I’ve been having a really hard time with dream recall and lucid dreaming lately. I haven’t had a lucid dream in about a month, which is okay I guess, but I can’t remember my dreams worth crap. The most detailed one I could remember was a week ago, and I didn’t even remember that much.
I’m mostly frustrated because about two months ago I decided to keep a dream journal and at first, i was remembering my dreams almost every night, to the point where I could write a few paragraphs about them in a nice, linear story. After a while, I’ve been remembering less and less, even though I continue to keep the dream journal.
some things I do every day to “help”:
reality checks (at least 10 a day, if I can remember)
mantras before bed (“I will remember my dreams”)
dream journal
FILD or HILD
Last night I had set my phone alarm for 3am so I would wake up in the middle of the dream and write it down. This is what I wrote down, which doesn’t really trigger any memory at all. Sometimes you only have to remember one thing from a dream and it will bring back the memories of the whole dream. No such luck:
“changing time to change outcome involving prescriptions we were given. work. lesbian couple. coworker in love with them. time changed.”
I have no idea. I can vaguely remember walking down a hotel hallway and the prescription dexadrine. everything else just looks like nonsense.
I remember the feeling of my dreams being so vivid, and feeling like I was definitely going to remember all of it when I woke up. Then of course I wake up, turn my 7am alarm off, tell my husband it’s time to get up, then remember nothing.
I’m starting to become infuriated!!! Am I trying too hard? When I started my dream journal 2 months ago with good recall I wasn’t doing any sort of tricks or techniques at all.
The manner in which you awaken plays a huge factor in how detailed your dream recall is, if you have any at all. If an alarm clock wakes you up, I can almost guarantee you that you won’t have any recall. It’s the same thing if your husband or someone else wakes you up.
I found that I have the most detailed dream recall when I gently and easily awaken in bed, unforced, in the morning. I lay still and keep my eyes shut and have trained myself to have the first thought of ‘‘What was I just dreaming?’’
You’ll find dream recall is almost effortless like this. For the record, I don’t even keep a dream journal and I remember 2 or 3 dreams a night on average this way.
I didn’t had a LD now about 2 weeks and my dream recall just getting worse. I mean I finally figured how to WILD and how to do it on daily basis but something is not right. There is no concentration, there is no DR and I have some worries that mess that up.
I’ve had this kinds of periods before and whenever I would solve my problem and when I become “calm” again then this things get in order.
Also the things that Darxide talked about. Having constant sleep schedule is very important because without it your body and your mind can’t become accustomed on the whole concept of lucid dreaming, especially if I’m talking about techniques which with time are not techniques but the way of living…
Don’t worry about one month without a LD, I already had a dryspell of 50 days. I had pretty bad recall back then and not much time, so I just decided to give up for some time. When I started to engage myself in lucid dreaming again (joining this site), I immediately had a LD.
See it this way: You have nothing to lose, right? It can only get better from here onwards. From what you described about your DR, it seems to me like you are indeed trying too hard. Why not try to stop your efforts of DR? You had a good DR before, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work now.
Also, if you do remember a dream then, make sure to write down more than only a few keywords. You will remember your dream in the morning for sure when reading this and it’s much more enjoyable to read some paragraphs about your dreams than just keywords (at least for me).
I second this. Though my DR is much better when I do keep my DJ updated, I found out that I don’t even need to repeat the same DR mantra for like four minutes over and over again before going to sleep. When I’m motivated (and get enough sleep), I remember my dreams, if I’m not, then I don’t.
this morning I gently awoke before my alarm even went off, and lo and behold I remembered my dream! thanks everyone for the great advice. I think I’ll take some time off from trying to hard, and it can only get better from here!
I had pretty bad recall back then and not much time, so I just decided to give up for some time. When I started to engage myself in lucid dreaming again (joining this site), I immediately had a LD.
From what you described about your DR, it seems to me like you are indeed trying too hard. Why not try to stop your efforts of DR? You had a good DR before, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work now.
Keep up your efforts and you’ll be reaping the seeds you’re sewing in no time.