Experiments with a strobe light

Hey All,

Seeing as I don't have the cash for a Nova Dreamer, and don't quite trust the REM Dreamer yet,
I decided to rig up the next best thing:

A strobe light and a digital outlet timer. I'm using:

1. "Strobe Light" by Room Moodz, available at Toys R Us and amazon.com for $19.95. (comes with 3 colored filters)

2. "Intermatic 500 Watt 120 Volt AC Heavy-Duty PadDigital Timer" available at www.homedepot.com for $19.95.

Total Cost: $40.

Since I tend to sleep on my side and I'm a turner, I decided to hang the Strobe on the wall over my head.
This way it works no matter which way I'm facing. I set the timer for about 10 on/off power switches lasting
1 minute each, starting from about 2 hours after I fall asleep.

I tried it for the first time last night and until then I've only had 1 LD in the past 7 months.
This morning I had a false awakening, directly caused by the strobe.
So I'm highly optomistic that this is going to greatly increase my LD frequency!

I'm currently making some adjustments. The strobe light was too bright and woke me up several times,
even using the red color filter that comes with it.
So I've added a sheer silk cloth to reduce the brightness by another 50% or so.

Also, 6 hours into the timer schedule, the strobe began flashing at random intervals on and off
every couple minutes for about 45 minutes straight, which unfortunately woke me up. I'm not sure
why this happened. It's possible I messed up programming one of the scheduled power switches.
So I've reprogrammed the timer for tonight and hopefully there won't be a repeat performance.

Well, that's all I have to report for now. I'll post anything interesting tomorrow. In the meantime,
if anyone else who's using this set up would like to add comments or advice, please do! And of course,
thanks to everyone who has mentioned this method in the forum, I wish I had names, but you know who
you are.

:goodjob2:

I hope this turns out well. That will be nice if we can have an inexpensive way to do this. I will like to see the results. Also did you have to strech the page?

Sorry, I didn't realize it was gonna stretch until I posted it.

:P

I assume it's cuz of the links? Is there any way I can fix it?

This is the same code, but shorter.

Use [ url=CODE ]Whatever you want to say[ /URL ] instead of [ URL ]Code [ /URL ]

Well, it's fixed. Should be easier to read now.

:oops:

Day 2 Report:

No LD's. :?

Tried setting Strobe Light to fastest flash rate, but it made a rapid clicking noise that woke me up every time it turned on. The light still seems a bit too bright to sleep through as well.

For tonight, I'm returning the Strobe's flash rate to it's slowest setting, and programming it to activate only once per hour starting from 3 hours after I usually fall asleep.

You might want to try putting one of the colored shields in front of the light. It reduces the brightness significantly.

(I just had to get the materials and try it too :-P )

Hey Lucky,

I'm glad someone decided to join in on the experiment. The more, the merrier!

As for the brightness, I actually have been using the red color filter and even a sheer silk cloth over that, my wife and I still find it a little too bright. So, I'm thinking of buying some red tissue paper and layering it over the light to get the right level of brightness.

In the meantime, can you share with us how many times a night is your Strobe programmed to flash? Any "luck" so far? does it wake you up or do you notice it in your dreams, etc?

Thanks.

:)

On weekends, which is all i've tried so far, I set it starting at 3am and going off every hour until 9am (flashing for 5 mins each time.)
For weekdays, I think i'm going to go from 1am to 5am; 1 hour apart and flashing for 5 mins each time.

The first night (firday/saturday), I tried it without the shield, and it woke me up about every time it went off.

The second night (saturday/sunday), I put the red shield in, and it only woke me up once, I didn't notice the light in any dreams. Come to think of it... I don't even remember any of my dreams from last night. I'm still going to stick with the red shield though, and see if I have better luck tonight.

Strobe light! Never thought of that. I'm very interested in seeing how this works. Maybe if you put it in a box or something? Pointed at the ceiling so that you get indirect light? This should also dampen the sound a bit.

Yeah, I've been thinking about moving the strobe to an indirect flashing position. The thing is, my wife isn't interested in having LD's (or having lights flash in her eyes while she's sleeping. LOL) so having it directly over my head facing down seems to be the least intrusive for her.

Funny thing is, she went lucid twice this week from the strobe and she's doesn't even want to have LD's! Go figure.

:roll:

The sound issue is a little trickier. I'm gonna give some thought to your box suggestion. Maybe if I line it with material or something...?

Anyway, I have some success to report: :breakitdown:

This morning I had an LD (not related to the strobe), about 60-75 minutes after I fell asleep. It wasn't very vivid. I had virtually no control and the environment was so chaotic that it was difficult to stay lucid. But who cares? It was an LD!

