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Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

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Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#131

Lot of people discuss ways to improve dream recalls, or to have more lucid dreams. Is there a way to do the opposite, to stop remembering dreams or stop dreaming at all? I personally very much dislike the concept of dreaming, it feels like being forced to watch (or participate in) a movie I have no interest in. My best sleep is when I feel I was “turned off”, with no dream or at least no memory or feeling of dreaming…

I don't recommend it but smoking lots of high potency cannabis all day, everyday will make your dreams disappear. But they will also come back 100x more vivid upon cessation.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#132
Sadly I don't remember which medication I took, but I once took something to help with anxiety. Side effects were amnesia and hypnotic effects, if I recall correctly. I remember it was some anxiolytic.

The thing is, for like an hour or two, I was able to remember hours and hours and hours of dreams. All appeared in front of me. I could get them like a chain, first one, then another that happened in the same location (be it real or imagined), and another, and another... It was a pretty awesome, if a bit overwhelming experience.

The great thing is that now I know all the dream memories are still in there. I'm not able to remember them normally, but they are there.

Sadly, as I said, I have no idea of what I took.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#133
For some reason I find myself being able to remember many dreams for a few weeks, and almost none for a few more weeks/months.

I don't change anything in my life that I can think of in those periods which might be affecting my creativity, sleep quality, thinking etc.

Would love to know the reason though.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#134

Lot of people discuss ways to improve dream recalls, or to have more lucid dreams. Is there a way to do the opposite, to stop remembering dreams or stop dreaming at all? I personally very much dislike the concept of dreaming, it feels like being forced to watch (or participate in) a movie I have no interest in. My best sleep is when I feel I was “turned off”, with no dream or at least no memory or feeling of dreaming…

I don't recommend it but smoking lots of high potency cannabis all day, everyday will make your dreams disappear. But they will also come back 100x more vivid upon cessation.

Probably the calming effect which results in a deeper sleep, thus not remembering much from the dreams.

And if one gets used to having deep sleep only under an effect of a substance, then withdrawal, as you said, could be worse.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#135
post #88

How does one know that you don't create the dream at the point that you're explaining it? Like a false memory. Thinking up an idea and remembering an idea probably have similar patterns on EEG. I guess that experiment has been done? At times I've had pretty interesting dreams, but since I was a teen (decades ago) wondered if perhaps the dream was made on the spot as I "remembered" it. Provided the creative part kept…

> How does one know that you don't create the dream at the point that you're explaining it? Like a false memory. i would venture an explanation, but i'm not sure if your comment was real or just something i thought of as i started typing into this box, and even if i did explain, i wouldn't trust you to understand my reply as something that you didn't imagine.

Rick and Morty S02E04, totally recommended if you haven't watched and want to get entertained in this topic in a fun way.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#136

You can improve your dream recall ability. It's not fixed. I did it when I was younger. I was lucky if I could remember one dream per month, and I went to remembering around six per night. Here's how to do it: as soon as you wake up, pay attention to whether you were just dreaming or not. Don't get out of bed and go to the bathroom -- if there was anything to remember from your dreams, you'll lose it by doing this. D…

Yup, can confirm this. Replay as much of the dream as you can once you realize you're actually awake. It's crazy how fast the dream fades from your memory too, every second you lose more and more of it.

Also, the better you get at exercising this, the better chance you have at entering a lucid dream. Best chance for those is also right when you wake up, spend a couple minutes recounting a dream, and then fall back asleep.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#137

You can improve your dream recall ability. It's not fixed. I did it when I was younger. I was lucky if I could remember one dream per month, and I went to remembering around six per night. Here's how to do it: as soon as you wake up, pay attention to whether you were just dreaming or not. Don't get out of bed and go to the bathroom -- if there was anything to remember from your dreams, you'll lose it by doing this. D…

One tip that really works for improving dream recall:

When waking up, close your eyes and try out a couple of different sleeping positions. Apparently you recall a dream much faster, if you get in the same position you were in while you dreamed it.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#139
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have done that by dictating to my cellphone. Voice to text. It is less violent than writing. Requires less focus. Less damaging to the fragile memories. Just mumble into the phone.

And did you see improvement in dream recall and/or dream vividness?

For the time of recording the dream, yes, my recall is better than with writing. The memory is less liable to fall apart.

In the longterm, there is no longterm here. I am not a regular dream-journaler.

I am a regular vipassaner tho. Which is great for recall and vividness.

Re: Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity, connectivity

#140
I “remember” maybe one dream every 6 months.

And those memories are like “aah I was falling” or “I hadn’t prepared for a test!” or “there was a group of people” sometimes the additional detail of “I wasn’t clothed…”

Hope my jalopy of a brain can make it through.

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