How to Enhance Your Dream Recall

May 23rd, 2007

This article is Part 5 in the series Mastering the Art of Lucid Dreaming.

Enhancing your dream recall is one of the most important aspects in learning to achieve lucid dreaming. Everyone dreams, but not everyone remembers their dreams the following morning. If you are not able to recall your dreams, you may have a conscious dreaming experience and not even remember it!

There are many techniques to help you enhance your dream recall. In this article, I've included the most effective methods to help you first learn to recall at least one dream per night and eventually learn to recall multiple dreams each night.

The simplest method involves focusing your intent before you drift off to sleep. Before falling asleep, visualize yourself waking in the morning and recalling your dreams in vivid detail. Picture yourself writing the details of your dreams in a dream journal.

As you fall asleep, focus your intent by holding brief affirmations in mind. Your affirmations should be brief and straightforward, such as:

I will remember my dreams upon awakening.

-or-

I will awaken in the morning and remember my dreams.

Keep your attention on the affirmations as you drift off to sleep. If you find your mind wandering to other topics, gently nudge it back to your desired intent to remember your dreams when you awaken.

Upon awakening each morning, do not move or get out of bed. Instead, lie completely still and gently focus on recalling your dream. Dreams are very slippery things, and the slightest activity may cause most of the dream details to slip from your mind.

Do not concentrate too intently or you will find the dream details slipping away. Struggling too much to recall details is often counterproductive. With calm and relaxed attention, attempt to recall key images, events, and moods from the dream.

When you first awaken, take note of how you are feeling emotionally and mentally. What is your mood? Which emotions are foremost in your mind? Recall the overall tone of the dream.

Post a reminder somewhere near your bed so you will see it when you first wake up. The reminder should be brief and simple, such as, "Remember your dreams," and should be written in large clear letters. You may also want to post a similar reminder in the bathroom in case you get up in the middle of the night.

If you must use an alarm clock, use a Zen alarm clock to wake up gradually. Waking up slowly with a Zen alarm clock rather than being jolted awake by a traditional alarm clock will greatly enhance your dream recall and your ability to become lucid within your dream.

Most importantly, keep a dream journal. The next article will explain in detail the best techniques for keeping a dream journal, and how to use your journal more effectively to learn lucid dreaming.

Stay tuned for Part 6 in the series.