Shelli's Workbook

Hi, my name is Shelli. I typically remember 1 or 2 dreams most nights. Many of them take place in the same locale which prompts moments of lucidity. Often I'll realize I'm dreaming cuz I'm in "fake" Seattle or "fake" New Orleans. Instead of remaining lucid I just go along like any other dream.

I've had a couple of very vivid dreams with a dead relative. I was lucid....I think. Very much aware that he was dead and I was not. He took me on a tour of his world. We visited my great grandmothers house (who died well before I was born). He told me how full his life was and talked extensively about his mothers well being and asked me to help her (she had a stroke shortly thereafter).

The scenery in that dream was awesome. One minute we were sotting in the grass beside a lazy brook. The next moment hovering over Mamaw's house or looking at a cityscape.

I'd like to have lucid dreams whenever I want. Not those infrequent spontaneous ones. I want to control it and move past the initial realization that I'm dreaming.

Sorry for rambling :cheeky:

Dream signs
- Being in places I've visited in the past. Several US cities and the sandy terrain of the Middle East.
- Being in the military or on a military base. I served for several years and often find my dream setting to be a familiar base, buildings or roads. Or I'm performing a familiar exercise.
- School. Occasionally I find myself being tutored by vaguely familiar people. Typically there are just 2 of us in the classroom. With me behind a desk listening intently.
- Speaking foreign languages. I don't know any other languages fluently. But I've vague memories of dream conversations in a foreign language.
- Futuristic environments. Flying cars, levitating roads, oddly structured white buildings that seem perfect (to me).
- Interacting with people who've died. If my grandmother or cousin shows up.....well...you get the picture.

Hmm. Now that I'm making this list I've noticed I have more dream signs than realized.

Didn't sleep well last night. Sick kid. But each time I woke up I tried DILD and WBTB. Still only flashes of lucidity. For instance I remember trying to interact with a dream character. Giving her words to say. But it didn't work.

Today I felt more confident getting back to REM sleep. The difference between today and yesterday is that I slept longer.

Just realized the noises and voices I sometimes hear at night are hypnogogia? It never occurred to me that my other senses are involved in this. It's like my dream audio kicked in while I was semi-conscious. Which makes me feel a lot better. Cuz that stuff was kinda weird.

I may've had a false awakening recently. After a restless night putting my daughter to sleep I crashed on her bedroom floor. I started feeling these weird buzzing vibrations all over and woke up. The room was bathed in a hazy wavy light. I pushed myself up to look around but felt strange and weak. I did a RC by poking my hand. Nothing happened. So I laid back down and fell asleep again.

Remembered only one dream last night. Everything else escaped me. Even the fragments.bthe only thing I was truly conscious of was the deep relaxation of pre sleep and buzzing fingers and arms. It felt too good. Knocked me right out.

Does being overly tired effect LD? Is it better to get in bed before you're actually sleepy?

Hi Shelli, welcome:) First of all, sorry for getting back to you this late.

The dream you posted is fascinating. It could have been a vivid dream or a lucid, but it sounds to me like astral projection/OBE. Have you ever had those?

The way you described your room after waking up - the hazy light - could have been FA, as you suspected. It also sounds to me the way my room looked like, when I had OBE. It's good to try 2-3 RC, just in case first one failes.

Could you please tell us more about how you practice for lucids? I know you mention RCs. What else do you do? Do you remember, how your lucids start? From within a dream by realization? Or different way? Looking forward to your posts. Happy dreams:)

Hi, Gab.

Yeah, I kinda thought the hazy dream was an AP. But I blew it off when the reality check failed. It's the only one I knew about. Wish I would've tried more. But the buzzing feeling was so distracting I just wanted it to stop.

I've been reading tons about LD in the past several days and I'm convinced I already have them. They typically occur within a dream. I'll just know it's a dream. If I don't like the direction it's taking I'll change it. Thing is....I've always thought that was just regular old dreaming. But maybe it isn't.

