Best dream journal?

The first step seems to be to start writing down your dreams. I would prefer an offline program - which one do you use?

I'd recommend using a pen and regular paper, it's easier to use and computer things could be distracting.

Pen and paper is always a nice choice, but if you prefer to use your computer, I recommend free software like Dark Room to help you focus on writing and not get distracted by other things.

You can download Dark Room for free here: http://bit.ly/3VEj1R

I keep a notebook next to my bed and write down my dreams when I wake up.

Once you start moving around, more motor neurons fire in your brain, overwriting the memories of dreams which can quickly fade if you don't cement them - either by thinking, writing or talking about them. You can also start to get distracted by thoughts about the day ahead - and the dream is gone!

If I waited til I got to my computer I would be far too distracted to write down my dreams.... :?

But if a computer works for you, do it! (Just remember to make backups!)

So how do you write your journal?

Do you write down everything as detailed as possible?

Here are my tips for keeping a dream journal: http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/dream-journal.html

To start with, I plan to make a few brief notes should I wake up and remember a dream during the night which will hopefully aid my recall first thing in the morning for transferring to a journal. For this purpose I have just taken delivery of something called the Nite Note which can be viewed here

http://www.nitenote.com/

Maybe not an ideal dedicated dream journal, but good for taking notes. Although I wouldn't say it's heavy, it is a little bit bulky but has some good features. When you remove the pen a light comes on automatically and goes of when you replace the pen, so you don't have to fiddle about with switches. The compartment where the pen is placed (at the top) is a bit of a tight fit and as the surface of the pen is very smooth, so it does take a very slight effort to remove and replace the pen. The pen has a pressurized cartridge and specially formulated ink and works at any angle (even upside down). The pen was developed initially for NASA astronauts. Comes with a spare notepad and runs on two AA batteries (not included).

At first I want to see how these slight interruptions in my sleep cycle, by taking brief notes, affects my performance the next day. If I start to become lucid sometime later I may well start taking more detailed notes (even during the night), either via the Note Night or directly into my journal, which will obviously take a bit longer, but if it doesn't affect my performance the next day, will probably stick with that. Maybe not every night, but will see how I go.

Pen and paper is always good, but I use Catch Notes during the night and then transcribe them into a forum DJ in the morning. For an offline DJ program, I would recommend Liquid Dream (http://www.lucid-code.com/LiquidDream/) hands down.

Coming from a noob, this is how I did my best entry so far. As I was falling asleep, I kept repeating to myself "I will remember my dreams" then when I woke up about 6 or 7 and a half hours later, I could recall many details. I don't know how, but while I was still very sleepy, but not quite awake, I grabbed my journal and pen and scribbled as much as I could remember in first person present tense. I then slept again, but didn't remember... I don't know what the key is to recall, maybe repetition?

Wow, thanks Wolvendeer! I will definitely be going with Liquid Dream. Can't believe I didn't find it in my searches!

It had an exercise in it where you have to think about everything you did during the day backwards as you are falling asleep. Like watching a movie in fast rewind mode. I did that last night and had the longest most detailed dream of my life! Give that a try Dreamsphere.

That's cool, Mike, ill give it a shot. A DJ helps loads with recall! Since starting one, i have been able to remember parts of three different dreams! And one was in pretty good detail. I have much hope for the future!

I use my iPod. Before going to sleep, I turn the brightness all way down, so that when i wake up in the middle of the night it doesn't "burn" my eyes. Then when i wake up, and write down all the details possible, and in the morning, after getting up and taking a shower, i just transcribe it to paper (little notebook). I found this great, because i keep my iPod close to me and don't have to get up, or turn on the lights to write it, this way, i can just go back to sleep.

I use my a program on my IPhone, it's called dream journal, I think it's the perfect journal for me.

