{{Short description|Records of dream experiences}} {{Other uses|Dream Diary (disambiguation){{!}}Dream Diary}} [[File:Skyrim Dream Comic.jpg|thumb|An artist's dream diary, written as a comic strip: "We kept bones in the chest, in preparation for a magic spell [...] and all the while I had to keep up my best telephone voice"]] A '''dream diary''' or '''dream journal''' is a diary in which dream experiences are recorded. A dream diary might include a record of nightly dreams, personal reflections and waking dream experiences. It is often used in the study of dreams and psychology. Dream diaries are also used by some people as a way to help induce lucid dreams, and are regarded as a useful tool in improving dream recall. Keeping a dream diary conditions a person to view remembering dreams as important. Dreams can be recorded in a paper diary (as text, drawings, paintings, etc.), or via an audio recording device (as narrative, music or imitations of other auditory experiences from the dream). Many websites offer the ability to create a digital dream diary. The use of a dream diary was recommended by Ann Faraday in ''The Dream Game'' (1974) as an aid to memory and a way to preserve details, many of which are otherwise rapidly forgotten no matter how memorable the dream originally seemed.<ref>Faraday, Ann: ''The Dream Game'', HarperCollins, March 1976.</ref>
Using a dream diary not only enhances recall but can also offer fascinating insights into the subconscious mind, providing a unique introspective tool.{{Opinion|date=November 2025}} People who consistently use dream journals report better understanding their emotions and thought patterns, which can contribute to personal growth and self-awareness. Furthermore, tracking dreams over time allows individuals to recognize recurring themes or symbols that may be significant in their waking lives. This practice can lead to a deeper understanding of one's inner self and possibly reveal underlying desires or concerns that might not be immediately apparent in conscious thought.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-17 |title=A Comprehensive Guide to Dream Diaries - sennik.biz |url=https://www.sennik.biz/sennik-dream-diary/ |access-date=2024-04-17 |website=www.sennik.biz |language=en-EN}}{{unreliable source|date=February 2026}}</ref>
== Lucid dreaming == {{How-to|section|date=November 2025}} Dream diaries are often kept by individuals striving to induce lucid dreams and improve their ability to recall them<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-30 |title=How to Lucid Dream: Expert Tips and Tricks |url=https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/lucid-dreams |access-date=2026-02-17 |website=Sleep Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref>. Writing down dreams increases what is called ''dream recall'', or the ability to remember dreams. When writing down dreams, the dreamer often searches for ''dream signs'', or recurring themes that have been detected between dreams.{{Why|date=November 2025}} Dream recall can vary from day to day{{How|date=November 2025}}, but keeping a diary tends to regulate waking dream memory.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-03 |title=What Is a Dream Journal Used For? |url=https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/dream-journal |access-date=2026-02-17 |website=Sleep Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref>
It is important to record the dreams in the diary immediately after waking up, as individuals forget the details of their dreams very quickly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to Keep a Dream Journal – Free Psychotherapy in Your Own Dreams |url=http://www.freepsychologyarticles.com/how-to-keep-a-dream-journal-free-psychotherapy-in-your-own-dreams.html |last=Sponias |first=Christina |date=13 January 2010 |work=Free Psychology Articles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901181031/http://www.freepsychologyarticles.com/how-to-keep-a-dream-journal-free-psychotherapy-in-your-own-dreams.html |archive-date=1 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Writing the next day's date in the dream diary asserts a conscious thought to remember dreams, which communicates intention to the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind then responds (hopefully) by fulfilling that desire. This mental action causes the conscious and subconscious minds to work together toward the common goal of remembering the dream.<ref>{{cite book|last=Condron|first=Barbara|title=The Dreamer's Dictionary|year=1994|publisher=SOM Publishing|location=Windyville, Missouri|isbn=0-944386-16-4|url=http://som.org/NewPages/Newsite07/SOMBar/Books/Titles/DreamersDictionary.html|access-date=2011-06-18|archive-date=2012-10-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006011317/http://som.org/NewPages/Newsite07/SOMBar/Books/Titles/DreamersDictionary.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== False awakenings === The discipline of waking up to record a dream in a diary sometimes leads to a false awakening where the dreamer records the previous dream while still in a dream. Some dream diarists report writing down the same dream one or two times in a dream before actually waking up, and recording it in a physical dream diary.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/IJoDR/article/download/9085/pdf|title = False awakenings in light of the dream protoconsciousness theory: A study in lucid dreamers|last = Buzzi|first = Giorgio|date = September 2011|journal = International Journal of Dream Research|access-date = 17 April 2015|archive-date = 17 May 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180517142532/https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/IJoDR/article/download/9085/pdf|url-status = live}}</ref>
== Specific uses == Followers of Eckankar frequently keep dream diaries, since they view dreams as important teaching tools and as a gateway to "Soul Travel,"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pealer |first=Grant H. |url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Soul_Travel.html?id=Rh4PAAAACAAJ |title=Soul Travel: The Key to Gaining Cosmic and Spiritual Powers |last2=Grant |first2=H. Pealer |date=2001 |publisher=Kensington Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-0-8065-2214-2 |language=en}}</ref> or the shifting of one's consciousness to ever-higher states of being.<ref>Klemp, H. (1999). ''The Art of Spiritual Dreaming''. Minneapolis, MN: [http://www.eckankar.org/dream.html Eckankar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804125359/http://www.eckankar.org/dream.html |date=2020-08-04 }}</ref>
== See also == * Sleep diary * False awakening * List of dream diaries * Stream of unconsciousness (narrative mode)
== References == {{reflist}}
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Category:Books by type Diary Category:Diaries