Thread: Is it better...?

Yea they haven't helped me at all. I do know my dream signs because of writing down my dreams, but that hasn't helped much. But I know lucid dreaming is real because I have had one. But that was a while ago, and you'll only believe once you experience it.

I am positive that the combination of keeping a dream journal and doing reality checks + focusing on remembering dreams when I wake up has helped me a great deal so far.
Before keeping the journal I remembered about 1 dream a month.
I managed to increase this to ~1 dream a day.
I'll admit, it's hard to tell how much the dream journal influenced this, but I believe it played a great role so far.

Another interesting aspect of the journal is that I actually remember my dreams for more then just one day, especially the interesting/vivid ones.
If I don't write them down they degrade very quickly and I often don't remember anything about it the next day.
Reading up on a dream I had a week ago in my journal, I can relive parts of it in my mind. Some images and feelings are still surprisingly clear.


May I ask how you keep your journal?
I found that I have much better success if I note down my dreams the moment I wake up.
I do so by writing keywords into a notepad that is lying next to my bad, whilst I try to relive the dream in my mind.
Later, when I turn on my pc, I write down the proper dream journal entry, using my notes.
Other people have a lot of success with a tape recorder, which actually seems like a better idea in my opinion since you have to move less, and it is much more precise then keywords.

And yes, of course lucid dreaming is real!
Good luck!

I like to keep a physical journal. I find it is easier to scribble notes in it when I wake in the middle of the night. Working on a computer screen wakes me up too much. I also do little sketches and doodles in my journal. I like copying my dreams to an online journal, because it gives me time to review them.

I think that it is because the time that you would take to turn on your computer and for everything to load up could cause you to forget pieces of your dreams. Keeping a notebook next to your bed is so much faster.

I'm the same way Hyu. If I read my dream entries in my journal from like 2 months ago, I can still visualize what was happening in that dream.

Originally Posted by Hyu

I am positive that the combination of keeping a dream journal and doing reality checks + focusing on remembering dreams when I wake up has helped me a great deal so far.
Before keeping the journal I remembered about 1 dream a month.
I managed to increase this to ~1 dream a day.
I'll admit, it's hard to tell how much the dream journal influenced this, but I believe it played a great role so far.

Another interesting aspect of the journal is that I actually remember my dreams for more then just one day, especially the interesting/vivid ones.
If I don't write them down they degrade very quickly and I often don't remember anything about it the next day.
Reading up on a dream I had a week ago in my journal, I can relive parts of it in my mind. Some images and feelings are still surprisingly clear.


May I ask how you keep your journal?
I found that I have much better success if I note down my dreams the moment I wake up.
I do so by writing keywords into a notepad that is lying next to my bad, whilst I try to relive the dream in my mind.
Later, when I turn on my pc, I write down the proper dream journal entry, using my notes.
Other people have a lot of success with a tape recorder, which actually seems like a better idea in my opinion since you have to move less, and it is much more precise then keywords.

Well I don't have a physical dream journal. I rarely ever write in my online DJ anymore. But when I do I don't do it the second I wake up. I do it when after I brush my teeth and stuff. I have a vivid dream every so and then but regularly I forget the dream all together.

Originally Posted by Hyu

And yes, of course lucid dreaming is real!
Good luck!

Well that might me true for you but not for me. I've tried every possible method and I've yet to have a Lucid dream. The best I got was when I had a False Awakening(which I didn't become lucid) ever since then I haven't been close to LD. Thanks anyway though.

I can only recommend writing down your dreams immediately.
Only writing down keywords is perfectly fine, they will help you recall your dream much more clearly when you update your dream journal.

If I had to take a guess, I'd say that practicing reality checks was the key element that helped me have my first lucid dreams though.
I see my dream journal mostly as a tool (a very important one) to improve my dream recall.
I also used my dream journal to write down any feelings / sensations I had when I started to experiment with WILD.
Being able to recall those feelings has helped me a lot.

I understand that it must be discouraging that you had no success so far,
but don't give up. It's totally worth the wait.

I also do like Hyu and keep my DJ right next to my bed. If I don't write down the dream immediately after waking up, I forget it within minutes. I started the DJ about a month ago and I can still remember all of them vividly when I read them. This definitely helped my recall because before I started I rarely remembered any dreams and now I remember at least 2 or 3 per night.

I too keep a physical DJ. Even if my computer wasn't KO'ed, I'd still use a physical one, the reason being I can start writing immediately rather than trundling over to the comp, starting it up and all that jazz.

Dreams fade mighty fast for me, at least the finer details do. I'm also in the boat of "Couldn't remember dreams for beans" to usually remembering multiple dreams a night... And I've only been at this a little over a week.

But yeah, plonk down the .98 cents to get a notebook and write them down immediately if possible. A lot of times I don't remember other dreams until I start writing down the one(s) I DO remember.

I think my biggest draw to having a dream journal is being able to go back and read all the weird dreams I've had. (Seriously, my mind is creatively messed up.) Eventually I'll copy my physical one to an electronic one because my handwriting is atrocious. (Doubly so since I'm writing just afrer awaking up.)

