Thread: Recalling long dreams using 90 minute technique

To be honest man, I dont think you need to do that and go through all of that work. With daily consistent practice, you'll find that your recall will increase gradually. If you are one of those people who do struggle with remembering any dreams at all when you wake up, you need to try just staying still the next time you are awake and focus on anything you can remember. You want to quickly "grab" any dreams you can remember, and soon, bits a pieces will come to you. After a day or so, those bits and pieces will turn into paragraphs of recall for each dream. And it will still increase over time, even to the point where it starts taking you 2 hours to type up all of your dreams into you dream journal. So in the end, I don't think you need any technique, recall isn't on the same level of difficulty of getting lucid dreams; it is something that you can learn fairly quick, unless of course one has memory problems in real life.

Originally Posted by OneUpBoy71

To be honest man, I dont think you need to do that and go through all of that work. With daily consistent practice, you'll find that your recall will increase gradually. If you are one of those people who do struggle with remembering any dreams at all when you wake up, you need to try just staying still the next time you are awake and focus on anything you can remember. You want to quickly "grab" any dreams you can remember, and soon, bits a pieces will come to you. After a day or so, those bits and pieces will turn into paragraphs of recall for each dream. And it will still increase over time, even to the point where it starts taking you 2 hours to type up all of your dreams into you dream journal. So in the end, I don't think you need any technique, recall isn't on the same level of difficulty of getting lucid dreams; it is something that you can learn fairly quick, unless of course one has memory problems in real life.

Thanks,
I do have kind of a weak memory sometimes it depends on what I'm trying to learn or remember.

The reason why I'm going to keep doing this technique (at least for another week, before I try obe4u.com's techniques again) is because most nights I have been able to do it I remember usually three to five dreams a night. It's just that I've forgotten them by the time I try to write down the details. Also most of the time I can't stay still because I usually move very quickly upon awakening , unless you're saying that I can go back to staying still after I've moved.

Also even though I remembered only one dream last night (because I thought I had an appointment) I said "What was I just dreaming?" (which I read from another thread of this forum) and it worked I didn't write down the dream till this morning once I awoke because I thought it was too irrelevant to write down. The dream felt like an obe. Last night I didn't set the alarms for the ninety minute technique because I went to bed too late.

I also notice that once I go to sleep at 3am and beyond, even if the alarms for the technique are set I don't recall dreams as good. Also I can't do WILD because visualizing before going to bed keeps me up.

Once I get around thirty to forty dreams I'm going to look for signs and try to customize the MILD technique. I think I'm going to call the custom technique VRILD (visualization Reality check induced lucid dream).

Thanks.

Do you wake up in the middle of the night/morning and remember these dreams, and just not right them down until later? Most of the time in order to get the most out of the dream you have to record them immediately after you wake up. Thats what I do. I dont wake up in the middle in the night, because after a week of practice your recall starts building up and you start remembering your first dreams of the night naturally with no problem. If you really feel that you need to use one of those techniques, go ahead, but only use it to start yourself off. Maybe after a week of using one technique you could stop using it and start recalling without any help and do it on your own. Just the mere practicing of recalling dreams increases your recall daily.

Thanks,
I get what you're saying I can't use the technique forever to recall my dreams. The only reason I'm using it is to recall more than one dream a night (Most of the time I only recall one dream after a full nights sleep). Eventually I'm going to need to stop using the technique to recall more than one dream. Maybe once I reach my dream count goal I'll start using obe4u's techniques again.

Thanks.

Exactly, you have to "survive" on your own later on, but for now you can use it as a help. Good luck luffy28!

I think I'm going to stop using this technique because I emailed a professional from the Lucidity Institute and they said this isn't even a good technique. Plus they told me that the person who wrote / made up this technique isn't scientifically qualified to know how to instruct people in LDing.

They told me to get a book called Exploring the world of lucid dreaming. I borrowed it from a library and tried to read it and it's too dull / scientific.

I'm going to try the techniques from obe4u, but only for three days a week like it says in the book.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by luffy28

I think I'm going to stop using this technique because I emailed a professional from the Lucidity Institute and they said this isn't even a good technique. Plus they told me that the person who wrote / made up this technique isn't scientifically qualified to know how to instruct people in LDing.

They told me to get a book called Exploring the world of lucid dreaming. I borrowed it from a library and tried to read it and it's too dull / scientific.

I'm going to try the techniques from obe4u, but only for three days a week like it says in the book.

Thanks.

