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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

#161

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.

This is not universal. My lack of dream recall predates my consumption of cannabis. I have multiple friends who, while smoking potent cannabis daily, also have some of the most vivid dream recalls I’ve ever witnessed.

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

#162
post #105

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…

Curious, I've been doing pretty much the opposite, deliberately forgetting my dreams. Most dreams I remembered weren't pleasant, and forgetting them created a sort of 'blacked-out' period of genuine recreation. Like, I usually constantly think about things to optimize/study/do, and being very aware of what was happening in my sleep seemed to carry over that pattern into my sleep, if that makes sense (if not, then jus…

yes, I resonate with this! It's exhausting to have this much mental stimulation at night. If I'm woken up at any point I can recall the dream I was just in and they're often really stressful dreams. I've been working with my nervous system and I'm wondering if there's some dysregulation going on that's contributing to my stressful night's sleep (like I'm cycling from fight/flight right into freeze all night long). I also tend to have more stressful dreams in the morning near that time when cortisol is released to help our bodies rise with the sun. Been wondering about that as well.

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

#163
post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No if you REM you dreamed. REM is not the definition of dreaming.

I never said that. Please be logical. REM is not the definition of dreaming but if you REM you dreamed. Thanks.

There's no conclusive evidence for that, if you want to be "logical", only correlations based on subject manipulation.

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

#164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is your opinion and we disagree. And your last sentence is equally applicable to anything psychological content (conscious or otherwise, including simple sensing), is it not?

How is it opinion when it's logical fact. Dreams have no meaning in the same way the bible has no meaning. You assign the meaning and that can be meaningful to you personally, but the dream itself is random.

Bible or any written text has meaning. Let's say we take the most ungenerous position and consider it as willful psychological manipulation of masses. Does that deprive it of 'meaning', 'agency'?

"Logical fact".

I missed this bit in your argument. Presumably, you assert that the mind's modalities consist of a 'rational' state of consciousness and a dream state mode where the content matter is "random". It is true that the mind, unfettered by the necessity to navigate in real-time a physical reality, is no longer constrained by either physics or causality. This then results in content matter that can seem random (as narratives) but to deprive them of meaning does not follow.

    I saw in a dream a table where all elements fell into place as required. 
    Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper, only in one 
    place did a correction later seem necessary.

       — Mendeleev, as quoted by Inostrantzev
As the saying goes, YMMV. /g

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

#165

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…

When I was younger I used to mess with some really obscure shit called oneirogics. It's obscure enough that I can't even google it. It's basically substances or methods you can use in order to dream harder. Cholinergic (affecting choline, basically the opposite of anticholinergics which are horrible pesticides ruining everything), and other ways (Maracuya (passionfruit) leaves under the pillow with its distinct smell…

It's not on the list, but I used to take 5-HTP before bed for making my dreams more vivid.

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

#166
post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never said that. Please be logical. REM is not the definition of dreaming but if you REM you dreamed. Thanks.

There's no conclusive evidence for that, if you want to be "logical", only correlations based on subject manipulation.

By logical I mean I never said REM is defined dreaming. If I never said it, then why do you use it as a counter claim. That is illogical.

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

#167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is it opinion when it's logical fact. Dreams have no meaning in the same way the bible has no meaning. You assign the meaning and that can be meaningful to you personally, but the dream itself is random.

Bible or any written text has meaning. Let's say we take the most ungenerous position and consider it as willful psychological manipulation of masses. Does that deprive it of 'meaning', 'agency'? "Logical fact". I missed this bit in your argument. Presumably, you assert that the mind's modalities consist of a 'rational' state of consciousness and a dream state mode where the content matter is "random". It is true tha…

By meaning I mean the brain isn't trying to communicate anything factual or relevant to you. Same with the bible.

The bible is trying to communicate, but it is not a factual piece.

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

#168
post #64

If you're looking for a method to increase dream recall (lucid too) then I recommend Vipassana meditation. Works very well.

I started to meditate in 2007. Only 10-minute sessions. The change I noticed after a month, was that I woke up with a dream almost every day. Before starting meditation, the dreaming was a few times per year. Perhaps the meditation creates a relaxation that is helpful for dreaming?

If I was looking for a why...

I might say that, in vipassana, we extend our conscousness into places that are otherwise unconscious. And become comfortable being conscious there and having that place be part of our reality.

The land of dreams being one such otherwise unconscious place.

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

#169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bible or any written text has meaning. Let's say we take the most ungenerous position and consider it as willful psychological manipulation of masses. Does that deprive it of 'meaning', 'agency'? "Logical fact". I missed this bit in your argument. Presumably, you assert that the mind's modalities consist of a 'rational' state of consciousness and a dream state mode where the content matter is "random". It is true tha…

By meaning I mean the brain isn't trying to communicate anything factual or relevant to you. Same with the bible. The bible is trying to communicate, but it is not a factual piece.

> By meaning I mean the brain isn't trying to communicate anything factual or relevant to you.

That does not map to my experiences with dreams and their content. But then, I -- my conscious self -- do not take an adversarial position regarding my inner Self. I benefit from reflecting on my dreams, otherwise I wouldn't waste my time. Integrating unconscious psychological content of my mind has always been a positive event, and promotes psychological health, stability, maturity, and (believe it or not) insights.

YMMV.

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

#170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By meaning I mean the brain isn't trying to communicate anything factual or relevant to you. Same with the bible. The bible is trying to communicate, but it is not a factual piece.

> By meaning I mean the brain isn't trying to communicate anything factual or relevant to you. That does not map to my experiences with dreams and their content. But then, I -- my conscious self -- do not take an adversarial position regarding my inner Self. I benefit from reflecting on my dreams, otherwise I wouldn't waste my time. Integrating unconscious psychological content of my mind has always been a positive e…

My claim is that you assign meaning without realizing it.

So my claim is all the benefits are created by your conscious self, but you perceive it to be from the dream. Similar to how religion helps people. Both are fiction.

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