Forgetting a lucid

[MrZhume]

Is it possible to actually not recall a lucid dream when you wake up because seeing as you were conscious during the dream I would of thought it would of been like any other memory. I can recall about 2 maybe 3 dreams a night but I heard that you normally have about six a night. I would hate to be experiencing lucid dreams during the night and then just completely forget them.

[Puffin]

Yep, it's totally possible to forget lucids if your recall is low enough. They may be more "memorable", but "memorable" is no match compared to low recall; your recall can either zap your recollection of LDs or improve it. I would never have remembered a couple of my LDs if it wasn't for a trigger or seeing a certain topic during the day. In two of these instances I remembered an LD when watching a movie or something... Late at night, almost when I was about to go to bed. If I hadn't watched those movies, I'd never have recalled that lucid and it would've gone completely away. I'm sure there's a few that I've totally missed; a few nights ago for instance - I woke up feeling like I had a lucid, but my recall is poor at the moment... So, no recollection or anything, even now.

[Bossalinni]

Remembering 2-3 a night is very good recall! You should remember LDs more clearly then your non-lucids, because lucids are controled by your conscience mind, but it is still ALOT of info for most people to remember everything. So from my understanding you can forget lucids like Puffin said Hmm...I wonder why I dont remember forgetting mine?...

[Zoth]

Between us, I think it's actually good that this happens. Of course no one wants to forget about lucid dreams they had, but sometimes I practice so hard and when I don't get a lucid past some days, I think to myself: " Maybe I indeed had a lucid in the last nights, I just don't remember it, must be that". And I work harder on my recall. I know it might sound silly, but the more positive you are about your skills, the more chances of having a lucid dream you got.

[BobbyLance]

Hi there my friend. LDs can be sometimes be forgotten by a person. One reason that can lead to a person forgetting his LD is he /she might have lost his/her lucidity in a dream. People who also have a low dream recall tend to forget their LDs. So if you want to not-forget your LD, I suggest you to be focused in every LD you have and be aware of the things you've done in it. Increasing a Dream's quality might also help it make more "memorable" to the lucid dreamer, so be sure to read this Dream Stabilization and Clarity Tutorial. Hope this helps

[Graves]

Yes, as I had a lucid yesterday which I have no memory of. Sucks.

[Quantiq]

You should be fine. Your recall seems very good, I can only remember about 1 - 2 per night because of laziness and not wanting to write in my DJ at 4am and I can still remember my lucids. As long as you keep practising recall you should be alright. Yes, as I had a lucid yesterday which I have no memory of. Sucks. How do you know if you can't remember?

[ninja9578]

Yeah, I've forgotten lucid dreams before. They tend to be easier to remember than regular dreams, but I've had a few cases where I only remembered them a few days later.

[Oneironaut Zero]

Happens to me, quite often - and might have last night. I'm still trying to piece together what little bits I can remember. There are parts of the situation that make me feel like I was lucid, but not enough for me to actual call it a lucid dream. Usually, I can remember either the moment where I realized I'm dreaming, and maybe some key moment like looking at my hands to stabilize the dream, but all other events or details will be gone. Pretty damned annoying, really.

[Graves]

How do you know if you can't remember? Because I remember getting lucid but I have no memory of how, or what happened before and after.

[Sageous]

Graves: I know nobody here likes to hear this (just read the comments on my "Treatise on Proof" thread), but you are probably correct -- you really should be able to remember a LD as easily as any other conscious memory, because it is an event of waking consciousness and not of dreaming, so it tends to get stored that way. Also, since LD's tend to be important events, they should be even easier to remember. I think a lot of "forgotten" LD's tend to be dreams about being lucid, and not actual LD's. Of course, that is what I think, and there are those who beg to differ.

