I write down quick notes on a college notepad during the night. Just keywords really. Then during the day I’ll write detailed accounts in my dream journal. For those you who also use a similar approach…
Do you ever wonder what the fork you were writing when you read your notes? One of my notes from yesterday read: “Jurassic Park, Rijk, alarm” (Rijk is a friend of mine).
The only thing I could think of was: “okay, now what?” I had no idea what I was supposed to write down, since those three words were basically all I had. When I tried REALLY hard I managed to remember another detail or two so that I could at least craft a complete English sentence (but just the one, mind you).
Svenshinhan, if I can READ the words I am ok. but the earlier in the night I write them the harder it is to read … plus if I leave it a day or two to type them up it’s more difficult to guess what the vague word/s were supposed to be
After spending yesterday reading about LD and stuff I had a short lucid dream during the night. My intention wasn’t really focused on going lucid but rather on remembering my dreams. It all began with me waking up in my bed, the bed standing out on the road outside my house. When I got up and started walking up my driveway I affirmed to myself that I was dreaming. I also focused my eyes on my house to keep myself lucid.
Then I decided that I wanted to fly, as I had made a plan about flying earlier if I would end up going lucid during the night. And so I flew away shooting straight up in the air above my house, but then when I tried to stop flying and go back down again it did’t work, and I kept on fying over the forest and landed at another house, so about here I lost my control and don’t remember much more… What should I have done here too keep lucid and in control?
Also, I recalled parts from about six other non lucid dreams, more than I have remembered in a long time, so I guess spending time reading about and researching the subject and of course intending as mentioned several times before really works.
My friend directed me to this site a while ago and I just recently found it again under all the junk in my bookmarks. We had been talking about dreams once day and she started going on about lucid dreams and wanting a dream buddy. I was supposed to be practicing all this time.
Sadly… I can’t remember my dreams most of the time. I’ve tried nearly everything but, to me, it seems like I just don’t dream. I may remember a snippet here or there once a month from a single dream but that’s about it.
So if anyone has any suggestions as to what I can do to better this problem and remember my dreams, even partly every night, so I can step on the path of lucidity, please share.
-Your Friendly Sometimes Insomniac and RLS(?) newcomer,
RestlessDreamer
but it might be that you should just refuse to move your body after you wake up, and think about if you remember anything,
you don’t need to write it down really if you remember it,
i want people to figure out more quickly that all we need for lucidity is to become familiar with waking up.
GOD FORBID but, are you in a noisy place where people would rob your memory by talking to you or making noise or an alarm clock just violently waking you up without any reflection time ? silence during sleep = sacred,
Yeah, that’s true, I find it very hard to remember my dreams after waking up from an alarm clock or if it was noisy while I fell asleep, silence during sleep is very important.
When you first wake up, and don’t remember your dream, try not to just dismiss it and move on.
Sit in bed for just a second and try to remember, think of just dreams in general. Its funny how I can sometimes go from “Oh, didn’t remember the dream” to having a whole dream roll out before me.
If that doesn’t work, try to think of trigger words. These are random words that may have some involvement with the dream you had last night. These can be hit or miss sometimes, but they’ve helped me out a lot.
What to do: When you wake up, and don’t remember the dream, just start thinking of random words, (EX. Elephant, dog, vampire, computer, LD4all.) Words with no pattern of specific meaning. You could also think of places or situations, those work sometimes too. All the while trying to think of your dream.
The hope is, one of the words you think of will remind you of a fragment of the dream, then the fragment will remind you of the rest.
(EX, One of the words you thought of was elephant, and you suddenly remember riding an elephant in your dream, and then you remember your dream was about you going to the circus or something)
It might not always, work, but it’s worked for me, and it’s worth a try.
Goodluck!
I know this may be a dumb question but how are normal dreams suppose to be? Cause when I dream, it’s like wathcing TV with low brightness and contrast settings.
It varies from person to person. My normal dreams are very vivid and like real life.
Some experience normal dreams like you do. But it could be that you just lose some dream quality when having vague recall. Even if that isn’t the case … all dreams can be improved once lucidity is attained.
