Dream
interpretation
is made impossible when
one is unable to
remember dreams.
Developing the necessary
recall skills is an easy
process and amounts to
nothing more than a
change of habit. If you
find it difficult to
remember dreams, one of
the following dream
recall techniques is
bound to work for you:
Go to bed with a
notepad and pen
You may often find that
you wake up during the
night with clear dream
recall, so clear that
you're convinced that
you'll never forget it,
only to find that by
morning, recall is vague
or absent. For this
reason it makes sense to
take a notepad and pen
with you to bed to aid
the recall process.
Use keywords or
sketches
As soon as you begin to
recall fragments of the
dream, scribble down
some keywords. Don't
worry too much about the
sequence. The idea
behind the notepad is
not to write your dreams
out in detail, but
rather to jot down 5 -
10 simple keywords,
which are usually
sufficient to jog your
memory when you review
it in the morning. An
alternative to this is
to draw quick and simple
sketches.
Set your intent
Prior to going to sleep,
state your intent.
Writing it down often
proves to be more
effective. An example of
this would be "When I
dream an important dream
I fully intend to wake
up sufficiently to jot
it down, after which I
will go back to sleep
with ease and wake up in
the morning feeling
rested, refreshed and
invigorated." In
addition to this, it
also helps to lull
yourself to sleep by
repeating a phrase such
as "I will remember my
dreams".
Visualize
Visualization is always
a powerful process.
Visualize yourself
dreaming, waking up,
jotting down your
keywords, going back to
sleep, waking up in the
morning and recalling
your dream again in
full. Repeat the process
until it becomes
absolutely real for you.
Incubate a dream
Asking a question prior
to going to sleep is a
great way to aid dream
recall. Writing the
question down is
strongly encouraged for
several reasons:
firstly, it helps to
clarify the query in
your mind, and often by
the time you've written
it down, you will
already have resolved
much of your query;
secondly, while you may
remember your question
in the morning, verbatim
recall of the way in
which it was asked is
often vital to the
analysis and
interpretation of the
dream; thirdly, it will
help you to focus on
your dreams and
therefore enhances
recall.
Drink water
Before going to sleep,
drink two large glasses
of water. This will
ensure that your bladder
will wake you up during
the night which will
provide a perfect
opportunity to remember
your last dream.
Set your alarm clock
Set your alarm clock for
an unusual time, such as
3:30am, then jot down
some keywords from your
last dream. You will not
have to follow this
routine for very long
before your subconscious
mind begins to
co-operate.
Lie still
Upon waking in the
morning, lie dead still
and focus immediately on
recalling your dreams.
Don't move until you've
remembered something
from the dream state.
Quiet your rational
mind
Activating your rational
mind is often one of the
surest ways to stamp out
dream recall. It is
therefore imperative to
give priority to dream
recall prior to running
your worries, fears and
daily chore list through
your mind.
Check your mood
Given that dreams often
set the mood tone for
the day, following the
thread of your dominant
feelings upon waking
often leads to dream
recall. Simply label on
your dominant feeling
e.g. happy, sad,
disturbed etc without
getting swept into the
emotions behind it.
Usually some dream
associations will begin
coming to mind.
Let it go
If all of the above
methods fail, let it go.
Fretting about failed
recall abilities is only
likely to enhance it.
Tell yourself that
something, somewhere
during the day will
provide a cue when you
least expect it.
Finally, the simplest
and most powerful
technique of all is
simply to have the
desire to remember your
dreams. Pure, passionate
and true desire in any
area of life cannot help
but bring your wishes
into manifestation.
