Hello - I'm new here

[nintend06]

Hi everyone. I just joined and wanted some help with dream recall. So far I can only remember about one dream per month, and I haven't been keeping a dream journal, either. But how can a dream journal even help if you can't remember them in the first place? Edit: Also, out of the few dreams I have, I control about half of them.

[Tornado Joe]

Hey Nintend, you have to start somewhere. First step is to go to bed with the intention of remembering your dreams. This is done simply by thinking of nothing else while going to sleep. Fight off all other random thoughts other than "I will wake up in a couple hours to remember a dream, then sleep again" (or something like that). You might find that at first you're waking up with either just an image or feeling from a dream. Write that down. Journaling doesn't necessarily mean you have to write it in essay form. Just jot down any points at all that you can remember. The more you do this, the more you'll train your mind to keep the memories in your head when you wake up. Second, when you do wake up, try and stay still for a while. Sit there and try to remember what was just happening before you woke up. Don't go trying to figure out what time it is, or if you're late to school or work- just relax, keep eyes closed and think back to what you were just experiencing. Waking up by an alarm clock is usually bad for dream recall because it forces you to wake up unexpectedly, focus your attention on something other than your dream, and physically move to turn alarm off.

[zobey]

A dream journal kind of suggests to your subconcious that you're supposed to remember your dreams. The effort put into trying to remember akes it easier later. Also, some tablets of vitamin B6 help give you vivd dreams with better recall. I take 50mg but that is the smallest dose. A bottle of 100 pills is only like $3.50 but don't get dependant on it. Good luck, and feel free to PM me with any questions!

[Kyzand]

Well what I've been doing is, for example, in one of my dreams I saw two busses collide. (And oddly enough, I think I dreamed telling someone about that dream O_o) After that, I tell myself if I ever see a car wreck or any other disaster I should do an RC: Because witnessing one in real life is relatively rare. (At least where I live.)

[t.mill]

Hey Nintend, you have to start somewhere. First step is to go to bed with the intention of remembering your dreams. This is done simply by thinking of nothing else while going to sleep. Fight off all other random thoughts other than "I will wake up in a couple hours to remember a dream, then sleep again" (or something like that). You might find that at first you're waking up with either just an image or feeling from a dream. Write that down. Journaling doesn't necessarily mean you have to write it in essay form. Just jot down any points at all that you can remember. The more you do this, the more you'll train your mind to keep the memories in your head when you wake up. Second, when you do wake up, try and stay still for a while. Sit there and try to remember what was just happening before you woke up. Don't go trying to figure out what time it is, or if you're late to school or work- just relax, keep eyes closed and think back to what you were just experiencing. Waking up by an alarm clock is usually bad for dream recall because it forces you to wake up unexpectedly, focus your attention on something other than your dream, and physically move to turn alarm off. I totally agree. I kept a dream journal for a while, now I can remember the majority of my dreams simply by keeping still before I get out of bed. Now I want to choose what I dream about, or control my dreams once in them.