Thread: dream recall

Standard answer: because if you can't remember your dreams, you may be forgetting lucid dreams, too.

My thoughts: I think it's more subtle than that, though. More important than simply remembering dreams is fostering a deep connection to your dreams. Building great recall is a measure of how "close" you are to your dreams. Exactly how this is different than "remembering" them is not an easy thing to put into words. It's a combination of paying attention to your dreams, feeling "present" like your whole being is participating in the dreams, and remembering them. When "you" are "there" in your dreams, you can become lucid. If "you" are not "there" to begin with (your dreams are more like watching things happen like a movie without a strong sense of self or presence), then there's nobody to get lucid in the dream!

Building a great connection to your dreams is a combination of memory and paying attention. Practice paying attention in waking life, and keep dreaming on your mind throughout the day. Eventually you'll start paying more attention to your dreams as well, and this plus the practice of consistently reaching for dream memories every single time you wake up will build great recall over time (and that "connection" I mentioned).

Thanks!