How to Keep a Dream Journal
Dreams don't always make sense to us, but they have a way of sorting out all of the day's experiences. Dreams can be difficult to remember if you are in the habit of dismissing them, but you can start a dream journal to help you trigger your memory of the previous nights dreams and help you understand and learn from them. Here are some tips for keeping a dream journal.
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Instructions
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Purchase a journal or diary with blank pages, and place this next to your bed with a pen and a flashlight or reading light.
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Write the date in your journal before you go to bed, and put the journal in a spot that is easy to reach. You don't want to fully wake up to write down your dreams.
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Think about dreams before you ever go to sleep, and tell yourself that you want to remember what you dream. This will help you develop a habit or pattern for recognizing dreams.
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Lay still when you wake from a dream whether this is during the night or first thing in the morning. Think about all the pieces or complete dreams you've just experienced or remember from the night before.
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Write down your memories. Don't spend time trying to figure out what something means--simply record what you remember. These may be one-word snippets or drawn-out experiences.
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Consider an alarm or bathroom break sometime during the middle of the night. Drinking a full glass of water before bed will help get you up during the night, so use this time to write down any thoughts.
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Keep a voice recorder with your journal. If you find it difficult to write during the night, you can record your memories and write them the next day.
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Review your journal. Once you have developed the habit of journaling, you may find you remember your dreams more clearly. You can also recognize similarities or repetitive dreams that coincide with daily experiences or crisis. Once you have a journal, you may spend some time deciphering what your dreams mean or what they are trying to tell you.
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Tips & Warnings
Sometimes you remember dreams from the night before at bedtime. Write down these memories in your journal as well.
Place a 25 watt light bulb in a lamp next to the bed. This is a softer light that should not fully wake you while journaling.
Avoid turning on bright lights during the night to write. This will awaken you too much, and it may be difficult to get back to sleep.
