Improving Dream Recall for LD's

[Sony86]

I feel like I had the first lucid dream in a long time last night, and I bloody forgot it! I think it's probably because I smoke far too much quality weed to be able to remember anything anymore.. But I'll keep fighting, I will. I was just wondering if anyone could possibly give me a few pointers on remembering dreams.. I try to think about them when I wake up but I've been pretty stressed out lately so it's been hard to wake up and not think about all the stupid things I've got to do in the day. I'm finding it exceedingly difficult to really just think about my dreams immediately after I get up - regardless of the "REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS" sticker letters i put on my ceiling. Maybe I should get an alarm that reminds me of remembering dreams.. I figured that if I figured out how to WILD I would never have to worry about remembering them afterward because it would be immediately after going to sleep. Unfortunately, I've not been able to really enter a dream with my mind still awake as I am an extremely spastic thinker and clearing my head and meditating whilst I await sleep is nearly impossible. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone's got any neat tips or tricks they've found useful for remembering dreams or even WILDing. Like, meditation tricks, supplements to take before bed to sooth the mind - etc. I've not posted on this forum in a while but I do remember it's my favorite and I've missed the community quite a bit (Except for siesmosaur - I wish I could purge every bit of knowledge regarding him). How's everyone been? Help would be greatly appreciated! Cheers!

[Maria92]

Mantras, also known as autosuggestion, tend to be quite effective for a lot of people. "I WILL remember my dreams" is a great one, which I had instant results with. A dream journal will also improve your recall greatly. Also, when you first wake up, hold perfectly still until you remember most or all of your dreams. Then write them down immediately. Also be sure to get as close to a full 8 hours of unbroken sleep as you can (though it is alright if you get up in the middle of the night because of a dream or if you try to WILD. Getting up constantly, however, is advised against). Yeah, these have been the big ones for me. Also remember that dry spells happen; they will pass. If you like, you can also take B6 vitamins to improve your dream vividness, which may also assist in recall.

[Serenity]

What Mario92 said. In addition to just lying there, if it's not coming back to you straight away, start going through some of your dream signs (helpful if you keep that pesky dream journal). If I'm having problems with dream recall, I often ask myself, "Did this person show up? Was I in this place? Was this happening?" Sometimes, I'll hit the nail on the head and as soon as I start writing and remembering details, other things will come back to me. And sometimes, no matter how many dream signs I go through, the dream is lost. Kind of hit or miss, but with time, you'll start getting more hits than misses. Just keep up with it! Also, drinking a cup of apple juice before you go to sleep helps. I did that one night and recalled 3-4 dreams. My norm is 1-2. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't.

[Sony86]

What Mario92 said. In addition to just lying there, if it's not coming back to you straight away, start going through some of your dream signs (helpful if you keep that pesky dream journal). If I'm having problems with dream recall, I often ask myself, "Did this person show up? Was I in this place? Was this happening?" Sometimes, I'll hit the nail on the head and as soon as I start writing and remembering details, other things will come back to me. And sometimes, no matter how many dream signs I go through, the dream is lost. Kind of hit or miss, but with time, you'll start getting more hits than misses. Just keep up with it! Also, drinking a cup of apple juice before you go to sleep helps. I did that one night and recalled 3-4 dreams. My norm is 1-2. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't. Interesting. Yeah Mario's post was quite interesting I'll have to get my hands on some vitamin b and some apple juice. Also those tips are great I'll give them a go tonight. Thanks for the info!