Obe4u.com to me seems like its centered on out of body experiences(though I know its really about the phase and all of the phenomena with in it), whereas EWOLD by LaBerge focuses mainly on Lucid Dreaming. Go ahead though, as that website provides a great read- "The Phase" by Michael Raduga. The indirect techniques he teaches in the beginning of that book guarantee success after only 3 tries of doing them. And even some have experienced success on the first try. Its a really good book, and it provides really easy methods. If you're one who is always busy in life, but wishes to have Lucid Dreams or OBE's, the indirect techniques within that book are just for you.

Ahh thats unfortunate you feel that way about the book. Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming is a great read, written by a great Oneironaut. Stephen LaBerge may not have been a pioneer in lucid dreaming, but he sure was a big part of its foundation in the role it plays today. The book may be really instructional/scientific in the beginning, but if you continue on and keep reading, once you get to chapter 7, its not as instructional. The book is highly informational and is filled with many adventures from other Oneironauts to give the reader a greater understanding of the practice of Lucid Dreaming in general. I feel it is a "must read" for all new Lucid Dreamers, but of course I can't, and I'm not going to force you to read it luffy28. In the end, if anything, I suggest you read the book from chapter 7- chapter 12, those chapters filled with great stories and things that really make you think. You'll learn alot from those. As for chapters 1-6, they are almost fully instructional, but they do teach great techniques, including in depth tutorials on many well know methods such as WILD, DILD, and all the others. Whatever your choice, good luck luffy.

Waking up after every sleep cycle and trying to recall dreams is a great way to kickstart your dream recall. Dream memory is strongest right after waking from the dream. I don't do it so much now but in the beginning I did wake multiple times every single night and usually would have the memory of 4-5 dreams at least from each waking, it was fantastic fun but a bit tiring to do it every single night.

The main thing, though, is the continuous effort: always set intention to remember your dreams, and always try to recall. Lie quietly with closed eyes and gently probe your memories. If nothing comes try associating with common dream themes (food, sex, fighting, fear, sports, etc.). Also, ask yourself, "What was I just dreaming about?" that's a strong trigger if you do it consistently. Consistency is important. Always reach for more recall!

Just this morning I woke and was frustrated at first that I had no recall, but I kept at it and kept at it and eventually recalled about 4 dreams. Some days the memories flow in easily, and some days you must stubbornly keep at it, prying each memory out one by one.

Originally Posted by FryingMan

Waking up after every sleep cycle and trying to recall dreams is a great way to kickstart your dream recall. Dream memory is strongest right after waking from the dream. I don't do it so much now but in the beginning I did wake multiple times every single night and usually would have the memory of 4-5 dreams at least from each waking, it was fantastic fun but a bit tiring to do it every single night.

The main thing, though, is the continuous effort: always set intention to remember your dreams, and always try to recall. Lie quietly with closed eyes and gently probe your memories. If nothing comes try associating with common dream themes (food, sex, fighting, fear, sports, etc.). Also, ask yourself, "What was I just dreaming about?" that's a strong trigger if you do it consistently. Consistency is important. Always reach for more recall!

Just this morning I woke and was frustrated at first that I had no recall, but I kept at it and kept at it and eventually recalled about 4 dreams. Some days the memories flow in easily, and some days you must stubbornly keep at it, prying each memory out one by one.

Thats also a great way to ruin your sleep cycle, and will keep you getting up multiple times throughout the night. Im not trying to be negative FryingMan, but that is a really unhealthy way of increasing your recall. Your body is only designed for brief awakenings after a rem period, if you stay awake for a time period over "brief" you start to mess things up. I tried doing this once, and it killed my sleep schedule. I would wake up in the morning feeling SO tired and would not be able to focus throughout the day at all. Your best chance at increasing recall is just to wake up in the morning and remember what you can. Which, isn't a hard thing because all of our most vivid and longest dreams, occur in the morning. If you use it as a way to kickstart your recall, you're still changing your sleep schedule. So now, if you were to do that, once you quit doing it, it would change your sleep cycle again.
One of the back bones in Dream Recall,is a consistent sleep cycle. Not only is it healthy, but it allows you to start remembering more dreams, and it even is a big plus when you are trying to go for an LD.

