13 (Not So Talked About) Ways to Remember Your Dreams

It's not unusual for me to recall 8, 10, or even 15 dreams a night. Yep, you read that right. But it wasn't always that way, I had to train myself for that kind of dream recall.

For years I resisted even getting a dream journal. But when I did that was the tipping point. But even after that, I tried all sorts of methods to catch the ones that still got away.

Overtime I discovered and created more and more dream recall methods. That's why I know that the ones I outline below work.  

If you want to improve your dream recall then.... 

1. Don't Move! 

It sounds like a bank heist. But it applies to dream recall as well. If you wake up and move, it could be all over for you. 

Have you ever thought of something you needed to do, left the room to do it and then promptly forgot what it was?

Next time try this:

Retrace your steps back to the room where you originally had the thought. Chances are the thought will pop right back into your mind.  

Maybe you've done this in the past but you never thought about why it worked. Scientists contribute this to association, meaning your brain associates memories with specific context such as the environment or the surroundings. Re-entering the room can reactivate the neuropathways associated with the initial thought, making it easier to recall.  

I personally think it's much more than that. I believe that the energy signature associated with that thought is still lingering there waiting for you to retrieve it.  

And that's why I said, Don't Move! The energy signature of your dream is associated with the exact position you're in when you wake up from the dream. Once you move, or even open your eyes, that dream starts to dissipate because you stimulated other senses.

If you roll over, your sensory perception of the sheet against your skin could be just enough to distract you so that you forget your dream.  

Dream Memory is Fragile.

Dream memory involves a complex networks of neural circuits across different parts of the brain.A dream doesn't yet reside in any particular part of the brain like a long-term memory does. You need to remember the dream in order to move it to a different part of your brain. 

Don't worry if you do happen to roll over, just roll right back to the original position. Just as that thought you left in the other room it's still lingering there, your dream is still over there somewhere on that side of the pillow.  

2. Explore the Head, Follow the Thread 

This is a technique that I've not heard anyone else taking about specifically, although it makes perfect sense. It's a technique to catch that vibrational energy of the dream.

I use it a lot. And it works. When I'm laying there without an iota of an idea of what my dream was about, I wait. I wait until I get one tiny bubble of information. It could be a word, it could be a color, it could be just a sense, or an emotion.  

It doesn't matter how small it is. I stay with it.  I stay with that bubble or thought and very slowly expand my mental vision around that one thing looking for the thread that leads to something else.

If I follow that thread somewhere and it fizzles, I just go right back to that original bubble of information and start again looking for a thread.  

Usually the thread will lead to something else, which will then lead to something else, and pop, I get the dream back. But if not, I just keep exploring the thread, going back to the last certain thing that I can remember.

Just the effort of doing this primes your brain to recognize that recalling your dreams is extremely important. Even if it doesn't work this time, you are improving dream recall for the future.  

3. Write That Baby Down 

You finally remembered your dream. Congratulations!!

And then you get up and you brush your teeth and you make yourself some coffee and you get your clothes all laid out on the bed like a little flat person for the day, and all the while your brain is saying, "Well I guess that dream wasn't so important after all."

And you read your email and you drive to work, and well, I'll get to writing that dream down later. And your brain is thinking, "Yeah, dreams are no big deal. I'll just let little bits of it dribble away. It's not that important." 

The best time to remember your dreams is the first 90 seconds after waking up. If you think you're going to remember them after you get up and go to the bathroom, have coffee and get dressed -think twice. 

Have you ever written yourself a grocery list and then accidentally left it on the kitchen table? When you got to the grocery store, guess what? You remembered most of what was on that list. Why is that? It's because the act of writing it down told your brain that it was important enough to remember.  

I could get all fancy on you here and tell you how writing something down engages multiple regions of the brain helping to encode the retrieval process. And, when you write something by hand, you activate even more sensory and motor cortex regions compared to say typing. But basically, you're telling your brain that because you took the time to write it down, it was important!

In addition to that, the act of writing something down generates the information twice - once when you remember it, and again when you write it down - which improves memory retention even more. 

Even if all you can remember is the color pink. Write it down. The color pink can tell me a lot.

In fact, even if you can't remember anything, right that down too.  You are training your brain to remember…remember? 

Here's another idea to help: The night before, record in your dream journal the date of tomorrow. This is prepping your brain for remembering your dream tomorrow morning. "Hey brain, this is important!" 

Which leads me to the idea of... 

4. Make it Special  

I mean make your dream journal special. It's going to send a stronger message to your brain that your dreams are important to remember if you've got a special dream journal and aren't just scribbling your dreams down on the back of your class notes with your eyeliner brush.  

Buy a special pen. One you only use for recording your dreams. Because dreams are special!

And put that journal and pen right beside your bed so that it's easy to grab when you remember your dream. Now that sends a message!  