[Armistice]

I feel like I had the first lucid dream in a long time last night, and I bloody forgot it! I think it's probably because I smoke far too much quality weed to be able to remember anything anymore.. But I'll keep fighting, I will. I was just wondering if anyone could possibly give me a few pointers on remembering dreams.. I try to think about them when I wake up but I've been pretty stressed out lately so it's been hard to wake up and not think about all the stupid things I've got to do in the day. I'm finding it exceedingly difficult to really just think about my dreams immediately after I get up - regardless of the "REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS" sticker letters i put on my ceiling. Unfortunately, I've not been able to really enter a dream with my mind still awake as I am an extremely spastic thinker and clearing my head and meditating whilst I await sleep is nearly impossible. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone's got any neat tips or tricks they've found useful for remembering dreams or even WILDing. Like, meditation tricks, supplements to take before bed to sooth the mind - etc. I find a Dream Journal is the best. Right when you wake up from a dream, start writing it down and write down as much as you can I hear you on the "awake mind" part. I have a very active mind at times Before bed, I usually repeat "I will remember my dreams." Sometimes switch it up with "I will be come lucid" "I will know when I'm dreaming" and others of the sort As for food, these are what I've found to work wonders: -Beans (Bush's baked beans to be exact. But this was one instance and haven't tried it since 3wks ago) -Cranberry-Raspberry juice is what does it for me. I can remember 3-4 dreams. Drink a glass of it within an hr of bedtime -I've heard Apple Juice is good as well (I personally have better luck with the Cran-Rasp juice, but Aj still does well) -I've tried Orange Juice as well and it works the few times I've had it -I've heard that B9 (I think) is a good vitamin supplement. Haven't personally tried it though as the cran-rasp is doing great for me -Nuts is also another one I've heard. Get 2 slices of bread. Put Peanut butter on them. Eat individually. Try that. I've had it before, but never before bed, just thought to do it now, lol

[Odd_Nonposter]

It's all about having the proper mindset. Like Mario said, autosuggestion helps with this, as can subliminal implant methods like audio devices and message popup devices. (for lack of a better term.) A lot of the time, if a thought pops into my head that had even the most remote connection to something in my dream, it'll set off a chain reaction and I'll start remembering everything. For example, I abstractly thought of the word "bowl" (as in the container) while in the shower and remembered this thing. Running through your dream signs is a more reliable approach, but if you haven't been studying your dream journal (and subconsciously remembering things that stick out in your dreams,) then trying to think of as many things as possible in a short space of time might help, but it's really a last-ditch effort to try to latch a hold of something related.

[Maria92]

It's all about having the proper mindset. Like Mario said, autosuggestion helps with this, as can subliminal implant methods like audio devices and message popup devices. (for lack of a better term.) If you want one of these (they really are quite nice), banhurt's DJ program has one you can use, or the program "stickies" from Zhorn Software (what I use). It's very nice, imho.

[Armistice]

How long do you need to have a DJ to find dreamsigns. I've had an average of 3 dreams a night almost every night since joining on the 31st and I can't really find anything that's a DS. I should prob read my DJ more as I've only skimmed over it a few times

[Sony86]

I find a Dream Journal is the best. Right when you wake up from a dream, start writing it down and write down as much as you can I hear you on the "awake mind" part. I have a very active mind at times Before bed, I usually repeat "I will remember my dreams." Sometimes switch it up with "I will be come lucid" "I will know when I'm dreaming" and others of the sort As for food, these are what I've found to work wonders: -Beans (Bush's baked beans to be exact. But this was one instance and haven't tried it since 3wks ago) -Cranberry-Raspberry juice is what does it for me. I can remember 3-4 dreams. Drink a glass of it within an hr of bedtime -I've heard Apple Juice is good as well (I personally have better luck with the Cran-Rasp juice, but Aj still does well) -I've tried Orange Juice as well and it works the few times I've had it -I've heard that B9 (I think) is a good vitamin supplement. Haven't personally tried it though as the cran-rasp is doing great for me -Nuts is also another one I've heard. Get 2 slices of bread. Put Peanut butter on them. Eat individually. Try that. I've had it before, but never before bed, just thought to do it now, lol Sounds good man, I'll give it a go tonight! I'll need to aquire some cran/ras juice (delish)tomorrow. I'm downloading that stickies program now, hopefuly it's good, and thanks for the advise, martio!