Dream Journal; How To, Tips, and Results

I hope this thread will become a place where all the dream warriors out there can share their experiences.

I began keeping a dream journal 3 months ago and the results are simply amazing. Here are some tips for getting started.

1. Find a lucid anchor - A lucid anchor is a symbol of your choice that is used to remember your dreams more vividly and regularly. I use this
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/837b7d640896.jpg[/atsimg]
I have a picture of it on my wall so it is the last thing i see before I go to sleep, and the first thing i see when I wake up. This is actually a method of Neuro Linguistic Programming. You will program your mind to be conscious of your dreams more and more often. Envision this symbol over your heart before you fall asleep. When you wake up, before you think about what you have to do with your day, take a few moments to try and remember what you dreamed.

2. Write it down - Keep a journal by your bed and date and record Everything you can remember. If you have a laptop that you keep by your bed, I use this cool little tool. Dream Journal Software Its free and It organizes all your dream journal entries and even has a dream analysis tool that picks out key words and tells you what they mean in the dream world! Such a cool tool IMHO.

- Try to pick out themes in your dreams to see if you find anything recurring. It could be a valuable lesson your subconscious is trying to teach you.
- Write in the present tense, as it aids in remembering.
-sketch any images that seemed important
- Keep your journal in arms reach of your bed, you have little time before the dreams start to fade from memory.
- Write down any major life events or conflicts that are going on, so when you reflect back you can get some context as to whats going on in your life at that point.

3. Be CONSISTENT - Do it every morning and I guarantee you will see amazing results. Dont give up after a week, if you cant remember one night its ok. Just write down whatever you can remember, and you will make progress.

Why Keep a dream journal?
I began doing this as a means to achieve lucid dreaming more often. As I said I have had amazing results. I am remembering 4-6 different dreams a night with amazing clarity and detail. When I started it was 4 or 5 sentences a night. I am writing novels in the morning .

My dreams are changing and I had a moment the other night where I realized something wasn't right and I said to my 2 friends, "Hey guys....Do you know we are all dreaming right now?" For some funny reason I didn't understand that my friends were just in my head. I then proved it to them by flying down a stair case...started feeling vibrations and woke up. I was so pumped.

Anyone please feel free to share their experiences, add some advice, or ask some questions. We know so little about the dream world and I love discovering a little more each night! Good luck and have fun!

just wrote something similar, about my dreams.

I have lucid dreams but i only have one a night, or i can only recall one. If i wake up and fall asleep again then i`ll remember two dreams in the morning.

The best lucid dream test:
Usually any dream has a story to follow, try to ignore it, ignore your instincts and try to wonder around
I did but usually i end up following the plot, the dream changes just a bit to incorporate the decision i`ve made or i just hit walls. I mean i dream i`m in my town and the dream takes me left, i try to go right, but the road, passage is blocked by walls that aren`t there in real life.

Lost the skill with age, but i still love to dream. The things i can feel in my dreams are more powerful than what i can feel in real life.

I have some tips, smoking pot is bad if one wants to remember dreams, and increased heat seems to increase strength of dreams.

Not really increased heat in where one wakes up in cold sweats, but somewhere in between that.


[edit on 5-3-2009 by star in a jar]

Hey guys good idea.

If you look at this Group on Media Portal and search all media within the homepage I have uploaded 10,000 dreams explained for anyone.

Please join the group to and add any more resources you get there to and discuss results etc.

ATS Media Group Enlightenment

Kind Regards,

Elf

randel - Thanks for the tip...i find my dreams are mostly random so i cant say thati ever see a story pattern going on. That does remind me of a recurring nightmare I had as a child. I saw Jaws at a young age and was terrified of sharks. I would always be near a body of water in my dreams and would thrash and kick trying to get away from the fin. It was agonizing every night. I got to the point where I would become lucid and go underwater and just carelessly swim into the sharks mouth and I would wake up! Problem solved. Seeing the same story line played out in my dreams every night would make me lucid. Great observation! Starred.

Star in a Jar - Hopefully this isnt violating the T&C because it is not advocating personal use, actually its denouncing it, but are your observations based on personal experience or have you read this somewhere? Just curious if there was a study done on this subject.

reply to post by bringthelight


please check out my thread on dreams. You might not want lucid dreams. I can`t remeber the girls i dated 6 years ago, but some dreams you never forget.

