How do I start to dream again?

I used to be able to remember 3 different dreams every morning. For 15 years I kept dream diaries and did dream interpretations. It was the first thing I did when waking up: write down what I remembered of my dreams and interpret them while having my first coffee of the day. Around the age of 25 I learned to lucid dream, with the help of a mentor in an online dream forum. I became pretty good at it. Since I started the lucid dream methods I also experienced a lot of false awakenings and the hallucinations that come with it. After years I almost considered myself a 'dream expert'.

But then, about 8 years ago, I stopped dreaming. completely. I can't remember having one single dream in all this time and I tried just about everything I can think of.
Around the same time I also started to develop a 7h sleep pattern. I go to bed, fall asleep within 10 minutes, and wake up exactly 7 hours later. There is no point in trying to take an afternoon nap ( mostly I want this to try to dream) because I won't fall asleep outside my regular 7 hours.

Like I said, I have tried just about every tip and technique that I could find, nothing works! Most tell me that I do dream but just don't remember, which is weird since I was trained to remember multiple dreams and have done so for a long time.

There is however one strange thing that came out of all this: I meditate almost daily, but when I go into a very deep meditative state I experience something that sort off feels like dreaming, only I am full awake an aware of my surroundings (never dosed off), and I can open my eyes and still see the dream-like setting, as if it is another layer on top of reality, I see both on top of each other, until I 'shake it off' and it's gone in an instant.

I came across my old dream diaries yesterday and it made me realize just how much I miss dreaming, it used to be a big part of my life. I loved going to bed every night just to work with my dreams, now sleep time is boring, It's just something I need to do to stay alive... might as well call it 'regenerating' instead of sleeping, lol
That's why I decided to make this topic, in the hopes someone might give me a clue

originally posted by: KindraLabelle2
I used to be able to remember 3 different dreams every morning. For 15 years I kept dream diaries and did dream interpretations. It was the first thing I did when waking up: write down what I remembered of my dreams and interpret them while having my first coffee of the day. Around the age of 25 I learned to lucid dream, with the help of a mentor in an online dream forum. I became pretty good at it. Since I started the lucid dream methods I also experienced a lot of false awakenings and the hallucinations that come with it. After years I almost considered myself a 'dream expert'.

But then, about 8 years ago, I stopped dreaming. completely. I can't remember having one single dream in all this time and I tried just about everything I can think of.
Around the same time I also started to develop a 7h sleep pattern. I go to bed, fall asleep within 10 minutes, and wake up exactly 7 hours later. There is no point in trying to take an afternoon nap ( mostly I want this to try to dream) because I won't fall asleep outside my regular 7 hours.

Like I said, I have tried just about every tip and technique that I could find, nothing works! Most tell me that I do dream but just don't remember, which is weird since I was trained to remember multiple dreams and have done so for a long time.

There is however one strange thing that came out of all this: I meditate almost daily, but when I go into a very deep meditative state I experience something that sort off feels like dreaming, only I am full awake an aware of my surroundings (never dosed off), and I can open my eyes and still see the dream-like setting, as if it is another layer on top of reality, I see both on top of each other, until I 'shake it off' and it's gone in an instant.

I came across my old dream diaries yesterday and it made me realize just how much I miss dreaming, it used to be a big part of my life. I loved going to bed every night just to work with my dreams, now sleep time is boring, It's just something I need to do to stay alive... might as well call it 'regenerating' instead of sleeping, lol
That's why I decided to make this topic, in the hopes someone might give me a clue

It's possible you might want to try melatonin. Im a hopeless insomniac and rarely hit the REM deep sleep level where dreams can occur, perhaps meditation gets you to the deep REM stage or close enough dreams kick in. Regardless I almost always dream after even a small dose of melatonin.

FWIW Benedryl does it as well, You just aren't hitting the dream stage in your sleep cycle.

Or I know it may be difficult but meditate as you try and go to sleep, and when the sensation hits go with it, or try not to wake yourself up.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

But then, about 8 years ago, I stopped dreaming. completely. I can't remember having one single dream in all this time and I tried just about everything I can think of.

What happened 8 Years ago? That's the key. Maybe New Cell Phone Towers were Erected Nearby or Existing Towers were Juiced Up?

Every night when I'm ready to sleep I switch off the Wi-Fi. I sleep much better and I remember my dreams in much more detail than ever before.

Try turning off your Wi-Fi before sleeping or making a Sleeping Faraday Cage, it's easy to find Online Instructions to make one. Good Luck.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

What have you tried? The experiments that Dali tried would be a better bet of attempting to retrieve deep dreams if any exist.

