Our dreams could provide insight into our minds and uncover parts of our conscious[1] we didn't even know were in play -- but what happens if you don't remember them once you open your eyes?


The key to remembering your dreams may lie in how you approach your waking state. Robert Stickgold, Harvard Medical School psychiatrist and dream specialist, tells actor Debra Winger that our brains only have a few moments to capture those illusive images we generate in our sleep. Anything that immediately engages our senses -- whether it's an alarm clock or a nudge from our partners -- can dissolve the scenes that just played out in our minds.


"When you wake up, the first thing you do is lie still and don't open your eyes," Stickgold says. "And just rehearse it in your mind and you can often pull back more detail that way."


Learn more about recalling dreams in the video above. Then, tell us in the comments the methods you use to remember your night visions.


recalling dreams


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  • 1. Take Responsibility For Your Daydreams


    Hold yourself accountable for how you use your conscious mind. Remain awake to the fantasies and visions that you conjure up to entertain yourself. Say to yourself, “I control my daydreams for a purpose.”




  • 2. Repeat The Vision Several Times


    Make it a point to repeat the vision that you create in your mind; deliberately recreate it several times. With each recreation, say to yourself, “That’s the vision I intend to impress on my subconscious.” You’ll know when the impression is made -- you’ll feel the rightness of it.




  • 3. Reinforce The Feeling Of Rightness


    Reinforce the fact that your vision is right by listing three outcomes its physical counterpart will bring you. Say, “YES,” in an enthusiastic voice with each outcome. Next, decree like a ruling emperor, “My felt visions empower me to determine my future.”




  • 4. Declare It Is Done


    This is a vital step. Imagine floating into the future, turning around and looking back at the vision like it’s part of your past reality. Say to yourself, “It is done. My vision has come to fruition.” Now take a moment to feel as though it is already so. Your fidelity to the feeling that it has already happened, gives you the faith you need to make it happen.




  • 5. Rejoice In What You've Done


    It’s time to celebrate. Say to yourself, “Look at what I’ve done. Wow, that was fun. I recognize that my power to create my future comes with my ability to daydream purposefully.” Now go about your day, knowing that you will feel compelled to act in an intelligent way that supports the manifestation of your daydream.




  • 6. Remember To Day Dream With Playful Curiosity


    Albert Einstein began his theory of relativity while daydreaming about running beside a sunbeam to the edge of the universe. If daydreaming is good enough for Einstein its good enough for you! Turns out the proverbial absent minded professor isn’t so absent minded.




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