but i don't even dream!

[maryelyn]

...well, i suppose i do - 'they' say that everyone does...but some don't remember their dreams, is all...

that's me. i rarely remember dreaming. so rarely that when i do remember a dream, i remember it always. i can remember a dream that i had 20 years ago. but not last night. or the night before that, or the night before that - and so on and so on.

i try to 'remember to remember' each night by telling myself as i go to sleep that i will remember...but, no, i don't. and the funny thing is, when i do remember a dream, there's never anyone in it that i know! i used to say (back when i dreamt more often than i do now) that 'my dreams are populated by strangers'.
even when i dream, i am a third person, an observer. it is rare for me to be an integral part of my own dream.

it seems odd.

[Erin Pavlina]

If you really want to start remembering your dreams, try setting your alarm to wake you at certain intervals (you'll have to experiment a little to catch yourself dreaming).

I remember reading a book called the Breakthru Dream that had a quiz. According to what you told me about your dream recall you would rank very low on that scale. Not a derogatory scale, just somethign that showed how close you were to total conscioiusness in your dream.

[Scott]

I rarely remember my dreams either, but the ones I do remember are always vivid, in first-person and in color (which I understand is rare). If you start to remember your dreams by setting alarms in the middle of the night, will you actually start to remember them without using an alarm?

[elainevdw]

Originally Posted by Scott

I rarely remember my dreams either, but the ones I do remember are always vivid, in first-person and in color (which I understand is rare). If you start to remember your dreams by setting alarms in the middle of the night, will you actually start to remember them without using an alarm?

Does anybody have stats on how many people dream in color and how many dream in black and white? Just curious; I always dream in color, and hadn't heard that it's rare.

It could be connected to the vividness of dreams, which is discussed in another thread... which people seem to link to one's visualization abilities.

[ram1]

I always dream in color.

[Scott]

According to SelfhelpMagazine:

Originally Posted by SelfhelpMagazine

There is no experimental proof I have seen of this, but researchers agree that most dreams are in color. However, because the dream fades so quickly after we awake, our memories of the dream are often recalled in gray tones. Studies show that those who are in tune with color in waking life tend to remember more color in dreams as well. I have also noticed that those of us who grew up with black & white TV have more black and white dreams. I haven't properly researched this yet, it's just an observation.

When I was a kid, I heard someone talking about black & white vs color dreams. I felt bad because I recalled most of my dreams in b & w. That night I dreamt of thousands of iridescent lizards running along by my room. I was really delighted and tried to collect as many a possible, commenting the whole time about the color. This dream indicates satisfactorily to me that there is color *in* the dream and it's not just added afterwards.

So, apparently, the fact that we do remember dreaming in color must mean that we recall our dreams better after all?

[Jon]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

If you really want to start remembering your dreams, try setting your alarm to wake you at certain intervals (you'll have to experiment a little to catch yourself dreaming).

I remember reading a book called the Breakthru Dream that had a quiz. According to what you told me about your dream recall you would rank very low on that scale. Not a derogatory scale, just somethign that showed how close you were to total conscioiusness in your dream.

Expanding on this advice with some intervals that work for me:
1st alarm: 4,5 hours after I go to sleep
2nd alarm: 90 minutes
3rd and every following: 60 minutes

If I write some clues down immediately, the level of recall later that day is amazing. I can usually write down 2-3 pages of dreams for one night.

I noticed another benefit - the more I remember my dreams the better mood I'm in. Some dreams can really get creative and I can enjoy them as much as a great movie. No, not just the sexy ones.

Another tip, try to use a really gentle alarm, just enough to wake you up. I use a short whispery "wakey wakey, you're dreaming" recording.

[Strangemagik]

I have a friend who claims to have NEVER remember a dream not even one. I'm sure he did but doesn't remember. I mean like when he was younger.


Do the blind since birth peeps dream I wonder? maybe in sound huh?

[Paul C]

Originally Posted by Strangemagik

I have a friend who claims to have NEVER remember a dream not even one. I'm sure he did but doesn't remember. I mean like when he was younger.


Do the blind since birth peeps dream I wonder? maybe in sound huh?

As well as touch and smell. But besides that, I suppose you would need to ask a blind person for that answer, politely, of course.

