Zach's workbook

[Zachlew]

Background: I am 29. I had a couple lucid dreams when I was a kid which let me know they are possible. Before 5 years ago, I had no clue how to intentionally have lucid dreams. Until I stumbled on to a website with how-tos for lucid dreaming. I instantly had a huge interest in all things dreaming. I spent about a year reading about dreaming, practising different techniques, and had about 12 lucid dreams(I would get the exact number but I threw away all my dream journals). About 4 years ago, I stopped dreaming due to smoking ruining my dream recall. I have since quit smoking but I have been focused on other activities. Over the past 3 months, I have had 6 unintentional lucid dreams, 1 fake lucid dream, and some very useful non-lucid dreams. I don't have any issues any more with dream recall. I normally remember 2-3 dreams a night without a dream journal but I don't like dreams occupying my mind. So, I have decided to start up recording dreams in a journal again. This is so I can get them on paper and out of my mind. I don't keep my new dream journal by my bed as making noise at night/morning annoys my spouse. I just write down whatever is still in my head sometime in the morning. I know this is not the most optimal way to accurately record my dreams but it is what it is. Lucid dreaming is an extra in my life and not my main focus. I really enjoy dreaming and find it at times very useful. But if it starts to consume too much time, I am going to dial it back. For now, I'm going to more intentionally try to lucid dream for a couple of reasons: to notice mind trends, to peak into my subconscious, for useful insights, and because it's pretty fun. I'm completely open to any advice from others if someone notices something I could change to help with my lucid dreaming practice. Current Practice: Daytime State Check- I work from my computer so I created a simple script to randomly(between 20-60mins) make a sound. When I hear the sound I check to see if I am dreaming or not. I verify this by checking text to see if it changes and checking my hands to see if they are normal or not. I also check to see if I am dreaming when something odd happens(ie. switch doesn't work, light flickers, something stops working, car driving in the wrong lane, etc.) Night/Morning- Before bed, I normally drink some water and eat a banana. Drinking water helps wake me up after dreams and the banana somehow helps with dreaming(I'm not sure why but it does). Then sometime in the morning I write down my dreams. Extra- I normally do 1-2 hours of meditation a day depending on how long my kids will let me. And much longer meditations on the weekends. (I know some people don't think meditation helps with lucid dreaming but I would say they are not mediating correctly. Meditation improves concentration, memory and awareness just like exercise improves strength, endurance, and flexibility. If that doesn't help lucid dreaming I don't know what would.) Aspirations: Continuous practice without being too frustrated by not getting desired results