Then about 5-10 minutes after I lost lucidity, the Strobe flashed for it's first programmed time and I went lucid again! It was interesting how it was incorporated into my dream:

I was suddenly floating over a sunny suburban street, about tree-top height and looking down on a parked car. The sun was reflecting off it's windshield and getting in my eyes. I knew it was the strobe, but the flashing was so strong that before I could do anything, it wiped out my field of vision and woke me up. I'm convinced it would have worked perfectly if the light had been a little dimmer...

So, only one week after starting Project Strobe Light, I had 2 LD's in the same night, one from the strobe, and one natural. But compare that to the 3 months of trying it took for me to get my last LD!

I'm expecting better lucids and more of them once I get the brightness issue resolved. But even today's mini-strobe-induced-lucid tells me this method is definitely worth trying, especially for newbies like me.

:D

Day 3 results: It woke me up EVERY time it went off (with the red shield...,) even a few mins ago from my nap. :mad:

Quote:

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

Quote:

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Maybe if you put it in a box or something? Pointed at the ceiling so that you get indirect light? This should also dampen the sound a bit. [/b]

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I may have to do something like this, or cover it with something, like Pandragon suggested.

<!--QuoteBegin-Pandragon
Funny thing is, she went lucid twice this week from the strobe and she's doesn't even want to have LD's! Go figure.

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lol, and she still isn't interested in LDing?

Congrats on your LDs though. Once you get all this figured out, you'll be glad you took the time to get it working. I know I will.

the strobe light seems to work okay keep on trying.

More Fine Tuning:

To correct the brightness problem, I removed the color filter and silk sheet I was using and replaced it with 5 sheets of red colored, Hallmark tissue paper ($2 at Long's drug store, in the gift wrapping supplies section). It softened the brightness considerably and actually produces a much nicer red glow than the color filter that comes with the strobe.

This morning, once again, I went lucid in my dream from the strobe, but once again I was pulled into waking consciousness within 3 seconds of the flashing because it was too bright. Hopefully, all I have to do is cut more sheets of tissue paper and keep layering till I find the right level of brightness.

But the repeated experience of being triggered into lucidity, and then immediately pulled kicking and screaming out of my dream has lead me to realize a possible problem with this set up:

As far as I know, commercial outlet timers can be set for a minimum of 1 minute on/off cycles, and no less (if anyone knows of a timer than can be set for less than one 1 minute, please tell me).

So far, every time I've been awakened in a dream by the strobe, I've thought to myself that even though it was too bright, if it would only flash for a couple seconds and then stop, I could stay lucid and continue dreaming.

The problem isn't so much the fact that it's so bright, it's that the light keeps flashing for a full minute and I can't maintain my dreamscape more than a couple seconds with such a bright flash wiping out my field of vision.

So now I'm wondering how dim does the light have to be for me to go lucid, but still remain asleep and dreaming? To maintain my dreamscape for a full minute while I wait for the flashing to stop, I think it will have to be pretty soft light. But if it's too soft, it may not catch my attention at all while I'm dreaming.

:doh:

Oh well, I guess I'll just keep layering on the tissue paper until the strobe doesn't wake me up and go from there...

Even More Fine Tuning, More Success, The Experiment Hits a Wall:

More Fine Tuning -

Last night I added another 5 sheets of colored tissue paper for a total of 10 sheets. The light is now a lovely, soft red glow. Not harsh at all.

:goodjob2:

Also, today I hung a fleece sweater over the back of the strobe and tested it. The clicking sound is muted by about 50%. Should be much more tolerable now, I'll find out tonight...


More Success - :goodjob:

This morning I had another LD! That's 2 in 2 days, a new record for me. This one was more lucid and longer lasting, loads of fun! However, it happened between strobe flashes, I simply recognized I was dreaming from some funny cues (everything I read around me had "LD" or "L/D" on it and I finally got the message).

So this is twice in 2 days I went lucid but not from the strobe. My guess is, either my other efforts are paying off (dream journal, affirmations, MILD, etc), or somehow the Strobe is training me to be more aware in my dreams because it's been waking me up briefly a few times every night and reminding me I'm trying to go lucid. Maybe it's both, but I feel pretty sure the strobe is helping somehow, even if it's not the way it's supposed to.

The Experiment Hits a Wall -

Ok after 10 days, I have some preliminary observations, both good and bad:

The Good - It's been well worth the $42 in expenses, I've had 2 lucids in less than 2 weeks and I seem to be increasing my LD frequency dramatically.

