Train your memory, who wants to join?

**Sara** · 11-20-2007 11:37 AM

Don't you hate it when you plan to do an RC next time you see a dream sign, then you wake up from a nice dream and remember so many dream signs but none of them triggered you to do an RC?

Or in waking life: you're having breakfast, the milk is empty and you think 'next time I'm in the store, I need to buy milk. Later that day, you've been to the store, you come home and discover you forgot to bring the milk? Or you're going to see a friend and just at the moment you see him, you remember you should have brought the book you borrowed...

These problems occur when your prospective memory is not working adequately. (In this topic there is written more on prospective memory.)

This part of MY brain is quite under developed (yesterday I left the water pump running at the horses place when I left, while I was sooo intended to shut it down before leaving. In 2 hours the paddock was flooded :O (ah, now I see where my flooding dream came from )

Last week I started reading LaBerge's book (EWLD) and it describes an exercise that is very helpful both attaining lucidity and training to forget less in waking life. I thought it might be interesting and fun to post the explanation and the tasks for today here, for the people who don't have the book, or for those (including me) who feel more motivated if there is some place to report to when you are 'done'.

The exercise:
Each day there is a list of 4 targets. You read them and memorise them and the next time you notice a target during the day, you perform an RC.

You don't need to do an RC every time you notice the target, but ONLY the FIRST time you notice it. The GOAL is to train your memory on recognising future tasks, not to do an RC as often as possible.
It helps if you memorise yourself performing an RC while seeing or doing the target.

Keep track of the targets you hit during the day and report back at the end, or report earlier when you've hit them all.
If you realise during the day that you have missed your first chance to notice one of the targets, you failed to recognise it. It's really important that you train your brain to notice the target the first time it occurs. Sometimes a target doesn't occur at all during one day, then you can write that down too.

So, here is the target list for today (tuesday)

I will perform an RC...

next time I see a traffic light
next time I hear music
next time I throw something in the garbage
next time I hear laughter

Who's going to join?

Please ask for more info if I was too short on explaining the task (I assume most of you have the book from LaBerge, if not: it's really good and not expensive (only $7.50) so buy it!

)

If people are interested, I can include some extra information by Stephanie Burns on how to help your brain on prospective memory tasks.

**strinky** · 11-20-2007 06:20 PM

I'm definitely in! I did this exercise from EWLD yesterday and succeeded on three out of four targets. Things are going well this morning, as I've already heard music and remembered to do an RC.

I also think this will be very helpful. One of my dreams last night contained a ridiculous number of my dreamsigns and only vaguely did I suspect anything.

**Clairity** · 11-20-2007 09:44 PM

Count me in as well!

**Zoink** · 11-20-2007 10:07 PM

Hi, I'm new to these forums and all this lucid dreaming thing. I read through your topic and it seemed kinda cool, but I kinda don't know what a RC is : \
Could you explain what it means?

Ps: sorry to post such a newbie question, but I kinda don't know where else I can get an answere to it :p

Thanks

**roguext22** · 11-20-2007 10:22 PM

isnt the more simple way to train the memory, just to be aware of everything.. lol i think im wrong..

**Clairity** · 11-20-2007 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by Zoink

Hi, I'm new to these forums and all this lucid dreaming thing. I read through your topic and it seemed kinda cool, but I kinda don't know what a RC is : \
Could you explain what it means?

Ps: sorry to post such a newbie question, but I kinda don't know where else I can get an answere to it :p

Thanks

Zoink, "RC" stands for "Reality Check"

A reality check is a test used to see if you are dreaming or in "reality", as we know it. An example test would be to pinch your nose and see if you can still breathe through it.

More info can be found in the two links below:

Tutorial | More Info

**Asymptote** · 11-20-2007 10:29 PM

I'd like in on this. This seems like a very solid method. Now off to Amazon to (finally) buy LaBerge's book.

**Robot_Butler** · 11-20-2007 10:32 PM

Oooh homework. I'll give it a shot.

**Asymptote** · 11-20-2007 10:40 PM

A thought just occurred: it seems like, in addition to helping with reality checks, this would also help to remember that you're dreaming when performing the MILD method.

**grasshoppa** · 11-20-2007 10:42 PM

ill try. 8)

**Sara** · 11-21-2007 01:41 AM

Nice to hear that more people are joining!!

Originally Posted by Asymptote

A thought just occurred: it seems like, in addition to helping with reality checks, this would also help to remember that you're dreaming when performing the MILD method.

Yeah, you are totally right on that one!

This is actually an exercise described to train for MILD :-)
Good that you're going to buy the book!

This MILD term is still vague for me, I can't find a good translation/synonym for Mnemonic, so the term is just and abstract word without a meaning.
*edit: just looked this word up in a good dictionary and it is a completely different word than what I guessed from the explanations on MILD* note to self: USE that *** dictionary instead of babelfish

**Sara** · 11-21-2007 01:46 AM

Oh, my result from today:
I scored myself 2 out of 4.

* traffic light -> failed. I stopped at a traffic light, looked on my watch and then remembered I should have done an RC.
* hear music -> not sure, I don't always notice music when it's there...
* throw something in the garbage -> YES this triggered even a kind of conditioned response. I threw something away and was instantly reminded of the task.
* hear laughter -> YES

**Sara** · 11-21-2007 01:53 AM

Originally Posted by roguext22

isnt the more simple way to train the memory, just to be aware of everything.. lol i think im wrong..

