An excerpt from a dream journal (by Jesse Ferguson)

Step 1: Get a notebook

This step may seem quite obvious but I remember when I first tried recording my dreams as a kid, I would just write on scrap paper. As you can probably guess, this made a mess when trying to go back and read what I had written. Invest in a proper journal/notebook in order to keep everything organized.

I’ve seen some sites that offer online journals or people who write their dreams down on the system notepad; I advise against this as it takes too long to get up, start up a computer, open your browser and then start typing. You also don’t have the freedom to draw symbols and pictures as you do with pen and paper. If you have good dream recall and choose to have an e-journal it might be good for searching as you can search using keywords. But still, I’d stick to pen and paper.

Step 2: Strategic placing

Don’t waste time searching around for your dream journal once you wake up. Place the journal on a nightstand or someplace within arms reach of your bed. By the time you have to get up, remove the dream journal from a drawer and start writing you may have forgotten key details of the dream, so do yourself a favor and place it in an easy to access area. Also have a pen with the journal at all times. It might also help you to keep a bookmark at the next blank page so you don’t have to search through the journal for one. Make sure there is a light by your bed within arms reach so you don’t have to getup to turn any lights on before writing your entry.

Step 3: Organize your thoughts

The first thing you should do after waking up and actively trying to recall your dream is write it down. Once you get some key ideas on paper try to organize your journal by dating each entry. This is very important as it will help you track your dreaming progress and see which techniques worked best for you.

You should always write dreams in the same tense. I recommend writing your dreams in the present tense as it places you in the moment and makes recollection easier.

Step 4: Don’t worry about mistakes

Grammar and spelling are very important when writing. However, a dream journal is for your own reference and doesn’t need to be perfect. Do not bother trying to spell things correctly as it will distract your mind from recalling the dream and preoccupy yourself. Write things as they sound and you can even use shorthand or made up words if they will help you get your thoughts down more efficiently.

Step 5: Draw!

Drawing in your dream journal can help you remember specific details where words cannot properly describe them. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t that great of an artist, a few simple sketches can sum up more than words ever can. But don’t get too carried away drawing if it’s going to distract you from remember the rest of the dream. I stick to simple sketches in my dream journal although I occasionally draw more detailed images only after I’ve written down the dream.

Step 6: Keep a good habit of writing

Write every day if possible. Sometimes you wake up and are late for work and just can’t spare the time to write down your dreams. Don’t worry, this is inevitable. Some dreams will go forgotten but once you are an experienced “dream recaller” you’ll be able to remember your dreams without writing them and can update your journal at a later time for the sake of organization.

Final Thoughts

These tips are by no means necessary to improve your dream recall. Every person is different and what works for me may not work for you. That being said, these tips have all greatly worked for me and many others so they will probably help you recall your dreams.

Get adequate sleep

If you aren’t getting an adequate amount of sleep then you surely won’t be waking up refreshed and probably won’t have the capacity to take the steps necessary to remember your dreams. Although amazing things can happen to you by altering your sleep patterns and even depriving yourself of sleep, these are not good habits for the novice dreamer as they can damage your mental and physical health. Get a proper amount of rest (about 7-9 hours for most adults) and you’ll be closer to recalling your dreams.

Think about your dreams

As soon as you wake up, do not think about anything but the dream you just experienced. Often times we wake up, hit the alarm clock, start thinking about what day it is, what the weather is like, who will be at the office that day, etc. but what you need to get into the habit of doing is thinking first and foremost about what you had dreamed. Try to visualize a place, a person or a theme of what you just experienced before you even consider where you are in real life. It may help you to close your eyes so that nothing in your room distracts you as you attempt to recall your dreams (although this can be risky as you may fall back asleep). It helps me to close my eyes and speak aloud in order to trace back what happened in the dream piece by piece. I tend to focus on moods, images, settings, dream characters and other details to help me piece together the dream.  After you have a fairly clear idea about the dream you just experienced you should have a way of referencing that dream. This brings us to the most important step that will help you vastly improve your dream recall.

Keep a dream journal

Writing down your dreams will help you in many ways. First, it will give you a solid reference point to track your progress as a lucid dreamer. You will be able to look back and see how your dreaming abilities have improved over time as well as being able to gauge which techniques worked best for you. Second, the dream journal will give you an insight into your unconscious mind. Often times we will dream about scenarios that frighten or thrill us yet we don’t understand why or even realize we are dreaming about them! A dream journal can allow you a way to view trends and recurring themes and investigate them further to better understand yourself.

It will probably be beneficial to you to write down your dreams immediately once you wake up. Don’t wait until later to do it as key points may be forgotten and the dream may not make sense later on (or you might forget the entire thing). If you wake up in the middle of the night and don’t have the time to write a detailed entry in your journal, try to write down a few notes to help you recall the dream at a later time (general plot, character names, setting, etc.). You can fill out the rest in the morning.

Time your alarm clock

Most vivid dreams occur during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) periods of sleep. The first dream of the night is usually quite short (possibly 10 minutes in length) compared to the later dreams (up to 45 minutes or more). REM periods tend to occur in about 90 minute intervals. The later dreams will be much more vivid and will probably be the ones you will recall once awakened.  When setting your alarm clock try to set it based on REM patters (say 4.5, 6, or 7.5 hours after you fall asleep), as this can increase your ability to remember your dreams.

Now you have 4 simple tips to help recall your dreams. Once you have the ability to remember your dreams, becoming lucid will be much easier. Just remember to write your dreams down!