The Bad - After 10 days, I haven't had one lucid dream initiated by the strobe light. Almost every night, at least once I recognize the flashing in my dreams and become lucid, but after a few seconds it wakes me up. I can't seem to stay asleep and dreaming long enough for the flashing to stop (1 minute).

The Wall - I'm convinced the strobe light could help me go lucid almost every night, maybe more than once, if only I could program it to turn on and off within about 3 seconds (long enough to go lucid, but brief enough to stay alseep and keep dreaming). The problem is, I have no idea how to (cheaply) program the strobe light for 3 second intervals, several times a night. Every commercial outlet timer I've seen has a 1 minute minimum interval setting, and I'm technically inept.

Summary: This experiment was intended to determine whether I could recognize an external light source while I'm dreaming and use it to trigger lucidity in my dreams. In that regard, it's a total success, works about 90% of the time. Sadly, I just don't know how to stay in the dream while the flashing goes on for a full minute.

:morecrying:

At least it seems to be helping me become lucid naturally in between scheduled flashes, so it's still a big help overall.

I think there's a slim chance that I can keep reducing the brightness with more sheets of colored paper until it's just bright enough to make me lucid, but soft enough not to wake me up or wipe out my dreamscape. This may mean I'll notice it less often, but it might help me go straight into an LD once in awhile...


Well, that's all for now, except of course, if anyone reading this knows (or knows someone who knows) how I can cheaply program the Strobe Light for 3 second intervals, without needing a degree in electronics, please, please, please post it here.

:help:

I would be forever grateful... :bowdown:

I tested a strobe in 1995 at night for lds and dreams experimenting and had high hopes but never was a succes!
combined it with certain set times (using a timer) etc..but nope..no succes!
Tried only red(filter) and white light (no filter)
Freq from 15 to 0.75 hz. so all diff settings!

Sound tests with spoken lines (tape) did work how ever!

But congrats, because it shows your creativity! ;)


Lucidapple

Hi lucid,

Did the strobe not work because you didn't see the light in your dreams? Or because it was too bright...?

I also have an audio CD with spoken cues that is programmed to play in the morning. But it has yet to make me lucid. I'm planning to record a new one as soon as I can afford a copy of Goldwave (my trial version expired recently).

What spoken lines did you record on your audio tape? How far apart are they? Every 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20...?

I think this should work...

Get a new timer, and plug it into the old one, (you might have to use a short extension cord, because the wall might be in the way.) Set the clock on the new timer to 57 seconds earlier than the timer that you already have. Make the times on the new timer the exact same of the times on the 'old timer.' The new timer will go off 57 seconds earlier, but since the timer that is plugged into the wall (the 'old timer') hasn't gone off yet, the strobe light wont go on. The when the 'old timer' goes off there will be three seconds left on the 'new timer' (the one that the strobe light is plugged into.) And the light should only flash for three seconds.

It's kind of hard for me to explain, but you should be able to figure it out.
I've also noticed that when the timer goes off/turns on, it takes a few seconds for the strobe light to actually flash. So, you might have to do a bit of trial and error to get it exact.
I also don't know if you want to go out and spend another $20 on a new timer (you might be able to get a cheaper one though, mine was $13 at Lowes.)

By the way... nice job on the LDs, I haven't have any yet with the strobe light.

DUDE YOU ROCK!!!

:bravo:

That's a brilliant idea! I don't know if it will work or even be safe from a fire hazard perspective, but it's cheaper than anything I've come up with by FAR. I'm definitely gonna try it.

The best I came up with so far was to buy one of these:

http://www.greenair.com/cyclestat.htm

The Cyclestat II can be set for 5 second intervals, but your idea is about $80 cheaper after shipping and handling.

:mrgreen:

Thanks Lucky, you just made my day.

:bowdown:

And as for your LD's, are you seeing the light in your dreams at all? Are you using any other LD methods like Dream Journaling, MILD, etc?

I've seen the light while I was dreaming once, but I woke up within a few seconds. I also have a weird problem with waking up 1-2 mins before the timer is supposed to go off, I guess it's my internal clock being a bitch.
I don't keep a dream journal, mainly because i'm too lazy, But I do try the WILD and MILD sometimes (usually on weekends,) but to no avail.

I set my timer to flash for 5 mins, in hopes that i'll I definitely see it, and if it does wake me up, maybe I can fall asleep while it's still flashing and see it when I enter back into dreamstate. But, i'm starting to think maybe this isn't such a good idea. Mostly because it hasn't worked yet. But I might just have to get used to the light flashing, and I might not wake up everytime it goes off.

Interesting, I see the light and hear the "clicks" almost every time that it turns on, but it always wakes me up after a few seconds. Probably cuz I'm a light sleeper anyway.

