Excessive & unwanted Dream Recall! Any thoughts on this?

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10-10-2005, 02:29 AM
SPTX

Excessive & unwanted Dream Recall! Any thoughts on this?

Hi, newbie here....

OK, I know this probably goes against most of what is discussed and promoted here, but I honestly have a "problem" of excessive and unwanted recall of dreams! I'm hoping someone can explain to me why this may be the case.

Specifically, for the past several years or so, I have experienced the phenomenon (?) of having dream images from past dreams (and keep in mind...this could be a dream I had last night or a dream I had LAST YEAR!) pop up in my mind at any given moment during waking life. I could be sitting in a business meeting, driving my car, etc., and suddenly some random dream will flash in my thoughts that I may have had, say, the week before.

What's more, I will *automatically* associate a dream with a place. For instance, I could think of a vacation I took 6 months ago, think of the hotel where I was staying, and recall the dream I had one night while staying there! And, I'm not even trying to do this....it just pops in my head.

Folks, this is REALLY annoying me lately. I don't know why it's happening, but I've never heard of this before. I have always had generally good dream recall, but this is ridiculous. I have experienced some lucid dreams in the past (it's been awhile), but this isn't a technique I have pursued lately at all.

This all seems benign enough, but just plain weird, and annoying!! Any thoughts on this?
10-10-2005, 04:37 AM
Tsen

Welcome to the forum!

Yeah, it happens to me too. I've got dreams from eleven years ago that still pop up at random times during the day. I don't know of any way to fix it, but I've begun to enjoy it...
Partially, it involved an increase of the amount of lucidity I have in my dreams. Now that I'm lucid more often (Once a week or so) my dreams don't seem to pop up as much anymore, especially not new dreams that I've had lately. My recall is still good, they just don't flash up at random times anymore. The other issue that probably helped to change the occurance was my overall outlook on life. Back when I was depressed they'd really haunt me at times, and it could throw off my whole day, but now that I've got a more positive outlook, they just don't bother me as much. If anything, I just treat it as a curiousity--something to be wondered at, but not concerned with.
If that isn't quite what you had in mind, somebody else might have another method...
10-10-2005, 05:26 AM
Ev

This is normal. A lot of people report similar occurences once they become interested or start remembering their dreams.
Same thing happened to me, I got like 20 recalls a day and kinda enjoyed it. After some time the flood of images receded :D maybe I've recalled all dreams I ever had :shock:
10-10-2005, 05:27 AM
AirRick101

As long as you don't lose sleep, it shouldn't be that bad.

I have very good recall, but don't have this problem, just occasionally, I remember a dream through stimulating association unknowingly.

Just suggest to your mind to recall less. It shouldn't be too hard, or don't fight it. You may be annoyed just because you are resisting them. After letting them happen, perhaps you wouldn't be so annoyed.
10-10-2005, 06:16 AM
Leo Volont

The problem seems to be a matter of taste. You do not like what you think about. One is reminded of stories about the Saints, who when they were troubled by thoughts of lust, ran out and rolled in the thorn bushes in order to give themselves more pressing concerns.

So if you do not wish to engage in idle thoughts, then give yourself something else to think about. For instance, when I am driving, I play "Learn To Speak Mandarin" CD's on the car's player. It is difficult for distant dreams to bother me when I am at the same time trying to conjugate Chinese Verbs. Likewise, I carry a pocket full of Chinese Flashcards in my pocket for those vacant moments of work, as when I am waiting for a FAX to go through or whatever.

Now some people might think it important to always be remembering one's dreams. yet memory is of varied importance. The Event has occurred whether we choose to remember it or not. The Event having had happened is the important thing. Remembering is only important as regards to reflection and evaluation. If we behaved badly, or ill-advisedly, then Memory is important as a means to accommodating some future corrective behavior. But in any action which we performed correctly, what possible utility is there in remembering any of it. Perfect behavior is complete behavior, and once it is completed, cannot the book be closed?

So, if your dreams were good dreams, involving no dilemmas and no remorse, admitting to no improvement, with the sun setting in each dream upon unmitigated conditions of blissful happiness, then to remember such dreams is indeed idle. But then what is the harm. Find something else to occupy your idle moments.

But then these dreams may be haunting you because they are unresolved -- unresolved moral or character issues. In that case you would have to figure out what buttons need to be pushed, and go back into your dreams and push them.
10-10-2005, 10:27 AM
adamL28

wow, I sure wish I had that problem :D I'm lucky if I remember 1 dream a week.
10-10-2005, 10:38 AM
Leo Volont

Quote:

Originally posted by adamL28
wow, I sure wish I had that problem *:D *I'm lucky if I remember 1 dream a week.

Well, that is easy enough to fix.

Drink more water. Drink 24 ounces of water before going to sleep. And then, after everytime you wake up... to wash your hands.... drink another 18 ounces. This will keep you waking up at the end of each sleep cycle, just as nature had intended.

Now, if you wake up... to wash your hands... and find you do not remember a dream, well it is because your Mind is simply not cooperating, and so smack your left leg very hard, not enough to bruise it or give it permanent injury, but hard enough to convey a bit of discipline through your leg to your recalcitrant mind. wishing to avoid such punishment and flattered that you should care so much, your Dream Mind will begin permitting your memory a bit more admittance into the details of your night by night dreaming.

And all of that water is very good for your health besides.
10-10-2005, 10:41 AM
adamL28

wow thanks leo, I've never heard that advice before, I will try it tonight!
10-10-2005, 11:06 AM
Leo Volont

Quote:

Originally posted by adamL28
wow thanks leo, I've never heard that advice before, I will try it tonight!

Oh! you are flying the French Flag. I'm now studying Mandarin Chinese, but my only regret there is that it interrupts what I had been doing before, which was learning to read French. I still have about a half dozen French reference works laying around... now buried under a layer of Chinese reference works.

I do miss my studying French. Not many English speakers realize it, but much of the educated side of the English Language comes from the French, that is, from the Norman Influence. The Anglo Saxon part of English might as well be monkeys gabbering in the trees, where all the finer words are French in their origins.

I should allocate just a little time each week for at least a little bit of a French Review.
10-10-2005, 10:56 PM
imported_waking_life

maybe you have done to much acid and are having flash backs. LOL.

jk
10-13-2005, 07:37 PM
oilfieldpilot

Leo Volont said:

""The Anglo Saxon part of English might as well be monkeys gabbering in the trees, where all the finer words are French in their origins. ""

...and the French in the Trench.... ribbit ribbit...:P

So, what are you saying, that this forum is a tree full of monkeys and trench full of frogs???
or is that...tree frogs, and porch monkeys...???

(sorry, couldn't resist :roll: )

sweet dreams wherever & whatever,

ofp

ADOPTED BY: SANTA DREAMS TOO
SURVIVED: KATRINA
SURVIVED: RITA
10-13-2005, 07:52 PM
Merlock

Well, the case with such memories for me is that sometimes when waking up in the morning I remember a dream SO WELL (like I just woke up right from it...and probably did) that it's the same as if it had just happened to me in real life and with the addition of the fact that the dream was extremely amazing, exciting, etc. - the memory sticks with me just like any other memory of something really exciting, great, awesome...
10-13-2005, 08:28 PM
Ernesto

I´ve had that happen since forever, Its normal to recall dreams even if they happend 20 years ago(wait I´m not even that old :-P ), its not something that would actually affect your life, unless something funny happens like sometimes in conversations I´ve confused things I´ve done in dreams with real life, like if you dreamt you were at this awsome party and comment about it to a friend thinking at the moment it was real, and he will be like, what??????? :-P .