Black People Do Lucid Dream: The Importance of a Dream Journal
I have to be honest. Up until an hour ago I was going to come here and say that I am skeptical of the effectiveness of the dream journal and that I hold doubts on whether writing down dreams is really necessary for lucid dreaming.
I used to write in my dream journal every time I woke up from a dream, but I have fallen out of the habit of doing it. I also haven't been able to have a lucid dream for a couple months now. No wonder. I realize there must be a correlation between the dream journal and ability to LD because if I look back I see that, although far and few between, lucid dreaming was easier when I was writing my dreams down.
Why Do I Need to Keep a Dream Journal?
Well, the dream journal is important for dream recall, vividness and conditioning the brain to make logical sense of the dream (eventually while you are IN the dream also).
You will also become able to remember more and more of your dreams, too.
Having a lucid dream is pointless if you can't even remember it!
As you continue to write in your journal hopefully you will be able to recall and describe them with increased precision. Beginner lucid dreamers may find their first LDs to be blurry and unclear but as your brain figures out that you are connected (or trying to consciously connect) to your dreams through use of a dream journal, they will become more clear and vivid.
What's the point of having a lucid dream if it's hazy and everything is unclear?
Lucid dreaming is difficult because when we sleep, our logical centers are depressed. Therefore in a dream, we wouldn't think that a talking elephant walking through the office wearing Nike Shoes is all that strange. In real life one would stop and think, "Hey. Why is there an elephant sitting in Bob's cubicle?"
But in a dream you just go along with it, right? That's just how dreams are.
Writing in a dream journal is your connection between reality and the dream world. As you strengthen the cord (figuratively speaking) between both worlds you improve your ability to bring your logical side from reality into your dream--which is obviously necessary for you to recognize that you are in a dream when you are dreaming! In other words, your mind will become wired to wonder if things make any sense. You may even be thinking about your dream journal while in a dream, which could trigger lucidity.
As you fill your journal with dreams, you may begin to see patterns and be able to start identifying your Dream Signs (recurring people, places or situations that remind you to reality check).
It's also fun to look back and read through your dream adventures!
How Do I Keep a Dream Journal?
You can do whatever you want with your journal. Leave it plain or decorate it with purple stars and butterflies. The important thing is that when you look at it, you associate it with dreaming (hopefully LUCID dreaming)! I actually have two journals....one for Normal dreams and the other for Lucid dreams but you don't have to do this.
Before you go to sleep, look at your dream journal and declare your intention to remember your dreams. You may reinforce your intention by writing the date on the next empty page with the expectation that you will write something there when you wake up.
Writing in Your Dream Journal
As soon as you wake up from a dream, grab your pen and write it down. The memory of a dream has a way of dissolving in midair or leaking out through your toes with each passing second.
If you rarely recall your dreams, your first journal entry may be very sparse but don't fret--write down anything you remember. Even if you only remember that you saw a blue frisbee. You may remember that something funny happened. Write it down. It's a start. The point of this all is develop and reinforce that link between reality and dream.
As your recall gets better you will be able to write paragraphs and pages of dream plot.
Document your level of clarity. If you became lucid during the dream, indicate the parts where you were lucid and write what triggered your lucidity.
Try to get as much detail on paper as possible. Think about how your five senses were affected in the dream. What did you see, hear, smell, taste, feel? How did you feel? If writing it out is too slow, jot little side notes of things you think you might forget by the end of your entry.
As an alternative, you can buy an audio recorder to keep by your bedside to record your dreams to write out later. In the middle of the night, sometimes the last thing you want to do is turn on a lamp and write.
As you write try to engage your brain's logical centers. Ask yourself why things were unusual. Why was being in your childhood home weird (because I haven't lived there for 20 years)? Why was Aunt June's presence at dinner strange (because she died when I was a kid)? Doing this will help you to remember to ask these same questions when you are dreaming because that's how we get lucid.
I'll be getting back to writing in my dream journal starting tonight.
Read my older entries on lucid dreaming:
Part 1: Lucid Dreaming Basics
Part 2: Reality Checks and Awareness
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