[Oneironaut Zero]

I think a lot of "forgotten" LD's tend to be dreams about being lucid, and not actual LD's. Of course, that is what I think, and there are those who beg to differ. I would be one of those people (in some, not all cases) - if for no other reasons than because A) Waking life memories can be forgotten, B) Nowhere it is said that the 'lucid' (dreaming) mind is physiologically analogous to the conscious mind in the waking world, so the two can't be assumed to operate with the same level of clarity/retention, and C) the simple act of being lucid tends to lose a bit of its 'importance', after years of experience. It becomes less about "OMFG I'M LUCID! WOOHOO!" and more along the lines of "Hmm...oh, this is a dream. Cool. What should I do now." Also, it's often not a matter of 'not wanting to hear otherwise.' It's a matter of people having a genuinely different opinion, which - as much as some other people might not like to hear it - is probably correct.

[Graves]

Graves: I know nobody here likes to hear this (just read the comments on my "Treatise on Proof" thread), but you are probably correct -- you really should be able to remember a LD as easily as any other conscious memory, because it is an event of waking consciousness and not of dreaming, so it tends to get stored that way. Also, since LD's tend to be important events, they should be even easier to remember. I think a lot of "forgotten" LD's tend to be dreams about being lucid, and not actual LD's. Of course, that is what I think, and there are those who beg to differ. Nah because I woke up and did a reality check and I was awake, then was going to write it down but forgot and fell back to sleep. That's what stayed with me

[Sageous]

I would be one of those people (in some, not all cases) - if for no other reasons than because A) Waking life memories can be forgotten, B) Nowhere it is said that the 'lucid' (dreaming) mind is physiologically analogous to the conscious mind in the waking world, so the two can't be assumed to operate with the same level of clarity/retention, and C) the simple act of being lucid tends to lose a bit of its 'importance', after years of experience. It becomes less about "OMFG I'M LUCID! WOOHOO!" and more along the lines of "Hmm...oh, this is a dream. Cool. What should I do now." I think we've discussed all this before, but I'll just comment really quick again anyway. A. Yes indeedee, waking life memories can be forgotten. Most of them are -- except of course for the significant moments that really mean something to a person and are thus filed into first short term and then long term memory. I have to believe that a newbie with enough interest in LD'ing to post on this site will find an LD significant enough a waking memory to hold onto. And yes, though occasional non-lucids are filed like waking memories due to some very impressive impact (i.e., a nasty nightmare), generally they are not filed at all, and lost upon awakening -- isn't that why dreamers works so hard at dream recall? B. Um, from Dr LaBerge on down, those who checked scientifically have found lucidity to be the equivalent of waking consciousness awareness. In other words, the lucid dreaming mind is not just analogous to it, but it IS physiologically the conscious mind in the waking world. Come to think of it, isn't bringing waking consciousness into a dream basically the definition of lucid dreaming? Lucid dreaming is all about operating in a dream with the same level of conscious clarity/retention as in waking life -- if not better (waking life consciousness can be just as devoid of awareness as non-lucid dreaming consciousness, if not moreso). And, physiology aside, long-time LD masters like the Tibetan lamas assume that their awareness in dreams is exactly the same as their awareness in waking life, if that makes any difference. C. Yes, that is true, no question. But as I mentioned in "A" above, I was assuming that MrZhume was new to LD'ing, and was aiming my post in that direction. At this point I too tend to forget LD's that don't thrill me, just like I forget waking moments that don't thrill me. Also, it's often not a matter of 'not wanting to hear otherwise.' It's a matter of people having a genuinely different opinion, which - as much as some other people might not like to hear it - is probably correct. I'm not sure what you were getting at here, but please be assured that I'm delighted when people "beg to differ" -- especially when their opinions manage to sway mine, or vise-versa, and we all learn something. That basically is why I'm here. That I throw in little comments like "nobody here likes to hear this" just to get a rise might be rude, I suppose, but experience here has shown me that most people here disagree categorically with my opinion in this case. Sorry if I offended; it was unintentional.

[fOrceez]

@ OP Totally, and it sucks hardcore