womp

I find myself semi-conscious and decide to attempt a FILD. Almost immediately I hear the crackling noise from my last SP experience. The crackling intensifies as I move my fingers faster, and I decide to attempt an OBE. This fails and I decide to try to visualize a new dream instead. However, this too fails and I find myself awake. In my childhood bedroom. My friend T is trapped in a glass box on the floor and is screaming and beating on the side.

I realize the FILD worked after all, but I'm still scared. I leap out of the bed, screaming "I'm having a lucid dream!" I trip over something and find myself in the void.

I decide to try a trick I picked up from CanisLucidus's dream journals and imagine swinging a sword around in one arm. I begin to hear shouts and clashing steel and wonder if I'm going to end up in the Coliseum. I'm not sure if I'm ready for something like that, and soon I end up right back in the hallway outside my childhood bedroom.

I realize I'd better stabilize and start looking at my hands. I feel stability slipping away, and since my last three stabilization attempts lead to early awakenings, I decide to just skip it and go for my lucid goal: eating a Krispy Kreme burger and drinking an IPA.

I fly (perhaps literally) down the stairs, briefly marveling at their similarity to the real ones. I decide the burger won't be in the fridge, since I don't want to microwave it. Rather, I think to myself, "that's right, my parents said they'd leave it for me on the piano bench." I go into the living room, and sure enough, there's a greasy white bag with "Krispy Kreme" written on it. I pick it up and it feels pleasantly warm.

I consider taking a bite right there, but I want that beer to wash it down. I go into the kitchen, expecting it to be in the fridge. But there's no beer there. I try to make my expectation more specific: "OK, there's a Flying Dog IPA right in the ice tray in the freezer..." I open the freezer door, and the beer is right where I thought it would be. I take it out and wake up.

Not trying to stabilize seemed to help prolong the dream here, although I got the impression that the dream wasn't particularly vivid. I wonder if I'm doing my stabilizations wrong: perhaps focusing too intently? Anybody have any ideas about what to do differently?

Color legend: Non-dream Dream Lucid

A couple more stabilization fails, but my first SP!




I'm on my way to meet my friend A when I pause across the street from a tall house with beautiful chamber music coming from an open window. Suddenly the scene darkens and shadows begin to roll down the vines of ivy along the wall. I start getting scared until I realize it's only dark because I'm wearing my sunglasses.

I take them off but then it gets dark again, and I discover I'm squeezing my eyes shut and can't open them. I recognize that as a dreamsign, and start to do the finger push RC. But even before I start, I feel this floaty sensation and I realize I'm dreaming.

I think this may send me into the void or SP, but the next thing I remember is being in a brightly lit room with my girlfriend. We're talking about something, when again I feel that happy, floaty sensation and realize I'm dreaming.

I decide to phase through the window and go exploring. I tell my girlfriend, "I love you, but I'm having a lucid dream and I really want to go out there." She seems happy for me.

Then things start to get a little blurry and I remember I have to stabilize. I decide to try NyxCC's advice and take a bite of a chair. But part of me doesn't believe it's going to work, and I close my eyes as I bend down. When my jaws close, there's nothing between them.

Then I'm briefly in the void, and I try to spin. I end up lying in my bed, hearing incredibly loud electric crackling noises. I recall having heard these before, perhaps earlier in the night, and conclude I'm experiencing SP. I attempt an OBE exit by trying to will my dream body to move. The crackling intensifies greatly and I feel like I almost escape my body, but it doesn't quite work and the crackling fades.

I decide to relax for a little bit before I wake myself up. The crackling begins to transform into creepy music and I start thinking of SP horror stories and becoming a little frightened. But I remember that SP is completely harmless and will only get nasty if I let myself get scared, so I calm down.

Then, my IWL girlfriend moves in bed and I wake up for real.



Color legend: Non-dream Dream Lucid

I woke up suspicious that this one was only a dream of a lucid dream, as my lucidity was very low level. But I did try to stabilize and I remembered my dream goals, so I'm going to count it.

I'm going down a dark stairway when I realize I'm dreaming. I immediately try to assess if it feels like reality or if it's just like watching a movie, and for a second it seems real, but then I think I notice a loss of stability. I examine my hands briefly. Again, they're all messed up.

I remember that stabilization technique didn't work for me last time and try to rub my hands over my forearms, really focusing on the tactile sensations. Unfortunately, the dream isn't really stabilizing (probably because I'm convinced it won't).

I decide to attempt my lucid goal in the hopes that that will stabilize things: tracking down a krispy kreme cheeseburger. I turn around "expecting" (but not really) that it will be behind me. Of course it's not. I then "expect" it will be behind the door at the top of the stairs. All of this is done with a fair amount of desperation, and soon the dream fades.

At this point I try spinning. Slow spinning doesn't work, so I try spinning faster. I think I see glimpses of a room but at this point my memory gives out.

Anyone have any advice on stabilization? I'm guessing it's all just emotional control at this point, but it's so hard to remember in the moment...

Color legend: Non-dream Dream Lucid

I have a long, meandering dream which ends with me being shot. As everything fades to black, I think with some frustration, "I hope my next dream is better." I become lucid.

I'm in a supermarket. I shout out "I'm lucid!" and start running down the aisle. I slap a 12-year-old kid in the back of the head for no reason, then slow down. I know if I get too excited, I'll lose lucidity. I look behind me and maybe apologize, but the kid doesn't bother me.

I try the "hand examination" method of dream stabilization and look at my hands. They're a mess. Three fingers on one hand, the other has fingers blinking in and out of existence. I keep focusing, trying to will them to become normal, but it doesn't happen. Soon, the dream fades to black. (Unsure if this was part of the same dream or an exit, or if it matters).

I find myself in the void and attempt to spin out of it. I spin slowly at first but nothing happens, so I decide to spin faster. I find myself in the kitchen of my childhood home, where the original long dream started. In the dream, I label this as a false awakening and think, "this makes sense because I tried to WILD from here."

I look at my hands again to stabilize. They're still a wreck but may look a little better. However, they're not returning to normal and I fear the dream will end soon.

Out of the corner of my eye I see a fish statue I recognize from my house, except here it's painted bright red. I decide to throw it through the family room window. I first do a nose-pinch RC to ensure I'm dreaming, and I am. I head towards the fish and wake up.

Color legend: Non-dream Dream Lucid

From Wednesday, 7/9/14.

I'm in the air force and our CO takes us to another base. The CO there is insane. He orders ours to leave and forces us onto some kind of thrill-ride-like trainer, where he says we'll "do backspins until we pass out."

While on the ride, I'm reading notes on some folded paper. I finish just before the ride ends and note that it's actually pretty fun. I regret not being more aware for it. As we walk off, I'm headed towards the attendant and wonder if she'll let me ride again. "Of course she will," I think. "I'm dreaming."

I run up to her and announce "I'm having a lucid dream."

"I know," she says, sounding gleeful to be in on the secret.

I start rubbing my hands to stabilize, saying, "I'm rubbing my hands to stabilize the dream."

Then I decide to go exploring. I walk down a hallway with a black and white checked tile floor when my vision starts blurring, like my contacts are falling out. I stop and try to rub my hands again, but the blurring continues. I consider spinning, but decide against it, and soon the dream ends.

Color legend: Non-dream Dream Lucid