If I recognize my usual dream places I might become lucid like..."Oh, yeah...that's City X" or I may ask...." what the hell am I doing in my old dorm?" It'll last several minutes until I'm satisfied then the dream will continue.

Wanted to add: I've never really practiced for LD's until this weekend. But looking back I'd say that Ive done DILD without knowing what it was. Sometimes I'll plan a dream ahead of time but I rarely become lucid that way. In fact, I kinda feel weird trying.

This weekend I wasted several days trying to induce something I already do. i should probably focus more on doing it at will, recognizing when it's about to happen and/or extending my lucidity. It would be nice if I didn'nt wake up and look around when hypnogic voices start (LOL)! Maybe they won't bother me now that I know what they are.

Slept to well last night I didn't think I'd remember much about my dreams. I overslept and had to run a round a bit to get my son ready for school, make breakfast and pack his lunch. Afterward I decided to jot down a fragment I recalled from early this morning. Then more and more pieces popped up. Turns out I could recall 2 fragments and 2 full dreams.

In yesterday's DJ I mentioned my head buzzing for several hours. I was so sleepy during the day I thought maybe I was a little trancey. It didn't bother me while I slept. But mentioning it here brought the sensation back. I'd really like to know what it is. It feels like a small pocket of energy leaning against my head.

sidenote: I took B6 yesterday morning and drank apple juice just before bed. I think the apple juice helped with dream recall. I remembered more than usual this morning.

Not much to report. My daughter slept with me so I got very little sleep. I only remember fragments of dreams (mostly political) and making square pies. I tried to focus on how my body feels when it's falling asleep. Maybe try to experience SP. But all I felt were good vibrations in my limbs. It was nice. Would've been nicer if I didn't move every time it happened.

The head buzzing stops when I'm relaxed/sleeping. But comes back upon awakening or thinking about it. I was able to move the energy from left to right and front to back of my head. But I didn't like how it felt at the top. It feels like my crown chakra is open when I focus the energy on top. That isn't the norm for me. Maybe I'll do a chakra balancing meditation or quick reiki session to see if that has an effect.

Hey Shelli, you seem to be doing a great job with the updates - keep at it
Your recall sounds good, your lucids also sound very interesting, I'm also glad that you have recognised some dream signs.
So I have some tasks that I'd like you to complete
- Make sure you keep remembering the dreams, write them down in a DJ
- Try out some awareness techniques, as you have dream signs awareness can really help spot them out, so give them a shot!
- Try to learn to wake up naturally, this can help with both recall and attaining lucidity through WBTB MILDs
- Write your progressions here :D

Didn't recall much last night. Though I slept pretty well. I woke myself up at 0300 for a failed WBTB / Mild. All wasn't lost. I realized that getting out of bed and waking up a bit would be beneficial as I've been too relaxed lately (i.e. barely conscious).

My alarm went off around 0545 and I just laid there. It was relaxing but my mind was clear. I could've gone back to sleep if I wanted. I felt my body going to sleep but my consciousness remained. It was cool. Wish I'd had more time to enjoy it. But my dog jumped in the bed to get me up.

Hm, you get woken up by a lot of factors uh?
Ever tried to use them to your advantage, as in, treat them as a temporal alarm or a form to increase night awareness?
Seems like you are already very aware in dreams, so maybe try controlling stuff with dream powers randomly during the night? If it works, it is a dream! Sounds like a good RC when you have good awareness.

Thanks for advice, Hukif. I wake up 4 or 5 times a night. But recently started getting out of bed for a bit to gain some awareness before heading back to sleep.

Last night I woke up around 0230 and couldn't get back to sleep. I tried WILD and MILD to no avail. Then I tried Binaural Beats for 30 minutes. Once again I could feel my body going to sleep. At one point it felt like I was levitating. Then I fell asleep. When my alarm went off at 0545 I managed to slip into a crazy dream (in my DJ) but didn't become lucid. When I awoke I felt like I was levitating again and just enjoyed that until my dog jumped in the bed.

