since the original post that's been made, I've been able to recall dreams every single night, to this day. I do just as DK recommended - lay in bed with eyes closed, and make an effort to recall the dream(s).

Sadly, I have work first thing in the morning, and don't have time to jot down what I recall. I'm considering at least trying to jot down key-words or elements that I can ponder on when I get home, to try to remember the dreams in more detail.

I have, however, remembered a handful of dreams throughout the week. And the best part is... they're making more sense. They're actually continuous -- one night in particular involved two or three dreams that were all in the same setting, getting chased by the same people. This is leaps & bounds in progress, compared to the first "scraps" I initially began to remember, at the start of this thread.

The night before last, I actually had a dream in which I was researching lucid dreaming. A lot of the facts/methods didn't make any sense, but it felt real... I had no idea it was a dream. Which is where my current roadblock is: being conscious enough to perform a reality check, mid-dream. That'll take some time, though, I imagine.

To recap this post - after reading around and trying some of the advice here at DVF, I've been able to recall the majority of my dreams on a nightly basis. I haven't been keeping them in a journal, sadly, but since they're becoming more coherent, I definitely will begin to.

I'll try and set up a public dream journal. I can pretty much guarantee there won't be anything interesting to read until I can go lucid, though.

Ahh Entropy we're pretty much at the same point, you and I. I've just been working on my recall and right now I remember about 2-3 dreams a night. I wake up and jot down what i remember in a little scrapbook and then throughout the day i bring it with me adding things that i remember. Later I put it in my actual dream journal i bought and add the finishing touches. I just bought the book from Stephen Laberge "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" and I HIGHLY recommend it. It has so many steps, background info, FAQS, scientific backgroud, exercises, and then it goes into techniques for inducing them and what you can use them for. Really an AMAZING book, a must have for sure.