Originally Posted by OneUpBoy71

Thats also a great way to ruin your sleep cycle, and will keep you getting up multiple times throughout the night. Im not trying to be negative FryingMan, but that is a really unhealthy way of increasing your recall. Your body is only designed for brief awakenings after a rem period, if you stay awake for a time period over "brief" you start to mess things up. I tried doing this once, and it killed my sleep schedule. I would wake up in the morning feeling SO tired and would not be able to focus throughout the day at all. Your best chance at increasing recall is just to wake up in the morning and remember what you can. Which, isn't a hard thing because all of our most vivid and longest dreams, occur in the morning. If you use it as a way to kickstart your recall, you're still changing your sleep schedule. So now, if you were to do that, once you quit doing it, it would change your sleep cycle again.
One of the back bones in Dream Recall,is a consistent sleep cycle. Not only is it healthy, but it allows you to start remembering more dreams, and it even is a big plus when you are trying to go for an LD.

What about if I wake up right after every sleep cycle enough to put down on a sheet of paper I'll have at hand, rough sketches (and keywords) I will translate on the next day, just to avoid forgetting everything? Would it work better if I don't turn on the lights? Turning on the lights, that would ruin my sleep. A soft light from the phone could be enough I think. It wouldn't last more than a minute before going back to sleep anyway. It's won't be necessary to fully wake up or even fully open my eyes. Just enough to catch the details. What do you think? And what about the WBTB method? The problem I think is not being able to sleep full cycles.

Originally Posted by Box77

What about if I wake up right after every sleep cycle enough to put down on a sheet of paper I'll have at hand, rough sketches (and keywords) I will translate on the next day, just to avoid forgetting everything? Would it work better if I don't turn on the lights? Turning on the lights, that would ruin my sleep. A soft light from the phone could be enough I think. It wouldn't last more than a minute before going back to sleep anyway. It's won't be necessary to fully wake up or even fully open my eyes. Just enough to catch the details. What do you think? And what about the WBTB method? The problem I think is not being able to sleep full cycles.

That would work Box77, but you have to keep it short. I think you could manage really good recall just by using Key words, I used to do that, and of course by writing down those keywords, they basically act as a key to remembering the entire dream. Sometimes all you need is 3 or 4 keywords and just those short memories of the dream will bring back the entire dream itself. It is completely possible. However, there is one problem I faced when I used to do that, my handwriting. As I awoke during the night to write down my dreams just by using those keywords, I would still be half asleep. I found that when I woke up in the morning and looked at what I had written down, all I saw was chicken scratch, I couldn't read a thing.
A good thing with the method that you are describing to me Box77, is that while it also can be a really great tool for recall, you can also take advantage of those brief waking periods and attempt DEILD. If you could manage to write down some keywords, while staying in that "half-asleep" mode, you can still attempt DEILD. When I say DEILD however, I mean its use as an extremely shortened WILD. Its a little different because specifically, DEILD requires you to recognize when you wake up from a dream, and then requires you to either re-enter that past dream, or create a new dream scene. But, there is a loop-hole in DEILDing, if you wanted to write down your dreams and then go back to and try to do it, you could. Like I said, all you have to do is stay in that mode that I mentioned. The reason that works is because your body has just woken up in the middle of the night(after each REM period) and is set up to where you should fall asleep literally within 20 seconds or less. For some people it can be more of course.
As for the WBTB method, it is really flexible. Some people attempt to do it after only 5-6 hours of sleep, and others attempt it after 7-8 hours. If you are an adult, it is okay to do it after 5-6 hours of sleep because as one grows older in adulthood, the body requires less sleep. It can be a great aid in WILD if you do it right, and for most people it is. The only thing is, you have to find that time in the early morning that is best for you, that will increase your chances of a WBTB success. In the end, WBTB isn't really that bad at all for your sleep cycle if you are an adult because after a certain age(I pretty sure its somewhere in the early 20's) your body stops growing and it doesn't matter nearly as much as it would if one was in their teens, while their body is in the prime stage of its growth. Although, for adults, the effectiveness of WBTB could depend on many factors such as: age, lifestyle, and some others.
All in all Box77 with the recall method you described above, I believe you could pull it off, but you have to keep those periods of brief awakenings brief and short. I would suggest no more than around 30 seconds to maybe a minute. In that short time period it is possible to write down those keywords, but I would leave out the drawings unless you can draw fast. And yes, make sure to keep as many lights off if you can because that would wake you up to much to where you wouldn't fall asleep as quickly.

I'm not advocating full WBTB every sleep cycle, just recall and quick journal and back to sleep. Even with intention to do so, I'd usually only catch one or two, with no intention, there's only the final morning waking, and there's little doubt that this would lose most of the nights dreaming. For one thing, you don't learn about how you dream in your earlier sleep cycles, that's quite interesting I've found.

What I do now is "mental journal" at night, and record only in the morning. I'm getting pretty good at this but I know there are dreams and details that are getting lost. Sometimes I'll voice journal at night if there's something really interesting, or a lucid.