5. Re-Read Your Dreams 

If you really want to send a signal to your brain that recalling dreams is important, then I recommend re-reading your dreams later in the day. Not only can this be fun, but you might actually remember something that you forgot originally. "Wait, yeah, there was an orange gorilla in the kitchen with me." 

6. Anchors Away 

While we are working to engage our brain, another thing to try is what I call anchors.  

An anchor can be something visual that you look at first thing in the morning. Such as a picture in your room or some icon you hang up. You want to train your brain that looking at that image means “remember my dream”. Of course, a visual queue means you have to open your eyes, so I prefer the verbal anchor.  

A verbal anchor is a very short, one or two word thought that you say to yourself (silently so you don't trigger the sense of hearing which could distract you from dream recall) right before you try to remember your dream. You can use this right before using the “follow the thread” technique from above.

Now, when you do your remember your dream, your brain has associated that word or short phrase with the act of remembering.  

Again, I wouldn't recommend saying the words out loud because your are stimulating your vocal senses, which could be a distraction. Simply think these words to yourself in my mind. Eventually just the use of those words will bring a dream back.

Of course, this practice takes time to work. But if you start implementing it now, you're already on your way to another tool for remembering your dreams. 

7. Brain Training Games to Play During the Day 

Here's another brain training tricks for remembering your dreams. This is one you do during the day when you're fully awake.  

Sit comfortably and look around your room, or perhaps just look at a single object. Study it. Then close your eyes.

In your mind trying to imagine every detail that you can recall about that object. Stay there with your eyes closed until you have completely reinvented the scene or object in front of you.

Then, open your eyes and compare your memory to reality.  

This does two things. First, it improve your memory by focusing on recalling detail, but it also helps you distinguish between the waking state and the dream state.

Opening your eyes and looking around the room, mimics the dream, which at the time of dreaming it, seems extremely real - sometimes even like real life.

Closing your eyes while trying to recall the detail, mimics the state of waking up, that state when you still have your eyes closed and you are trying to visualize and recall the dream.

8. Watch Netflix  

Yeah I'm putting this one on the list too. Watching a movie about dreams. Even reading articles about dreams can trigger you to have a vivid dream that you recall.  

I remember the first time I saw the movie Inception. Whoa! My dreams were wildly vivid.  

Just reading this blog will help too ya know. Wink. 

9. Set an Intention  

I will remember my dreams.  

I could probably end this section with that sentence. Intention is everything. By reciting a brief affirmation before you go to sleep, such as"I easily recall my dreams and their details upon awakening.” You can actually improve your dream recall. It works!

Follow that up with a visualization of yourself waking up happy to remember your dreams and reaching for your dream journal to write them down.  

Another idea is to write a heartfelt letter to your Higher Self explaining that you would like to remember your dreams. Then promise your Higher Self that you will write them down.  

Or, make a declaration statement each night before you go to sleep saying that you WILL remember your dreams. 

And stop telling people '"Oh I never remember my dreams." Your brain is listening ya know!  

10. Other Stuff 

And of course there are the things you might expect that can enhance dream recall,  

• Don't wake up to an alarm clock - And blast that dream from it's yummy neurotransmitter cocktail.

• Avoid alcohol before bed.  

• Establish a proper sleep routine. 

• Practice meditation and relaxation before bed. 

• Keep your room as dark as possible for good quality sleep. 

• Listen to a light language activation that accelerates dream recall. 

11. Yo Man, What About Drugs?

There are several herbs that have been shown to enhanced dream recall. Several such as passion flower, Mexican Dream Herb, peppermint and mugwort,  can help relax you for a better night's sleep. 

Vitamin B6 has gotten a lot of press. Vitamin B6 influences the process involved in memory consolidation during sleep. Some reports say that higher doses of B6 can increase the amount of dream content people recall without affecting the dream itself. 

Another study suggests that B6 helps synthesize serotonin which suppresses REM sleep initially, and then leads to a REM sleep rebound later in the sleep cycle.

And yet another theory proposes that vitamin B6 might cause more frequent awakening during sleep, giving the brain an opportunity to convert short-term dream memory into long-term ones.  

If this is something you'd like to try, please investigate it further and if need be consult with a health practitioner. 

12. Take A Whiff  

Several essential oils are known for their ability to improve memory. Simply sniffing rosemary for example can improve your memory.

Other essential oils they can improve your memory include lavender, peppermint, rose and clary sage. Take a sniff of them before bed, or perhaps put it drop on your wrists.

13. And Lastly 

Keep going even when it's hard. You are training your brain for an activity it is not used to yet.

Eventually it will become used to it, and eventually you too will be remembering your dreams. Soon running out of ink will be a thing to celebrate.  

Quick, does anyone have another pen?