Thread: RAISE YOUR HAND!! - Intro Class Q&A

Originally Posted by TwitchLucidity

So when I do a reality check after FILD, and it works, do I just step out of my bed and completely start my dream or will I spawn somewhere when I open my eyes or something. Just curious, so I dont freak out and think I have a False Awakening.

Well you know, either is possible. When I WILD for example, I usually start out in my bed. With more practice, I bet I could imagine a scene someplace else. I will say that while it is common to start the dream in your bed in your room, don't let that fact trap you into a FA. What I do is just assume that I've started a dream everytime I wake up. That way I don't get tricked by FA's as much. It makes a big difference doing it that way, because I've missed a lot of chances at becoming lucid in the past when I got caught up in a FA. Now I don't neeeearly as much.

Hope you met with success last night!

Originally Posted by OpheliaBlue

Well you know, either is possible. When I WILD for example, I usually start out in my bed. With more practice, I bet I could imagine a scene someplace else. I will say that while it is common to start the dream in your bed in your room, don't let that fact trap you into a FA. What I do is just assume that I've started a dream everytime I wake up. That way I don't get tricked by FA's as much. It makes a big difference doing it that way, because I've missed a lot of chances at becoming lucid in the past when I got caught up in a FA. Now I don't neeeearly as much.

Hope you met with success last night!

Ah, thank you. I would really like to start my dream off from scratch, would love it.

Nope, 0% success with FILD so at the end of my REM sleep (WBTB Way, I also figured out when my REM sleep happens) I just dream-chained using MILD. See what happened on my Workshop,

I seem to be a participating student,

Okay, so I have this Binural Beat track on my MP3, but it loops the song no matter what I hit.

It has two stages, the song, one: take me into deep REM sleep
Two: Waking up the mind while sleeping for LDing.
Now, like I said, my MP3 loops that song. So is their a track that would be fine to loop or is this track fine to loop all night?
I dont want it to loop and bring me deeper into sleep and keep waking up the mind, I would be messed up.

Yes you are!

I have never experimented with binaural beats. The intro class doesn't really get into lucid aids all that much, so I don't have much advice for you there, sorry

Statistic questions! We get to see how many people are as crazy as I am!
Plodding onwards:

I've never had a dream, lucid or not, in which I wake up in a bed. Or wake up at all. Is even close to normal?"
I have rarely, if ever, became lucid with a reality check. I just understand the situation at what seems to be an unprecedented occasion at the start of my dreaming. Is that normal?
I never dream in a straightforward, pseudo-awake way: No plot-line is standard. Hoodies always have monsters hiding in the seams that I must battle with a quintuple-edged razor in each hand. This is probably the closest to normal.

I am just the opposite. I have never had a lucid dream that did not start with me waking up in bed. The only thing that varies so far is whether or not I leave a body in the bed behind me when I get up. I have read that your dreams are greatly influenced by what you expect to happen. Perhaps I just have become acustomed to a monotonous life that always starts with climbing out of bed in the morning. Maybe I will become more adventurous as I progress.

Originally Posted by TwitchLucidity

I seem to be a participating student,

Okay, so I have this Binural Beat track on my MP3, but it loops the song no matter what I hit.

It has two stages, the song, one: take me into deep REM sleep
Two: Waking up the mind while sleeping for LDing.
Now, like I said, my MP3 loops that song. So is their a track that would be fine to loop or is this track fine to loop all night?
I dont want it to loop and bring me deeper into sleep and keep waking up the mind, I would be messed up.

I have a HemiSync track that is 8 hours in length, and is expected to be listened to all night, but the binaural beats are hidden in the sound of the ocean so it is relaxing. I have a binaural beats app on my phone, and have to say, I think my head would explode if I listened to that thing for 8 hours straight. Do you find that they help you? I have tried them on and off, and haven't really noticed much of a difference.

My WILDs always start out in my bed, but my DILDs happen within the context of the dream scene that's already been established. And when I WILD, I don't leave a body in the bed. This is one of the reasons I used to get tangled up in false awakenings so much.

Hey everyone!

