Barry's DILD course workbook

**Barry** · 02-25-2015 02:19 PM

25/02/2015 - Great recall, and Lucid Dream Class

I'm feeling much more confident today, I remembered 5 dreams last night, and one of them featured a lucid dream class.

Here's the lucid class part of my dream:

'The class turned in to a lucid dream class, we were given a leaflet giving us tips on Lucid dreaming. The class ended and we left, I saw two school friends leaving. There jumpers had text on it related to dreaming.'

This dream occurred after a WBTB, I fell asleep at around 7am, then woke up at 7:50 and I remember two dreams.

If the past is anything to go by, a lucid will follow shortly!

**FryingMan** · 02-25-2015 02:24 PM

Awesome, you're really close, keep it up!

**fogelbise** · 02-25-2015 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by FryingMan

You're very young yet, so you have decades of awesome dreaming ahead of you. Don't feel rushed, just dedicate yourself to the practice and don't quit! However long it takes, it's worth the wait!

This is so true! Also try not to stress as that seems to impair getting lucid dreams.

I agree that alarms to remind you to RC are not as good as more naturally prompted RC's, but if you are having trouble getting enough I can give you a few different ideas. (Sorry, I'm a few posts behind on this thread. I started responding yesterday and got super busy.)

**Barry** · 02-26-2015 03:18 PM

Three weeks since I got back in to lucid dreaming now, it took me 5 weeks to get my first LD when I first started back in 2012, so hopefully within the next 2 weeks the LD will come. I know when I get that Lucid dream my confidence will go up and my 2nd should come much quicker.

**FryingMan** · 02-26-2015 03:32 PM

I'm sure your next lucid is just around the corner! It's good to think long-term about lucid dreaming. With growing awareness (basically, lucidity) in waking life, and improving dream recall, memory function, etc., lucidity in dreams will occur more and more. And the dreaming experience in non-lucids, too, will become more vivid and present (feeling like you're really there). Keep up the work, positive attitude, really enjoying the entire process, and you'll start to notice improvements. Consistency is key...

**Barry** · 02-27-2015 02:09 PM

Ordered some galantamine and Choline to help me get a DILD, does it still work if you take it before you go to sleep instead of WBTB?

**FryingMan** · 02-27-2015 02:19 PM

Barry, before you take any supplements, I strongly suggest that you read this book:

Advanced Lucid Dreaming: The Power of Supplements Paperback – by Thomas Yuschak

He tells you how they work in the brain, how to take them safely (as much as can be done: summary: start slowly with minimal doses, and not in combination in the beginning [one at a time]) and effectively.

Supplements can help produce a brain chemistry environment where very vivid dreams occur, but it's still up to you and your LD practices to get lucid given those vivid dreams. Many people (me included) have gotten "lost" in the fascinating dreams that result. You need to be setting intent to get lucid so that you remember that is your goal.

I generally don't recommend beginners take supplements, because you're still trying to figure out the basis of your own practice, what does and does not work for you. Supplements can interfere with that. I generally think "once in a while" is OK, but I think natural development is the best.

I know you want the dreams right now, but trust me, they will come if you put in the work and the dedication, over time. Lucid dreaming is not a "instant gratification" discipline, it requires taking the long-term view and making a long-term commitment.

Super short summary (still, read Yuschak!): best usage is take the galantamine + choline after 4-6 hours of sleep (depending on your sleep patterns) at WBTB time. Taking at bedtime causes the effect to peak before your main dreaming periods of the night, and may prevent you from falling asleep at all.

**Barry** · 02-27-2015 03:37 PM

Okay thanks Fryingman, I'll read the book. I was only planning on taking 4mg Galantamine and 250mg Choline.

I am still planning on working hard, I just thought I'd try it for a boost.

**Barry** · 02-28-2015 01:27 PM

The supplements have arrived, going to take them 5 hours after sleep.

**Barry** · 03-01-2015 09:38 AM

Whooooo! I had a lucid dream about 20 minutes ago! It was what some people call an O.B.E as well. I had zero control though and I couldn't get back down to the ground as I had flown out of my body towards the ceiling. It felt like I was pulled out of the dream really fast, I 'woke up' in a completely random room, I was still at the ceiling and couldn't get down. I'm still happy though, never experienced something like this before. I only took 4mg galantamine too!

**FryingMan** · 03-01-2015 11:36 AM

Congrats! In my 2nd LD I started floating up to the "ceiling" uncontrollably, but I started rubbing my hands together and that brought me down to the ground again, and had a really nice time walking around the dream scene.

**Barry** · 03-01-2015 11:44 AM

I rubbed my hands together but it didn't do anything, I even shouted 'stabilise now' but it didn't work!

**fogelbise** · 03-02-2015 04:02 AM

Congrats! Just know that every LD is likely to be different in some way so no worries that it will always be like that. With one like yours I tend to just see where the dream pulls me but you could also rub the ceiling, stand up on the ceiling or "know" that you will float straight through. Patience is big I feel.

**Barry** · 03-03-2015 12:32 PM

Took 8mg galantamine this morning, took me ages to get to sleep, and when I did I kept waking up after 10 minutes, think I'm going to stick with 4mg. I'm currently taking it every other night. Really weird dream though, I woke up in a bed and it was snowing outside, later I was skiing, but I was convinced I was only imagining this, and I was still in bed. Then I started trying to WILD in my dream while I was skiing!