I'm afraid I'm over-thinking the issue and interrupting what's happening. Last night felt more like the beginning of Astral Projection. I'd like to stop the running commentary in my mind and just be. That way the experience can unfold in whichever form it wants. I feel like I'm forcing it to be a certain thing instead of allowing things to happen naturally. Sometimes it's AP. I think I missed an AP because I was too focused on having an LD.

Either way....I still need to work on RC's. I've been slacking on them during the day.

Anyway, next time that dog takes a nap I'm gonna wake his little ass up!

Ah, don't be afraid, that isn't good for your dreams. I would say, just don't worry about what you will get and enjoy the ride. If its a LD so be it, if its AP then great, its all going to be awesome anyway so no need to be afraid of your own thoughts.

Also, do you RC upon waking up? Sometimes there are FAs along with SP-like situations that are hard to catch, so doing a RC when you wake up should help with it.

You're right. I should probably chill out a bit :lol:

I don't do RC's when I get up. But that's a great idea. I'll try it tonight.

Had some luck with WILD this morning! I didn't over think things this time. It was easier than I thought!

Around 6am (or so) I awoke from a dream (think it was about fighting) and looked at the clock. Figured I should try a WILD and see how it goes. So I rolled over on my back and just...just...laid there with my eyes clothes and already relaxed. After 10 minutes or so I rolled onto my right side. Soon the mental chatter faded away and there was a void (I've never achieved this state in meditation - though I've tried). I don't remember when I stopped feeling my body or when the dream started. I'd say I was semi lucid.

I didn't see my usual dream signs.

So anyway....the dream was about a trip we're planning in a couple of months. My mom and I were visiting family down south. She was overly excited and annoying (LOL)! It was hot outside so I went in to wash up. But first I stripped my shirt off in the dining room as I head toward the loo. But a supermodel was in there. I knew it would take a long time before I got in. So I went back for my shirt but it was gone. Outside, my mom and her ex husband were showing off a red headed baby. I walked up and held her finger. She looked at me like she knew me.

Next scene my mom and I are driving through town and stop at McDonald's for rest and a quick bite to eat. She's holding up the line talking nonsense. Telling everyone we're from Tennessee when we're not. As I'm trying to get our orders right it starts to rain/hail inside the restaurant. Pretty soon we're getting deluged so we run to the car for shelter.

Not much else happens after that....cuz...ya know...the dog jumped on my bed.

You know what was weird? Being semi aware of my body lying in the bed. I really noticed it when I woke up. It wasn't jarring but smooth as if I simply slid out of the dream into full consciousness. It's much subtler than I thought. I expected bells, whistles and someone screaming "You're Lucid Now!"

Still need to work on RC's. Wish I'd remember to do them more. A series of them perhaps. Cuz they don't always work for me.

I just remembered another scene:

I was standing at a Cuban food kiosk in the courtyard of midrise office buildings when I received a message to meet someone on the top floor. Only the elevators didn't go that high. I needed a secret code to get there. At one point I considered flying up there!

I wish I'd done it. Would've been the perfect RC for this dream. But ya know, I never think of flying in my dreams. So I'm glad the thought came to me.

Cool, see if you go chill the lucids come to you, very nice dream, and nice way of waking up, sometimes parts of the dream go away if its abrupt >.<

Thanks. I'm definitely on the right track now. A couple of things I was doing wrong last week were:

1. Attempting induction too soon. I have more luck after 6 hours of sleep.
2. Not fully waking up during WBTB. At least 10-15 minutes of wakefulness is needed. Otherwise I'll go back to sleep.

Though I can achieve lucidity I have very little control. Still can't remember to RC. My conscious awareness seems to be sitting on the sidelines watching.

Good job learning what does and what doesn't work for you. I don't always RC either, sometimes I don't remember to do it. Maybe it has something to do with level of awareness. Do you practice awareness technique, like Sporadic awareness or All day awareness? :)

I do reality checks during the day. I practiced sporadic awareness for a few days last week then stopped. I'll start again since I'm having a little bit of trouble extending lucidity. My awareness stops once I realize I'm dreaming.

Hmm, so you don't get to do anything once you realize it? Maybe having goals will make you a bit more focused?

