Dream Recall

[metal_head_pete]

I dont fully understand on how to improve your dream recall. All it says on this website is to write a dream journal, drink a lot of water before bed and set your alarm clock. But those dont really show me how to improve my dream recalling skills. Can someone explain me how those relate to improving or could someone tell me some other strategies?

[heumy]

Hi Pete, Well, by keeping a dream journal, you are training yourself to recall your dreams. Most people wake up after having a dream, go back to sleep or wake up, without writing it down. Instead of doing this, us lucid dreamers force ourselves to write down our dreams. This will improve dream recall drastically, because it's on paper, and not in your head, where it disappears quickly.

[metal_head_pete]

Hi Pete, Well, by keeping a dream journal, you are training yourself to recall your dreams. Most people wake up after having a dream, go back to sleep or wake up, without writing it down. Instead of doing this, us lucid dreamers force ourselves to write down our dreams. This will improve dream recall drastically, because it's on paper, and not in your head, where it disappears quickly. So every single night i have a dream i should write it down.. Also, what if I never wake up during the night, so i cant write down my dream. And by the time i wake up i forget it.

[heumy]

The point is, you WILL wake up during the night, if not in the morning, and you will remember at least one dream. The problem is, is we wake up at 4 in the morning, we go back to sleep. I've had a lot of trouble resisting the urge to fall back asleep, but every single time I have, any dreams I could have written down, I've forgotten. Even if they seem pointless, just write down all of your dreams. It will help a lot.

[metal_head_pete]

The point is, you WILL wake up during the night, if not in the morning, and you will remember at least one dream. The problem is, is we wake up at 4 in the morning, we go back to sleep. I've had a lot of trouble resisting the urge to fall back asleep, but every single time I have, any dreams I could have written down, I've forgotten. Even if they seem pointless, just write down all of your dreams. It will help a lot. So overall there is no need for me to set my alarm clock..?

[heumy]

So overall there is no need for me to set my alarm clock..? Well, if you want to make sure you get up at 4:00, then yes, but you might wake yourself up out of a dream. You could use the WBTB (wake back to bed) method, by setting your alarm early, doing an activity (such as reading) for half an hour, and then going back to sleep. I just set my alarm for 7:00. I usually get up a few minutes earlier anyway.

[AnDUHrew]

Ya, setting your alarm is just going to make you more tired in teh morning.

[metal_head_pete]

Ya, setting your alarm is just going to make you more tired in teh morning. wow! that was a very late response!!

[AnDUHrew]

ya. i got really bored and was surfing DV.

[seeker28]

Dream journaling (DJing) helps recall for several reasons. While you write down your dream it helps your conscious (awake) mind to recognize and to operate alongside your subconscious (dreaming) mind. This will help you be better able to recall dreams while wake, in otherwords, teaches you how to activate and "listen to" your subconscious mind while conscious. Having this skill also helps you become conscious (lucid) during dreams. Most experienced LDer also wake up during the night after dreams to write them down in their DJ. Some learn to do this by setting an alarm to wake them up repeatedly during the night, but most use autosuggestion. Autosuggestion is a powerful tool for lucid dreamers. Basically to autosuggest you come up with a sentence or phrase that sums up your goal, like "I will wake after everydream and write it down." Or even "I will lucid dream." You repeat this mantra, this sentence in your head several times a day. For example, everytime you go through a door way say it 15 times, every time you go to the bathroom say it another 15 times. Say it the whole time you are getting ready for bed. Lay in bed and say it for 5 more minutes. The more you do it the better and faster it will work Your subconscious will catch onto the idea and make it happen. Usually autosuggestion for waking after each dream works within one week, sometimes after only a few days. People suggest drinking a lot of water before bed because it will probably make you wake up to go to the bathroom at some point during the night. This gives you a chance to remember any dreams and write them down you would otherwise forget if you waited until morning. Setting your alarm early basically works on the same idea, you may wake up from a dream and have the chance to remember it and write it down. Hope this answers your questions.