As for dreaming in colour? All the time. Although it's possible that one could dream in such faded colour that it might be mistaken for black&white upon recalling later.

[The Universal Call]

Actually, I can't remember having any dream in black and white right off the bat, but surely I've had a few. Reading Stephen Laberge's "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" can give you quite a number of great tips and advices. With what I can recall from reading I think that REM happens in 90 minutes interval. And that is very congruent with Jon's suggestions:
"90+90+90
90
>60 to 60 to... etc."
Lastly, putting the alarm on for every upcoming 60 minutes is also a good one, considering the REM-state happens more often the more you have slept and would probably be reduced from 90 minutes to 60. As Erin Pavlina said this can be different for everyone, but I started off from this standard and I haven't had to switch.

I've also heard that we supposedly dream about 5-8 times during the night, some being shorter and some being longer, if I heard this from Erin's podcast I don't remember - it might have been from Laberge's book or any other source. From whatever source it was I do however know that, after listening to Erin's podcast, I remembered 6 different dreams that night. Telling myself something before I go to sleep has worked great (except for auto-OBE requests), and I'm sad to hear that it hasn't for you. I recommend however waking yourself up at a certain time, try it and tell us how it went.

[Khristine]

...and now I have to intend not to remember my dreams every so often just so I can feel like I had a full nights rest.

For the longest time I didn't remember many dreams. I sort of shut that window in my early 20's due to some bad dreams. However when I finally realized that I could be missing out on a way for my guides to be sending me messages. I decided to try and start remembering. I figured it may also help me in my visualization (not sure if it will or has yet).

My advice would be to relax and try not to force it....when it happens it happens. Just before you go to sleep (when you notice that you are very relaxed) just say to yourself, I want to remember "one" dream. Keep this up every night until you have "one" dream. Starting with the one dream is a good starting place, unlike me who said I want to start remembering my dreams and all of a sudden was bombarded with 3 to 4 dreams a night. That shift from not remembering to 3 or 4 each night did not make me feel very rested.

So don't sweat it....but be persistant and consistant.

[Jalcine]

I remember my dreams the most when I drink alcohol the night before... They become very vivid, I remember them more often, and I think they are in color.. I don't know, it's hard to tell. I think I remember this one dream I had of my deceased grandfather kneeling on my living room floor, and the floor was the same color it is in real life... so maybe that was just my imagination filling in the blanks.
But the look on my grandfathers face was one of concern but also of love... I interpreted it as he was telling me that he loves me, and that I should smarten up with my life already.

[The David]

Originally Posted by Scott

I rarely remember my dreams either, but the ones I do remember are always vivid, in first-person and in color (which I understand is rare).

Is it really that rare? I don't remember ever having a black-and-white dream.

[Erin Pavlina]

I think alcohol causes you to awaken more often during the night, which could cause you to remember your dreams more since you are awakening during them.

[Minsc]

Could tell yourself to wake up as you're falling asleep?

Then you'd wake up at the start of the dream and remember it but never get a chance to dream much of it(would let you know that you can though).

Assuming telling yourself commands works for some but not others.

[CreativeSpace]

I love my dreams!

I especially love those epic dreams that go on for years but in reality you have only been asleep for 6 hours!!!!! I have not had one of those in ages!

As far as remembering dreams go I found that when I had my dream journal I had it on my bedside cabinet so when I woke I was ready striaght away to write down what had happened and I also just initially wrote down key words which meant I could record quicker and it helped reconstruct the dream. For me the window of opportunity to remember is very small so I had to be really quick.

Lots of dreams in water!

Oh and why is it the sexy dreams always happen just before you wake up! I hate that! HAHAHAHA!

[maryelyn]

well, i never responded to the initial suggestions because to be honest, i sort of recoiled in horror at the thought of setting an alarm clock wake myself up a couple of times a night! i don't think i care enough about remembering my dreams to put myself through that! it's bad enough that my alarm clock jars me awake every morning at 4:30 to get up and go to work...

however, i have had a couple of successes when i remembered to tell myself as i was drifting off, 'i will dream and in the morning i will remember my dream...'.
i think if i can continue to do that, i can build on it until it becomes a nice habit.

thanks for all your input!