Thanks for commenting here.
Being aware of everything is definitely a good way to train your brain, though it trains other parts of the brain than the prospective memory.

Besides, I don't think 'being aware of everything' is simple. I would see it as a most complex task for my brain to carry out all day and just 5 minutes of all-over-awareness makes me tired.

**roguext22** · 11-21-2007 01:59 AM

Originally Posted by Sara

Thanks for commenting here.
Being aware of everything is definitely a good way to train your brain, though it trains other parts of the brain than the prospective memory.

Besides, I don't think 'being aware of everything' is simple. I would see it as a most complex task for my brain to carry out all day and just 5 minutes of all-over-awareness makes me tired.

at least someone respond to my post...finally...

if you cant be aware of everything at day..how can you demand to be aware of everything in dreams?

got an idea?

**SKA** · 11-21-2007 02:39 AM

Count me in. This is my biggest problem during daytime and also keeps me from lucidity.
I think I'll start tomorrow. I'll report back results.

**Sara** · 11-21-2007 03:24 AM

Originally Posted by roguext22

at least someone respond to my post...finally...

if you cant be aware of everything at day..how can you demand to be aware of everything in dreams?

got an idea?

You don't need to be aware of EVERYthing, being aware of SOME things can be enough to become lucid

And the more aware you are in waking life, the more this helps on becoming lucid.
If being aware of everything during the day would be THE prerequisite for a lucid, I guess I wouldn't have had any lucids till now.

Find some posts by Billybob, he is writes about full awareness and stuff like that...

Originally Posted by SKA

Count me in. This is my biggest problem during daytime and also keeps me from lucidity.
I think I'll start tomorrow. I'll report back results.

Welcome to the club :-)
I'll post the new tasks for Wednesday when I wake up tomorrow morning (in about 4 hours that is...)

**roguext22** · 11-21-2007 03:39 AM

lol .. you didnt understood my idea, sara... shame on me...
nevermind..

**ExoByte** · 11-21-2007 05:11 AM

Thank you for this Sara! Its great to see people getting so involved in the community and bringing ideas like this forward. Dreamviews really appreciates it!

Count me in as well!

May I ask though, would this be more suited for the Research Team section? You're doing this as a memory exercise more than a lucid air correct? It works both ways, so its your call!

Great idea!

**Clairity** · 11-21-2007 05:15 AM

This is going to be harder than I thought! I do remember to do RCs.. they just aren't done the FIRST time I do/see the object.

My results from today:

I scored myself 2 out of 4.

* traffic light -> failed. I remembered by the second traffic light.
* hear music -> failed. I'm not sure how many songs had played on the radio before I remembered to RC.
* throw something in the garbage -> Success. Simply because I had just read this thread before I had to throw something away.
* hear laughter -> Success. Again had just read the thread when a co-worker laughed.

**Sara** · 11-21-2007 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by ExoByte

May I ask though, would this be more suited for the Research Team section? You're doing this as a memory exercise more than a lucid air correct? It works both ways, so its your call!

Great idea!

Well, it is an exercise from EWLD to improve on your prerequisites for MILD and that's my main reason for posting it here. Also, I think more people read it when it's in this section than in the research area. Therefore I would prefer when the topic stays here

Originally Posted by Clairity

This is going to be harder than I thought! I do remember to do RCs.. they just aren't done the FIRST time I do/see the object.

My results from today:

I scored myself 2 out of 4.

Well done and thanks for the report.
I see you scored the same targets I did

**Sara** · 11-21-2007 09:07 AM

Here are the targets for today, Wednesday:

I'll do an RC next time:

I turn on a television or radio
I see a vegetable
I see a red car
I handle money

Good luck!

Originally Posted by roguext22

lol .. you didnt understood my idea, sara... shame on me...
nevermind..

Please, explain me more if you can, I'm interested in what your idea really is! (maybe via PM or in a new thread?)

Extra info from LaBerge about this exercise:

"To successfully induce lucid dreams with MILD, you need to have certain capacities. First of all, if you can't reliably remember to carry out future intentions while awake, there is little chance that you will remember to do anything while asleep. So before attempting MILD, you need to prove to yourself that you can indeed remember to do things while awake. If you are like most people, you are used to relying on external reminders (e.g. grocery list, notes) and therefore need practice in remembering intentions using only your own mental power. This is an exercise to help you acquire the necessary skill to perform the MILD technique." (ELWD, p. 75)

**Xox** · 11-21-2007 09:09 AM

Count me in!

Im going to sleep now, but I will memorize these in the morning.

**LDhippie** · 11-21-2007 09:23 AM

me in too! my memory isnt the sharpest it could be lol

**MindDaguerreotype** · 11-21-2007 12:46 PM

I did those exercises a while ago, but only for 1 or 2 weeks... Well, I wasn't very good !
(I know, I should have kept going; I stopped only because it was quite easy for me to WILD, so I didn't really need to train another technique aimed at DILD)
There are some targets that are easy because they are "external": seeing or hearing something around you. If it happens when walking in the street with basically nothing else to do, it's easy to be aware.
But when the target is linked with yourself and your reactions: "the next time someone say my name" for example, I found it was very hard. I would reply and say hello automatically, and could not be "aware" until I was left alone again...

**Robot_Butler** · 11-21-2007 10:28 PM

Yesterday, I did the traffic light one and the music one while driving. I must have looked like an idiot driving through traffic counting my fingers, plugging my nose, and still trying to steer.

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