Keeping A Dream Journal
I thought that keeping a dream journal sounded lame. I wanted to just "remember" my dreams and not have to write them down. I thought I could get away with it and still have lots of lucid dreams.
I was wrong. I couldn't remember many dreams at all and I didn't have as many lucid dreams as I do now.
Writing down my dreams every morning is fun and extremely rewarding. Not only does it help me improve my chances of having a lucid dream, it will also helps me remember all of my dreams and discover new dream signs.
I'm sure you've had the experience of waking up after an interesting dream, only to forget all or most of it by the time you've had breakfast.
Most people forget their dreams within minutes or even seconds of waking up. The only way to remedy this is by recording your dreams in a dream journal.
Following these tips, you can go from remembering just one dream a month to remembering three dreams a night in matter of just a week or two:
Tips for Effective Dream Journaling
It doesn't have to be fancy. My dream journal is a spiral bound college ruled notebook with a ballpoint pen.
Pick a journal & utensil. Find something that's comfortable and easy to write in. Avoid using memo pads or books with small pages.
Keep it right by your bedside. Dream memories are extremely delicate. If you have to spend a little time and energy to get your journal, you be distracting yourself and potentially forget part of your dream.
Don't worry about penmanship or writing skills. Just keep on writing as much as you can remember. As long as you can read it what you're writing and it makes sense to you, it's gold.
Do it every time you wake up. Repetition is key to making this a daily habit. It only takes a few minutes.
Do it every day!
What to Include
Date. Today's date.
Names. Don't just say "I dreamt that I was at the game with my high school buddies." Instead, mention that you were "at a Dallas Cowboys football game with Mike P., Glen R., and Sarah G. from high school."
Emotions. How did you feel during the dream? Recording your emotions will help "take you back" the next time you reread it. Drawing your own smiley faces and emoticons works well too.
Sketches or diagrams. If there was a unique scene, object, sign, map, etc. in your dream that you want to remember, it's best to draw a quick sketch.
Title (optional). Robert Waggoner, author of Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self, creates a title for each dream to make them more memorable.
You will have nights where you don't seem to remember anything at all. That's perfectly normal. Just jot down a few keywords or that you didn't remember anything at all.
More Tips
Don't use a computer/tablet/phone as a dream journal unless you have written them down by hand first.
By the time you get your device out, you will have distracted yourself and forgotten part of the dream.
Use pen and paper first. Then record it on your device.
Label the pages in which you log your lucid dreams so they are easier to find. I put a sticky note as a sort of bookmark on those pages.
At the end of each month, log how many dreams and lucid dreams you recorded. Strive to improve every month. Have monthly goals!
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