HELP! Improving prospective memory for MILD. Am I cheating?

**sleepyzac** · 02-06-2015 02:07 AM

okay so i've always worked with the thing where you make a list of four targets to remember that when they happen you do a reality check.

i'm not very good at it, but i am good at keeping something in mind.

so what i've done to make it "work" is reduce the list to an easily remembered mantra and periodically internally chant it during the day.

so if the list was:

state test when you:

1. hear a dog bark
2. someone says your name
3. you see your reflection
4. you feel water

i will say "bark, name, mirror, wet" repeatedly throughout the day. doing this i've managed to get all or most of the targets every day.

but not much improvement in my MILD ability.

is this cheating?

would the proper way be to simply read the list, internalize it once and the go about my day? and deliberately avoid repeating the list to myself?

i'm puzzled because this is how i remember anything: i run over it periodically. if i tried to go to the grocery store without internally chanting "lettuce, eggs, rice, apples" a few times i imagine i would come out with milk, potatoes and oranges.

but is that exactly it? go into the grocery store and just wander around counting on your memory to click in and get the right stuff?

**Hilary** · 02-06-2015 02:57 AM

Have you looked at Stephen Laberge's Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming book? He has some that are great if you haven't tried them.

I think repeating it in a mantra is fine; I do that too. I think it takes time to work, but, the real help (for me) with these exercises is developing that critically reflective attitude. Looking at the world, seeing anything strange (not just what's listed) and remembering to RC.

When I was doing these, I had a lot of success with MILD, by saying "I will remember that I'm dreaming" as I was falling asleep. The prospective memory training helped there.

Oh, you might like these:

I took those from Laberge's book, and then made them into pictures to use as desktop backgrounds. Talk about cheating.

Good luck with your training

**sleepyzac** · 02-06-2015 03:57 AM

Originally Posted by MoonageDaydream

Have you looked at Stephen Laberge's Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming book? He has some that are great if you haven't tried them.

I think repeating it in a mantra is fine; I do that too. I think it takes time to work, but, the real help (for me) with these exercises is developing that critically reflective attitude. Looking at the world, seeing anything strange (not just what's listed) and remembering to RC.

When I was doing these, I had a lot of success with MILD, by saying "I will remember that I'm dreaming" as I was falling asleep. The prospective memory training helped there.

Oh, you might like these:

I took those from Laberge's book, and then made them into pictures to use as desktop backgrounds. Talk about cheating.

Good luck with your training

thanks!

i suppose it depends on how we define memory? it's really beyond me. we need a neuroscience major or psychologist here!!!

wow okay i just read an article about it in general and there's debate on how it is even defined in relation to how it is fulfilled. there's some theory that essentially says that people do what i just said, keeping focus on the task to remember. then there's another that says the prospective memory is triggered by association and was not kept in mind and others!

and i just found a really old thread on here, http://www.dreamviews.com/attaining-...ve-memory.html, where neary this exact same question was asked, he didn't really get an answer. there are other similar threads. so either no one knows or it works either way?