Lucid Dream Techniques

Step 2: The Dream Diary

Recording Your Dreams in a Journal

To become aware that you're dreaming, you need to know what your dreams are like. You need to be able to recognise them. To do this you will need to spend some time recording your dreams. You probably need to start a dream diary (also called a dream journal).

As always, some people are lucky. They remember almost all their dreams without any trouble. The rest of us tend to remember a few fragments - a few remember nothing at all.

Dream recall can be improved. Like anything else it's a matter of practice.

If you want to have lucid dreams then start a Dream Diary today. Get a notepad and a pencil and leave them by the side of the bed. Don't shut them in a drawer or put them across the room - you need to be able to grab them quickly without thinking about it. For this reason a pencil is probably better than a pen as you won't worry about getting ink stains all over the place!

Every time you wake up - be it morning or middle of the night - grab your notepad and jot down everything you can remember about your dreams. Record in your journal the location, who or what was involved, even just vague feelings and emotions that you experienced.

The dream memories will initially fade fast. As you write the first few words down the rest of the dream will fade away. This will improve with practice, over time you will be able to recall more of the dream. Sometimes memory of the dream will come back unexpectedly later in the day - write it down!

A good idea is to keep two Dream Diaries. The notebook by your bed will be your "rough" dream journal. Things will be scribbled in here whilst still half asleep and will probably be barely legible. Later on - within an hour if possible - transfer these notes to the "real" Dream Diary. The very act of reading and writing the dream again so soon will help to encourage your dream recall and can sometimes bring back other fragments.

Some dreamers are happy just to use an ordinary notepad for their main Dream Diary. Others prefer to buy a special journal, perhaps one that is leather bound or personalised, in order to make the dream diary "special".

Make a point of reading through your Dream Diary frequently, especially just before going to bed.

Under no circumstances should you show anyone your Dream Diary. Dreams are intensely personal, some of the things we dream we wouldn't want to share even with our closest loved ones. If you know that your Dream Diary might be read by someone else, you will tend to subconsciously censor it. Make your Dream Diary private - and honest.

A Dream Diary is a fascinating thing in itself, you might find all sorts of insights into your subconscious. In the context of lucid dreaming the purpose of a Dream Diary is to help you recognise your personal dream signs.