Too Many Dreams (!)

[abyss328]

What do you do when you're remembering a large number of dreams with a large amount of detail?

This is the situation I am currently in. I have to record several dreams now from each night, and it has got to the point where a night's worth of dreaming could end up amounting to 10 A4 pages worth of writing. One could say to only write down the ones that seem most important, but how can you really know?

What's worse is that I still haven't been able to take full control of my dreams  in any kind of regular way, though I have had several false awakenings - especially when using a particular suggestion/affirmation to induce Lucid Dreams.

My dream recall is obviously at a relatively high level now, but beyond this, I'm really quite stuck.

Does anyone have any advice/suggestions to offer? Please?

[Tom]

There is a technique for taking notes that I keep reading about in accelerated learning type courses called "memory mapping". The idea is to arrange as much information as possible in a small space in a way that can easily be recalled later on when needed. The thing is, I can't find a good description of it on the web from a source which isn't selling a book or a class. I'll try to look it up at home later if I remember to. The important thing is that it can give you a way to record your dreams. If it takes forever to write out your dreams and that much paper, you will probably stop doing it at some point out of frustration like I did.

[Souljah333]

i can relate...i dream all night, every night non-stop. i use to write them all down...usually in the morning. which meant that i never got on with things till at least noon. it didn't take me long to use the method that Tom mentioned to save time. i'm an artist...so it was a mix of little pictures and simple words. it was always enough to jog my memory. i'm a detail freak, but my memory is stellar. so...now i don't bother writing down any dreams unless they're on an epiphany type level. you'll know them when it happens. i'll get up in the middle of the night and write pages...but other than that i keep the rest mentally logged. i can remember dreams from four or five years ago, down to the finest detail. which is interesting because i find myself in a lot of real life situations years later...where it is exactly what i dreamed.

the control will come in time. having a great deal and remembering them is very close. some people never even get that far.

333

[GeKKo]

Just write down the important parts.
Sort of "key-words" that consist of the backbone of your dream.
Normally when you read the keywords you wrote down, you can reconstruct the dream for the most part.
If you want to remember every detail, you'll have to go with the full 10 pages ... Or buy a dictaphone or something ...

Greetz

[Nay]

I'm like you abyss..lots of dreams with lots of details.  I use a little hand held recorder these days.  Just leave it on my nightstand and reach over in the morning and awwwway we go.  Don't even have to open my eyes, which really helps with even more recalling of details.

I've transcribed some of them off the tapes I have, but holy frijoles..it takes alot of time.  I swear I have epic dreams..amazing really.  We are quite lucky to have this wonderful gift.

Take Care,
Nay

[Selski]

Nay

What a good idea about the hand-held recorder - I'd never thought of that.

I too have incredibly detailed dreams and it can take me until lunchtime to record them all some days...

Sarah

[Nay]

Hey Sarah!

It works great!  And hey do like I do,  even if I need to get up and cook some breakfast and haven't finished recording the dreams..I just walk around the kitchen talking away.  

I will say that I had to get over how I sounded and I felt so silly talking to nothing. but I really don't know how I managed without it before.

Nay

[Kazbadan]

I dont write my dreams...i need to start to face my problems directly in my life. If i am not able to start doing that i am not able to do anything.

Second, i have lots of dreams every night and i remember them. I dont care because i like my dreams. They are crazy. I experiiment things that i never experimented before in my life. Its very nice.

[abyss328]

Thank you for all the  responses.

Nay: Good suggestion. I actually used to do that a few years ago, but I don't know where my recorder is, and plus, I don't fancy using it any more anyway since it took tape. I'll find myself a digital one with lots of memory. Until then...

Tom: I'm gonna go with your suggestion. Right down the main details, keywords, because it's true that I do only need a couple key triggers to get the dream back. Especially if it was a particularly profound one. I just don't like to miss out any of the information. Hence the in-depth 'Dream manifestos'.

Souljah: I'm an artist too, and do occasionally add small drawings to my dream descriptions. I'll use that more and keep the descriptions simple - unless they're on an "epiphany level". You're right, I do know them when I experience them. I'm also a detail freak, but The keywords should suffice in jogging my memory.

Thanks for all the suggestions and general feedback. Any help on achieving more Lucid Dreams?  

[Nay]

Nay: Good suggestion. I actually used to do that a few years ago, but I don't know where my recorder is, and plus, I don't fancy using it any more anyway since it took tape. I'll find myself a digital one with lots of memory. Until then...

Yeah, I have to buy tapes for them, but a pack of 6 or 12 is not that much.

I also see that you mentioned you added drawings.  I have sketched several pictures from my dreams.

Grrrr..I can't find but one and that is showing up small.   If you are interested I have my "hands" sketch along with a few of my Oil paintings at this link.
http://community.webshots.com/user/naykyd

That comes from a dream where I was pulling worms out of my hands...funky feeling.

Nay

[abyss328]

Reflections on the Winter Water, Beach Night..., and and BirdMan - these are my favourites.

BirdMan in particular reminds me of the type of landscape you could discover in a dream or while consciously astraling. Very Nice.  

[Nay]

Thank you very much abyss.   It was weird, the birdman.. I just would space out and start drawing lines and then they just became something.  I must have worked on that one for a few weeks, just adding stuff as I went along.

It is cool how I now can look at a blank canvas, and if I stare at it long enough, the picture becomes so clear as if it was already there.  Beach Night was one that came out that way.  Pulled it out of my butt, if you will, or you know what..I like your take on that one better, perhaps it was just a subconscious thing.

I really appreciate your kind words, makes feel warm and fuzzy inside, and I'm not being sarcastic..

Nay