completely forgot my dream

[minyman36]

Hello in case you don't know or forgot im the same guy that started the thread about how to remember my dreams when i wake up. Now i have basically the same problem only this time it is slightly different. For the past two nights in a row i remember just one dream when i woke up the only problem was i forgot them before i could write them down! This morning i woke up and i was fairly sure that i had a long dream that night but i only remembered the end of it, instead of writeing it down right away in my DJ (which is right beside my bed) i tried to remember more of it (while staying completely still). I thought about the end of the dream 2 or 3 times so i wouldnt forget it and then i tryed to think my way back deeper into my dream but after a few minutes of coming up with nothing i desided to write down just the end of the dream but then i couldnt remember that! Any suggestions?

[Shift]

Sometimes I have this problem, and so what I do is first I replay the tail-end of the dream that I can still remember, maybe 2 or 3 times so that it is nice and fresh. Then I try again to remember the earlier bits, and if I'm still getting nothing and the review of the end of the dream didn't help, I start to write it down. Often bits of the dream will come back to me as I'm writing, I'm not sure why, but it seems to help jog your memory. Then throughout the day I'll get little snippets, especially if something in RL jogged the memory, and I jot those down too.

[minyman36]

but what do you do if while trying to remember more of the dream u end up forgetting the tail end of it?

[Shift]

but what do you do if while trying to remember more of the dream u end up forgetting the tail end of it? Well I run it through a few times in my head, then I work backwards. You could even jot down some key words if you are having serious trouble. Try to do it right now. What were you doing right before you read this paragraph? Try to remember it. Run through it a few times. Now, what were you doing 15 minutes before you read this paragraph? Can you remember and visualize it? If not can you say to yourself, 'Ok, well, now I am at a computer. How did I get to a computer? I must have walked here. How did I get into this room? Well, I must have come in that door. Did I bring anything with me? Where did I get that from?" Of course dreams are less stable and logical, but to a certain degree (at least for me) memory seems to work the same way.

[minyman36]

cool, my memory isn't at its peek ever since i hit 15 years old but ill try to do that and your reply time was like 2 min. awsome... 1 last question that u might be able to answer. What should i do if i wake up and just plain cant remember anything at all (if anything)?

[Shift]

Haha glad to help What I tell people, is that when you wake up, lie still and keep your eyes shut. Try to remember anything. An emotion, a smell, a sound, anything from the dream. If you can get anything, write that down. If not, write down what time you woke up, and that you couldn't remember anything. Hopefully by doing this, you sort of "prove" to yourself that you are serious about remembering, and it will help you to remember. Another thing you can try is to always look at one object or spot in your room, and stare at it while you recall the dream. Theoretically, it's supposed to just help you associate that one spot/thing with recalling dreams, making it easier for you. I haven't really done this, because I find that I do pretty well with just keeping my eyes shut. But if that doesn't work, you may want to try to pick out an object.