Thread: Its just self affirmation

ill try it tonight i suppose.

Self-affirmation usually works pretty well for me... When I really want to do it, I have a whole check list I go through. A typical list is something like:

• I will have a clear and vivid dream
• I will become lucid
• I will have a lucid dream
• Upon becoming lucid, I will remain calm and in control
• I will be able to easily control myself and freely move about
• I will be in complete control
• I will be able to prolong the dream by _insert_prefered_method_here_
• I will remember to _insert_something_you_want_to_remember_to_do_here_
• When I wake up I will be able to easily remember my dream

And then repeat it a couple times. I don't do this every night, but when I do it has a pretty decent chance of working and when it does I almost always remember the things I told myself I would remember. I find it works best while lying in bed right before going to sleep.

also affirmations about what your going to do in your regular dreams help

- i will do reality checks even when im not lucid
- i will be aware of my surroundings and notice anything that is impossible in real life
- the next person my eyes will see will be a dream character, the next time i see a person i will be dreaming

also make the affirmations always be will instead of might (i think it helps)

Do you do affirmations as you are falling asleep for the first time, or when you wake during the night and do WBTB? I'm pretty proficient at dream recall, perhaps I should start doing 'lucid' affirmations instead of 'dream recall' ones right when I go to bed.

Also, do you say all of those things to yourself at one time? Or do you pick one line and stick with it for a while? It seem like an awful lot to go thru...

Originally posted by nsquared+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nsquared)</div>

Do you do affirmations as you are falling asleep for the first time, or when you wake during the night and do WBTB?[/b]

I do them when I am falling asleep for the first time.

<!--QuoteBegin-nsquared
Also, do you say all of those things to yourself at one time? Or do you pick one line and stick with it for a while? It seem like an awful lot to go thru...

Yes it is quite a bit to go through, but the list I posted is a typical list of what I personally will go through when I want to do it. It is really not that big of a list to remember, and I recommend coming up with your own list that you can remember based on 3 basic thoughts:

1. affirmation of attaining lucidity
2. affirmation of things to remember or do in the dream(s)
3. affirmation of remembering the dream(s) in the morning (there is little need to wake up n times throughout the night, which only serves to be a detriment to your mind the next day because it did not get enough consistent rest).

And if you are very good at dream recall, then perhaps number 3 could be dropped off. But as you can see, all of the affirmations posted (mine and even pcmsurf's) fit into one of these 3 basic thoughts.

Again I recommend coming up with your own list if you want to try this technique and see what works for you. Try to make the affirmations as specific as possible, while keeping them simple and easy to remember (it is my understanding that the unconscious mind thinks on a subjective level. Because of this, it is said if you ask it questions while still conscious, it is best to ask yes/no type of questions. So along these lines I think it is best to use straightforward, objective affirmations; that way you narrow the field of how the unconscious subjective mind might receive them).

And just to re-emphasis what pcmsurf said, use "will" or perhaps something else, but be sure it is a strong positive objective verb of volition. (IMO, verbs like "might", "like to", "should", etc probably won't work because they are not strong enough, not positive enough, and not objective enough)

And I have personally found that using the pronoun "I" works better than using "you". For example "I will become lucid" works for me, while "You will become lucid" does not. Again I think it may stem from the ambiguity in "you" that the subconscious could interpret in so many ways, whereas, "I" is fairly objective, assuming we don't bring alot of philosophy into the mix.

Do you ever incorporate dreamsigns into this routine? I definitely know what my dreamsigns are, I just can't seem to make myself realize I'm dreaming when I experience them. The next morning, they were so obvious it's ridiculous. Any thoughts?

Originally posted by dream&#045;scape

And I have personally found that using the pronoun \"I\" works better than using \"you\". For example \"I will become lucid\" works for me, while \"You will become lucid\" does not. Again I think it may stem from the ambiguity in \"you\" that the subconscious could interpret in so many ways, whereas, \"I\" is fairly objective, assuming we don't bring alot of philosophy into the mix.

By doing stuff like this you are basiclay using mnemonic's to help you you remeber things which is the basis of the MILD tech. If your intrested about the whole You and I thing you should try using a name :-)

Originally posted by Turkeh
By doing stuff like this you are basiclay using mnemonic's to help you you remeber things which is the basis of the MILD tech.

Right, but the MILD technique advocates waking up after each dream period, which in my own humble opinion is completely unnecessary and such activity over long term could be detrimental to your health.

i agree with dreamscape i dont think waking up helps but maybe just a tiny bit 8)

i think it helps because of the whole REM period thing, but to do it everyday will give you a lack of sleep and your brain is likely to go into 'overdrive' and youll have all these thoughts crammed into one dream, because of the lack of time you have had asleep/ just a theory thoguh!