Can you daydream? You mention the meditation thing but does anything happen when there's zero input?

Is it possible you've got so good at initiating relaxation that a part of the brain that is usually active in those brief moments is actually relaxed too and therefore not working? I'm hardly an expert although chemically induced sleep always tends to be dreamless doesn't it? Something to ponder.

I know we sleep less when we age, less chance to dream I would assume but with that said I've always dreamt more with 'broken' sleep... Some of the more inspiring fizzly nonsense has came in 4-5 parts but I'm guessing everyone is different!

I hope you work it out, dreams are like movies ran on emotions. A lot of fun even if you just take them as fizzly nonsense.

originally posted by: putnam6


It's possible you might want to try melatonin. Im a hopeless insomniac and rarely hit the REM deep sleep level where dreams can occur, perhaps meditation gets you to the deep REM stage or close enough dreams kick in. Regardless I almost always dream after even a small dose of melatonin.

FWIW Benedryl does it as well, You just aren't hitting the dream stage in your sleep cycle.

Or I know it may be difficult but meditate as you try and go to sleep, and when the sensation hits go with it, or try not to wake yourself up.

I haven't tried melatonin because I have no problem falling asleep, but I did use medication that can have the same effects as Benedryl, I slept well but without dreams.

Every source I read says that if you don't reach REM sleep you will get health issues, and in most cases a lack of REM sleep goes together with insomnia. I don't feel like I have health issues, I wake up well rested and feel fine.

a reply to: putnam6

I was going to recommend Melatonin as well.

Cheers

originally posted by: PureBlood
a reply to: KindraLabelle2


What happened 8 Years ago? That's the key. Maybe New Cell Phone Towers were Erected Nearby or Existing Towers were Juiced Up?

Every night when I'm ready to sleep I switch off the Wi-Fi. I sleep much better and I remember my dreams in much more detail than ever before.

Try turning off your Wi-Fi before sleeping or making a Sleeping Faraday Cage, it's easy to find Online Instructions to make one. Good Luck.

That's my million dollar question! What changed 8 years ago?
I can't think of anything significant, except that around that time I changed my eating habits, for the better...

our wifi changed several times, it could be that... my husband will think I've gone insane if I build a faraday cage to sleep in! lol, I'll look into that though. Was also reading earlier about grounding your bed with wires into the ground to gain several different health effects.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

I second what putnam said below, Melatonin!
I take it every night, 2 tablets and I always remember my dreams.

And as an added bonus, if I do my rituals (basic banishings) before falling asleep, it makes my dreams even more vivid and often spiritual.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

This is easy................... 4 pints of Pilsner Urquell and you will dream very beautifully. I term the results fairground dreams as that is what's induced by this magical beer. No other beer will do www.pilsnerurquell.com...

originally posted by: RAY1990
a reply to: KindraLabelle2

What have you tried? The experiments that Dali tried would be a better bet of attempting to retrieve deep dreams if any exist.

Can you daydream? You mention the meditation thing but does anything happen when there's zero input?

Is it possible you've got so good at initiating relaxation that a part of the brain that is usually active in those brief moments is actually relaxed too and therefore not working? I'm hardly an expert although chemically induced sleep always tends to be dreamless doesn't it? Something to ponder.

I know we sleep less when we age, less chance to dream I would assume but with that said I've always dreamt more with 'broken' sleep... Some of the more inspiring fizzly nonsense has came in 4-5 parts but I'm guessing everyone is different!

I hope you work it out, dreams are like movies ran on emotions. A lot of fun even if you just take them as fizzly nonsense.

I've tried several things like
setting an alarm to wake me up every hour, or drinking a lot before bed time so I'd wake up,meditation before going to bed, lucid dreaming techniques, sleeping with headphones playing different sounds, herbal teas, alcohol (used to give me nightmares), etc... nothing seems to change...