When you see the people in you dream running one way try to go the other. If you dream you are at work try to leave before work is over, or just do something that you can`t usually do at work. Try to have sex with a co worker, that will wake you up this way at least you can`t get sued.

Here it is

10,000 dreams explained

Elf

reply to post by MischeviousElf


The cool thing about the dream journal software I mentioned in the first post is that it picks out words that you used and shows their meanings just as the 10,000 dreams pdf explains. So after you complete the journal entry you click "analyze and at the bottom of the page it displays all the words that it picks out and their meanings. Anyone who is just beginning a journal should definitely try it out

The Sofware is very good indeed,

Brilliant thank you very much

Kind Regards,

Elf.

reply to post by bringthelight


I can honestly say that it does indeed interfere with the dream state. I know very well from personal experience but do not wish to expound upon it for obvious reasons.

Back the OP: Absolutely true!! I have been working with dreams more and more over the past year and the results are fascinating! More lucidity, more clarity, remembering more of the experiences, and they make more and more sense. Getting less and less jibberish dreams overall.

I am still trying to improve my dream awareness but it is absolutely worth it and another world in which we can explore, perhaps even more real than this one at times.

I also wish to add from personal experience that alarm clocks are a no-no.. if they can be avoided please attempt to do so. Wake up with your bodies natural alarm clock. This will decrease disruptions overall and keep your mind from snapping right back into this world after a dream. This can often cause you to immediately forget especially if this is new to you.

Keep up the good work!

Thanks for this thread I've been looking for information on dream journals for a while.

S+F

Also this is the first thread that I've ever printed out.

iced blue- if you have any questions at all fell free ask! I would love for anyone else who has worked with a dream journal to chime in and share how it has altered your dreaming state.

Also I forgot to mention, heres a great book Ive been reading about dreams and Its where I got my lucid anchor symbol "ah". Lot of detail

I've only been using a dream journal for a bit over a week but since i started using it I've been able to remember my dreams easier and clearer.

Just wanted to share a Astral travel experience I just had about an hour ago. I believe it definitely has to do with using a dream journal and meditating. For the past 2 months I have had a schedule of meditating at least once a day and writing down my dreams every morning.

So here goes....

I came home from work at around 5 and I was dead tired. I decided to take a little nap before my gf got home from work. I lied on my back and visualized myself standing up in front of my bed facing my door. I was looking at my profile from my bed. Once i could visualize myself standing there I tried transferring my awareness. I was picturing what my double was seeing through his eyes staring at my door.

Next thing I know the waves of vibrations started. I have done this before it has just been about a year or so since it last happened. I moved into a new place and I stopped meditating and writing down dreams. I just got back in the swing of things and the projections just started up again tonight and I am VERY excited. Now I know that meditation and feeling my light body has everything to do with projecting.

So back to the vibrations. For me it comes in waves, like a pulsing of intense vibrations that are pretty much indescribable. Almost like a full body orgasm but more intense. Then you get the high pitched frequency's in your ear. I realized what was about to happen and said "ok here we go!" and with one big push I was out. I went for my door and went down the stairs. I was wandering around filled with excitement and there were so many things to try. I was trying to move things to prove that I was out but couldn't.

Then I saw my roommate get home and start cooking mac and cheese. I tried yelling and touching her to make her aware that I was there but she didn't react. I then went back for my body and just laid in it feeling the amazing vibrations and enjoying them. I somehow knew my girlfriend was home and wouldn't you know it as I came too i heard her foot steps. She said hello and I asked If my roommates mac n cheese was done and she said "how did you know that?!"

I feel so up lifted and happy that im back in the game!!

My advice to all: make a schedule, meditate at least once a day and write down your dreams every morning and amazing things will happen!

What a feeling it is to experience your soul as a separate entity from your body first hand! I do not fear death!!!

Hey, awesome about your astral projection. Great that you had the mac and cheese situation to test it for yourself.

I agree with all these dream journaling tips. Only thing I don't necessarily agree with is when you said that your software tells everyone what this and that in the dream "means." I'm not really sure I agree with this approach, I have read up on dream symbols and meanings as little as possible for my own approach. You don't really need a knowledge of the symbols or what this situation means in order to get 5 or 6 recalled dreams per night, and steady lucid experiences.

I have kept a dream journal off and on for years, I probably have 200 pages hand written. There is nothing better to suggest to people interested in their dreams. Lately I've used the tape recorder at times, which I do not believe is as effective as writing or typing. I think writing is the most effective, it is more patient and you get to think about it and visualize as you write it.

