Thread: StaySharps dream recall guide (Tag-book method)

What this is:

Let's start with a small introduction. Several weeks ago I had the random idea to try and write tags down in a book beside my bed to see if I could remember more dreams and/or in better detail. And the result was pretty clear, under certain circumstances I had twice the amount of recalled dreams a night, so much I even dare to say I had a few nights in which I really remember every single dream I had. Since then I used it regularly and gave it a lot of thought. And this method is what this thread is about, after this short version I'm going to explain it in detail of course.


The Method:

You need 3 things somewhat close to your bed to get this started:

Something to write on (preferably a small book, so you can easily take it with you)
Something to write with, like a simple pen
A source of light, preferably very dim, but bright enough to read and write

Every time you wake up you write down a few tags for all the dreams you currently remember, and then go back to sleep immediately, which is if you’re not getting up of course. Try not to bother yourself with the dreams too much but rather let them come back to you with all details at a later time while looking at the tags again.
Everyone wakes up several times during the night, but since we usually just fall right back into sleep we don’t take notice of waking up at all. The regular waking up can easily be used to write the tags down each time you wake up. If you have trouble using this to write down the tags try to get used to writing down tags every time you wake up. Chances are you’ll start writing them down in the middle of the night pretty fast.
When you are done with sleeping start to write down the full dreams you should now be able to remember by the tags.


The idea behind this is that often you don’t fully forget something, but you can’t remember it sometimes if you have no means of knowing what it is you try to remember. You forget the dreams you had during the night unless something certain reminds you and lets your brain search for something specific, and that’s where the tags come in, allowing you to do just that.


The right tags:

Picking the right tags is of course very important, and I recommend you to take at least 3 tags per dream unless one of the tags is very specific. Pretty much everything can be put into the tags, the location, a special person, something that happened, it just has to be something specific you can imagine in your mind, and which can be written in single words. The best tags are things directly generated by the dream, like odd words or things that fall completely out of the norm. In case of doubt you should make a few experiments with yourself to see which kind of tag works best for you in order to remember something.


Circumstances:

How effective this method is depends a lot on yourself and the circumstances you sleep in.


Generally beneficial circumstances:
+ You wake up a lot during the night
+ You fall easily asleep again after waking up
+ Your memory works a lot with tags

Generally detrimental circumstances:
- You have to get up at a certain time, or are forced into a specific schedule
- You have a loud alarm (the shock often makes you forget dreams immediately)
- You don’t remember any dreams in the first place


Those are the circumstances I observed or know to have the biggest impact on the efficiency of this method. Of course this is to be taken with a grain of salt as you might still get great results under bad circumstances, and vice versa. As you see above though you need to have a certain level of recall for this method to work, which is because it enhances only your existent recall rather than adding to it. If you have no proper recall at all this absolutely isn’t the method to start with.


Pros:
+ Will likely drastically improve the amount of recalled dreams
+ Can improve the quality of dream recall
+ Waking up during the night can be used for WBTBs or other dream related experiments
+ Raises your awareness during the night, giving you a slightly better chance at lucids
+ Doesn’t require a lot of time or work
+ The recall might gradually improve itself, with effects to be felt even when canceling the method

Cons:
- Sometimes it might be harder to fall asleep after writing tags
- Dedication might be necessary to force yourself to write down the tags in the night
- May collide with DEILD


That should be everything I know about this for now, if any questions remain just ask, and if you decide to try this method please share your experiences.


On a side note I also shall refer to 2 of my posts with 15 and even 17 dreams in one night, which was only possible for me due to using this method.

15 Dreams in one night
17 Dreams in one night