Thread: How do I recover completely forgotten dreams?

Is there a standard list of keywords to look at or something?

Your best bet might be to look through your previous dream journal entries, or run through elements that commonly appear in your dreams, or scan through things you've recently been seeing, doing, and thinking about in waking life (which can trigger a memory of a related dream). Failing that, there might not be a lot you can do.

Travis is right. Just visualize the most common things you see in dreams like places, people etc as well as the recent real life memories.
Also it's important to do so as soon as possible cause the chances to remember the dream are rapidly decreasing with time. (even though theoretically it's forever somewhere saved in your head ^^)
Sometimes you can follow the stream to the source. Remember your latest dreams and try to go back and back to connect with the forgotten one, or go back from your waking up in memories. Sometimes you need a lot of concentration though.

You can also try to remember what you've been doing the last few days "in wake life". You usually dream about something related to the things you've been doing and thinking for the last few days.

So, I used to dream extremely vivid dreams and have dreams of premonition. However, I also used to have the most terrible nightmares. After dealing with nightmares most of my life without finding solutions, I "gave up" my dreams. Basically I prayed until I could no longer remember my dreams. Now I almost never remember them and if I do, they only linger a few minutes. I would like to remember my dreams again but nothing has worked. I've even laid there rehearsing them for hours (so that I can write them down) only to have them grow more vague until they are completely forgotten. Any suggestions on how to remedy this?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by BlueAngel

I would like to remember my dreams again but nothing has worked. I've even laid there rehearsing them for hours (so that I can write them down) only to have them grow more vague until they are completely forgotten. Any suggestions on how to remedy this?

Thanks.

Yes. Write something down. It doesn't matter if it's a color, an emotion, or a meaningless shape. Even if it's one word. Write it down.

I know I'm not adding anything to answer the OP's question, but I too am very curious about this. If there was in fact a way to pull forth memories from deep in the mind, I would be extremely interested in exploring some of the memories my brain stored long ago

It's to my understanding that some people have had conversations with their unconscious mind. Perhaps, if you were to ask yourself for specific information that you know has been stored, it can be drawn from the unconscious. The more that I think about this, the more it makes me want to try it out!

Theoretically it makes sense. Since we are able to explore the depths of our mind while lucid, it's possible that there is a way to access the vast vault that stores our memories.

Originally Posted by Chewnie91

It's to my understanding that some people have had conversations with their unconscious mind.

Haha yea but there is one catch. Your unconscious mind is the biggest troll ever!!!

Well, I did try to speak to my "subconscious mind" to see if I could start remembering again. This has worked in the past many times but not consistently. Anyways, I woke up in a panic the other night twice with my "answer" which was no, you don't want to remember your dreams. Obviously I am still dealing with a great deal of anxiety over having to deal with my nightmares again. Doing my best to work through this psychological block. Thanks for your replies

Originally Posted by BlueAngel

Well, I did try to speak to my "subconscious mind" to see if I could start remembering again. This has worked in the past many times but not consistently. Anyways, I woke up in a panic the other night twice with my "answer" which was no, you don't want to remember your dreams. Obviously I am still dealing with a great deal of anxiety over having to deal with my nightmares again. Doing my best to work through this psychological block. Thanks for your replies

I have a suggestion.
If you become lucid and you try to wake yourself up during the nightmares, there is a solution. Instead of waking yourself up, appreciate the fact that you're lucid. Face your harmless fears (they can't do a thing to harm you) and use them as dream signs. If you've managed to not wake yourself up, fire back with a rocket launcher or a punch. Don't think about that part; just do it.

Personally, if I can't recall the dream I had at all in the morning, I just let it go and wait for bits and pieces to come to me during the day. For example, if I had a dream about going to school but forgot it, it usually came back to me when I talked to someone about school the next day. Then, after I've recalled a tiny bit of it, the rest of the dream just comes back naturally ^_^ I don't know if this works for everyone, though.

I have asked my "subconscious mind" once who was I in my previous life.
The answer I got: "Hahaha you were a filthy thug!"
...
-_-"

Dream cartography (mapping one's dream world) can help you remember forgotten dreams if those dreams took place in recurring dream locations. It can also help you remember forgotten transitions in your dreams if those transitions are to and/or from familiar locations.

I like Chewnie's idea of just asking yourself to reveal forgotten dreams while lucid dreaming, if you believe it could work then it will.

I suggest meditation as a way of loosening the border between conscious and subconscious.

Also show yourself that it is important for you to remember forgotten dreams, your subconscious always listens. I think that you have come a lot closer to remembering forgotten dreams just by posting the question. And then just relax: The moment you stop trying so hard to remember, it might just pop into your mind, even if is an experience you have had several years ago. I dont think time matters at all, if you just trust that you can at any time connect with any experience that you have had or will have and that you can extract everything from it that is relevant for you now.

Originally Posted by Hitokage

Haha yea but there is one catch. Your unconscious mind is the biggest troll ever!!!

We need to start a thread about this! The autonomic, intelligent (and sometimes mischievous) aspects have had me confused for years.