Thread: Dream Journal Entry Sizes Increase

I've noticed lately that my dream journal entries have increased in size over the past few weeks and my average journal entry has become about one page for each dream. So I was just wondering how long everyone elses entries are. (When I say page I mean a standard lined A4 exercise book)

Am I still not writing as much as everyone else or what?

i hate writing alot... so i keep it about half a page...

I usually type mine. Around half a page per dream. If it's a long one around 3/4 of the page. I try to get all the details possible, my thoughts at the time, etc.

I hand write it so I try to keep it on the short side. Too lazy. Hmm, I should try the whole typing thing. Mm yah.

I hand write everything too.

When I wake up and think "Woah that dream kicked ass, better write it down" I start writing and then more dreams come to me and I write those... Then when I'm finished after about half an hour of writing, I'm not tired anymore.

Which is a problem when its early in the morning...

I remembered my first detailed dream in year(s?) this morning. I filled 2 sides of an A5ish page with big messy incoherent writing, plus a few diagrams

Originally posted by Citrusponge
I remembered my first detailed dream in year(s?) this morning. I filled 2 sides of an A5ish page with big messy incoherent writing, plus a few diagrams

Great! Keep that up and you'll remember good ones a lot more often!

i have a small ring binder pad by my bed. Its about 3/4 of A4 i think with very messy writing in it and little stupid pictures in the border of objects I've seen in my dreams.
The amount I write has really increased, mainly about how much I write for EACH dream. I used to write about a paragraph or two on each dream but now I can fill about 2-3 sides OR more.

I used to write down an entire page but I been very lazy lately and write down almost nothing, and some times I do write down nothing. I was thinking of getting a tape recorder. Seems like it would be a lot easier.

im getting lazy so my entries are becoming around 1/2 a page... i tried typing my dreams but found that its more convienent to have them organized in a notebook then saved on a computer (easier access).

I hand-write my journal entries in a college-ruled standard notebook. If I took the time to write down everything I remember from my dreams right when I wake up I can usually get about 2-3 hand-written pages and even up to 4 (that was a vivid dream!). However, I can't seem to recall specific details like colors, smaller objects (unless they're of real significance), clothing, etc. I usually recall events and locations and usually some description of locations.

Anyone else have trouble remembering colors, clothing, etc?

I think there was a topic on this or something by O'nus regarding colors... something about... your brain doesn't remember them because they're not necessary to the storyline or something. Your brain doesn't remember colors in "real life" either, unless they are important in a particular situation. Anyhoo, but speaking of colors, I just wrote down 3 dreams where they were specifically *about* colors. Cool dreamsign! But I don't usually remember them.

Originally posted by Scwigglie
I think there was a topic on this or something by O'nus regarding colors... something about... your brain doesn't remember them because they're not necessary to the storyline or something. Your brain doesn't remember colors in \"real life\" either, unless they are important in a particular situation. Anyhoo, but speaking of colors, I just wrote down 3 dreams where they were specifically *about* colors. Cool dreamsign! But I don't usually remember them.

After extensive research and self-study - I came to the conclusion that colors cannot be processed during sleep. Keep in mind I mean externally received colors - real colors. This is because while you are dreaming, not only is it an introverted and individualised milieu contained within the individuals mind, but there is no comprehensive utilisation of the visual cortex during REM sleep. Only once the mind is awake and monoamine neurotransmitters are being produced does the visual cortex become active.

When color is integrated into dreams, it is typically because the color is remember as an associated aspect within the memory of the individual. Each person may remember blood being red in a dream because we always see it being red, we are used to it. We may also see tomatoes as always being red (or.. green..) because we are so used to always seeing it being red, thus, the subconscious projects the associated color into the dream as a "given" fact.

Typically, colors are not integral to dreams unless it has a certain emphasis (the emotional attachment to colors is usually easy to interpret) or has sentimental attachment.

After keeping a dream journal for an extensive amount of time, people will tend to realise a correlation between the development of extensive dream recall along with the pages being used in the dream journal. This is because you begin to train yourself to rehearse the dreams you have and store them into long-term memory rather than shrugging them off as insignificant fantasises. The longer you train yourself to rehearse the dreams and pay attention to details, the longer and more vivid they become due to the more attention they gain.

I am finding my dreams to become 2+ pages a dream (and I have around 3-5 dreams a night) so I usually only write down the very impressive or intriguing dreams (although I find I do not forget them anyway). Also, drawing simple pictures helps to.

I think I ranted off into a tangent and may have little relevance to the topic.. or complete relevance with superfluous details.. either way..

Hope I have been enlightening.

Complex yet enlightening post O'nus, it will surely stir up a few opinions

I think DV should have like a book made, a proper dreamjournal with a DV logo on it. With a lock on as well, to give it more sentimental value, would be sweet i rekon

Originally posted by Xisdence
I think DV should have like a book made, a proper dreamjournal with a DV logo on it. With a lock on as well, to give it more sentimental value, would be sweet i rekon

Yeah, we could sell it along with the t-shirts and mugs.

Originally posted by Xisdence
Complex yet enlightening post O'nus, it will surely stir up a few opinions

No really, it's fact. I have previously posted several experiments leading to the conclusion that colors you see within dreams are produced from within the mind or projected from memory as the visual cortex has nearly no activity during REM sleep.

Also, it's redundant that your eyes are closed during sleep, thus, you cannot see any real colors to begin with.

Etc..

The above two posts by o'nus outline why we should have an o'nus day, and feed him grapes.

O'nus, thanks again! That actually makes sense. Today I was writing about the color of some hills I was on but I realized when you talked about association that I associate practically all hills to be either green or a light/dark brown (which these were). Interesting....

-Amé

I may be out of line, so i mean no offence to any good information anyone has provided about colors in dreams ect not existing, i think that's utter rubbish. Sometimes things just go beyond what a book says, i can close my eyes, i am seeing only a black void, but i can bring up the color green/blue/red/purple ect, clear as day. Even though you see a color because it is reflected in the spectrum and into your eye, you can see it anytime you want. If memory is all that's making the color, and i can't tell the difference between the two, then what's is the difference??

i usally write a sentance or two per dream just to remind me what dream it was hehe...

I agree with Xisdence. I have never seen anything to make me think you dont see colors in dreams. If you cant see real colors because your eyes are closed then you also can't see real shapes but clearly you do. That doesn't really matter though since light can pass through your eye lids when closed. Fact is though you dont need your eyes, just like you dont need your hands to feel something in a dream, and I don't understand why you think you can see shapes but not color. I may be mistaken but I believe they are the same thing. If everything was the same color or it all lacked any color, you would not be able to make out any shape of any object.

Also we are talking about lucid dreams, in which your "living" them instead of "remebering" like normal dreams. So if you stare stright at an object and while looking at it ask yourself "what color is this?", you will get the real color. If there was none you would see nothing.

Then what if you have a dream sign which is a color? Maybe its a neon green car. You see 15 cars drive by in the dream then one comes by and its neon green and you become lucid. How is that possible? If you saw no color you could not have become lucid as it would be the same as the rest of the cars.