Dream diaries and why you should keep one:
Keeping a diary of your dreams will improve your dream recall over time and should ideally be done as soons as you wake up. As you are remembering your dreams in the morning you should write them down in as much detail as possible. Over time (progress can be seen as early as a week from remembering a few images to a full dream) you will get better at recalling the dreams and eventually being able to seperate several dreams.
This is also a major aid into using dream signs to gain lucidity. To see how to use a dream diary to spot dreamsigns click here.
It is not hard to forget your dreams in the morning, or sometimes you can wake up and the dream seems a bit foggy. So when you wake up, don’t get out of bed. Instead, just lay there and don’t move a muscle close your eyes and try and reflect on your dream, dont think too hard or think about what you want for breakfast etc. you may remember some imagery from the dream or something you previously forgot. When you think you have remembered as much as you possibly can…could only take 5 minutes. Grab your dream diary and begin writing down your dreams. It is advised to keep the diary open at the side of your bed on a new page. Before you go to bed, date it, and make sure you have a pen to hand too. If you are scattering aroound looking for some paper and a pen in the morning, you may forget some of your dream. Also note that if you wake up in the middle of the night and can remember a dream, write it down. keep a torch or lamp next to your bed so you dont have to get out and turn the light on. If you wake up and don’t write down the dream you could forget it the next morning or even forget the fact that you woke up in the middle of the night. A few times i have woke up with a dream written down in my diary that i cant remember writing, but rereading over the dream sometimes triggers my memory and i can recall certain imagery that i have decribed and wrote down earlier that night.
What to write in your dream diary:
You should write down as much as you can remember. Not just images, but sounds, texture, what you were feeling what people were doing, etc. Even draw pictures if you think they may aid in remembering. write anything in here at all that will personally help you remember your dream when you refer to it in months time.
How to analyse your dream diary:
You will not be able to analyse your dream diary effectively after just a few days. You will need to have written down dreams for a period of a couple of week at least to start analysing. You should keep a seperate page in your dream diary for: Common dream scenes Common dream characters Common dream items you can choose any category you wish to analyse, then go through your dream diary and write down the common scenes and characteryou encounter in your dreams. There is software available that you can enter in your dreams and set dream characters and familiar places and objects and let the computer scan them for you and pull out how many times you dream about them for help in analysis Once you have your common dream signs written down you can use these to help you become lucid in future dreams Read the dreamsigns section for an in depth look at how you can do this.
Ways to improve your dream recall:
Aside from keeping a dream diary there are other aids which are listed here. But keeping a dream diary is highly recommended when starting out because of the early benefits. Disadvantages of keeping a dream diary Keeping a dream diary may not be for some people appropriate, they may share a bedroom with a brother or sister or be scared of keeping one incase their mum, dad or friends come accross it. Your dreams are natural and a lot of things that happen in them you have no control over. So try to overcome this fear if you can and just learn to hide your dream diary. You could also get a diary with a lock on it, or have a word with your parents about your privacy (don’t mention it to your brothers or sisters, this might make them want to find it and read it more) There are some programs available for a computer to record your dreams and password protect them so only you can read, you could even just keep them in a word file and just password protect that. I know for some people it can be an inadequacy and is not as effective as being able to write down your dreams as soon as you get up but it will halp if you are determined to write down and analyse your dreams