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I was just wondering if anyone has tried the CAT (cycle adjustment Technique) for Lucid dreaming. I've heard it's quite effective, but I haven't seen any questions about it, as DILDs and WILDs are much more popular.
I really want to know if it's effective, because i've been trying to have lucid dreams using the WILD technique for about 4 months now, and the only Lucid moments i've had were MILDs from falling asleep during WILDs, and they were only about 10 seconds long.
Just about every technique (including MILD) falls under either the DILD or the WILD category because you are either awake or asleep when the dream happens. I don't think there's really any other state to be in unless your dead.
You can try doing a search for it. Maybe even bump it to raise awarness.
Maybe you should do a search on it. You don't seem to know much about it. Also, I wanted to know if it's "effective", and I wanted to gain that info from people who have tried it and know what they're talking about.Quote:
Originally Posted by lucidspark64
Yeah i dont really know anything about it. ill probably look into it though.
Very few people have actually tried the CAT, at least that I have read about. Snowy Egypt was one of them and if I'm remembering correctly she had a lot of trouble just getting up on time.
Might be worth trying. I've never looked into it, and I have no actual idea where it came from or who made it up. It provides very very basic info in the DV tutorial but no actual legit sources or references. Until I read whatever Daniel Love wrote up, I'm hesitant to buy into it only because you so rarely hear about it, and everyone claims their techniques work; but that's just me.
People who are interested, tutorial for CAT is here.
This is true. In my opinion, you have to want to do it. I didn't want to at the time because it was in the middle of the school year. But yesterday I was thinking of trying it again now that I don't have to worry about getting up for school. I didn't get far with my 1st attempt.....or 2nd for that matter.....but it did help my recall since I was getting up right after a REM cycle, so I'm wanting to try it again. Go ahead and give it a test run. The only downside is that you lose some sleep, but that'll even itself out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shift
I've tried it many times and had great success with it.
Also the WILD-CAT technique, which works really well (it's kind of like WBTB on steroids).
I've always used it when my life has been more structured (having to get up at the same time every day for work).
The best advice I can give with the CAT method, is to start going to bed earlier before you start it...so you go to bed about 90 minutes earlier (also obviously keep this up throughout the technique too). This way, when you start using the method you don't miss out on any sleep, which is most peoples issue about the method... but it really isn't rocket science to just go to bed earlier to make up for it (as long as you are consistent).
Whilst I think not many people have tried it on DreamViews (which suprises me because I thought people were more inquisitive here), I've read a great deal about it in other forums and websites, all good, it seems to be more popular with the lucid dreamers over 20... as they tend to be the ones with more structured lives.
In my experience it's been very effective, and the nice thing about it is it's a very straightforward system and can be combined with other methods.
For me it's been most effective in the WILD-CAT form (which is is the CAT method with a short WBTB period)
Also for people who say it's "hard to get up on time"... well, same can be said for WBTB and with CAT you only have to get up early 50% less of the time than with WBTB! :P I suppose it all depends on how motivated you are.
I'd say it's certainly very useful for people who have to work or study at the same time every morning. Especially if you adjust your sleep cycle to get to bed earlier, so that you actually end up getting MORE sleep out of the technique than you would do without it!
It's definitely one for those people (like myself) who see lucid dreaming as a lifestyle. It seems to me that generally those who use it, tend to be those who understand the basic principles of the sleep cycle, and have been lucid dreaming long enough to be used to having to adjust their sleeping patterns.
If you think about it, most people who work during the week do a form of CAT every weekend when they get to sleep in. So it's not suprising that most LDs occur at the weekend for workers! :)
It's certainly worked well for me :)
Hope that's of some help.
ps. WILD-CAT is definitely the more potent version of the technique.
I just noticed there is no tutorial for the WILD-CAT technique so i'll outline it here for those who want to know:
For one week you get up 90 minutes earlier than normal (the actually amount of time you get up earier can be tailored to suit your own needs the 90 minutes is just a suggestion based on average sleep cycle period. If you do decide to change it, make sure you stick to this time for the other parts of the technique.)
This stage adjusts your sleep cycle so that your body "gears up" to awaken earlier than normal. The idea being that your brain chemistry will aid in lucid dreaming attempts in the following stages (ie. cortisol levels increasing earlier... cortisol being one of the brain chemicals required for awareness).
Following that first week you will then alternate getting up 90 minutes early on one day (and staying awake), then the next day sleeping in until your normal waking time*
You'll keep alternating this process from then on.
* Unlike the original CAT method, with WILD-CAT On the days where you sleep in till your normal waking time, you also get up 90 minutes early, but you do a short WBTB, I find about 5-10 minutes is enough.
We all know that WBTB is an effective technique on it's own, but used in WILD-CAT context, it becomes almost perfect, because your brainchemistry (cortisol increase etc.) is even more geared up for lucidity.
You also get the whole REM rebound effect too, so your dreams are longer and more stable.
If you're really bothered about loosing out on sleep, like i suggested in my earlier post, also adjust your sleep cycle so that you go to bed earlier too.
I did the maths and if you also go to bed 90 minutes earlier each night, you'll actually get four and a half hours extra sleep a week than you would do without the method. Come to think about it, if you do go to bed earlier too, you'll probably be increasing your cortisol levels even higher, so increasing your chances further.
It's kind of like galantamine without the galantamine.
Excellent, I was going to PM you and ask. Thanks for sharing your method :D I'm gonna try to be disciplined and get my ass in bed earlier, and this seems like an excellent thing to try!Quote:
Originally Posted by spaceexplorer
Hmm, I think I understand now.. seems like a powerful method O_o
I'll definitly have to give it a try when school starts.