Research has proven that everyone dreams several times during a full sleeping period. The problem is that you may simply don’t remember what you dreamed about or if you had any dreams at all. You simply forget. In order to enjoy and learn from your lucid dreams when you are awake, you must remember your dreams.

Dreaming

Having a positive attitude and being optimistic is the first step in remembering your dreams. Getting plenty of sleep is also very important. Keeping a dream journal will help you to remember your dreams and the details of your dreams. Other techniques explained on this website will assist you in dream recall.

Keeping a Dream Journal

A dream journal must always be kept when you are learning to have lucid dreams. It is also a good practice to continue keeping a dream journal even after you are an expert lucid dreamer. I do. Keeping a dream journal will help you remember your dreams and the details of your dreams. When diligently maintaining a dream journal, you will be surprised how many dreams you have and the vividness and detail of your dreams. Be thorough in keeping a dream journal every day, and you will eventually start remembering your dreams on a regular basis. You will probably not remember all of your dreams, but just remembering and keeping notes on a few dreams or even just small parts of dreams is very important. It will train you to eventually have great success with having a detailed and organized dream journal.

Here’s how it works. If you do recall a dream or even just a partial dream, write it down as quickly as possible. This includes lucid, non-lucid, partial dreams, dream fragments, and feelings you have about the dream. Sometimes feelings are the only thing you can remember about a dream. Dream fragments are tiny portions, feelings, or just a glimpse of the dream. They are usually vague, but can often be helpful. Include as much detail as you can, such as where you were, what you were doing, how you felt, people you encountered or talked to, music, animals, objects such as furniture, rooms, cars, airplanes, pencils, doors, clothing, etc., everything. If you recall part or most of your dream, I find it best to write it like a story. Give it a title and just write as much as you can remember. A title will help you remember the main idea of the dream. You will usually remember more detail when you write it down. You should even draw pictures, such as room layouts, paths or streets you traveled, etc. The key is to write about your dream as quickly as possible and everything you can remember. I keep a notebook and pencil right next to my bed. If I wake in the middle of the night, I’ll grab it and jot down a few key words that will help me remember when I wake up. I’ll then use my notes to enter a dream into my dream journal. The key words I write down in the middle of the night are a great tool to help me remember. Sometimes I even recall a dream or part of a dream several hours later, during the day. If I do, I write down what I remember and add it to my dream journal later.

A dream journal can simply be a notebook. Here are some suggestions of ways to keep a dream journal:

• Notebook or notepad
  
• Word processor or note-keeping software on your computer – Be sure to use titles, keywords, etc. Organize them in a fashion so you can easily reference them in the future.
• Dream diary software or personal diary software – Many are free, but some are not. Do a search on the internet. Some dream diary software can assist you in organization and help you with other key elements of lucid dreams. I’ll list some of these in another blog.
• An audio recording device – You can use a tape recorder, digital recorder or any other device to record your dreams
  
• A spreadsheet on your computer

Be creative and use whatever works for you.

Note: Dreams can be very personal, so you may want to protect your dream journal by locking it up or assigning a password to the files on your computer.

Having a Difficult Time Remembering Your Dreams?

Remember, getting plenty of sleep is the first step. Also, remember before going to sleep, put yourself into a very relaxed state. Think to yourself, “I will have a wonderful dream. When I awake, I will remember it.” Repeat this several times. If possible, keep thinking these words as you drift off to sleep. You can also repeat this to yourself throughout your waking hours, several times a day. The subconscious mind has much influence over you and your dreams because it is directly connected to your dreaming. It remembers what you think while you are awake and when you are asleep.

You may also recall dream fragments. You can remember dream fragments waking up in the middle of the night (or your normal sleep time), when you first wake up in the morning (or your regular waking time), or anytime throughout the day. You may vaguely remember you were at some location, talking to someone, being afraid or happy, or taking place in any activity. Sometimes a dream fragment is just a feeling you had. If you recall any dream fragments, you should ponder them immediately and write them down. Dream fragments are keys to dream recall. You will build your dream recall by using dream fragments, which includes anything you can remember, how ever small they may be. Make sure you are in a safe place while pondering and writing. I wouldn’t want you to have an accident while doing this.

