Thread: lucid recall not the same as dream recall

I've heard it said throughout the lucid dreaming community a lot that lucid recall is the same as dream recall. If you don't remember your normal dreams, you won't remember your lucid dreams. I would have to say that, in my experience, this is false. Of course there's no way for me to prove this, as I could be having a bunch of lucid dreams and just not remembering them, but I don't think so.

I never keep dream journals or anything like that. Usually when I wake up I try to think about what I dreamed the night before for a couple minutes. The clarity with which I remember it varies. But every time I have a lucid dream I remember it in perfect detail 100%. It's the same as a real memory. Like, I remember it as well as if it were something I did the previous day. I think the reason for this may be that i'm...umm...more lucid than a lot of people. I see people on here talking about how they lose lucidity and stuff like that. That never happens with me. When i become lucid in a dream, my mind starts working to full capacity. It's as if i'm awake, except i'm in a dream. There's no chance of me losing lucidity or forgetting about my dream, because my mind is working just fine.

So, I think that dream recall is NOT the same as lucid recall. At least when you become FULLY lucid like I do. I've never woke up from a lucid dream and bearly remembered it like I do with regular dreams. Whenever I have a lucid dream I remember it very well.

Maybe it is because you are waking directly from your lucid dreams, and are immediately excited about what just happened.

Originally Posted by Robot_Butler

Maybe it is because you are waking directly from your lucid dreams, and are immediately excited about what just happened.

Exactly what I thought. It's easier to remember a LD right after you wake up. But when they happen in the middle of the night, like a really long DILD, theres more chances of it being more forgettable. I've had lucid fragments after taking long breaks from dream journaling and lucid dreaming. That's because I need to journal to remember my dreams.

Since Prince doesn't need to journal at all for recall, I'm assuming that his recall is naturally excellent and he wouldn't really experience the issues what other people with less recall go through. Because of this, I don't think the level of lucidity has an effect over recall.

I agree with Robot_Butler as well. I have had several LDs in the middle of the night and I just wished I would have found the strength to get up and write it all down as soon as it happened. If I wait until morning, I only have fragments to work with, even if I think to myself that it was the most amazing LD and I KNOW I'll remember it in the morning.

I'm a newb here, obviously, but isn't a lucid dream experienced...sort of 'first hand'? Don't you lose that "dream sheen" and actually look/feel/touch as if it were happening in your waking life? If so, why is that so hard to remember?

Honest inquiry and any response appreciated.

Originally Posted by jasonresno

I'm a newb here, obviously, but isn't a lucid dream experienced...sort of 'first hand'? Don't you lose that "dream sheen" and actually look/feel/touch as if it were happening in your waking life? If so, why is that so hard to remember?

Honest inquiry and any response appreciated.

Generally speaking yes. They're more vivid and what not. But lets say this is like the second dream of the night and happens to be followed by two or three more dreams. It becomes harder to recall what happened in that dream unless you wrote down what happened right afterwards.

Originally Posted by jasonresno

I'm a newb here, obviously, but isn't a lucid dream experienced...sort of 'first hand'? Don't you lose that "dream sheen" and actually look/feel/touch as if it were happening in your waking life? If so, why is that so hard to remember?

Honest inquiry and any response appreciated.

That's my point. I don't recall ever remembering fragments of a lucid dream. I completely remember it.

Originally Posted by Prince_RIP

That's my point. I don't recall ever remembering fragments of a lucid dream. I completely remember it.

My point is that I've had several, and I know others that have had them as well.

Originally Posted by Akono

My point is that I've had several, and I know others that have had them as well.

ok? you win? This isn't about who's right it's about my experience. I think it could be that I tend to be more lucid than you were in those dreams.

Originally Posted by Prince_RIP

ok? you win? This isn't about who's right it's about my experience. I think it could be that I tend to be more lucid than you were in those dreams.

Well tell me more about your experience. How often do you LD, and how long have you been practicing it?

I agree with Robot_Butler. There's also the possibility that since you're more conscious and aware in your lucids, it's easier to remember them as if they were in waking life (but it gets harder if you're not as lucid).

Here is an EASY answer.

When you lucid dream, do you remember everything? Yes, for the most part, just as if it were in waking life.

Some info, usually after each dream, you wake up, then fall back asleep. On average, you will wake up about 5 times in one night.

With that said, how clearly do you remember your entire day yesterday, from start to finish. You may have an overall, and parts here and there. Now, how about 2-3 days ago? Same thing applies from waking life to dream life. The less conscious and aware you are about the event, the sooner and more you forget.

When you move from Waking to Lucid to Waking, your days and dreams begin to merge, making it very difficult to retain what is actually a dream and what was real. Your subconscious may have trouble at times deciding what to put on Long-Term, Short-Term, and Temp-Term memory... This will cause problems when trying to remember certain things. - The same thing applies to when one stays up all night, sleeps a few hours, stays up all night again, sleeps all day and night, then wakes up in the day. That person will have the worst time remembering anything, even to what day it is.

I taught myself when I was really young before I ever knew that lucid dreaming was special. For the past 3 nights I have been remembering my regular dreams BUT normally I wont remember dreams. I like Prince always remember lucid dreams perfectly. I still remember my first LD I dont remember when it happened but i remember the events of the dream. LDs are like memories instead of dreams.