Originally Posted by ZedCa

A lot of times I don't remember other dreams until I start writing down the one(s) I DO remember.

Now that you mention it, I realize this happens to me as well.
When I write down the dream I just had, going through it in my mind, sometimes a fragment from another dream pops up.
I usually don't manage to remember the whole dream though, and the fragments are less vivid, but they clearly are other dreams.

I'll start using a physical journal starting today. It will seem weird at first since I've never kept a journal(I've always found it too girlish). But seeing has I've had no success without it I might as well test it out. Should I write it down the second I wake up? Because most of the time I wake up and I roll around for a few minutes before I actually get out of bed(I don't recall the second I woke up. All I remember is rolling around in bed and then getting out of bed). Do I do it then? Thanks for the replies everyone.

The first thing you should do when you wake is lay there, eyes closed, and try and remember everything you dreamnt last night, so if you roll around a bit when first waking up that's what you should be thinking about. When you scrape yourself outta bed, the first thing you should do (Maybe after a quick RC, never hurts to check if you FA'ed.) is grab that writing implement and write down everything you remember (Details do matter.), it doesn't have to be all novel-like, just as long as YOU understand it.

As for which order to write your dreams in if you remember multiple, I start with the one I remember most clearly, ordering them isn't important afterall, you can figure that out after you write everything down, what's important is that you get it recorded.

Speakin of which, a small recording device can be used as well in lieu of a physical journal, you can then transcribe it to your digital DJ afterwards.

What I do and was said already, it keeping a physical DJ by my bedside, I write down some keywords when I wake up, then later I write the entire dream on my computer.

Btw, how can you try something when you belive it's fake ?

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Just number, you know.

The essence is beliving it's possible. Not only beliving, but knowing that you can do it. And you can.
You probably just didn't gave yourself enough time.

I keep a DJ on my laptop and it's highly effective! When I read my very first entry, I remember every little detail

Originally Posted by Brunor2

What I do and was said already, it keeping a physical DJ by my bedside, I write down some keywords when I wake up, then later I write the entire dream on my computer.

Btw, how can you try something when you belive it's fake ?

Threads
98,508
Posts
1,512,220
Members
32,437

Just number, you know.

The essence is beliving it's possible. Not only beliving, but knowing that you can do it. And you can.
You probably just didn't gave yourself enough time.

Because it seems cool and everyone is loving it. It's like when you learn to ride a bike and everyone around you already knows how to ride. But you haven't learned yet and with a enough failure feel has if you'll never do it. Now apply that to Lucid Dreaming and you have my problem. The only difference is that with riding a bike you can see people riding their bikes. But with Lucid Dreaming all you get is "I had one tonight" but without visual its nothing really. That's how I feel right now.

Confidence and determination, that's what'll get you your LD. If you want it bad enough you WILL have one. I truly think once your dream recall improves with your new journaling techniques it'll be LOADS easier to be enthused and confident in LD'ing.

Chances are, you've had at least 1 LD since you've started taking an interest in it, but you likely forgot it (I can say from experience that its memory fades frikkin' fast...) because your dream recall isn't all that grand.

So don't lose heart, not every technique will work for everyone, but everyone has a technique that works best for them.

I just keep my phone by my bed,
and use a notes app to record my dreams

Originally Posted by ZedCa

The first thing you should do when you wake is lay there, eyes closed, and try and remember everything you dreamnt last night

You hit the nail on the head here. I find it's better to lay there and try to recall the entire dream first before you start writing because I often remember dreams in reverse. I remember the most recent part of the dream and think "well what was I doing before that...oh yeah!" And then it just snowballs from there until I can't recall anything else.

Have you tried DEILD? Idk maybe you shoulf invent your own way to become lucid.

First off, as most people have stated above, a physical DJ is just more convenient, they both serve the same purpose. As for the LD being fake comment... That was just stupid.

Originally Posted by rynkrt3

First off, as most people have stated above, a physical DJ is just more convenient, they both serve the same purpose. As for the LD being fake comment... That was just stupid.

How is it stupid? I haven't had a LD yet and all I can go on is on how people have said they had one. Not saying I don't believe them but LD is one of those things in which you have to experience to actually believe. You can agree to that can?

also if you can't remember any dreams from the previous night, throw some words around your head, it should spark a memory. i gained two lucids from doing that. and i am sure that i have lost a lot of others due to poor recall. Just keep trying and you will get your first lucid!

Originally Posted by dakotahnok

Have you tried DEILD? Idk maybe you shoulf invent your own way to become lucid.

Can't make a method if I haven't had LD yet not can I? DEILD? I can't do that since I the money to buy those expensive "Sleep blinker" things.

DEILD - Dream Exit Induced Lucid Dream is not a technique that relies on dreaming aid devices such as the Nova Dreamer.
It's a rather simple technique that seems to have a high success rate, you could give it a try, maybe you'll have an easier time with it.

If you manage to get your first lucid with DEILD you'll know that lucid dream's exist and you should also have an easier time with DILD's.