Dream recollection methods

[Wraywolf]

Vary rarely am I ever able to remember anything I dream about, and if I do, it’s fragmented and meaningless. I am usually aware that I dreamt something, it’s just when i wake up, I end up in state of semi-consciousness. When I first wake up, my mind is a complete blank and I usually stare into nothingness for about half an hour before I get dressed. After that, it's nearly impossabel for me to remember anything that happend in my dream.

Now, does anybody have any methods they use to help him or her remember their dreams? No Magic weirdness though, I don’t want to mess with any kind of unbalanced realities incase I end up trapped in some horribly cliché RPG type situation where I must quest to go back home and save the land of *insert long, unpronounceable name of world with lots of ‘y’s* and end up having to kill an evil pretty boy with impossibly large hair. That would annoy me.

[silenceowl]

I am able to remeber alot of what i dream when i first wake up.
if i move, or think about anything else, i forget them.
so the first thing i do when i first wake is go over what i dreamed in my head, so i can remember.

[sno raven]

Okay, technically dreams only last about 20 minutes long.. or less. So.. when you say you had a dream "last night" you'd have to have had it then woken up in the middle of the night.. but for the majority the dreams you have that you remember happen in the morning. Okay, obviously that doesn't have anything to do what with you guy's are saying. But hey its a cool fact. On to Wraywolf's question.. Okay, I'm not entirely sure if you do or don't do this, and I've said it before.. Try not to listen to a cd player, radio, tv, etc.. RIGHT BEFORE YOU FALL ASLEEP.. like, if you have your head phones on and you fall asleep with them on and you're only on the first track.. so the cd plays the whole way thru when your sleeping.. yea, thats a no-no. Remember, your ears don't turn off when you goto sleep, so anything that goes in them could mess up the dream cycle.. or atleast it does with me.. Same with a TV.. unless you watch it with little to no sound. Another thing you could do is, again I'm not sure if you do this or not, try to daydream.. or even think about what you want to dream about.. I daydream all the time, well I don't completely space out, but... anyhoo. Try this, if it doesn't work well I dunno. Sorry.

[lordragoon]

First of all, you're more likely to remember a dream went you haven't had any alcohol or drugs in your system (I doubt that aspirin matters, but drinking a keg or a barrel of Coca-Cola won't help). It also helps if you don't have anything to wake up to the next morning or any stress to distract you.
First, there is the cliched writing down dreams, but it does seem to help, not only in remembering past dreams, but making future dreams more vivid. At first, you probably will just get a couple images, but after a while, you'll recall smaller details. You don't have to do this right after you wake up, either - just try to get it down that day. Having something like a dictaphone nearby might help - easier than writing it down.
It also helps if you focus on one 'flash' or image from a dream when you first wake up. Even if you don't remember the rest of the dream, you'll still have that image, and that might help you recall the rest.
Supposedly, music - played almost too quiet to be heard - is supposed to help when played as you fall asleep, and some people will swear drinking a lot of tea (to clear out their systems) helps as well.
Finally, don't try to pressure it. As I said, stress doesn't help. Don't strain yourself, and don't expect results right away, no matter what method you do. The most vivid dreams I remember I didn't even try to keep and they still stick with me.

[silenceowl]

try to daydream.. or even think about what you want to dream about.. I daydream all the time, well I don't completely space out, but... anyhoo. Try this, if it doesn't work well I dunno. Sorry.[/QUOTE]
I daydream all the time. its alot better than relality, if i could not day dream i dont know how i could get through a day in this world.
Hell im daydreaming about a story im writing as i write this.
and to what dragon said about cola is true (used to be addictied to soda i would go through about a 12 pack and a half a day) i have not had a sode for 6 months now and my dreams are just getting better and better by the night.

[sno raven]

yes. pop is bad. especially if you are prone to cavities. I'm supposed to be staying off pop... strickly water, milk, and sometimes orange or apple juice. Eh, oh well.