Thread: Beginning dream recall

How much sleep did you have? Sometimes if you're very tired you can have little recall or you are just going through a dry spell. Your recall will get better in time, don't worry.

Try repeating to yourself, "I will wake up after each dream period and remember my dreams." Self-suggestion does work quite well.

Hey there !
Welcome to the site and to the forum!

I started two weeks ago with dream recall, and trust me; the first few days it seems like your getting nothing. This is normal, your head has to adjust to this.

A good thing is to tell yourself just before you fall asleep, or when you are at least conscious- that you HAVE to wake up after a dream and to REMEMBER your dream and WRITE IT DOWN as soon as you wake up.
At first it will go slow, with only a few sentences recall.
The more you try, the more you will recall, and for an example myself: I can write a whole A4 page about 1 dream after just 2 weeks of trying to recall, and have about 3 or 4 dreams I can remember well.
Ofcourse there is days when you have nothing...when you are just too tired.

Also, be sure to get enough sleep; for example you better have 4 than 8 hours, obviously !

Ask anything you want in here, everyone is willing to help

Feist

A word of advice, don't get lazy when writing dreams. Get out of bed in the middle of the night and WRITE THEM DOWN! Don't tell yourself that you will do it in the morning, you'll most likely forget most details. Also, it might not be a bad idea to try a WBTB a few nights a week. Getting up in the middle of the night may make you remember some dreams, and it may trigger a lucid.

Yes, recall does get better with time and recording your dreams definately helps with that.

I agree about not getting lazy about writing down your dreams but not necessarily with getting out of bed to do it.

I keep a small memo pad open with a pen clipped to the spiral next to my pillow. When I wake up from a dream, I don't turn on the lights, nor open my eyes.. I just reach for the pad and start writing.

What really messes up my recall is being jarred awake by an alarm or some other sound and/or if I immediately change position or start thinking about my day once I wake up. Try telling your subconscioius to wake you up after each dream or to wake you up about 15 minutes before your alarm goes off (I know it sounds stupid but you'd be surprised how accomodating your subconscious can be).

Once you wake up.. do not move! Think about the dream that you just had.. If nothing comes to mind.. try to remember if there was a specific person, place, thing, food or emotion in the dream. Once you come up with even a tidbit of the dream.. try to work your way backward.. how did you get there.. who was with you, etc.

No one says that you have to write a "book" about the dreams you had in your journal. For me, if I'm too tired (or lazy), simply writing down the main topic/subject, and a word or two or a feeling is enough for me to recall a dream.

Some people just write snippets of their dreams.. others write paragraphs, some put images, or feelings, others draw pictures.. whatever helps to bring a dream back to you when you read over it the next morning is appropriate.

Please just know that there is no right way (or one way) to remember or journal about your dreams.

I did write it down immediately. I don't remember having any dream except for someone saying my name. I was also doing the Sleep-Then-Back-to-Bed Method. I got 4 hours of sleep, didn't remember any dream when I got up after 4 hours. I then went to bed for another 4 hours and remembered someone saying my name (I know who said it, I recognized his voice). Maybe it would be better to get a full 8 hours and then do it.

Originally Posted by L2006

Maybe it would be better to get a full 8 hours and then do it.

I know that my dream recall is affected simply by getting more sleep/sleeping longer. I notice that on the days when I can sleep over 8+ hours my recall greatly improves.