Saying dreams are a big deal in certain psychotherapies is like saying Amazon sells quite a few books. Freud raised the status of dreams with a, now, monumental statement asserting that dreams are the royal road to the unconscious mind. His 1899 classic, The Interpretation of Dreams has been dubbed The Bible of Psychoanalysis and often cited as Freud’s most important work. Fast forward to 1969 and Fritz Perl suggests in his book, Gestalt Therapy Verbatim, that dreams are the royal road to integration, and urges therapists to have clients tell dreams in the present tense as if they are happening right now.
That said, there has always been a small issue—okay, gigantic—with asking clients to recount their dreams. And that issue, to put it bluntly, is simply that most clients have as good of a chance of recalling a dream during their 3 p.m. psychotherapeutic session, as I do of winning the lottery. Okay, I’ll concede the client’s chances are a tad better, but not by much.
A warning upfront is that the research is not always airtight, and very often merely anecdotal. Thus, proceed like a good clinician—curious but cautious.
Dream Weavers: 5 Supplements that Might Just Jump-Start Dream Work
Some Sobering Statistics on Dream Recall
Approximately 6% never recall a dream. Ugh. About 90% of the dream’s content vanishes in 10 minutes of waking so unless your therapist is on call 24/7 for dream analysis . . . well you see the problem. Young people recall dreams better, on the average of once or twice a week with females posting better statistics than males. Some prescription medicines including SSRIs, tend to suppress dream recall since they lower REM sleep.
Just like prescription medicines and psychotherapy, no single biohack works in every instance. Also, since there are individual differences, experts often admit we have no clue precisely what dosage might be psychotherapeutically friendly. One positive, however, is that you will discover some of these supplements might benefit the patient in ways that go well beyond the couch or the hot seat. As always, clients should consult their physicians and health providers, especially if they are taking prescription medicines.
TA -65/Cycloastragenol
The granddaddy of the anti-aging movement takes front and center stage. Accolades here go not to an accomplished analyst or therapist, but rather Ed Park, MD, MPH, a California physician who claims to have taken this compound himself (and given it to clients) more than anybody else. One of his key findings was that clients taking this telomere lengthening activator and antiaging supplement reported more dream recall. The negative: Be sure to break open your piggy bank. Especially under the TA-65 badge, this stuff could easily exceed the price for your psychoanalytic sessions. Dose is 5-25 mg daily depending on the supplement and the depth of your pockets!
Vitamin B6 (P5P)
The Lucidity Starter Pack. Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine is easy to secure and more economical than TA 65 or Cycloastragenol. A highly bioactive form known as P5P or Pyridoxial-5-Phosphate might just be the gold standard for dream vividness. Chomping down on a banana or an avocado or most vitamin supplements will provide B6, but it is unlikely it would be enough to move the needle on dream recall. A banana could provide you with approximately .4 mg of B6. Dream recall using the stronger form of P5P was evident with 240 mg or the equivalent of ingesting 600 bananas. Good luck with that. B6 helps regulate serotonin and dopamine, which seemingly regulates sleep cycles. Ironically, although B6 (and most notably the P5P form) constitute an alternative remedy for arthritis and trigger finger, too much B6 over time has been accused of causing peripheral neuropathy and needles in the legs and hands. In the US, B6 supplements have an upper limit of 100 mg per capsule. 25-50 mg at bedtime is often cited as a conservative starting point.
Lithium Orotate
The Micro-dose Stabilizer. Relax. We aren’t talking about the industrial strength lithium carbonate, the prescription stuff for bipolar diagnoses. We are talking about low dosages with the over-the-counter mineral supplement lithium orotate. Maybe 1 to 5 mg a few times a week. The theory is that lithium’s ability to calm the brain might help clients focus on dream material. The reports on dream recall are primarily from individuals taking the stuff as part of their supplement stack rather than number crunching from a journal article. However, according to an October 9, 2025, article in Psychiatric Times, low dose lithium looks very promising for warding off, or dare I say it, reversing dementia, lowering the suicide rate, and helping various forms of depression. Since all forms of lithium are biologically active, clients should absolutely consult a physician first.
Valerian Root
Wrap-around Services in the Form of Gummies or Tea for Better Dream Recall Sessions. Numerous products for sleep now contain valerian root. Higher doses and long-term usage promote vivid dreams because of the Valerian’s tendency to boost Gamma Amino-Butyric Acid commonly referred to as GABA. On the negative side of the coin, trust me when I say most users won’t fall in love with the smell. Stomach aches, headaches, grogginess, and dizziness can occur. Common doses range from 300-600 mg, taken 30-60 minutes before bed.
Melatonin
The Hormone of Darkness Now available in the Same Aisle, or Even Product, as Valerian Root. Nearly everybody has now heard of melatonin as a sleep aid. But used by itself, or better still combined one or more products listed above, it can catapult dream recall enough to capture the attention of your favorite psychodynamic or gestalt therapist. Try walking through your pharmacy without being accosted by an endless variety of melatonin products. You couldn’t do it, could you? Initially the product garnered interest when it was hailed to extend the lifespan and maybe even promote anti-aging. Unfortunately, what is true in mice and fruit flies most likely is not true in humans. What is true, nevertheless, is that melatonin can give many people a better night’s sleep, hence statistically enhancing the possibility of dreams ergo dream recall. Low dosages (say .5 to .3 mg is often sufficient) are recommended since more is not necessarily better. Dosages of 5mg or more can lead to morning grogginess or the so-called “melatonin hangover.”
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Freud called dreams the royal road to the unconscious while Perls the royal road to integration. Biohackers may be trying to pave that road with supplements.
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