Stones That Hinder Dream Recall

I have a special piece of amethyst I place underneath my pillow every night. The purpose I have given this stone is to aid in recalling my dreams. I have been experiencing the re-surfacing of long buried pains and fears recently and they have begun to creep back into my dreams. Amethyst has helped me keep nightmares at bay, but they have returned regardless of the presence of amethyst. In an effort to drive my nightmares away again, I placed a piece of black tourmaline (to absorb negative influences) at the base of my spine underneath a pillow I use for support (I suffer from chronic back and neck pain). I also kept the amethyst in play at its usual spot close to my head. I considered using creedite, but thought that it would be damaged under pressure because it is soft.

Anyways, upon waking, I could recall absolutely nothing from my dreams. I sat for a couple minutes and drew a complete blank. No feelings. No images. Nothing. I decided the black tourmaline was to blame because I have never slept with this stone. So I removed it and placed it back on a shelf I have dedicated to my stones. I immediately went back to sleep since I had only slept 4-5 hours. This time, I had a dream that lasted a long time and occurred in multiple places without any waking intervals. Upon waking, I could remember everything short of a few details. I even knew I was waking up as I walked out the front door of a house. Overall it was a more lucid experience than usual.

I still wonder why the presence of black tourmaline caused me to forget everything I dreamed, or if it was truly to blame. I still can't remember anything. I am wandering if the stone absorbed the dream itself, if that it possible. I now have a feeling that I shouldn't use the stone before a cleansing. It did seem to take away the dark imagery and fear in my dreams. No nightmares last night, and today I feel very renewed with an urgency to clean and organize. Any thoughts?