Thread: The Prospective Memory Course

Originally Posted by FryingMan

I think this course is a great idea, training prospective memory is really important!

A small comment: I think that it's important to separate the notion of RC (state check) from critical reflective moment. A state check should be fast and simple, done when awareness is already rising and we get that feeling "hey, this could be a dream." The purpose of the state check is to cement budding lucidity, or to help boost it throughout the lucid dream. If a dreamer already has that "hey this might be a dream" notion, engaging in a deep cognitive examination of the present experience is IMO counter-productive, you could actually get lost in such an examination and miss the key opportunity for lucidity.

The critically reflective moments are our responses to all the various sense/emotion/etc. inputs that you're talking about that give rise to that initial boost to lucidity. They are applying our attention to our present experience, a sort of "vigilance" for the dream state. These strictly speaking are not state checks (RCs), but should lead into performing a state check when they give that little inkling that "hey, this might be a dream!".

Having all sorts of sources of vigilance and reflection is a great idea, but once the dreamer gets that "HEY!" feeling, they should immediately do a RC/state check, which ideally should be super fast and simple.

Thank you for the feedback.

The reality check + reflection is there to make reality checks more meaningful. I am going off of the belief that meaningful reality checks are better for achieving lucidity. However, you bring up a good point. A quick reality check has its purpose when the critical reflective moment is just surfacing, and that can certainly bring on lucidity. However, my hope is to have students not simply settle for just a critical reflective moment + RC, but rather, attempt to continue building the critical reflective attitude further. By doing this, eventually, lucidity can be achieved solely by recognizing their surroundings as dream-like. The RC is there as a bridge to get the critical reflective attitude off the ground, especially as we introduce new ways of getting lucid, that the dreamer may not be used to recognizing.

What might you change about this course to make it better, given your perspective? I am open to modifying it, if it can be done without too much dismantling.