I've thought of going in for a sleep study to see if I actually have a REM sleep, but they don't do those if there aren't health issues

I can daydream and visualize images on command

a reply to: ufoorbhunter
Well I was going to suggest to go down your local Indian takeaway and get the hottest curry you can stand. Believe me YOU WILL dream. Or have a nightmare.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

First thing I would suggest, is try watching half a movie before you go to sleep. A movie you have not seen before, that you know very little about in terms of possible spoilers, that is the type of movie you would normally get particularly engrossed in

When it gets into the climax of the movie, turn it off

The more abrupt the better

Before you go to sleep. Meditate on the story a moment. Consider in your mind, before you sleep, theories for at least 3 possible outcomes to the film. Or more, if you wish

It helps if the story is something a little mind-bending, or with a twist at the end that you are very unlikely to see coming. I'll explain why in a second

1) Consider the worst possible outcome you could see coming for the story. Where everything goes wrong

2) Then, consider the best possible outcome you could see coming for the story. Where they all live "happily"

3) Then, consider the most likely outcome to the story. The one that you think will be fairly close to what actually happens at the conclusion of the story

Then go to sleep. With the intention of watching the movie the following day at nearly the exact same time

MOST IMPORTANTLY do all of this, with the intention of analysing the difference between your considered outcomes to the story, and the writers outcome, when you go to bed on the following night

Dreams are a type of effigy sync. They are a way for our minds to sync within the equilibrium. Similar to how computers and servers run updates over night

At their most basic form, they are influenced by the patterns of both, things we have done, and things which are going to do

These things integrate into cycles of linear (fluid) reality and perception, as what we would call "probability"

If you are likely to be attending somewhere in particular the following day, and someone else is also going to be attending, then your lines of probability intersect

Think of the sync like, driving a certain direction to get somewhere, because you know the traffic will be better. Or possibly, like taking the shorter route and risking traffic, because your are early and have time

These lines of probability in sync, travel in the same way that electrical current and any other fluid concept will always take a path of least resistance

We are a crossing point of focus within this, where our individual lines of probability converge within an equilibrium, which is in turn both created and perpetuated by the transit

We are perceiver, the realisation of perception and the perception itself

But all fluid patterns are not linear. They only appear linear to us, because of where we sit off-set to the higher patterns to observe them taking place

All fluid reality is cyclical

A good way to visualise the difference between linear procession, and the true cyclical nature of fluid reality, is to consider and understand this analogy using time:

As your day draws closer to tomorrow. The now you are experiencing, also moves further into yesterday

Everything works in both directions within the equilibrium of a centre of influence like a torus. Like our Earth

So, what your are basically doing in this experiment, is centering a process of knowing and consideration, around an almost exact 24 hour cycle

You will consider for tomorrow, what you know now, from having watched the start of the movie

Then, after 24 hours ...

You will know then, what you consider in memory from yesterday, in what was unknown

This crosses the linear aspects of probability and memory

But most importantly, it crosses them CONSCIOUSLY, with you understanding the basic dynamics of what your are doing, over a complete 24 hour cycle and dormital period

When your consider, try not to trigger your vision overlay, as that is a type of sync

The haze of light you are seeing is manifested by the electromagnetic energies of all living things in this world your are connected to. Similar to the electromagnetic patterns of the auroras

If you are conscious when you see these patterns, you are influencing a course for your visions, rather than being carried on the waves, as you are when you are dreaming

Use thought, instead of visualisation, just for the exercise

It is a challenge to keep your mind in between thought and visualisation when mediating, I know. But take your time. It doesn't matter if you keep breaking thought. Just go back to it, until you have your theories on how the story ends

There are a few things you want to look out for in this experiment

Firstly, do you sync during the dormital period? If so, write down your dreams in as much detail as you can. Enough that I could read it and compare it in detail to the movie you choose

Secondly, is the sync effigian (meaning it is able to be directly translated to the waking world, either within things you did the day before, or the day after, or directly relatable to the movie?

Or is it pre-effigian, meaning it is abstract, random and nothing makes sense? This one you need as much detail as you can written down

Or, does it possibly relate directly to you doing the experiment itself (this one gets complicated)

Also, during the course of your day inbetween, you want to look at whether there are any types of sync within your active day in the waking world

Do not tell anyone you are doing the experiment if possible

Do not tell anyone you have watched the movie, or talk about the movie

But ... See if things come to in conversations and other parts of your day that are possibly related to the movie directly, or to the themes and subjects within the movie

Also don't tell me or anyone here what you are watching, until afterwards

Once you have done all this, I should be able to give you some idea of whether you are grounded in your sync (stuck, basically) and that is why you are not dreaming

Or if you are perhaps out of phase in your sync, and that is why you don't dream

Also, if it can for the 24 hours. Avoid any things like drugs, alcohol, or stimulants

And importantly, try avoid "balancing" yourself with another persons energy (sex and intimacy). Just to avoid any possible interference in your personal energies

The mind-bending part? Or a movie renowned for having some type of twist at the end? Is because it will help assess your ability to connect with the larger population of the world, who have already seen the movie and know the twist, within the active sync

I would like to see if at any time during the 24 period, you work out the twist before you see it

It does not matter if you don't. It is actually probably a good thing

Because if you draw out the answer from the collective, it could mean that your mind is too grounded in the sync, which could very well effect your dreaming

originally posted by: crayzeed
a reply to: ufoorbhunter
Well I was going to suggest to go down your local Indian takeaway and get the hottest curry you can stand. Believe me YOU WILL dream. Or have a nightmare.