Also the dream anchor idea, I will probably get back into this. For a few weeks I used the lyre symbol of Apollo www.symbols.com...

I remember seeing it in a dream as I opened a door (It was inscribed in the door window) walking into a restaurant and thinking "ah this symbol must be more popular than I thought!" Obviously I should have realized it was a dream.

[edit on 10-3-2009 by Novise]

reply to post by bringthelight



I was waiting for a reply before but then I realized that I hadn't written anything. I must have accidentally closed the page. oops

so my questions were

How does the lucid anchor actually work? does it appear in your dreams?

and you also said that you have between 4-6 dreams a night. How do you tell where one dream starts and the other finishes?





[edit on 10-3-2009 by iced_blue]

I use the lucid anchor to make sure remembering my dreams is on my mind when I go to sleep and as soon as I wake up. I see my symbol and instantly try remembering. I have never actually seen my symbol in my dream, but when I wake up it is usually in my minds eye because Ive been doing it for awhile.

When I say I have 4-5 dreams a night, there are breaks in what I can remember and the location changes. It will be a completely different set of people, new place, and new events. Ill remember one dream and in remembering that dream and writing it all down, another one will pop into my head. I just cant bridge the gap from the last dream so i consider it a new one.

hope that helps.

reply to post by Novise


I completely agree with you on the symbols. I dont take everything from the software literally. Sometimes the software will suggest a certain meaning for a word and it will fit the puzzle of my dream, or resonate with me. I know my mind comes up with its own symbols and meanings and I try to figure them out, and sometimes i can use some help from the software.

If i am really stuck and have a really weird dream I will have the software analyze it for me. If it doesn't agree with me or doesn't make sense I will just go deeper and try and figure it out for myself.

I find dream symbols to be mostly personal. Certain things mean things to you and no one else, you have to trust your gut.

Thanks for clarifying that as it is an extremely important point.

Lucid Dreaming can be such a pain sometimes

I remember one night before I fell asleep I remembered I had an essay to do for english, I didn't want to be working til 3am cause I was very tired and the essay would have been really bad and I'd probably fall asleep in school the next day so I set my alarm for 6am and went to sleep.

The alarm went off at six and I turned off the sound intending to get up but was so tired fell straight back asleep, of course I didn't realise this in my head and set about doing the essay in my dreams. I got the essay done very fast but couldn't comprehend why I had it done so fast, had breakfast was about to walk out the door for school then BAM...

woke up at a quater to 9 with no time to write the essay, happens more often than it should, quite annoying.

reply to post by Irishwolf


Yeah, for people that dream a lot it seems to help to have a less rigid sleep schedule. Get to where your body can handle what would be considered strange hours of sleep, and where it is able to relax even during light sleep. This happens naturally I think, though you do need a little discipline to get the ball rolling. Think of an evening nap as part of your actual sleep. I typically sleep twice a day for 3 to 4 hours each time, instead of all at once for 6-7 hours like most people, or 5 hours then 2 or whatever, your body can get used to this.

That should help with that sort of issue where dreams sort of mess you up in the morning. There aren't many quick fixes other than setting the alarm in 2 or 3 places just in case. I set my phone alarm in 10 minute intervals apart from eachother "just in case" I get some out of control dream mode in the morning. But the long term fix is to split your sleeping up, and getting your body used to running well under lighter and lighter sleep.

Best I think to get to where you wake up an hour or two earlier than you would need to, so if you do have this sort of out of control dreaming at times, you wake up at the normal time. It also helps a ton for dream journaling and recall to actually have the time, the quiet moments of the early morning, and a relaxed no rush way of getting ready for the day. This is especially true while actively journaling and being focused on it. There are still just as many hours in the day and I find it to be a rather low stress way to live. Not that I do that ALL the time, but I recommend it for the times especially that one is improving on their dreams and dream recall rapidly and focusing on it pretty well.

Also I know what you meant by your post and it is a problem I think we've all encountered, but I want to clarify: a lucid dream is different from a normal dream. Lucid means you realize it's a dream. Maybe you've had lucid dreams in the past, I wouldn't doubt it, but this here where you thought you were actually writing the paper and actually getting ready in real life is not an example of lucid dreaming. If you had gone lucid you would have realized it was a dream, not real life, and you probably would have woken up by trying to fly around or doing something crazy.