Set the journal close to your bed and keep a pen nearby so that you can quickly write down what happened in the dreams you remember when you wake up. If you leave it any longer, the memory quickly fades. You could write your dream journal in a word processor on a computer, but it’s recommended to write it in freehand. You’ll spend more time putting pen to paper, making a larger connection in your brain between the dream and your recording of it.
Draw pictures and write down directions, using lots of detail. In fact, put in as much detail as possible; get to the point where you think you may have too much detail. Even the smallest things are important. The trick is to tell yourself what you are going to experience when you dream, so that you can become aware of your dreaming state while you dream. Don’t watch television or movies before you go to bed, or you may dream about what they involved instead of your target dream.
Draw pictures and write down directions, using lots of detail. In fact, put in as much detail as possible; get to the point where you think you may have too much detail. Even the smallest things are important. The trick is to tell yourself what you are going to experience when you dream, so that you can become aware of your dreaming state while you dream. Don’t watch television or movies before you go to bed, or you may dream about what they involved instead of your target dream.
Like an athlete practicing a routine, you are training your mind to recall its dreams. The more consistently you train your mind to recall its dreams, the sharper and more heightened your dreams will become. Write down any parallels you remember between your target dream (the dream you wanted to have) and the dream you actually had. Be as specific as possible. Think about the similarities and differences. When interpreting the dream, keep in mind that dreams do not offer exact images or answers to your questions the way that your brain does in a waking state. Instead, the brain communicates by means of metaphors.
After reading something one or two times, your brain thinks it knows what the words mean and gets lazy: it only processes the outline of the words and not their sense. Be sure to fully grasp the sense of your target dream so that you feel you know it inside and out before you go to sleep.
Daydream about the images from your target dream as they appear in your subconscious. Your subconscious will generate a lot of images that have nothing to do with your target dream, so cycle through the ones that are irrelevant and try to focus hard on relevant images. Imagine the sounds and dialogue in the background of your target dream; really try to hear them in your mind. Try to feel the sensations associated with your feeling, mood, etc. If no sounds or images appear clearly, try reading through your target dream again in your dream journal.
Try to walk through the target dream in the exact sequence you expect it in your dream. Think hard, but maintain a calm posture. Do not get tense. Just relax. Go to sleep with these images and sounds in your head. Remember to record your dreams, whatever they are, when you wake up.
Reality checks call attention to a fundamental difference between dreams and reality: in dreams, states are fluid; in reality, states stay the same. In dreams, text will change into different words; trees change color and shape; clocks tell time backwards instead of forwards. In reality, text stays the same, trees stay rooted in the ground, and clocks move clockwise. [6] X Research source A good reality check to perform, both in reality and dreams, is looking at text. Suppose a poster in your room says “Justin Bieber. " Turn away for a minute, and look at the poster again. If it still says “Justin Bieber,” the reality check says that you’re awake. If you turn away, then look at the poster and it says “Selena Gomez,” the reality check will tell you that you’re dreaming. [7] X Research source
When you make the leap and realize you’re dreaming, try to calm yourself down. If you get too excited about finally being able to control your dreams, you might accidentally wake up from excitement. Try small activities at first. Again, this is about staying in control of your excitement and not accidentally waking up. Even mundane things like cooking food, climbing a ladder, or skateboarding can be fun when you realize you’re in full control.
