How to remember your dreams

Dreaming is an intriguing phenomena that has fueled the imaginations of many generations. As a result of this, thousands of studies have been undertaken to try and unlock the meanings and significance of dreams. One of the key stumbling blocks when it comes to the study and interpretation of dreams, however, is the speed by which dreams can be forgotten by the dreamer. This has made it difficult for many people to understand and listen to their dreams.

Although most people generally have several dreams during a single sleeping episode, most of them can only recall their last dream. Even your recollection of the last dream that you had before waking up can be vague and hazy. Within minutes of waking up, you may immediately forget significant details of your last dream. By the time you’ve brushed your teeth, your dream will probably be mostly forgotten, and its meaning will be entirely lost on you.

To make the most out of your dreams, its always a good idea to make a conscious effort in remembering them. Remembering your dreams will help you unlock the meanings behind them. Dream recall can help you listen to the messages being conveyed to you by your subconscious mind, thus allowing you to act on them and develop a healthy relationship between your conscious and subconscious self. Remembering your dreams does not have to be an arduous task, nor would you require the assistance of a professional. Although hypnosis has been shown to help in recalling lost dreams, there are actually simple but valuable steps that will help you in remembering your dreams.

Among the things that you can do is to prime your mind. Before going to bed, verbally declare your intention to remember your dreams. You can say it out loud as you prepare for bed or repeat it to yourself before falling asleep. Some people find that talking to one’s self in front of a mirror can sometimes help relieve any discomfort one may have over talking out to one’s self. However you choose to do it, make sure to express your intent or desire in a verbal manner rather than just making a mental note of it. Verbal reinforcement and autosuggestion can be very effective tools in conditioning your brain to be more alert even while you are in a sleeping state.

Recall your dreams as soon as you wake up. The details of a dream can slip away within minutes of waking up. So make sure to consciously recall the details of your dream the moment you wake up. While still in bed, try to immediately get a summary of how your dream went, and then go through each detail that you can still remember.

When trying to remember your dreams, it may also help to close your eyes in order to shut out any external distraction or stimuli that may interfere with your dream recall. Keeping your eyes closed also triggers the recall of other smaller details of your dream because you are able to focus on remembering the dream. Some people also find that they are able to better remember their dreams when they stay still or assume different sleeping positions. While there has yet been no scientific explanation as to how exactly these bolster dream recall, one theory is that your mind is better facilitated to recall a dream if your body assumes the same position that you were in while dreaming.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, write down everything that you can possibly write down. Always keep a dream journal at your bedside so that you can easily jot down all the details that you can remember. Even if you succeed in recalling your dream within minutes of waking up, this recall can still easily slip away within the day or even within the hour. In many instances, the details of your dream will chip away by the minute such that you may end up recalling only the broad details of your dream.