Ok I have a couple of questions.

WILD - I have been close I think maybe even achieved it for a second but not really sure about wilds. The other night I was falling asleep and I was very very relaxed and still realized that I was awake. I had the floaty feeling and didn't really feel my body. I decided to try to wild from this point since I could be there. Now this buzzing people are talking about, I think this started but I am not sure. It seemed quite a bit more violent than I had anticipated and I could feel my breaths getting stronger and almost harder to breathe. Is this normal? I have been finding it very difficult to keep that little seed of awareness while letting your mind drift. I will get it one day.

Supps - I am a fan of trying supplements. A few of my dreams have been supp induced and my longest one yet was supp induced. I do have them naturally as well but I think I am I guess stupider in my non supp induced dreams. I never remember to do what I want to do. Anyways I was wondering if anyone knew about some of these supplements or has tried them. I have done some research and read here and there that this works and that works but nothing concrete. GABA - im interested in this but not sure if it will inhibit REM. Thought about taking this during WBTB to relax myself again.
GPC - This seems similar or an alternate to choline to me.
Yohimbine - not much about this except it is good for noepenipheran (sp?)
Passion flower and kava root for relaxation.
St Johns Wort - Similar to 5htp?
L-dopa - neurotransmitter

I have been experimenting here and there but it takes quite awhile and there are so many different combinations and methods that its quite overwhelming. I try some new combo once or twice a week, but usually they mess my sleep up a bit and I NEED my sleep. Any info is great.

Thanks

Originally Posted by 501

WILD - I have been close I think maybe even achieved it for a second but not really sure about wilds. The other night I was falling asleep and I was very very relaxed and still realized that I was awake. I had the floaty feeling and didn't really feel my body. I decided to try to wild from this point since I could be there. Now this buzzing people are talking about, I think this started but I am not sure. It seemed quite a bit more violent than I had anticipated and I could feel my breaths getting stronger and almost harder to breathe. Is this normal? I have been finding it very difficult to keep that little seed of awareness while letting your mind drift. I will get it one day.

Hey 501! Yes, it definitely sounds like you were experiencing the transition sensations people will sometimes experience during a WILD. This sounds perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. In 90% of my WILDs, I experience no transition sensations at all. But on occasion they'll be a rough, exciting ride with lots of sensations of motion/weird sounds, etc.

You can certainly have a WILD without any of this stuff, of course. (Most of mine don't feature this kind of thing.) So my advice would be to just not focus too much on that stuff, stay relaxed, and stick to the (often tricky) task of keeping your awareness alive while you drift off to sleep.) Sounds like you were doing a great job! If you're really into WILD, Sageous' course materials are superb... check them out if you haven't!

Originally Posted by 501

Supps - I am a fan of trying supplements. A few of my dreams have been supp induced and my longest one yet was supp induced. I do have them naturally as well but I think I am I guess stupider in my non supp induced dreams. I never remember to do what I want to do. Anyways I was wondering if anyone knew about some of these supplements or has tried them. I have done some research and read here and there that this works and that works but nothing concrete. GABA - im interested in this but not sure if it will inhibit REM. Thought about taking this during WBTB to relax myself again.
GPC - This seems similar or an alternate to choline to me.
Yohimbine - not much about this except it is good for noepenipheran (sp?)
Passion flower and kava root for relaxation.
St Johns Wort - Similar to 5htp?
L-dopa - neurotransmitter

I have been experimenting here and there but it takes quite awhile and there are so many different combinations and methods that its quite overwhelming. I try some new combo once or twice a week, but usually they mess my sleep up a bit and I NEED my sleep. Any info is great.

I have used a number of different supplements, and my general advice is to keep really good records, always start with low doses, and favor caution over aggressiveness. Not only is this better for your health, but it presents much less risk of tolerance and desensitization.

If you're using supps, you will definitely want to check out Thomas Yuschak's book Advanced Lucid Dreaming: The Power of Supplements. It's filled with great info on how to make the most of this approach and he does a good job covering strategies for health and safety. And it especially covers galantamine, the king of lucid dreaming supplements.

