Alternatives to dream journaling

[Elaol]

I am aware of the importance of dream journaling. It has worked great before and I enjoyed writing down my dreams (even though I stopped practicing lucid dreaming). I would like to get back to LDing, but I have no willpower to write down my dream. I also don't have time to do it. So, even though I am aware of the benefits, I would like to hear stories from people who are successful at LDing while doing some alternative form of dream journaling or not doing it at all. Thank you all!

[Darkmatters]

I think at the very least you need to lie in bed in the morning and remember as many dreams as you can, and recite them to yourself in words to impress them into the conscious memory, so they don't just disappear immediately. You do need to keep your recall working. But generally when people start to fall off their practice, that's when they lose the ability to get lucid.

[FryingMan]

I think at the very least you need to lie in bed in the morning and remember as many dreams as you can, and recite them to yourself in words to impress them into the conscious memory, so they don't just disappear immediately. You do need to keep your recall working. But generally when people start to fall off their practice, that's when they lose the ability to get lucid. Exactly this. I try to do this at least every morning (every waking even), whether I record or not. It is the act of reaching for the memories that really gives the benefits. Writing them down is yet another iteration through reaching for the memories, that's why it's beneficial (as well as focusing your attention on dreaming).

[Astaroth]

I think at the very least you need to lie in bed in the morning and remember as many dreams as you can, and recite them to yourself in words to impress them into the conscious memory, so they don't just disappear immediately. You do need to keep your recall working. But generally when people start to fall off their practice, that's when they lose the ability to get lucid. Yes. For me it was key in gaining the ability to have lucid dreams. The moment I stopped writting them down I lost everything I could do back then, along with the amazing recall and vivid dreams I had even when they were not lucid. You got to find a way to motivate youself to do it; not showing your mind that you're interested in the subject will not yield the results you want, at least that's what happened to me. Another alternative that worked for me (but I already had a background of practice with dream journaling) was writing key words in a paper that would allow me to remember the rest of the dream when I wanted to write a full report.

[Dreamzilla]

It's nice to have a log to go back and review later. Can see if that feeling of dejavu in your dream was actually a rare but recurring dream, look for dreamsigns, etc. If you don't want to write the dreams down, could try keeping an audio log.

[Clidu]

What I tend to do is wake up...go bathroom and put on my voice recorder on my phone and say what I remember.Then later that day when I have time or even a few days later listen to them again and write them down.....I hate the idea of writing especially after I wake up but atleast this way you can write whenever u want to =)

[Goldenspark]

I use the Lucidity Android app on a tablet, with SlideIT keyboard, which also has a voice recognition button, so you can speak your dreams. It works quite well. The only problem I have found is that the statistics part, that shows length of dreams and stuff over time, has a bug and the developer doesn't seem to be doing updates now.

[lucidbunnie]

I have experienced decreased quality of dream recall and lower lucid dreams when completely doing away with any aspect of dream journaling. This is what I do, maybe you can try it out. I do it in phases. When waking I try to minimize movement and try to keep my eyes closed, not possible always. I recall the dreams in my mind the best I can. I get up and do a reality check to ensure if I am actually awake or in a false awakening. I note down my dream key points in Awoken app or do a voice recording on my phone. You can use any app. When I get the time I write down either detailed dream recollections in my journal or a summary if I'm pressed for time. This way I'm still practicing dream recalling even before I actually journal it. Dream journalist doesn't have to take up lot of time if you don't want it to. You can stop at just brief notes or voice recording and call it your dream journal. It takes up less than 10 minutes at most.

[Labolen]

Never fails, when I dont’ keep up with the practice of dream journaling my recall diminishes. I’ve tried audio recordings, but that ends up being even more work to go back and listen. Having a written log is hard to replace or do away with and get similar results. I also love to be able to go back to old journals to read back on dreams I’ve had. Often times, there will be a life synchronicity that I can relate back to a dream memory and it’s great to have a log of those past dreams. I get the desire to chuck the journal in the morning when there’s so much to get going and do... but, it’s one of those practices I’ve never found a great alternative to. So, I agree with lucidbunnie — at least capture a few key points.