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Originally Posted by Hukif

Hmm, so you don't get to do anything once you realize it? Maybe having goals will make you a bit more focused?

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I'd like to visit my dream house. It's a mental construct I created for meditation. But I'll likely create different goals based on abilities like flying. I can do that in a number of dream scenarios. I can't control my early morning dreams. During WBTB/WILD it's easier to slip back into one that's already in progress.

Ah I see, so its more of when and not how. Well hopefully with a bit more practice you will be able to control them all the same ^.^

I think trying to have LD's during the week is an exercise in futility since I'm slightly sleep deprived Monday - Friday.

Still no lucid dreams.

But last night I tried counting from 100 backward during WBTB/DILD. Seems I just go back to sleep if I try to pick the dream back up from waking. Counting down focused my conscious awareness much better. But I was surprised how many times I forgot which number I was on. Staying focused was challenging! Eventually I got so tired I rolled onto my side and fell asleep. Had a long memorable dream with an obvious dream sign present. But I never became lucid.

I guess the only progress I've made lately is recognizing something is wrong in my dream or just out of my reach. Oh, and I couldn't feel my hands or feet. That's as close as I've ever come to SP.

Oh yeah, each time I awoke I did RC's. Just haven't done them in a dream so far.

Don't worry, it may take a bit of time for them to happen in dreams. However that you are starting to notice strange things is great! Means that awareness in general is increasing and you are moving closer to lucidity, and getting some cool vivid dreams in the process =D

No lucids. But I sure had a lot dreams! Five dreams/fragments in total. Which is probably a record for me. There seemed to be a cluster of them in the hour before waking up.

As usual I was woken up separately by my dog and both kids. Which was fine as I'd planned to just sleep and not worry about LD's or AP's. However I had my dream #1 early on (around midnight) about reality star I'm not fond of.

After waking up the first time I fell into dream #2 about a mother getting shot at a graduation ceremony and the ensuing panic among students and faculty. There was a brief discussion about the culprit. And I actually saw a DC's mouth move. - I woke up at the end. But was so bothered by the shooting I imagined a different scenario and ended up in dream #3.

Dream #3 took place in the same auditorium only this time it was full of younger kids. School was letting out and I had equipment to take to my car. It was raining and I had to walk down a slippery hill to get to my car. Kids were playing football with sanitation workers on the hill. Since my trunk was wet I carefully broke my equipment down and placed it in the back seat.

Dream #4 was a fragment about working out. I looked awesome!

Dream #5 was about a woman on Long Island letting her teenage son have an overnight visit with his girlfriend at an Island Resort on "Pia" Island. I looked at her like she had two heads (LOL)!

The last 3 dreams occurred in the last hour of sleep....like a dream chain. Seemed as if each of them lasted a long time. But they had to be just a few minutes long. Not sure why I couldn't remain lucid when the dreams kicked in. One minute I was imagining something and the next I was dreaming. I don't recall any transitions at all!

No big plans for bedtime tonight. Think I'll take note of my dreams and simply see if I have as many as I had last night (especially during the hour before waking). Will likely reread the DILD tutorial shortly.

As I mentioned earlier, there were no big plans last night. I ended up having lots of dreams again: several fragments and two full dreams. Many of them could be traced to things I'd watched on TV earlier or read. There were a couple or weird ones. But of course, I failed to recognized it in the dream and did not become lucid.

As usual I had several awakenings this morning: my daughters nightly stirring, my hubby's alarm going off, the dog jumping on my leg. So there was plenty of opportunity to observe myself falling asleep. Yesterday I totally couldn't catch myself doing it! One moment I was awake and thinking. And the next moment I was dreaming. Couldn't pinpoint the transition between states to save my life. But this morning I noticed the in between state. It was really nice and" floaty". But alas I couldn't linger there as I had to get up and start my day.

