My journey so far and a question for LDers!

Hi all,

Firstly, I'd just like to say hello and that I'm going to be coming here regularly as I try and experience a Lucid Dream. I hope you'll have me. :)

I've heard of Lucid Dreams for years but only this week I've decided to try and do it myself. Now, like most people my initial drive to do this was to fly, levitate and pretty much to amazing things but the more I read about it the more I find meditation and the sleeping hours fascinating. Before I tell you about my try outs I've read in depth about MILD, WILD etc.. (but a tip or two can't hurt :P)

OK, so the first thing I did was I got some binaural beats. I got the "Lucid Dream" one from I-doser and tried to do the WILD tech. Now, being lazy I hadn't read up on it but after about 15 minutes or so my body started to lose feeling. It's hard to describe but I retreated into my mind and the touch of my bed and clothes weren't a factor. I've heard about people hearing music in white noise so I imagined a cello playing. And all of a sudden three notes were being played. It was very quite but it was there. I could stop and play them at will. However, I didn't fall asleep and gave up that night.

The following few nights I tried it out but while I could still get to the previous stage I couldn't go any further.

I read over multiple forums and got the impression that the WILD tech was the hardest so I opted last night to try out the MILD tech. Now, I'm the kind of person who doesn't remember their dreams. However, when I do they're in great detail. I believe it was posted on this forum but I told myself last night "I'm waking up at 4, I'm waking up at 4". I believe this time is crucial to dreaming. So, I set my internal clock, woke up at around half 4, put on some binaural beats and fell asleep. The second I woke up it was all in my head. Three dreams.

I reached under my bed and successfully made an entry into my Dream Journal. For me to remember a dream at will is unheard of. :D

So, everyday now I'm being getting into the habit of doing the nose pinch RC and I'm confident I can keep filling up the DJ. I put it to you guys now to assess what I've done so far and if possible give me tips. Is this good progress for someone who started the journey last week?

Also, here's a question for members who LD. Does it feel like it's happening to you in the present or is it merely a memory as you awake?

Thank you :)

As far as my experience goes, it always feels like a distant memory after I wake up. As far as I know, this is an integral part of the biological dreaming mechanism. For instance, if we were to follow the DMT (n,n-dimethyltryptamine, supposedly found in the pineal gland) model of dreaming (though there is not very much supportive evidence for it), we would soon find out that DMT, the very compound that instigates the dream-like state also makes it hard to remember (my theory is that the hippocampus is inhibited in some way, thus restricting consolidation of short-term memory).

So, in short, it appears to me that the very biological mechanism that allows us to dream also makes us forget most of it. Perhaps its to protect us, who knows. I'm about to enter university, and plan to major in neurobiology. Once I find a suitable research lab/firm, I plan to do some investigating of my own to find out more.

Cheers!

Very interesting

But I take it that it can vary from person to person and LD to LD?

Thanks for the quicky reply :)

For me its like its happening in the present, and good luck with your LD.

Thanks very much mate! :)

Also, if anyone wants to assess what I've done so far I'd be grateful :)

Tonight, I at least plan on more dream recall and might try beating it into my head to have a LD.

Well, there is the adoption thing on the forums, tough you need to be 2 weeks old in it to post...

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Originally Posted by Denny22

Very interesting

But I take it that it can vary from person to person and LD to LD?

Thanks for the quicky reply :)

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No prob =]

And definitely, just like how each human face is different from the next, and how each person's personality is different from that of others, the way in which each of us dreams is unique to the individual. For some, that means easy recall, a multitude of LD's, and vibrant visions. For others, though, it means difficulty all over the board (like with me ;) ).

My previous post was more of an objective take on what dreaming is biologically. Memory (and the hippocampus) may be just as active when awake as it is when dreaming, but for me it appears as though it slows down a bit. I plan on setting up some research sooner or later, I'll be sure to publish the results when done.

congratulations on the progress. I find, If i have some crap nights of recall....as soon as I get one tiny bit of a dream written down, I will have much better recall the following night; and so on until I get lazy again!

And for me, Lucid Dreams will vary. Mostly I feel them happening in realtime...but sometimes its a case of memory.

I believe it depends on recall, vividness, control and lucidity.

Denny22, sounds like you've made a good start! Doing RCs, keeping a DJ, and using mantras to get your mind and body to do what you want are all intigral to LDing. When I find my dream recal is fading I use mantras (like "I will remember my dreams") really help.

For me some dreams feel as if they are happening in the present. Others (the ones I have a hard time remembering) feel like distant memories.

Good luck!

I really appreciate your thoughts guys, thanks!

Well, last night I told my self to wake up at 5. I woke up at 5.30, went to the bathroom and went bck to bed with a bid to at least remember my dreams. As soon as I woke up it was all in my head but I forgot it just as I grabbed my journal.

However, I did salvage one dream though. So, tonight I'll do the same as build up my recall some more. Baby steps, eh?

:)

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Originally Posted by Denny22

Hi all,

Firstly, I'd just like to say hello and that I'm going to be coming here regularly as I try and experience a Lucid Dream. I hope you'll have me. :)

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Have you? Your here and we'r already having you...:D:P.

IMJ

Both. It's in the present while I'm having it, and a memory after I wake up.

I become lucid and then it is in the present during the deam. I then remember it like a normal memory in the morning.