The Best Dream Journal Method For Lucid Dreaming

This article is Part 6 in the series Mastering the Art of Lucid Dreaming.

Keeping a dream journal is the single most effective method for enhancing dream recall. It also can be highly effective at helping you achieve lucid dreaming. By recording the details of each dream in your journal, you will be able to track dream patterns and discover your personal dream cues, which then can be used in other techniques to trigger conscious dreaming.

The first step is to obtain a notebook or journal in which to record your dreams. Keep the journal and a pen or pencil beside your bed at all times, with your journal left open to the next blank page. You also may want to obtain a second journal to leave in any other location in your home where you might fall asleep (such as the reclining chair in front of the television) or to take with you when you travel.

It is important to store your dream journal in an easily accessible location, preferably next to your bed. Even the slightest amount of activity can cause you to forget the details of a dream, and the small amount of activity involved in getting out of bed to locate your dream journal may in itself be enough to trigger the loss of dream details from memory.

Upon waking, after focusing on remembering the details of your dream, record as many details as possible in your dream journal. Make it the first thing you do every morning. After only a few moments of waking activity, you begin to forget the details of your dream. By following the steps outlined below, you will learn to record a thorough description of your dream before important details are lost or forgotten.

Begin by jotting down quick notes using keywords. For example: garden, lost, school, Jane, tunnel, red. Keywords will trigger your mind to remember further details about each dream scene as you continue to record the events of your dream.

Write down any person, place, or object that seemed central to the dream, or note anything strange or unusual that stood out in the dream.

Write down the Who, What, When, and Where of the dream in brief phrases or statements. Once you have captured the primary details of the dream, you may begin to elaborate further on each of the phrases or statements.

Note the overall mood or tone of the dream, including any distinct feelings or impressions you experienced.

Note the prominent color or colors in the dream, or note if the dream occurred in black and white.

Draw or sketch key points or images from the dream. Since we dream in images, our recall is often enhanced by looking at our own sketches of dream events. You don't need to be a talented artist to do this. You are the only one who ever needs to see your dream sketches.

Indicate the level of lucidity you experienced in the dream. This will allow you to track your conscious dreaming progress later. For each entry, use the same standards to note your level of lucidity. The following is a common method of assessing lucidity levels:

Not Lucid — You experienced no awareness whatsoever that you were dreaming.

Mildly Lucid — You experienced slight awareness that you were dreaming, but could not confirm or hold on to that awareness. This form of mild lucidity occurs often in the early stages of conscious dreaming practice. In this stage, dreamers frequently report having the vague sensation or fleeting thought that they were dreaming.

Periodically Lucid — You experienced certainty that you were dreaming, but could not maintain that awareness throughout the rest of the dream. Periodic lucidity also occurs often during the early stages of conscious dreaming practice. Dreamers are able to attain a level of conscious awareness and confirm they are dreaming, but the lucidity slips away when they later become distracted or caught up in the dream again.

Fully Lucid — You experienced certainty that you were dreaming and you were able to maintain that conscious awareness to remain lucid, but you did not have control over the dream events or dream environment.

Lucid With Control — You experienced certainty that you were dreaming and you were able to remain lucid, and you achieved control over the dream events or dream environment.

After you have recorded all the details of your dream, give your dream journal entry a descriptive title. Be sure to include a date and time for each entry.

Categorize your dream. This will help you determine if certain types of dreams occur more often than others. The categories may be as simple as "School dream", "Flying Dream", or "Nightmare", or you can make them more detailed if you wish. I recommend keeping it simple at first. You can always add new categories later.

Don't be concerned if at first you remember only scant details. In many cases, dreamers are only able to recall a few brief details, and often dreamers can recall only one central detail that played a strong role or stood out in the dream. It is sometimes easier to recall emotions rather than specific details. The important thing is to write down whatever you remember, including the emotions or tone of the dream, and to make a habit of doing it every single morning. With practice, you will gradually develop the ability to recall at least one dream per night, and over time you'll begin to recall multiple dreams per night.

To help you remember these steps, I've included a free downloadable Dream Journal Template. This template will walk you step-by-step through remembering all the details of your dreams.

To download the dream journal template and save it to your computer:

1. Right-click on the link below
2. Select "Save Target As" from the menu

Here is the link: Dream Journal Template

Stay tuned for Part 7 in the series, where I'll describe how to discover your own personal dream symbols and how to use them to have lucid dreams.