One method that has worked very well for me when waking with a dream fragment in my mind is this: Quickly close your eyes and gently focus on the fragment to the best of your ability. Often, it will help you to remember the dream, including portions of the dream, or the entire dream in astonishing detail. You can be amazed on how focusing on dream fragments can help you recall the dream. You can also use this method if you remember a dream fragment during the day. Just close your eyes and ponder. It doesn’t always work, but it does for a good percentage of the time. Remember to write it down as soon as you recall any details. Also, remember that dream fragments can just be a feeling about the dream. Ponder the feeling of the dream and include it in your dream journal. Don’t forget to always be positive and optimistic!

Don’t Give Up!

Everyone is different. You may already recall great details of you dreams everyday or you may think that you never dream. For those that think that you never dream, you must be persistent. It may take a few days, weeks, or months before you recall your first dream or dream fragments. When you do, you will be pleasantly surprised!

Review:

1. Stay positive and optimistic.
2. Get plenty of sleep and think and believe that you will have a dream that you will remember before falling asleep and throughout your waking hours.
3. Keep an organized, detailed dream journal, including dream fragments and dream feelings.
4. Never give up. Think positive. It may take some time, but you will eventually recall your dreams!

The next lesson will explain how to induce a lucid dream!

© 2009 – 2011 Gary Gardner, All Rights Reserved

By now, you should be very diligent in keeping a dream journal. Perhaps you are now recording full dreams or just dream fragments. I recommend that if you have been keeping a dream journal for three or four weeks and you are just remembering dream fragments or no dreams at all, then continue to focus on working on your dream journal for a couple of more weeks and then come back to this lesson. If you can’t recall any dreams, then there is not much reason to obtaining lucidity. In the near future, I will add an extra blog containing more techniques that should help you progress in remembering your dreams.

If you have been successful in dream recall let’s move ahead now and learn how to induce a lucid dream.

Techniques to Inducing Lucid Dreams

There are many methods that will induce lucid dreams. In this lesson, I will focus on a two very essential techniques that have worked for a countless number of people, including myself. In my next blog, I will provide you with several more techniques, in case you are still struggling with experiencing a lucid dream.

Lucid Dream Induction Techniques

Since lucid dreaming has been around for a while, there are several techniques that have been developed and are regularly used in the lucid dream community. It is essential that you fully understand these techniques in order to successfully induce a lucid dream. I am only going to address two extremely important techniques in this blog. In my experience, “reality testing” (or reality checking) and “dream signs” are the two techniques that can induce lucid dreams quickly and easily.

Reality Testing

Reality testing is a common technique used to determine whether or not you are dreaming. It involves performing tests to determine if you are dreaming or not. By performing these tests while you are awake, it can become a habit to perform such a test while dreaming. If the reality test fails, then you may realize that you are dreaming and start having a lucid dream. Remember, the goal is to do these tests on a regular basis so they become a habit. Eventually, you will perform reality tests while you are dreaming if you practice doing them while you are awake. When I was learning, I did the tests about eight to ten times a day. I didn’t do all of them, but maybe two or three random ones.

Here is a list of common reality tests that I have read about and tried:

• Simply asking yourself throughout your waking hours, “Is this a dream?” Then make the decision weather or not you are awake or dreaming. It’s really that simple. This is a reality test that I use the most.
  