None of the following is an endorsement of these supplements, but a list of what I know about the ones you mentioned.
GPC - Yes, similar to the choline salts but with a longer, gentler concentration curve.
Yohimbine - I've never tried this one, but it's pretty nasty stuff overall. Yuschak got results with it in micro-doses (like 1/20th of a cap!) This just has too many side effects IMO. I'd recommend sticking with safer stuff.
St Johns Wort - The effects of this one are complex, but it definitely affects serotonin. You always want to be cautious with anything that affects serotonin, so you'd never ever mix this with 5-htp, SSRIs, MAOIs, or anything like that.
L-DOPA - You'd only ever want to use the L-DOPA present in mucuna pruriens extract. (The synthetic stuff like Levodopa has been found to have far more side effects than the natural stuff in mucuna pruriens.) L-DOPA tends to raise dream confidence and dream control ability but can also make dreams less stable.

Again, always exercise caution first and foremost. Your core practices are what will really bring you lucid dreams, so use caution, stick with low doses, and don't get in a hurry.

Thanks CanisLucidus,

Originally Posted by CanisLucidus

In 90% of my WILDs, I experience no transition sensations at all. But on occasion they'll be a rough, exciting ride with lots of sensations of motion/weird sounds, etc.

If you're really into WILD, Sageous' course materials are superb... check them out if you haven't!

The other one I guess you could say I had (probably 3 to 5 seconds long) was a very smooth transition. I was just relaxing and drifting in and out and pow I was in it, then pow I was out of it since the dream hadn't formed completely and the excitement jerked me out.

I don't know if I am really into it or not since I haven't really don't it yet and had a good experience. WILD is a hard one for me to do unless I am very tired, I usually only try if I am home alone (on that rare occasion) and I can lay down for at least an hour.

Originally Posted by CanisLucidus

If you're using supps, you will definitely want to check out Thomas Yuschak's book Advanced Lucid Dreaming: The Power of Supplements.

I have read the PDF file from Thomas Yuschak and that is where I got the little cocktail for my longest lucid. It was a good read and I really got a lot out of him talking about the transitions into WILD, what they feel like and what to expect.

For some reason I embedded one of the supplements I was most curious into the paragraph above the list of supps.
GABA - to me this looks to be similar to maybe valerian root? with a major calming effect. I am curious however if it suppresses REM and if it can be taken with G or the two work against each other.

I don't know if it is out there but I am looking for my magic formula, and no rushing for me. seems like every other time I do try supplements I am up half the night.

I am able to have maybe one lucid a week without the supps usually. I am really just getting into the game and am continuing on honing my skills.

Thanks again for the info.

I have had two dreams where I have realized I'm dreaming, and while I know this counts as a level of lucidity, this isn't the level that I had when I first lucid dreamed. In these dreams, I know I'm dreaming, but it’s like there is still this fuzzy wall between me and the rest of the dream world. Like, you know how you might be watching a movie and it’s so exciting you forget you're watching a movie until the credits role? That's what would be a non-lucid dream for me. These semi-lucid dreams are more like what it feels like to watch a rather boring movie and be acutely aware of every second that's passing as the movie happens. What I'm trying for is the feeling you would get if you were actually starring in the movie. That's the level of lucidity I had when I first lucid dreamed.

Are these semi-lucid dreams an indicator that I am doing things right?

Hrmm, in these semi-lucids, are you able to engage with other dream characters at all? Or does the thought never even cross your mind while still in the dream?

Um, I guess I really didn't think to. I figured I had to be more lucid before I could engage in lucid dream-like activities so instead of trying to fly or talking to DCs, I was trying to figure out ways to increase my lucidity.

Actually you can begin engaging in activities as soon as you're aware you're dreaming. Even if it's a bit blurry or you feel somewhat disconnected from the dream, as long as you can remember what task or goal you want to complete in the dream, just go for it. I find that being goal-oriented in itself acts as a stabilizer for the lucid dream, because it gets my mind off of "omg I have to stabilize or increase lucidity now".

Good to know. Thanks. Next time I will be sure to try that. :]

I had an experience that peaked my interest the other day and it made me think about the way we remember our dreams and the reasons behind the need to write them in a journal in order to achieve that.
as I was walking down the street absent-minded I suddenly remembered a scene from a dream I had the night before in which I was gazing at a beautiful night sky that was almost completely filled with twinkling stars. I felt a surge of strange emotions that I can't find the correct way to describe, although I'm pretty sure they were in the -Awe and Wonder- section of my brain .
Even though I remembered just this tiny bit, I'm sure that the dream was amazing. I'm quite fascinated by the fact that I can get emotional from a dream that I don't even have recollection of!
Maybe our brains handle dreams differently because a myriad of sections in our brains are turned on and others off during sleep. It also seems that emotions play a rather important role in recalling our dreams. I found out that, for me at least, the more emotional the dream, the more memorable.
What are your thoughts on the subject?

Being someone who doesn't feel emotions very deeply in my dreams, this is not the case for me. I have found that whether or not I am able to recall a dream depends more on the amount of sleep I've received. For example, I woke up at 4:30 this morning (after having gone to sleep at 1) with no recollection of any dreams. However, after going back to sleep and re-awaking around around 9AM, I was able to recall 2 fairly elaborate dreams. I am under the impression that whether or not I remember a dream depends mainly on how tired I am. But I imagine its a little different for everyone.

It probably is a little different for everyone, but it does seem that I hear more reports of folks getting swept up in their emotions during dreams more often. And for me, that's one of the reasons I sometimes lose focus and therefore lose lucidity or the dream altogether. Some of this is because of a lack of proper awareness (a discussion for another time), but I do believe you're right Kaenthem, that certain brain centers are more active during sleep, and others less so compared to the waking state. So it's just a matter of being aware of this, and training yourself to handle those states more efficiently to maximize you lucid experiences. This is something that for me, takes practice. Lots of it. But it's worth it.

When writing in your dream journals..do any of you guys remember snippets of previous dreams?? While I'm writing my dreams down I always remember super random parts of another dreams that I feel like I had a long time ago!

Originally Posted by ldreamer77

When writing in your dream journals..do any of you guys remember snippets of previous dreams?? While I'm writing my dreams down I always remember super random parts of another dreams that I feel like I had a long time ago!

For me, definitely yes! A huge part of dream recall is this skill of one memory leading to another memory, which leads to an emotional residue, which leads to a dream fragment, which leads to a phrase, etc.

So much of dream recall is about chasing all these pieces down and spooling them back up into your waking memory.

So yeah, not only does that sound normal, I think it's a sign of good dream recall skills.

What CL said.

I feel downright naughty when I don't keep up with my DJ, for this very reason. All the fragments or dreamlets (or face it, even some lucids) that get forgotten when we don't practice good dream recall...

Hey Guys!

I have a quick questions regarding WBTB.
Is it necessary to actually get out of bed? If so, is there a particular reason why it is necessary?

Also I've been trying FILD for a week or so, but I always lose concentration to do it very quickly. Is there any way to keep moving the fingers slightly while not focusing on it? :S

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Riseofashes

I have a quick questions regarding WBTB.
Is it necessary to actually get out of bed? If so, is there a particular reason why it is necessary?

I think that the most important element of WBTB is spending the right amount of time (whatever that is for you personally) truly awake and not dozing. For me (and probably for most people), this is easiest to do when you actually get out of bed and allow your mind to move just a bit into waking life mode.

WBTB seems to benefit from the brain being actively engaged in some task, particularly one tuned toward lucid dreaming. I'd imagine that if someone sat up in bed and read about lucid dreaming for 30 minutes, this would work just as well as physically getting up and moving around.

And truthfully, when it's WBTB time, I find that I almost always can stand to pee, which makes getting out of bed pretty natural.

Originally Posted by Riseofashes

Also I've been trying FILD for a week or so, but I always lose concentration to do it very quickly. Is there any way to keep moving the fingers slightly while not focusing on it? :S

Unfortunately, I just don't have any experience with FILD. Wish I could help you there, but good luck!