Q&A

[Luminous]

This thread is for questions and answers related to dream recall. If you have a question, post it here!

You can also ask questions in your workbooks if you want to, but if you do, please let me know in this thread as I might miss it otherwise.

[Namaste]

Do you think we might benefit from practicing some kind of improve your memory type techniques Lumi?

Icelus was saying in his/her workbook that he/she wanted to have as good recall of a dream as remembering what happened yesterday.

I often struggle to remember what happened yesterday so I wondered if the quality of our 'remembering/memory capability' would need to be worked on?

[Luminous]

Do you think we might benefit from practicing some kind of improve your memory type techniques Lumi?

Icelus was saying in his/her workbook that he/she wanted to have as good recall of a dream as remembering what happened yesterday.

I often struggle to remember what happened yesterday so I wondered if the quality of our 'remembering/memory capability' would need to be worked on?

Yes, that might very much be. However, it is generally believed that dreams go straight into our long term memory unless you wake straight up from the dream. This indicates that if you have a decent long term memory, then your dream recall might be better.

Not much is known about just how dream recall works in our brains, so I'm not sure how possible it is to remember all your dreams as if they happened yesterday. I consider myself to have very good dream recall, but I still rarely remember a dream coherently from beginning to end.

You say in your workbook that you are a heavy sleeper, so in such case, you will want to focus on long term memory.

[Hazel]

Do you think that WBTBs help or hurt recall, or does it just depend on the person?

[Luminous]

Do you think that WBTBs help or hurt recall, or does it just depend on the person?

WBTB definitely helps recall! When you wake up during the night, you are more likely to remember the dreams you have had so far, and it's much easier to remember them as well. Just write down what you can remember when you wake up to WBTB.

[Golden Son]

Q: I was shocked when I first saw your stats, not because of the 2k lucids, but because of only 12 dreams  . Are you pretty much at a point where you are that familiar with the DreamWorld that when you find yourself in a dream, you just know you are dreaming?

[soyness]

1. Are there any foods we should avoid in order to improve our recall? I'd also be interested to learn about those that have the opposite effect.

2. By 'heavy sleeper', do you mean people that need strong external stimuli to wake up?

[Luminous]

Q: I was shocked when I first saw your stats, not because of the 2k lucids, but because of only 12 dreams   . Are you pretty much at a point where you are that familiar with the DreamWorld that when you find yourself in a dream, you just know you are dreaming?

Yes. I've been having lucid dreams since I was 3, so that gives me 23 years of experience. But training my dream recall by keeping a dream journal has really helped me remember lucid dreams that I would otherwise have forgotten!

1. Are there any foods we should avoid in order to improve our recall? I'd also be interested to learn about those that have the opposite effect.

2. By 'heavy sleeper', do you mean people that need strong external stimuli to wake up?

1. I don't believe that any type of food has a significant effect on recall. But you will not want to eat a big meal before bedtime, that might have a negative effect. And it's not good for your sleep anyway.

2. Pretty much, yes. And heavy sleepers tend to not wake up that often, if at all, during the night.

[soyness]

2. Pretty much, yes. And heavy sleepers tend to not wake up that often, if at all, during the night.

I see lol. That makes me a heavy sleeper, then.

[Baphomet]

Why do you feel that it's important to give your dreams titles in your jounal? You mentioned that in the dream journal thread.

[Luminous]

Why do you feel that it's important to give your dreams titles in your jounal? You mentioned that in the dream journal thread.

Because it helps the memory of that dream to "sink in", and when you have to title your dreams, you also have to think through the general theme/plot of that dream, which is also good for your dream recall.

[LucidBuddha]

Jeremy Taylor says that putting a title on a dream can be a very important step for a dreamer. Sometimes I will leave a dream untitled until I've gotten a chance to work through it - exam the elements and themes to see if anything strikes a chord. Then I'll title it and it will mean much more to me than if I simply title it the first thing that pops up.

[Baphomet]

I get it. I'll start doing that. 

[gagaku]

I have to sleep on a very uncomfortable couch most nights; what can I do to improve my recall in this situation?

[Luminous]

I have to sleep on a very uncomfortable couch most nights; what can I do to improve my recall in this situation?

Do you feel that the uncomfortable couch is hindering your dream recall? I wouldn't think that it would matter... Other than following the workshop and keeping a dream journal, you would then have to find somewhere more comfortable to sleep...

You should also be sure to get enough sleep. If you have sleepless nights because of the couch, that's yet another reason to try to make it more comfortable, and get the rest you need. Sleep deprivation pretty much kills dream recall, and the remedy for that is to get enough sleep.