Why can I remember lucid dreams more than "normal" ones?

Question

I can remember lucid dreams often years after I had them, yet "normal" dreams disappear moments after waking. Why is this? Any ideas?

Answer 1

To some extent, lucid dreams should probably catalogued the same way as actual life experiences in the mind, as they are experienced as very real and vivid, often involving many senses and emotions. Lucid dreams are dreams whereby the dreamer is fully aware that they are dreaming, and as such, has some form of control over the direction/events in the dream.

I often dream this way, and these dreams can be a fantastic route to self-discovery, and often allow wish-fulfilment in a way subconsciously generated dreams are.

Individuals who explore these dreams are sometimes referred to as oneironauts. These people make the most of these dreams by exploring in depth.

I suppose oneironauts would remember these dreams most vividly for several reasomns - firstly, you experienced it in a very real way, and as such, the memory may be banked along side genuine life experiences. This makes it more salient, as such, more accessible to the dreamer who is trying to rememeber, than a dream which is evidently a fantasy.

Another reason why one may recall these types of dreams better is that they are rehearsed more often. Since they were interesting and enjoyable. amd utterly all-encompassing in a manner different from normal dreams, they will have been fresh in your mind when you awoke, and you have no doubt played the story/scenario back to yourself over and over as you remember it. The more you rehearse something, the deeper embedded it will become. As such, you have esseentially "learned" the dream, and it will be better remembered.

As for why it was better recalled on awaking? Well, it was a new and exciting experience, and your brain most likely deals with this type of dream in a differemnt fashion from normal dreams. Your brain and body may have also received a different type of physiological arousal during this dream that remained with you until waking, and caused you to remember on waking.

There are many reasons for it, but a simple one may be that you remember it because it was either particularly good or particularly bad, same as you would remember a nightmare.

If you're intrigued, you should look up lucid dreaming. there's a wealth of knowledge on the subject.

Answer 2

Memory works by association - and one of the strongest association mechanisms in the brain uses colours, humour and the unusual as an aid to recall.
All dreams can be remembered equally, you need to keep a pen and paper beside your bed and when you awake from a dream write it down immediately. The chemicals in the brain associated with dreaming dissipate very quickly - which is why normal dreams are difficult to recall - even within seconds of waking up!

Answer 3

You kind of answered your own question really. You remember them because they stand out in some way, be it because they are really weird, because they were really frightening or are intrinsically linked to some major upheavel in your life.

I can remember a dream from over 20 years ago really clearly now even, about being chased by fire and being cornered by it. Looking back I relate to my parents splitting up and me not knowing where to turn of who to live with. But then again I was a teenager!!

Answer 4

I'm no expert but I have read that it all depends on when you wake up. REM or when you are dreaming comes in phases (you have several a night therefore several dreams a night) if you are woken right in the middle of a dream you will remember it however if you are woken in between your dreams you won't!

Answer 5

The more ludicrously, weird dreams you have the longer you'll remember them because they 'stand out' in your mind. This idea is parallel to 'associative thinking' where when we learn something we associate pictures, images etc... to help us remember things better as images are retained better than words. If we make these associations vibrant, crazy, ludicrous with colours we will remember them better. Hope you can see the idea here.

Answer 6

Because your actually semi-concious when you having a lucid dream and unconscious when your having a regular dream

Answer 7

as far as i am aware you only remeber dreams if they are unfinished so perhaps the lucid dreams are remembered because u have awoken half way through maybe if they have disturbed you in any way you will find it harder to forget them.

Answer 8

cause it gives more impact on ya. dan da normal dream

Answer 9

wot

Answer 10

old_but_still_a_child will know the answer to this