Dream
Recall Tips
I have often been told by people that "they" do not dream. Others who
recall only the occasional dream have asked if there are techniques to
improve their recall. The answer is yes, but each person's mind and life
presents such a unique set of circumstances that to give any information
as a hard and fast, guaranteed-to-work rule would be very misleading.
I think one of the best ways to help people learn to recall their dreams
more often and with more detail and clarity is to try to impart information
about what is actually going on in the body, brain and mind when we sleep
and dream. Only by being aware of the processes going on will they be
able to accurately assess their own situation and apply the most appropriate
of the "recall tips" presented at the end of this article.
Some Notes on
the Brain/Body Process
There has been a substantial amount of scientific research on the phenomena
of sleep in the last few decades and anyone interested in the subject
should not have any trouble finding numerous books and articles at libraries
and bookstores. The information I present here is going to be very abbreviated
and paraphrased. I don't mean for it to be the final "scientific" word,
since research is always ongoing and I'm sure that discoveries have been
made which I am not yet aware of. However, I think that I have a general
grasp of the brain/body function and something more. That "something more"
is my theory of the "mind" as SEPARATE from the brain/body. It seems to
me that only by taking this "subjective" aspect of our Selves into account
does the rest of it really fit together properly into a cohesive working
model. So the explanation I present here is taken from the understanding
I've gained through reading about many of the above mentioned studies
as well as my own personal observation and application.
Physiologically, it seems that dreaming is associated with a particular
brain wave frequency. Of course, no one can truly say whether the brainwave
frequency occurs "because" we are dreaming, or the dream occurs
"because" the brain changed frequency. This same mind/matter
supremacy issue is at the forefront of the present paradigm conflict we
have, I think. Are we ill because of our emotions or are our emotions
damaged because we are ill? That is the question.
But regardless, as we pass from wakefulness into sleep a definite slowing
of the brainwave frequency takes place. Thus what we call sleep is "associated
with" a slower frequency brain activity. Different researchers have
divided up the frequency spectrum which they observed were associated
with certain stages of sleep and have given them names like Stage One
sleep, Stage Two sleep, and so on. Formerly they called the stages of
consciousness by other names such as Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.
But for our purposes here, all we have to know is that the brain slows
down as we go into sleep. It continues to slow down until a certain point
is reached and then starts speeding up again. Then, before reaching the
wakeful stage where it all started, it returns to its lowest point and
repeats this cycle several times during a night of sleep. Each of the
stages is associated with a certain amount of time which seems to be fairly
constant across the human spectrum. By this I mean that we all tend to
spend roughly the same amount of time in each of the stages as the rest
of the human family.
Individuals each have their own specific cyclic timing but an average
seems to be as follows. Sometime around an hour and a half after going
to sleep, the first dream stage seems to occur. It is characterized by
rapid eye movements (hence the name REM sleep) under closed eyelids, a
paralysis of the musculature of the body and the stimulation of all erectile
tissue in both sexes. The period of dreaming seems to be about 10-20 minutes
and then a deeper stage of sleep is entered for another hour and a half.
Along with this change, rapid eye movement ceases, muscle action is restored
and a deep, unconscious state of non-awareness ensues. Most people will
probably go through the cycle within 15 minutes of the above times. In
my own case, it is exactly 1 1/2 hours.
So in an average sleep period a dreaming period would end about every
one and one half hours. In 6 hours of sleep this would be 4 dream periods.
In seven and a half hours of sleep there would be 5 dream periods. However,
something else also occurs which seems to account for the fact that most
people average about 8 hours in a sleep period. Dreams tend to become
longer with each successive REM period. So if you start with a 15 minute
dream during the first REM period, you might end with a 30 minute dream
before waking in the morning.
One of the most important things to know, related to the subject of this
writing, is that every time you awaken normally....you are awakening from
a dream state. This is only logical since to become "conscious", or what
we call wakeful and aware, your brain frequency has to speed up. As it
speeds up, it must, at some point pass through the dream state and its
natural tendency is to linger in the dream state for about 15 minutes.
If you are awakened by an external force such as an alarm clock or a noise,
your brain will go through the stages so fast that there's no time for
a dream recall. This, as you will see, is not the ideal way to awaken,
especially if you want to recall your dreams.
In addition to the physiological factors of sleep and their relation to
dream recall is the ever-important psychological or subconscious factor.
This can be characterized by the simple statement that "your reality is
influenced by your belief". This is probably the single most influential
factor in whether you recall any of your 4 to 5 dreams per night...or
not. For best recall, you should have an awareness of the importance of
dreams....TO YOU!
This is why I have gone to some length, in the previous pages, to try
to describe what seems to be going on in dreams and how the various attributes
of Mind fit into the whole. Just reading these writings and reflecting
seriously on them will help.
Aids to Dream
Recall
The following are techniques I deem to be of some value in helping
to develop dream recall ability.
Really
Get "Into" It
Read...and THINK about...dreams, and their meaning to you. Most people
who are poor dream recallers only seem to recall the dreams with the most
emotional impact...such as nightmares. Or they only recall dreams when
they are ill. This alone, should be enough of a hint that dreams have
survival and instructive value. Most of these negative emotion dreams,
for instance, are actually reflections of dis-ease in the body brought
on by illness, indigestion or some other form of stress. The "symbolic"
language for these are emotionally negative of necessity.
Awaken Slowly
Awaken slowly and naturally, if at all possible. Alarm clocks do not take
into account where you are in the sleep cycle of brain wave states . If
you awaken naturally, you will have just passed through the dream state
before becoming conscious and recall of the dream is more probable.
Sometimes it helps
to read through a few recent dreams in your dream journal before retiring.
This puts your subconscious into a state of expectation which aids dream
recall. You can also repeat affirmations to yourself as you drift off
to sleep. One such affirmation might be "I will remember my dreams clearly
when I awake and I will understand their meaning". You could also make
this into a prayer, if you think that you are worthy of receiving a positive
answer to it.
Keep a Dream
Journal
Keep a journal with a pen within arms reach while sleeping. If you can,
write the whole dream down, even if it is the middle of the night. However,
just writing an outline of the key symbols and action of the dream can
be very helpful to your recall in the morning. For the "middle of the
night" dreams I would suggest keeping a small, hand held tape recorder
nearby. It is usually easier to speak than to write when you are planning
to just remain conscious for a few minutes. But be sure to record the
dream in writing as soon as practical. It might also be worth it to create
a ritual by reaching touching your dream journal just before going to
sleep each night.
Review Your
Dream Characters
When I awaken, and know that I've been dreaming but can't seem to recall
anything, I sometimes go over all of the symbol objects I can think of
in my mind. I might say "dog, car, house, woman, child, school, etc."
Then when I say one of the symbols from my actual dream, often detailed
recall will come flooding back into my mind.
Create a Computer
Database
For those of you who like to use computers, putting the dreams into a
searchable database is an excellent way to call up all dreams with similar
symbols over a given time. This allows you to see the overview of your
dreaming Self related to a particular symbol and can also be very helpful
in coming up with a meaning for the symbol.
Create a Personal
Dictionary of Symbols
Start your own personal dream dictionary, but leave room for changes...in
case your understanding of a symbol goes through a metamorphosis over
time. Each time you find one of these symbols cropping up in your dreams,
you should put it to the test of logic within the rest of the current
context of the dream.
And Finally,
Here's a Trick I Used Successfully for a While
Set your clock to wake you up every hour and a half...unless you happen
to know that your own average, natural REM period is longer or shorter.
Then use that period to set your alarm clock. As you awaken, every hour
and a half or so, it is likely that you have been dreaming. Knowing this,
scan your memory. Say to yourself, "where was I just now". "What
was I doing, just now?". Often this triggers dream recall if you
had not already been aware of the dream when you were awakened.
Do this for a few
nights and it will become so automatic that you won't need the alarm clock.
Your own subconscious mind will have been "trained" to wake
you up every time you dream.
***Note: Of course you have to use some caution and
common sense with this technique if you must be sharp and alert the next
day. By this, I mean you should set up your sleep schedule so that you
allot more time to sleep than normal...to account for the loss of sleep
during the wakeup periods when you record and/or consider your dreams.
DreamWorks
Main Page 
(if
you came in by the back door and don't have the navigation bar at the
top)