Ha! Total classic crazyeed That's a real good one. I'll test it this friday and wash it down with four pints of Urquell

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

Maybe you're subconscious doesn't need to process things, because it isn't "sub" anymore?

Any sudden change is likely due to an environmental issue or something associated with a specific event.

I do believe, however, that it is unlikely that you completely stopped dreaming. Many people believe they do not dream, for whatever reason, but in reality just do not remember their dreams when they wake. Being in the proper sleep state helps considerably but is not conclusive. I have had short naps with dreams and long heavy sleeps with nothing.

My best advice would be to start with a dream seed, something to put your mind on, and let it go free range for a while.

I hope you find what you are looking for.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

You can have mine. Do you want to buy them? I'm done with them.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

Good day, KindraLabelle2.

Reading over your op, herbs come to mind. Cannabis can effect dream recall. I haven't remembered my dreams as easily depending on my consumption.

I sleep really well usually, and haven't remembered my dreams as often lately. Perhaps you're dreaming, just not recalling them?

I dream still having been awoken unexpectedly. Often I wake up and the snippets of my night fade quickly as I begin my morning routine.

Something to consider experimenting with are dream pillows. They're small cloth pillows that you make and fill with herbs to influence dreams. I like to use mugwort. I feel the scent works in the background, to help influence/direct ourselves as we rest.

My story is totally different but I've had the same thing happen as I used to dream and remember, now I don't at all.

All my life I have dreamed of another world where I felt so at home that I feel "homesick" for hours after awakening.

I could, to this day, draw maps of the roads leading to different towns in this world. Places I was in dreams, knowing what lay in other directions. Many of the towns had beautiful old buildings and once in awhile I'd return "home" to a house that was mine. There were some people I only knew in this world and would see on occasion. It had as much clarity as the room in front of me now, and all detail and emotion from it would be available to me when I woke up here.

My boyfriend and I got a chance to knock our old house down and build a new one. It was crazy and it's still totally unfinished. Long story there... but as the real house grew out of the ground, based on our imaginations (no plans), something started to intrigue me about the design and after a few years I realized that the house was extremely similar to the "home" in my dreams.

I've thought about this often. Theories I've come up with were the house existed in the collective unconscious waiting to be built and dreams were access to the plans, perhaps it was my life's mission, Perhaps my being an immigrant over amped the need for "home", perhaps what we think does manifest reality. Nothing concrete... except the house. Literally, it's made of concrete.

Anyhow, I had one final dream where I took my boyfriend and kids to my dream world and in that dream I knew it was wrong of me, that they didn't belong there and I was making a mistake. That was the very last dream with the realer than real quality. It was probably ten or so years ago.

Ever since, I've remembered no dreams. On rare occasions have a fragmented thought or image on waking that I realize was just a dream and can always be explained by my current situation like stress, late for work, etc. cutting through. The usual stuff.

Hopefully you will figure out what stopped your dreams and restart them as you wish to.

Maybe Terpene got it right and you are understanding life enough so that the subconscious is no longer needing to send you distinct messages up into the conscious. If that is the case, congrats are in order! But if you used your dreams in a creative sense it would be worth tapping into again.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

Sounds like you've tried most things, the only things I can think of now would be rather extreme and some shouldn't be mentioned here! Sleep deprivation comes to mind as a long shot which isn't the most difficult to achieve.

I've known someone who couldn't dream but they were born with it. Short of getting a brain scan I'm stumped, you have no problems visualising either so I'm fairly sure it would be a waste if money.

It's sounds more of a mental block.

If you're extremely good at relaxing it could be interconnected with that? We don't really know what dreaming is all about, maybe they fizzle out when we're seemingly satisfied in life?

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

Maam? That is Astral Projection. Traveling within and without of meditation. I have 50+ years experience.

Congrats. Not everyone gets there. Now...begins your real journey! Happy travels.

And, God Bless!

PM? Anytime

You can return and go farther into it from there...