LEARNING TO DREAM LUCIDLY: KEEP A DREAM DIARY
Want to control what you dream and make all your fantasies come true while you sleep? Keeping a dream diary will help you learn this skill called lucid dreaming. A dream diary helps you remember dreams and recognise them as such faster - the trick to lucid dreaming. Read here how exactly to keep such a diary and what all you need to consider if you want to direct your dreams from now on.
How does lucid dreaming work?
Lucid dreams are dreams in which you are aware that you are dreaming. The moment you are aware of this, you can take the helm. Imagine the possibilities: being able to fly, dabbling with your favourite pop star, building new worlds, eating the whole dessert shelf; the possibilities are as endless as your imagination.
But besides being able to direct your dreams can be incredibly fun, it can also help you in other ways. Think about processing trauma or dealing with certain fears. For example, if you are afraid of public speaking, you can safely practise this in your dreams. For sure, speaking in front of small and large groups will be much easier for you from now on! Or imagine that you can tell someone the truth in your dreams, while you wouldn't dare to do so in real life. In your lucid dream, you can throw everything out, without drama afterwards.
This is how you decide what to dream
Lucid dreaming does not happen overnight; this is a skill you have to learn. There are several tricks and techniques that will help you do this. Read here four practical tips if you want to dream lucidly; besides the dream diary, these include reality checks during the day. These involve consciously asking yourself: am I awake or am I dreaming? In this way, you learn to ask yourself this question in your dreams as well, so that the realisation that you are dreaming follows more quickly. Read the whole article for all the tips!
From dream diary to lucid dreaming
Now for the answer to the big question: how do you keep that dream diary, and how does it help you to dream lucidly? In the dream diary, you keep a record of what you dreamt immediately after sleeping. As soon as you wake up, you usually remember your dream many times better than at a later time. Even a few minutes after you wake up, the dream may have already faded from your memory. Besides helping you dream lucidly, a dream diary is of course very interesting to see what you dream about. Even if you don't master directing your dream life, a dream diary still has value.
How to start a dream diary
- Decide how you prefer to keep track of your dreams. In a notebook with pen and paper, in your phone's notes, or in a dedicated app? Keep your dream diary within easy reach when you wake up.
- As mentioned above, write down what you dreamed immediately after waking up and be as detailed as you can in this. Important: write in present tense, then the dreams will feel more real. Describe what you dream, for example, by filling in the following:
- What is happening?
- Who are you with?
- Where are you?
- What do you see?
- What are you doing?
- How do you feel?
- What thoughts are going through your mind?
- Do you see certain signs or elements that often recur in your dreams? Definitely jot these down in your dream journal. Suppose you regularly dream about bongs, or that one friend. Every time you see a bong or that friend, you want to make sure you ask yourself: am I dreaming now? So you build in a reality check both in everyday life and in your lucid dreams, using your dream journal.
- Read back your tracked dreams from time to time. Thanks to your dream diary, you can recognise patterns and better distinguish (lucid) dreams from reality.
Dream herbs + dream diary = lucid dreaming
Want to increase your chances of controlling your dreams? Then take dream herbs in addition to keeping the dream diary. In short, dream herbs are natural remedies that can help you get lucid dreams. They can also make your dreams more vivid and clear. This makes it easier to remember them as well as recognise them as dreams. Combine these dream herbs with a dream journal, and you'll understand: lucid dreams are within reach. Want to know more about these magical herbs? In a previous blog, we explained all about dream herbs and their effect on lucid dreaming. Check out all our dream herbs here and choose the best one for you.
Sweet dreams!
