Re-discovering dreaming and lucidity

Hello all, long time no post. I hope everyone is well.

I wanted to pose a quick question to you all about how to re-discover the passion of dreaming. How do I get it back?

Months ago, I posted explaining I was losing interest in dreaming. My dream recall was next to non-existant and I hadn't achieved lucidity for weeks. Someone advised me to totally call it out - to forget about it for a few weeks, clear my head, and then go back to the basics to get my dream recall going again.

I followed these steps, but I can't get back the passion I once had. It appears to be ever since I started my full-time job. My sleep-time has ceased being a type of leisure, it is now an important requirement so I can work the next day, hence I no-longer remember what I dream anymore, and lucidity is out of the equation.

I really miss dreaming and the excitement I got from typing my dreams in my Dream Journal. What else can I try to re-gain my enthusiasm for dreaming?

Thanks, and kind regards.

TB

Hey, TB - welcome back! :)

Maybe reading some sleep or dreaming books could help get you back into that frame of mind. Or spend more time on DV, if you can, and read about other people's experiences.

Hope it works out for you! See you around.

I would re-read LaBerge's book, and pay special attention to the dream accounts and the feelings those people got with them.

Hey, welcome back!

I know how you feel. I had this problem too. First of all try reading peoples experiences here on the forums (possibly first long LDs) because you can see how happy those people were. Read through your old dream journal. Remember how awesome it was. I don't know what else to say. Try napping if you got the time, I get all of my LDs that way recently. Good luck! Hope you find the spark again!

Thankyou for the responses so far.

I did indeed start reading through my DJ again. Some good memories there.

TB

I struggle with dream recall and have had almost no LDs during work weeks... I work a full time job and run a small business besides, so my days are long and my nights critical to how well I function during the day.

If dream recall came easily before, you may not be used to having a smaller window of opportunity to capture those dreams. It seems like that may be the place to start though. (I feel fortunate if I can recall one or two dreams per weeknight.)

Then try clearing the way on weekends for some LDing. Have you ever used WBTB? Try getting to sleep early, waking very early and then returning to sleep after a time. Weekends are the only times this works for me because I'm not worried about over-sleeping or thinking too much about what the day holds for me.

Another thing might be to try learning other techniques than what you were used to having success with. WILD is great because YOU decide when to do it.

I suspect one return to LD will bring back your enthusiasm in all its glory. In the meantime, consider it a challenge! And remember how very much expectation influences this stuff. If you expect it to be hard, it will be.

Good luck!

I have found that the biggest killer of my enthusiasm for dreaming has been not keeping a dream journal. Once school started and I had to wake up early for classes, I no longer had time to write in my DJ before running off for classes. Or rather, didn't want to make time; 7:30 was already early enough, and I didn't want to cut another 20 minutes off my sleep time so i could record my dreams. This quarter, though, I have later classes, and I've been able to write in my DJ much more often. I've found that this makes an almost instantaneous difference in my dream recall, and I become much more interested in dreaming.

Another thing that really gets my enthusiasm going is thinking about all the possibilities in dreams. All the landscapes to explore, the possibilities for self-exploration, and all the fun things there are to do. Fly through the clouds or high above the city, meet aliens, have a meaningful talk with my subconscious... So much is possible. Thats what keeps me going during a dry spell.