Thread: Vivid dream recall, please help

Two things. First, wake up all the way after every dream. This will move the memory of the dream from a mix of long term and short term memory to all long term memory. You might lose some sleep. The other thing you can do, and especially while you're trying to wake up, is jot down what happened in the dream as quickly as you can. The next day you can read the notes (if they're legible) to remind yourself what happened.

drewmandan has some good suggestions.

When you wake up from a dream try to hold still and not open your eyes. Lay there remembering the dream. Then, with your eyes still closed, get out a note pad and a pen. If you have to open your eyes, it is okay. Quickly write a few notes about the dream, especially any details you know you will forget later. Do this during the night and when you get up for the day.

If I have to leap out of bed without having any time to jot down quick notes I usually forget most (or all) of my dreams pretty quickly. But I can get the memories back of some of them if I just:
1. Get back into bed as soon as possible.
2. Get into the position I woke up in and close my eyes.
3. And just lay there. Let my mind wander some, and the dreams come flooding back.

Hope this helps your recall!

Thanks for the tips you guys, i've been trying the suggestions and they are working fairly well, my dreams are a little more put together when i try to remember them now.
As for waking up in the night after a dream, that doesnt happen with me so i have to remember it all in the morning
Do you know any ways to help me wake up after a dream in the night?

Eat some peanut butter before you go to bed. Has Niacin that improves duration of sleep and vivid dreams.

yeah don't write it down right away. backtrack and get every single detail possible, then u can write it down

Originally Posted by Chewnie91

I cant usually remember between 3-5 dreams a night. However, these dreams that i remember are very broken up. I can tell the difference between 2 different dreams, but i only remember bits and pieces of each. Is there anyway to increase the clearness of my dreams upon awakening?

Do you keep a dream journal?

Yes i keep a dream journal, the only problem is when i write them down in it, they are very scattered if you would say and vague.

And Caleb. thanks for the tip, i will definetly try that out.

Originally Posted by Chewnie91

Yes i keep a dream journal, the only problem is when i write them down in it, they are very scattered if you would say and vague.

And Caleb. thanks for the tip, i will definetly try that out.

Have you tried auto-suggestion?

Autosuggestion is a great tool for waking up in the night enough to write down your dreams. I used the mantra "I will wake after every dream." I said it everytime I went to the bathroom, when I brushed my teeth, when I was getting ready for bed, before falling asleep, and any other times I thought of it. Within a week I was waking after every dream, even my non-REM dreams! I was shocked it worked so well!

Okay i will surely try auto-suggestion. I have heard about it before but i never really tried it out. So you said it took a week for it to start working for you? so does that mean at first it wont work for me?

Depending on your level of suggestibility and how often you do the autosuggestion (and how focused you stay on the goal while doing it) you should deffinatly see some results within a week. You probaly won't have perfect recall, but you should see improvement. Some people see improvement after the first night.

The more you practice the autosuggestion and the more focus you put into it the better it will work.

Ya i've been using it over the past few nights and i am seeing improvements for sure. I dont wake up after every dream, but i do wake up after few here and there. So i will contunue practicing this, thank you very much