J.D.

28.10.2010

Halls of Residence (WILD)

NON-DREAM DREAM LUCID

Early starts with a nap in the afternoon are a fast-track to WILDs.

I was lying on my back, having become 100% convinced that this is best for WILDs. After what can't have been a very long time (maybe half an hour), I realised I could hear things. There were voices coming from the corridor outside my room. This was to be expected, I knew. It was the middle of the day and I live with 10 other people. But their conversation made very little sense. I could also hear a voice which sounded familiar at first, but I knew it didn't belong to any of my roommates. Then I noticed music. I had fallen asleep beside my open laptop, this much I knew. I was fairly sure as well that I hadn't left any music playing. The song sounded like it was by the Black-Eyed Peas, but I hadn't heard it before. It got louder and louder, until it reached a gigantic roar and stopped altogether. I moved my arm out and touched the wall. I knew I had to be dreaming now, otherwise my arm wouldn't have been so easily moveable.

I rolled out of bed and went exploring. There were a couple of dudes out in the corridor who I spoke to briefly, then I headed into the kitchen. It had become a weird mashup of the actual kitchen and my room. It had blue curtains on one of the walls which, when opened, relvealed nothing.

Not a whole lot else happened. Woke up feeling very refreshed!

10.10.2010

Recent WILDs (WILD)

NON-DREAM DREAM LUCID

Lately I've not had much of a sleeping pattern, which is handy as far as lucid dreaming goes. What follows are a few short accounts of WILD experiences I've had in the last few weeks.

I was dozing very lightly on my back when I started to notice the imagery I was seeing get stronger. I heard a beat as well. I automatically took notice and the beat developed into a song. It was "I Love it Loud" by KISS. What a tune. I listened and looked around. I was in the passenger seat of a car, driving along a road I know well. I punched the dashboard a few times in time with the music to try and integrate myself more fully. Then I sang along. I was really belting it out, so much so that I got out of breath. I took two big gulps of air, and wondered whether I was taking these breaths in real life. I knew eye movements in dreams are sychronised with real life, but I haven't heard anything on breaths. The car sped on around a corner. I looked at the driver, and didn't recognise him at all. He was a middle-aged dude with a receeding hairline and very small rectangular glasses. Just because I wanted something to do, I grabbed the wheel and swung it hard to the left. I was reminded of a previous dream where I did this and crashed, after which my recall vanished. Thankfully though, this time we swerved into a church car park. Somewhere around here I got out of the car and lost lucidity through various distractions.

Just earlier today, I was hungover as hell, and went back to bed after breakfast. I lay on my back, as I find it seems to be conducive to sleep paralysis. After a while, I felt my body fall asleep. I literally fell asleep fully. My body was exhausted. But my mind was still 100% awake. No dream formed up immediately, it was very strange. My breathing went on autopilot and I heard myself snoring very slightly. If anyone had been able to observe me, it would have appeared that I was sound asleep, and I suppose I was. I found it remarkable that I could observe the process of falling asleep and remain fully conscious throughout. A few minutes later, hypnagogia finally started. First came the sound of someone else breathing, then I felt my right arm move. I knew this to be part of the dream, since my real body had been paralysed for a while now. I took control of it, and felt my way to the bedside table. After that, I rolled out of bed and onto the floor. Only then did I open my eyes to see the blue carpet. I took a short walk around my floor, pausing to have a look in the kitchen. No-one was around, it was a bit lonely.

In a recent (and seperate) dream, I became lucid out of the blue. It was during a dream where I was a passive observer of the action. Set in medieval times, I was watching a knight defend a castle from attack by a dragon. I was incredibly aware of being in a dream, and wanted to get involved in the action. But I had no physical body. And no matter what I tried, I couldn't force one into existence. This was the very first lucid dream where was simply apprehending the scene and not participating. I could switch viewpoints, rewind time and have an event happen differently, but I could not participate. It was rather frustrating.

10.10.2010

Experiences in an Unfamiliar Bed (Note)

NON-DREAM DREAM LUCID

There is a theory that sleeping in an unfamiliar bed or location brings a lighter level of sleep. Ie, one is closer to wakefullness (maybe an evolutionary thing- unfamiliar places could be dangerous, gotta keep alert), so lucid dreams come easier. I've recently moved into university accommodation , so I've had the perfect opportunity to test this theory.

Is it true then? After a few weeks of experience, I can confirm that the answer is: Maybe. I've been having a few more lucid dreams than normal, but this could be attributed to many things, such as my sleeping pattern (or lack thereof) or the many REM-rebound WILDs that seem to come automatically with a hangover.

With regard to WILDs, they are becoming more and more easy. Afternoon naps are the ticket. Lie-ins too. Anyway, I haven't actually been recording any dreams lately, so all I have are short synopses.