Program your Mind for Dream Recall

How to program your mind for dream recall is a very important step in the dreaming process. I’m quite excited to be publishing the next post in my Dream Series. In the last post The Stages of Sleep and What Dreams are Made Of, we talked about the importance of sleep. We also went into detail about the 4 stages of sleep as well as REM.

I had a couple of comments on the last post that concerned dream recall and how to program your mind so that you may remember your dreams. So I thought it would be a good idea to cover how to recall your dreams before moving into the Dream Meanings phase of my series. After all, if you aren’t dreaming well, or have no dream recall, then it doesn’t do much good to know the meaning of certain dream scenarios now does it?

How to Program Your Mind

Many of us have probably experienced some extremely vivid or lucid dreams in our time. Some of them are so vivid that there’s no way you could forget them. But then again, others appear in such a flash that you forget them before you even wake up. So let’s go over some tips for remembering dreams.

To help make dream recall a bit more consistent  you want to be sure and settle into your favorite sleeping position upon going to bed. Be sure to turn off all the lights and try to clear your mind of all thoughts from the days activities.

Then after finally relaxing your body and mind, begin thinking about what you would like to dream of. This is a very important step in order to program your mind for a good night of dreams. While thinking about your dreams, breathe in while counting to five, then exhale for a count of ten. Repeat this process one more time and then begin breathing normally.

Next try to imagine yourself first thing in the morning as your slowly creeping back into consciousness. Imagine yourself reaching for the pen and paper on the nightstand to jot down your nights dreams. Remember the scratch pad and pen we talked about in the last post. Be sure you have it on stand by. After visualizing this scenario bring your attention back to present time you should now feel fully relaxed and sleepy.

Important Step: The last thing you should tell yourself before you slip unconscious it, “In the morning, I will remember my dreams” Then off to sleep and dream land you go. If successful, tomorrow you should have full dream recall. But it is still very important to write down anything you can remember.

Next I want to give you a list of 5 of the best practices for better sleep and dream recall.

5 Tips for Better Sleep and Dream Recall

1. If at all possible, before you go to bed, lessen your body tension by getting a relaxing massage or take a warm bath. A shower may have the opposite effect, so a bath is recommended. Also if you have the opportunity to take a walk or do some simple exercises that can help too.
2. It’s best to leave at least 2 hours between bed time and the last meal of the day. You can have a light snack if you like, but nothing heavy. A full stomach and active digestion can create very bizarre dreams.
3. Always avoid alcohol, caffeine or cigarettes before bed, these things may cause troubled irritable sleep. Of course caffeine is a stimulant and the alcohol and cigarettes can prevent you from entering REM sleep, which is where dreaming occurs.
4. Your bed must be comfortable and the room temperature just right, not too hot or cold. Be sure your room is dark because light may signal your body that it’s time to wake up. This could keep you from sleeping deeply.
5. And lastly, try to be as calm and relaxed as possible. As discussed earlier, clear your mind of all intense thought from the day. A good way to do this is to do some light reading or meditation, listening to music is good too. If you are having trouble getting rid of troublesome thoughts, it can help to write them down. This may tell your mind they are closed for the night.

All of the above steps can really help with dream recall and will make it easier to program your mind. Which we will now discuss…

Taking Control of Your Dreams

Now that we’ve gone over a few exercises that may help your dream recall, next let’s talk about how to program your mind to take charge of your dreams. These next steps will be helpful in gaining control of you dreams so you may turn them into good experiences that may help in problem solving and creativity.

The first thing you want to do to program your mind is to decide exactly what it is you would like to dream about. If you have a specific problem that needs solving, or a question that needs an answer. What ever it is, make a decision before going to sleep.

The next step will be writing down the question or problem that you’ve decided to dream about. Be sure to write it down in a friendly conversational way. After all your dreams are from within, so write as though you were talking to a friend. Be as specific as possible and include any details you think are important.

Be sure to think about this topic all throughout the day. Reading it over and over and keeping it in your mind at all times will help in producing the correct dream once you’ve gone to sleep. Of course you would want to read it again right before bed time.

Once you’ve gotten into bed and are going through the steps for dream recall, read it once more. But this time tell yourself that you are going to have the dream that you want. Most importantly, you must trust yourself to produce the correct dream. Believe in Yourself!

Again, tell yourself that you will have perfect dream recall in the morning. Remember, be ready to write down your dream once you wake up, just like you imagined. But beware, in the event that this doesn’t work and you dream something else, write down whatever comes to mind that you can remember, even if it’s not relative.

To program your mind and take control of your dreams is to allow it to do it’s think without forcing it as well. I know it sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not. What I mean is, now that you’ve established the dream you wish to have and you’ve gone through the steps, then it’s time to let the mind take over. Try to relax and let your mind take over from here, stressing over whether or not you will dream may have an opposite effect.

Always be willing to accept defeat and try again the next night. Have you ever had something that you’ve tried to remember like an actors name, or the name of a movie, but you can’t seem to remember. And the harder you try to remember, the further from your mind it slips? Then when you’ve finally stopped thinking about it and gone about your business, that’s when it hits you! Like the saying goes, “Once I stop thinking about it, I’ll remember!” Well it’s the same way with dream recall and you can program your mind to have the dreams you want and to be able to remember them. But you must keep an open mind and follow these steps, but don’t obsess over it to the point of causing more damage. If you’d like to read more information about this, check out this link on Dream Recall.

Don’t forget to check in soon, I’ll be starting the Dream Meanings part of the series next. That’s going to be the good stuff! Let me know how your dreams are going in the comments below.