I don't think it's harmful if you can get back to sleep quickly. Micro wbtbs are I think a great way to increase lucidity. And I think setting intention to wake after dreams IS a great way to kick start recall

Originally Posted by OneUpBoy71

However, there is one problem I faced when I used to do that, my handwriting. As I awoke during the night to write down my dreams just by using those keywords, I would still be half asleep. I found that when I woke up in the morning and looked at what I had written down, all I saw was chicken scratch, I couldn't read a thing.

Sometimes it took me hours to decipher my chicken scratching, although a couple of times I wasn't able to read it at all. That's why I prefer to draw sketches, that way I don't force my mind to think into words and keep it abstract, although I have lost some practice. I think it would go better as it used to be some time ago, as long as I keep on focused.
On the other hand, I find a voice recorder as a good option, although I'm not that good speaking to a microphone. There must be something psychological there because of as soon as I turn on the voice recorder my mind goes blank .

When I'm fast sketching it's something like this:



That one is from yesterday after a nap but forgot to translate it. As I'm seeing it right now, I know what happened in that dream. I hope I'm gonna put it in my DJ later.

By the way, I wasn't able to recall any from last night, and I think because of I went late to bed. Apparently that is what actually ruins my dream recall. Every time I went in a regular basis and not too late, my recall improves considerably.

Originally Posted by FryingMan

Just this morning I woke and was frustrated at first that I had no recall, but I kept at it and kept at it and eventually recalled about 4 dreams. Some days the memories flow in easily, and some days you must stubbornly keep at it, prying each memory out one by one.

This happens to me all the time. Specially lately, I tend to wake up recalling only one dream or none at all, and after a while, all the dreams come flooding to me. I can go from one fragment to five or six dreams.

Having said that, I have to say that waking up multiple times a night helps me with my recall. I don't set alarms, I've got used to waking up naturally after the last REM cycles.

Originally Posted by martakartus

This happens to me all the time. Specially lately, I tend to wake up recalling only one dream or none at all, and after a while, all the dreams come flooding to me. I can go from one fragment to five or six dreams.

Having said that, I have to say that waking up multiple times a night helps me with my recall. I don't set alarms, I've got used to waking up naturally after the last REM cycles.

Yea, I do this myself still, but I dont write down anything. You'll find that just spending time thinking about the dream and what happened is enough to make you remember it later on. With more practice you can just simply wake up in the morning and recall all of your dreams of the night, it is possible. Keep at it guys!

Originally Posted by Box77

By the way, I wasn't able to recall any from last night, and I think because of I went late to bed. Apparently that is what actually ruins my dream recall. Every time I went in a regular basis and not too late, my recall improves considerably.

Yes im glad you've seen that. A consistent sleep schedule is always a good thing for consistent recall. After a while of recalling your dreams every night though, you can afford to mess up your cycle a little bit and like I said earlier, just the mere intention and thought in mind that you want to better your recall, will help it alot as well.

I very quickly shifted to voice journaling rather than writing: 1) no deciphering chicken scratches 2) you can talk much faster than you can write [more detail in less time, back to bed sooner] 3) no need for light, 4) no fumbling for a pen and notebook.

I had really fabulous fun waking up 2-4 times a night and journaling in the first 3 months. I had quite a number of 10+ dreams nights that way. After that I just wanted to sleep at night but still recall and have lucid dreams and vivid non-lucids. But WBTB I feel really is king for producing lucids and vivid non-lucids, so I still try for it on a semi-regular basis.

Originally Posted by FryingMan

I very quickly shifted to voice journaling rather than writing: 1) no deciphering chicken scratches 2) you can talk much faster than you can write [more detail in less time, back to bed sooner] 3) no need for light, 4) no fumbling for a pen and notebook.

I had really fabulous fun waking up 2-4 times a night and journaling in the first 3 months. I had quite a number of 10+ dreams nights that way. After that I just wanted to sleep at night but still recall and have lucid dreams and vivid non-lucids. But WBTB I feel really is king for producing lucids and vivid non-lucids, so I still try for it on a semi-regular basis.

Yea voice journaling is also a really good way to keep everything brief and short. I would do it myself if I had a tape recorder or something lol. As for your method FryingMan, im glad you enjoy doing it, I guess it all depends on how you feel about it. I couldn't imagine waking up after every dream of the night and writing them down, but hey thats just me. As for all Lucid Dreamers, we all have something different that works for us. Cheers man.

