Dream Journal Question

[NoPizza]

When I wake up, my memory of the dream starts to fade quickly. So instead of write it down as a story I just take notes. Is that okay? Or should I write it as a story. And also, what exactly is the purpose of a dream journal? Just for recording? Or is it so you can read it before you go to bed to go back to that dream?

[MasterMind]

I usually take notes, and then associate the notes with memories of it that I have when I write it down here on Dreamviews. The dream journal have many purposes, most important is probably to make you used to the feeling of dreaming so you know how the dreamy sensations feels like, because than can in itself work as an automatic reality check. Another reason is that the more attention you put on your dreams, the more attention you put on yourself, so by noting a dream you can sometimes learn things about yourself. It's also a way to practise your short-term memory which will make it easier to remember your lucid dreams as well, even though those are generally easier to remember. But I like to see dream recall as the start of a positve circle. Dream recall leads to -> more awareness of the dream -> vivid dreams -> lucidity -> dream recall and so on. Happy Dream Journaling

[Scionox]

Yeah, dream journal can be used for notes as well, it's really up to you what you write in it, as long as it helps you with dreams & dream recall that's it.

[NoPizza]

Haha I feel stupid. I was talking about a physical book that I write my dreams in. Because I just moved from the US to Brazil, and I had to bring my laptop... left my desktop at home. So it takes too long to take everything out, by the time I'd be ready to write, I'd forget the dream. So I keep an actual book next to my bed and write my dreams in it as soon as I wake up. I never even realized there was a Dream Journal section haha, but now I do obviously.

[Burke]

I actually keep a physical notebook next to my bed and just take down notes when I wake up. I then transfer them to the online one (though I haven't really done that at all lately, should probably step it up) and add in the details as I remember them. If it's a really long or awesome dream I want to remember then I'll write down the whole thing, sometimes just type it out on my phone since it's faster, and then transfer them. Just writing down notes will help improve recall and aid in noticing dream signs/becoming more aware of your dreams, but writing the entire thing down write when you wake up will, of course, provide better results. It's up to you how you want to do it. I find that notes give me a couple dreams per night (recall wise) which I find satisfactory.

[Sensei]

Check and see what fades first. After about ten or twenty dreams written down you should know what you lose first. Write that down, as well as person/place/activity. That is when I wake up in the middle of the night. I right the story down later. This is my personal opinion.