Ok so i have been waking myself up with an alarm two to four times a night for 3 weeks now, but this week ive done the same thing but cant remember my dreams. Maybe the problem is that most of the time i will just turn my alarm off and go back to sleep. But ive sat still right when i woke up every once in a while and tried to remember my dreams but still cant remember!!! What should i do???
First off, dry spells in both LD’s and dream recall do happen, so try not to get too frustrated. First thing to check is that your alarm is set for 90 minutes intervals after you go to sleep, with the first interval coming no sooner than 4.5 hours into sleep. Second thing to worry about is how much sleep are you getting, anything less than six hours is terrible from most dreaming work, and 9+ is ideal. The reason is that REM period length drastically increases towards the end of the night. Third thing is are you telling yourself when you’re going to bed that you’re going to remember your dreams and write them down, or something of the sort. As you do, you should be thoughtfully considering the meaning of the words, a mindless mantra is no good at all. Finally, as soon as you wake up, don’t move; just lie there and see what comes to you. Even if you don’t remember a full dream, do you remember a fragment, some details, ot even just a mood or impression you’re left with. If so, write it down. Try not to move until you’ve recalled as much as you think you’re going to then go right it down.
Also, we have a nice guide already compiled on the subject that you might want to take a look at here: [Improving Dream Recall)
Does anyone have any tips for improving dream recall? I’m just getting back into dream studies/lucid-dreaming after about 9 months of break. I used to remember an upwards of 6 full dreams a night, and for some reason I haven’t been able to remember anything from my dreams for the past 3 nights. If I recall, mugwort tea greatly intensifies the vividness of dreams… [tried this last night, same problem] But if anyone has any other tips, I’d appreciate it. And, for the record, I’m getting plenty of sleep and waking up naturally (which is rather important, I think.) I’m recording my dreams with a tape recorder when I wake up. That’s not the problem. I wake up not remembering any of the dreams, before I move or open my eyes or anything of the sort.
This has sort of bummed me out because I used to have several LDs a night and could fully remember tons of dreams…
I figured this out. I’ve been taking St. John’s Wart which allows you continue releasing serotonin while your sleeping and it messes with your dream and sleep cycle. A lot of people who take SJ’sW or other similar drugs have problems with insomnia and such. SO, I’m going to take a break away from the stuff and see what happens… Even if I fall back into depression.
Hi!,
I’m new here about all this with LD’s and such. I’ve tried to remember my dreams two nights a row but I dont remember anything I use a mantra every evening bofore sleepnig: “When I wake up I remember my dreams.” Please help me with this
First of all I use a simpler mantra (I will remember my dreams) because it is five words as opposed to your mantra’s eight.
Second of all if you want it too much it isn’t going to happen. Let the mantra be your last thought but just relax and let it come to you. If you want it too bad it is not going to work out as well. Concentrate and relax. (I sometimes use a breathing exercise of some sort before going to sleep to help relax which also sometimes helps.)
Is anybody here familiar with sound intonations that give psychic affects? <Well that could be a whole different topic in itself, but I just want to share a mantra that is specifically to produce the effect of remembering dreams in the morning.
“RAOM-GAOM”
How to use this:
When you wake up in the morning, do Not move.
Close your eyes, Keep eyes closed
Now, internally, in your head, that is, repeat the mantra “Raom-Gaom” over and over until the dream images start to emerge “out of no where” into your mind’s eye.
Here is a video of how the mantra sounds out loud, but remember, it is actually meant to be chanted internally. The first time I used this mantra, I woke up and had the feeling, “Oh, I was dreaming something cool, what was it!?” then I remembered the mantra that I was taught. I closed my eyes and repeated it. After a few times, the dream came back and just hit me! like this>
This mantra really worked like magic, and I can’t believe I sometimes forget to use it in the morning when I wake up not remembering.
I know other people who use this mantra and they say it works for them. I am one of them and I hope it can also help some of you too.
Oh, interesting I think I’ll try that.
Maybe it works because it makes sure your mind won’t start to wander when you’re trying to remember your dreams. I know I often have that problem, I’ll try to empty my mind but thoughts keep popping up Such a sound will probably keep you focussed.
This morning I got “hit” by a dream as well I guess I just need the right thought to trigger the rest of my dreams.
I think I’ll try that.