Originally Posted by FryingMan

I'm not advocating full WBTB every sleep cycle, just recall and quick journal and back to sleep. Even with intention to do so, I'd usually only catch one or two, with no intention, there's only the final morning waking, and there's little doubt that this would lose most of the nights dreaming. For one thing, you don't learn about how you dream in your earlier sleep cycles, that's quite interesting I've found.

What I do now is "mental journal" at night, and record only in the morning. I'm getting pretty good at this but I know there are dreams and details that are getting lost. Sometimes I'll voice journal at night if there's something really interesting, or a lucid.

I don't think it's harmful if you can get back to sleep quickly. Micro wbtbs are I think a great way to increase lucidity. And I think setting intention to wake after dreams IS a great way to kick start recall

Concerning waking up during the night, I have to go with Fryingman on this one: if I don't wake up during the night, those dreams in the morning are gone. Waking up during the middle of the night is totally fine, and as long as you can get back to sleep, will not negatively impact you in any way.

When I awake, I make certain to not turn on any lights (except for a small LED) and write my dream down. This small WBTB often leads into a lucid dream for me, as long as I set appropriate intentions upon returning to sleep.

The alarm clock may not be the best option, as it is disruptive, but you CAN as FM suggests, set intentions to automatically wake up. You can also drink a lot of water to force your body to awaken during the night. Either will work without damaging your recall.

And OneUp, concerning adults needing less sleep: I have no idea what the heck you are talking about. I can easily sleep ten hours and feel like a million bucks.

(I know the conventional wisdom, I'm just messing with you )

You could also try to be more aware during the day, and recall as much of a waking life day as you can (near the end of the night when you go to sleep). If you are having trouble remembering details from a waking life day, then that could explain why you are having issues recalling dreams.

Awareness and practice--that's where it's at!

I think I'm going to stop using this technique because I emailed a professional from the Lucidity Institute and they said this isn't even a good technique. Plus they told me that the person who wrote / made up this technique isn't scientifically qualified to know how to instruct people in LDing.

They told me to get a book called Exploring the world of lucid dreaming. I borrowed it from a library and tried to read it and it's too dull / scientific.

Lucidity Institute is a for-profit institution: of course they are going to tell you that other lucid dreamers don't know what they are talking about, and that you need their book. LaBerge does put a lot of effort into his experiments, and does subject them to a scientific rigor that most online techniques lack, but seriously: if the technique works for you, who cares how scientific it is?

Originally Posted by ThreeCat

but seriously: if the technique works for you, who cares how scientific it is?

Wow, truest thing I've read all day ThreeCat. This is perfect, and thanks for reminding me, I couldn't agree more.

ETWOLD boring/scientific? I found it exciting and motivating. And ETWOLD explicitly calls for setting intention to wake up after dreams to recall them. Not every 90 minutes, but after dreams, meaning in the natural waking in between sleep cycles.

It's possible to remember dreams across sleep cycles, but I think it still requires at least doing mental recall before falling back asleep, to extract the memories from the fragile dream memory banks into more stable longer term storage (<<-- totally nonscientific guesswork).

Originally Posted by FryingMan

It's possible to remember dreams across sleep cycles, but I think it still requires at least doing mental recall before falling back asleep, to extract the memories from the fragile dream memory banks into more stable longer term storage (<<-- totally nonscientific guesswork).

Nah, take it from me, I dont really do any of that. The only time I get up is in the morning, and I can remember anywhere from 3-9(usually 5-6 because it takes me forever to type up each dream) dreams a night. Just by practicing recall in any way, you are increasing it daily. It all depends on how much you keep up with it. Of course, thats just my experience with it, others may be different.

Thank for all the replies, I'll have to read them because I'm about to go to sleep. And I'm reading the book now (exploring the world of lucid dreaming) and it's pretty interesting. I'm only going to do the obe4u techniques two to three times a week.

I remember I awoke (a day or two ago) multiple times within the night but couldn't / didn't do the cycling techniques because of tiredness / not being committed.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by OneUpBoy71

Nah, take it from me, I dont really do any of that. The only time I get up is in the morning, and I can remember anywhere from 3-9(usually 5-6 because it takes me forever to type up each dream) dreams a night. Just by practicing recall in any way, you are increasing it daily. It all depends on how much you keep up with it. Of course, thats just my experience with it, others may be different.

We all have to find what works for us. Certainly the unending desire and effort always reaching for recall is the underlying most important thing. I can't stand the notion that I have dreams that I can't remember, I think doing recall during wakings is clearly the best way to get them all, in good detail. However, that's not my goal -- sleeping through the night AND remembering all my dreams is the goal, but I'll sacrifice sleep now and then to get the recall.