Tried SSILD for the past two nights. My dreams have been very vivid but not lucid. They've also been fleeting. No matter how fantastic they are it's easy to forget them completely if I don't write them down. The other night I couldn't recall anything. Not even a fragment. This morning I woke up around 2:20am thinking I'd had no dreams again. But as I laid there bits and pieces popped back into my mind. I hurriedly scribbled a few keywords as the dream memory unfolded. It was vivid and lengthy.

The 2nd full dream of of the night happened about an hour before I'd normally wake up. It was very realistic. In fact, it took place in my home around the dining room table. I was setting the table for dinner with my family waiting patiently in their seats. Only my husband was a completely different man. A massive man! When I pushed myself from the table to start clearing I noticed my huge tummy. I was pregnant with a massive baby! Weird. If not for the strange man I doubt I would've recognized it as a dream. It was so familiar and mundane. Even with the strangeness toward the end I didn't gain lucidity. Not sure if I would have since my son woke up from a bad dream wanting to get in bed with us.

Once my son climbed into bed I thought I wouldn't have time to do anything else. But I slipped into a short dream I can't recall now as my daughter woke up with a bad dream and I had to go to her.

Your recall seems to be great. And some days without recall are also ok. Happy dreams:)

Tried SSILD again with no lucids. Though I enjoyed weirdly vivid dreams. The weirdest moment was a guy smelling the shaved and perfumed wrist of Whitney Houston. It wasn't attached to a body though.

The thing about SSILD's that make them weird is that I take more of my senses into the dream than normal. They don't "seem" pumped up. They really are more...everything. I'm hoping to have success with them over the weekend as I won't have to worry about waking up with an alarm. It seems most of my long/vivid dreams occur during the hour before my alarm clock goes off. It pulls me right out of my dream and leaves me wishing for more time.

Oh, yeah. This is the 3rd morning where I had a super intense dream after waking up briefly at 30 minutes before my alarm. Once again I can't catch the transition from wakefulness to sleep. One minute I'm lying awake in the bed. The next minute I'm in a dream. I don't know why I'm not lucid then!!

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Originally Posted by Shelli

Oh, yeah. This is the 3rd morning where I had a super intense dream after waking up briefly at 30 minutes before my alarm. Once again I can't catch the transition from wakefulness to sleep. One minute I'm lying awake in the bed. The next minute I'm in a dream. I don't know why I'm not lucid then!!

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Are you trying this as a DEILD or a WBTB?

WBTB I guess.

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Originally Posted by Shelli

WBTB I guess.

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OK, for WBTB, you have to get out of the bed and wake up your logical center of your brain by doing some activities. You do this, so you don't fall asleep too fast and are able to stay aware for the transition. Does this help? :)

I had trouble going back to sleep this morning. I'll try SSILD/WBTB earlier (5:30am). I'll get up for 5 or 10 minutes. Anything longer than that and I'll have trouble falling asleep. It's funny how I have more progress during the week versus the weekend.

Thanks for the tip, gab.

If you still willing to try for DILDs, here is a collection of methods that can help you. You can check it out and see, if there is anything you can add to your practice.

If you wake up many times at night, you could try DEILD. When you wake up from a dream, don't move, don't even open your eyes. Think of a dream you just came out of and within few seconds, you should enter another dream, only this time Lucid. This works, because you are already in SP from previous dream, so you don't have to go through the long waiting time like for WILD. DEILD is essentially a shortened WILD. Hope this helps. Happy dreams:)

Ok. I hadn't read much about DEILD's....sounds promising. I'll read the link you provided and get back into practice.

DEILD is really awesome. Good luck:)

I had a WILD last night.

I woke up to use the potty around 0530 then went back to bed. Picked up my dream where I left off. I was walking up a city street when I noticed there wasn't much detail to my surroundings. So I stopped the dream....turned 360 degrees to verify that the buildings were really bland. Then I thought, "I've gotta do something about that." Then I changed my clothes and kept walking.

I was aware that I was dreaming and could change things to my liking. Yet I couldn't figure out how to change buildings.

That's awesome. Congrats!

Here is a great tutorial for WILDs. It's Sageouse's WILD class. If you have not read it yet, I recommend it. Happy dreams:alien: