Use the D.R.E.A.M. Method to Increase Dream Recall
Keeping track of your dreams will unlock creativity, your subconscious thoughts, patterns in your life, and so much more. Many artists, musicians, writers, and scientists have said that their greatest ideas came to them in a dream. But those ideas that come to you will mean nothing if you don’t actually remember them…
Here are the 5 simple steps in our D.R.E.A.M. Method that will increase your dream recall and open a door to a whole new world.
D = Desire
Set your intention.
Not only is it important to set the intention to remember your dreams, it’s equally as important to believe that you do (and want to) dream. Many people claim they do not dream at all. As soon as you believe that you do, you can be open to remembering them.
R = Record
Document your dreams in a journal.
This is one of the most important tips in dream recall – write your dreams down!! You may wake up and think a dream was just so odd or so powerful that there’s no way you will forget it…then after 2 minutes, the dream is completely forgotten. Write. It. Down. Have a journal next to your bedside so you can document your dreams as soon as you wake up. The more you practice, the easier it will get. Your first dreams may only be a sentence long, and before long, you’ll be writing down pages about one single dream.
E = Examine
Write anything that comes to mind.
So you don’t remember anything specific about a dream? That’s okay! Write anything down that comes to mind. As soon as you wake up, move slowly and don’t rush into your day. Lay motionless and examine how you feel, notice any thoughts that are going through your mind, and pay attention your current emotions. When you’re ready, write everything down. The purpose of this is to not have a journal full of notes on your emotions. The purpose is to get your body and mind in the habit of thinking about your dreams as soon as you wake up. Your memory will grow stronger and you’ll begin remembering fragments of your dreams.
A = Absorb
Keep dreams on mind while you are awake.
It is believed that dreams are images and stories created in your subconscious mind. The more you think about dreaming in your conscious life, the more likely you are to begin remembering your dreams. Throughout your day, talk, think, write, or research dreams to keep it on your mind. This sends a message to your brain that dreams are important; so in the morning, when you’re too tired to even check the time, your brain will still know that remembering your dreams is something you want to do. Sort of like when you talk about a Subaru and then all of the sudden you start seeing them everywhere – this works for dreams, too. Think about them, and then they’ll start appearing more often.
M = Maintain
Don’t give up.
Truth: Dream recall is hard. We wake up, we’re tired and cozy in our beds – sometimes the last thing we want to do is grab our pen and journal to write down the wacky dream we just had. Even writing one word can seem like too much work. There are many times we think we’ll remember it even if we don’t write it down (we won’t). Or we’ll wake up and we just won’t care to remember. But dream recall is like building a muscle – it takes practice. And it is worth the effort – it gets easier the more you do it. Every morning is a new chance at recalling your dream(s).
Anyone . . . who pays attention to his dreams over a period of time will have more dreams than usual—which no doubt means that he remembers his dreams with greater ease and frequency.
Sigmund Freud – Dream Pioneer