I gotta say, I resisted using a Dream Journal for 6 months. I was determined to get LD's without one, but had no luck for 3 months straight. In the end I finally started using one, and within a couple weeks I had an LD. Believe me, I understand not wanting to do it. I think it depends on how bad you want LD's, whether it's worth doing, but I really think keeping the Journal increases your chances on a daily basis.
It might even help you become more aware while you dream and maybe be able to spot the light easier. Just a thought.

By the way, just out of curiosity, have you ever plugged one outlet timer into another? I think it definitely sounds good in theory, and I'm probably going to try it tomorrow. I'd just like some reassurance that I'm not gonna fry something...

:?

P.S. After I posted this, I thought of an alternative to the Strobe Light that might be helpful for you. I've been playing with the idea of plugging a hand-held massage vibrator into the outlet and resting it inside the fitted sheet, somewhere around my mattress, maybe on the side or near my head. I figure that way the vibrations will be softened by the mattress, but might still be enough to trigger lucidity. This could be a great way to trigger lucidity without the clicking noise or the annoying lights. In EWLD, LaBerge mentioned using vibration in his laboratory experiments before he designed the DreamLight mask, and said it was an effective method.

I have a cheap therapeutic massager, that has 3 settings so I can test this theory out some time. But from what I've seen, some of those suped-up Hitachi Massagers have all kinds of crazy settings like "pulse" and "oscillate," etc. They're kinda pricey, may be perfect for finding just the right vibration to trigger lucidity.

Anyway, it's just an idea, but I thought I'd pass it along. Hope it helps.

Meanwhile, your dual-timer idea has inspired me to stay with the Strobe Light awhile longer. So depending on my level of success in the next few days, it may be awhile before I test any new ideas.

:dreaming:

got to agree the strobe thing sounds like a great idea, and it seems to work too :)

Just a couple of points:
The waking up from storbe light - Maybe this could be a control issue as much as a light level issue? Reduce the light level too much and you may not notice it when you need to.
But practice some good control techniques for when you see the strobe and you may find you can make it work :)

When I saw this a couple of weeks back it got me thinking and I think I may have another set up that may work.
I will try getting a cheap small analog clock and wrap the minute hand in tin foil, then place two wire contacts on the face. When the minute hand sweeps round every hour it will complete the circut and run a flashing LED. The pulse rate will be fixed at around 2-1.5Hz, fairly slow I know but I gues I'll see what happens.
May use more than one but overbrightness seems to be the main comcern so one may do.
Porb use a 9V battery for power but a small 12v outlet transformer would also be quite easy.
A little experimentation with foil and wire contacts should give acceptable results repeated everty hour :)
It may be a while before I get around to putting this together but will post up if anyone is intrested.
Just don't leave one of these sitting on a bench at the bus station, could very easily be mistaken for something a little more unhealthy ;)

For ppl in NZ or Auzzie needing parts -
$2shop clock and either one or more of these:

http://www.jaycar.co.nz/
Search for part numbers
ZD1785
And probably same thing with bezzel and wires attached
LA5082

Sorry - Fixed... I think? Maybe I can join a bunch of wires and LEDs to a cheap clock but I don't do
HTML'n'interweb'n'posting'n'stretching too well :oops:

Hey Elephantman,

Thanks for posting the home-made version! You technically skilled chaps never cease to impress me. I on the other hand, can barely work a hammer, much less electrical hardware.

:P

As for the light itself, my experience has been that a slow flashing rate is actually preferable. A casual rate of once per .50 or .75 seconds seems to be more noticable in my dreamscape, creating large sweeping changes in the environment, as opposed to the blurry, confusing effect I get from a rapid flash rate.

I hope you'll come back with a report soon. But in the meantime, would you mind editing your post to remove the long website links and instead just direct folks to the websites and mention what products to search for? That way it will unstretch this page and make it easier for folks to read.

:?

BTW, I made the same mistake when I first posted this topic. :wink:

Pandragon i just didnt notice the strobe in my dreams!
sometimes it just woke me up and that was it!
I used spoken recorded tapes with a timer. that worked quite well.
you could also combine sound and light together that would be neat!
my ultimate dream was always a timer that at a certain time activates..sound, light as well as smell!
All three combined at the same time!
Better even a sort of nova dreamer that comines sound, light and smell!
I also experimented a lot with smells for dreaming, thats why!

I like elephantmans idea!
A sort of mask with leds...maybe connected to a timer.
But of course it must be able to have more freq settings then it has now.

I think you have a good point there Lucidapple. The more senses you stimulate, the better chance one of them will reach your awareness in a dream.

What smells have you experimented with and how did you do it?