I'm still performing reality checks and dream journaling.

**FryingMan** · 03-03-2015 12:55 PM

Barry, Yuschak writes that galantamine should not be taken more than once every 4 days, unless you're also taking piracetam to counter the desensitization (I personally don't recommend that -- seems like too much supplementing, just my personal opinion). Otherwise you risk becoming desensitized to galantamine, and perhaps other neurotransmission effects, possibly affecting natural dreaming.

**Barry** · 03-03-2015 01:09 PM

oh right, I'll take it every 4 days from now on, thought every other night was fine.

**FryingMan** · 03-03-2015 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by FryingMan

Barry, before you take any supplements, I strongly suggest that you read this book:

Advanced Lucid Dreaming: The Power of Supplements Paperback – by Thomas Yuschak

Originally Posted by Barry

Okay thanks Fryingman, I'll read the book.

Originally Posted by FryingMan

Yuschak writes that galantamine should not be taken more than once every 4 days

Originally Posted by Barry

oh right, I'll take it every 4 days from now on, thought every other night was fine.

Barry -- looks like there's some an as-yet-unfinished reading assignment out there

. Yuschak is well-worth reading, please do before diving deeper in to supplements.

**Barry** · 03-03-2015 02:12 PM

I skimmed read it! I missed the piracetam bit

I've been practicing for a nearly a month naturally, get no LD's, then a take galantamine and have an LD instantly, so you can see why it's tempting

**FryingMan** · 03-03-2015 03:06 PM

Oh, I understand why it's tempting. I'm not saying don't use G, I'm saying understand what it's about and how to use it responsibly.

**Barry** · 03-05-2015 01:03 PM

I had two lucid dreams this morning, both only lasted a few seconds. I was semi-lucid for a while though in the first one, a part of me knew it was a dream, but I wouldn't count it as a lucid. The dream continued normally for a bit. I ended up falling and getting stuck in a canal, I thought 'maybe this is real', then I became properly lucid and thought 'no, it's a dream. I can do anything I want'. I shouted fly and I flew out of the canal. I was about to rub my hands to try and stabilize the dream, but I noticed my foot was caught on a fence, I tried to free it but I fell and woke up. In my second dream, I was in my brothers room (his room has two doors), Someone I knew appeared at the door way, but then simultaneously appeared at the other door way. As if he had a clone. I did a hand reality check, but my hand looked normal (to my dream brain anyway) I had doubts and thought maybe it was my Dad I saw. I did the hand reality check again and noticed some of my fingers looked weird, one was a weird shape and was black at the end of the finger. I got up out my chair and then I woke up. I know all the dream control techniques, it's just I seem to forgot when in my dream. I suppose I could start pretending I'm dreaming, and practicing doing the dream control tecniques. Still searching for that elusive 5+ minute LD, but at least I'm making progress!

**FryingMan** · 03-05-2015 03:23 PM

Great progress, congrats! In fact I do recommend practicing becoming lucid when awake: rehearse your "I'm dreaming!" moment: plan exactly what you want to do and think. I generally start with hand rubbing while looking slowly around the surroundings and counting slowly to 5 once or twice, and I also like to pat down my body (chest/stomach/legs) quickly to bring my dream body into the dream. These days I'm also trying to remember that my physical body is asleep in bed in the waking world, and that the entire current experience is a fantasy happening entirely inside my mind.

**Barry** · 03-10-2015 11:12 AM

Had another lucid dream this morning and it was the best one for 3 years! It was still short, maybe 30 seconds, but the others were only a couple of seconds. It started of as a common dream, I was playing a game but I was inside of it. I was in a house, two people I knew in real life were also in the house and saw me. One of them picked up a draw and slammed it on my head. I got up as if nothing happened and the guy told me I should wake myself up. This is when I became lucid. I realised the house was/looked very similar to my grandmas house. I wiped my hands together and looked at them to stabilise and increase vividness. I walked outside, I took a moment to look around, everything looked detailed. I was on a street, a couple of people were walking past. I then started to fly, the air was really cold, I think because it was the night. I flew to the end of the street in to darkness, I was wondering what my brain would come up with. I then woke up.

Funny thing is, I woke up late about 7:30am, I had planned to take Galantamine and Choline at 4-5am. I was annoyed and didn't take them as I had to be up in a couple of hours. I fell back asleep and became lucid naturally! Thank you for all your help Fryingman!

**FryingMan** · 03-10-2015 12:31 PM

Good job, congrats, and keep it up!

**Barry** · 03-11-2015 04:46 PM

Nearly got lucid again last night, I remember looking at my hands and I think I had six fingers, not sure why that didn't make me lucid. I then saw a clock and the clock time was going anti-clockwise. I woke up after this. I'm going on holiday for a week on Friday, I still should be able to do RC checks. But DJing will be difficult since I'm sharing a room. Hopefully won't effect me too much, my recall when I'm not DJing is probably a fragment a month at best!

**fogelbise** · 03-11-2015 06:25 PM

You really are coming along nicely! (Great work with all of the excellent advice and guidance FryingMan!)

Do try to keep up day practices and at least mental DJ'ing at awakenings so that you can maintain the gains you've made recently. You can also try DJ'ing on your phone in the bathroom while on your trip. I tend to get over confident from time to time and I start "coasting" and my LD results weaken.