How do I recall my dreams?

[terrisue]

I know I have dreams - and in the past I have had repeated and very vivid/ realistic dreams... dreams that I could recall minor details of 25 years later - but I never saeem to remember my dreams now....  why?

[eye_of_tiger]

Putting aside the fact that as we age we dream less and a host of other factors such as our current stress levels, illness and certain medications which actually suppress REM sleep (the phase of sleep where we are believed to dream - Rapid Eye Movement), it is likely that you have simply got out of the habit. Also, constant disruptions to our normal healthy sleep pattern can often be the culprit. Try going to bed before midnight, as they say that any sleep you can get before then is more beneficial to your mental and emotional health, as well as your physical well being.

Recondition your mind by suggesting to yourself gently before you drift off to sleep at night that you are interested in understanding the meanings of your dreams, and you accordingly wish to remember them more. Be certain to keep a regular dream journal or diary on your bedside table along with two reliable pens (one as a backup), so that you can quickly jot down anything you can remember happened in your dream, as well as any strong feelings which you experienced while dreaming. The feelings are often as important as the actual elements of the dream.

Even when you get back into the habit of remembering your dreams it would be thought to be highly unusual to remember any details about them 25 years later. With the average dream 10 minutes after waking is about the usual limit (which is precisely why dream diaries are so valuable).

Lucid dreams, where the dreamer suddenly becomes aware that they are dreaming, are on the other hand unusually vivid  (they often seem more real than our waking lives) and can frequently be remembered in extreme detail for the rest of our lifetime. But unless you are yourself a seasoned lucid dreamer (or once were when you were younger), a truly lucid dream is more the exception instead of the rule.

Sweet dreams,

eye_of_tiger

[whheezzzz]

eye of the tiger you are filled with a vast collection of pure wisdom. I totaly agree,a dream journal is imperative to begin recalling and examining your dreams in more detail.Starts of pretty slow i might warn.May get snipets of things here and there but just write down what comes to mind and try not to analyze it very much when you do,just go with the flow. Another thing i found is very helpfull also is a small tape recorder digital ones are very nice no rewinding and FF lol that way you can be even more descripted of what happened and you wont get cramps in your hand when writeing alot, especially if your not use to it hope that helps and yea Lucid dreams are really cool, you know when you were growing up and your parents and people said you can do and becomeing anything in your dreams?? Well they were refereing to Lucid dreams. take care

[sidewalk_bends]

tivo baby!

[whheezzzz]

lol