I've been using a hardcovered notebook i used in first year Engineering to do a project with. In it is loads of reaserch, sketches, etc. Of high tensile cables. I use this, because if anyone discovered it, they would flip through a few pages, say "complicated engineering stuff, no fun" and then put it down!

although the Pen and Paper is the best option for writing your dreams, but in today's world of technology i have my iPhone for that purpose. I can save my dreams and can make a note of it every day. And also can assign a tone for my notes so as to take a regular look for the same. Thanks to my iPhone for it's utilities. For he useful tasks you can download our "iPhone Shame Alarm App" for early wake up and connect to the social networks simultaneously. It's sure to be a useful and interesting app for you guys. iPhone Shame Alarm App

I've been using dreamjournal.net for many many years. When I first wake up I jot down key words. I don't have time to write them all out when I get up. I have to be at work within an hour, so when I get back I do a detailed report. I think the main advantage to dreamjournal.net is over the traditional pen and paper journal is the search engine. I've recorded over 2000 dreams since I started, and the search feature is extremely valuable to me when I want to find all dreams with a certain key word in it. Like I wanted to see if I had any past dreams with a windmill, and found it right away. It would have taken possibly hours to find it in a traditional pen and ink journal, with that many dreams. The same site allows me to check if a dream is lucid, so I can search ONLY lucid dreams if I feel like using the search with filters. I can also use the search to find other people dreaming about the same things on the same day if I like. It's pretty cool. I would recommend it.

1Mike wrote: Wow, thanks Wolvendeer! I will definitely be going with Liquid Dream. Can't believe I didn't find it in my searches!

It had an exercise in it where you have to think about everything you did during the day backwards as you are falling asleep. Like watching a movie in fast rewind mode. I did that last night and had the longest most detailed dream of my life! Give that a try Dreamsphere.

Liquid Dream (or Lightened Dream as it now is called) as it now isn't quite that feature-rich (well, it is, however it poorly implements each feature) and I've submitted a few bugs to the developer to improve the program where I found faults. Nonetheless, it is a great program just for keeping a dream journal. :)

What I end up doing is just keeping a notebook and a clicked-pen next to my bed, and whenever I wake up, I write down everything I can remember in the dream in bullet form. Then, a couple of hours later in the day, I transcribe what I wrote down in that notebook into Lightened Dream with great difficulty (handwriting in the morning isn't that great!). This also allows me to further force my brain to remember my dream(s) as-well as keeping similar (if not the same) vividness as when I just woke up - losing nothing. :)

i turn internet completely turned off every night so when i get up the internet is off so i can jump right on the computer and start typing without the temptation to go surfing the net lol (which is my impulse as soon as the internet is turned on)

i really have a problem with handwriting, it makes my hands feel weird and keeping a dream journal that way is kinda out of the question. i have been planning on trying to keep a written journal though, but haven't gotten around to it yet. also i crack my knuckles a LOT and it makes it hard to write because when i try to write i feel like i need to crack them, its very distracting, but i dont get this as much when typing.

i use Efficient PIM (personal information manager), well you don't need the program with all the stuff if all you want is a journal you could use Efficient Diary. its also good if you don't want people snooping around and reading what you dream about because its password protected (with Efficient PIM, a password is optional) i write other stuff there as well.

i might check out some of the other recommendations though

I use a paper notebook which has a hard cover, with a pen. I also keep a tiny notebook in the bathroom, which has a nightlight, and if I want to scribble something in the middle of the night, I use it without disturbing my husband's sleep.

But I just poked around Amazon and found a variety of pens that have lights on them. I ordered one called the Pilot's Pen as it had really good reviews. So it should come in handy.

I wouldn't mind have an ipad or something similar for writing dreams in the morning!

Analyze your dreams, find consistent patterns, and share with friends. This is a great new app that lets you interpret your dreams. Link: http://itunes.apple.com/app/morpheus-­‐dreams-­‐advanced-­‐dream/id508437774?mt=8 The app allows you to easily record your dreams, sync across devices, interpret as you write, and identify favorite or recurring themes in your dream. The dictionary has been composed De novo through a careful creation and recompilation of the most Valuable dream interpretations published throughout history: from Artemidorus, to Freud, Jung, Hasse and selected others. This is one of the best dream interpretation Apps on the iTunes Store. For a full list of their Apps, visit www.algoryt.hm