• Look into a mirror. During a dream, reflections from a mirror often appear different from which you would normally expect. Reflections can be blurred, distorted, or even frightening.
• Open book and look inside. Often, the pages will be blank during a dream.
• Squeeze your nostrils shut and if you are able to breathe without using your mouth, you are dreaming.
• Try to stick your finger through the palm of your hand. Of course this wouldn’t work during a waking state unless the unlikely even that you really had a hole through your palm.
• Look at your watch or a clock (remembering the time), look away, and look back. The time will probably have changed to a different time and you may see strange letters and characters. (Digital watches and clocks have a tendency to work much better than analog watches or clocks.)
• Look towards the ground beneath your feet or at your hands. If you do this while dreaming, the difference in appearance of the ground or your hands from a waking state is usually enough to alert you that you are dreaming.
• Flip a light switch on or off. The light usually doesn’t change as it should in a waking state unless, of course, the light bulb really burned out.

Use your imagination and test other actions. With practice, I’ll bet you will notice things that you can test that prove you are dreaming.

You can build up a habit of periodically asking oneself throughout the day if you are dreaming by performing one or several of the tests above. These habits will eventually cause you to test them during a dream, which will lead to lucidity when you realize that your actions or behaviors are not real.

When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to jump up off the ground to see how many time we could click our feet together before returning to the ground. Even with much practice it is hard to click your feet together two or three times. I think three was all I was able to achieve. In one of my first lucid dreams, I was able to jump up in the air and click my feet together about nine or ten times. This was a reality test that carried from my waking state right into my dream. I suddenly realized that this couldn’t possibly be real and immediately knew that I was having a lucid dream. This lucid dream carried on what seemed to be about twenty minutes. I had complete control over everything in my dream. I simply thought what I wanted to happen during the dream and it happened. What a blast I had!

Dream Signs

Dream signs are clues that you are dreaming. They are things occurring in your dream that wouldn’t happen in a waking state. Before you recognize that they are dream signs, they will seem natural to you while you are dreaming. Once you recognize the dream sign, you will know you are dreaming and become lucid in your dream.

Dream signs may include things such as flying, a dog or cat talking to you, or several other abnormal events. Dream signs include out-of-the-ordinary actions or objects in your dream. They can also reflect wants, fears, hates, and embarrassing situations. They can manifest themselves in many different ways, depending on the dreamer. The key is that you recognize its abnormality. This is what makes you realize that you are dreaming.

There are many kinds of dream signs that will eventually become very evident to you. Here are some common examples that I have read about and experienced:

• You, another dream character, or an object does something unusual or impossible in waking life, such as walking through walls, flying, jumping extremely high, or breathing under water.
• You have a sensational loss of bodily strength. You are unable to move entirely or run away from something you are scared of.
• If you read a sign, book or any other document, look away, then look back, the words usually change.
• The place or situation in the dream is weird and includes fictional characters or places.
• You, another character, or an object changes shapes. This may include unusual clothing, hair, body parts, etc. You may even find yourself looking at your own self.
• During a dream, you may have a very unusual thought, a strong emotion, an abnormal sensation, a loss of normal logic, or an altered perception.
  
• If you move your head from side to side, you notice a strange motion of an image you are looking at.
• If you look at a clock or watch, look away, then look back, the time is usually different, it may have changed in appearances, or the clock or watch may be gone.
• You seem to have an abnormal number of fingers or other body parts.

Be conscious of your surroundings during your waking state and think about dream signs. This habit will eventually cause you to become more aware of dream signs during a dream. This will eventually lead into a lucid dream when dream signs are recognized.

Analyze your dream journal to determine your own dream signs and highlight or make a note of them.

Differences Between Reality Testing and Dream Signs

Reality testing and dream signs may seem to be a lot alike, but there is a difference. Reality testing takes place during your waking state and then carries over to your dream state. Dream signs are merely things that should only occur during dreams.

I rely much on dream signs because I have been using them for a long time. I also still perform reality testing as well. For you, as a beginner, I would recommend using both of these tools to their most fullest extent as possible.

The next blog lesson will cover more ways to induce lucid dreams.

Sweet Dreams

© 2009 – 2011 Gary Gardner, All Rights Reserved