Thread: Zach's workbook

Third month recap
This is what I have recorded in my journal.
Dreams recalled: 25
Lucid dreams: 1 - DILD

While I haven't given up on this practice, I have had a lot of set backs this month. My practice has dwindled down to just occasional RCs throughout the day and inconsistent recalls in the morning. I'm hoping next month I can amp up my practice again! Even though being lucid is something unbelievably amazing, I find that just recalling dreams is becoming very rewarding. This practice is pretty fun and hope I can keep it going.

Week 13.5 Update:

I'd figure I would update before I head out of town. I just had lucids 2 nights in a row. The first one felt like about 15-20mins lucid and the second one felt like almost an hour lucid. Both were really fun and I hope to get a few more this month. Consistency really helps out. I also found a happy medium with recording recalls in my journal. Instead of writing a summary or the entire story or nothing at all, I have been writing just key phrases in the sequence they occurred. It seems to be enough to remember the huge detailed recalls without spending 30mins writing it all down.

I had a dream earlier in the week were one of the DC's pointed out to me that something was really strange.In the middle of the dream I was getting off a train at a huge monastery. A monk came up to me and told me to look at the shoes everyone was wearing on the train. There were a couple hundred people getting off the train and they all had on the same shoes. I said wow that's a really rare coincidence. Then the monk shook his head, took one of my shoes (which was different from all of the other people on the train), and walked off.

It seemed like the DC was trying to make me lucid. Is that possible? Has anyone else on here had DC's that helped them become lucid?

Congrats on the long lucids and on the interesting shoes dream! I can't say I've had "DC help" but remember that DCs are just you, so you're helping yourself to get lucid. I think sometimes I have "dreamsign help" with my SC throwing every sign it can at me trying to get my attention.

Keyword journaling can help maintain the dreams in your head, but over time I (and others) find that the details still melt away, if you have a particularly fun or memorable dream you want to keep for posterity, writing it out in detail is a good idea. Also, spending those 30 minutes writing it out keeps your mind focused on dreaming and signals your SC that dreaming and recalling dreams is still really important for you, so that's a good investment in future dreaming.

Fourth month recap
This is what I have recorded in my journal.
Dreams recalled: 26
Lucid dreams: 3 - DILDs

Besides traveling for the past 3 weeks this has been an OK month. Definitely trying to keep this practice going even with a hectic schedule.

I leaving again for another week and half but it should be a little less stressful then my last trip. Hopefully it will give me some time to build up my recall again.

I've found consistent recall, WBTB, and intentions are my most useful practices that don't require much effort. SSILD works great for me too but it can end up consuming a lot of time if I can't get back to sleep.

I'm going to try Sensei's comp this month. Hopefully I can at least consistently practice for those 2 weeks.

It is great to hear that you are keeping up practices and finding your own path! We are here if you need us.

Thanks Fogelbise! You and FryingMan have been a lot of help. Much appreciated!

Week 17 Update:

I had 2 extremely short lucids over the last week. The WBTBs are really helpful but I'm still really confused a lot in my dreams. It's like a brain fog where something seems off and I cant really get good access to my memories. I'll keep working on heightening my awareness. It seems like the awareness and good memories comes and goes though.

I had a pretty weird experience last night trying to DEILD after a dream. I ended up in both my dream body and my waking body. I also seemed to have much more control than normal over the dream as well (I was able to fling a annoying DC into space with the wave of my hand). I was trying to use my senses to pull myself more into the dream (I'm not sure if that's the best method or not but it seems to stabilize other lucids). Would that be a DEILD since I was in the dream and could use my senses? Or is it just the threshold of a DEILD since I could still feel my body? I'm guessing this it pretty subjective but it was a new experience and wasn't sure what to do or what it would be called.

DJ Link: http://www.dreamviews.com/blogs/zach...p-day-8-69390/

Originally Posted by Zachlew

Week 17 Update:

I had 2 extremely short lucids over the last week. The WBTBs are really helpful but I'm still really confused a lot in my dreams. It's like a brain fog where something seems off and I cant really get good access to my memories. I'll keep working on heightening my awareness. It seems like the awareness and good memories comes and goes though.

Indeed, that can come and go and you thinking to keep working on heightening your awareness is exactly the solution I would have come up with. Sometimes in those situations I end up in the void and am able to regroup and move into a new scene with much better awareness. The standard rubbing your hands and reminding yourself that you are dreaming and this is all being generated by your mind should also help. Either way there will be nights where your mind is foggy and that will pass, especially with continued work.

I had a pretty weird experience last night trying to DEILD after a dream. I ended up in both my dream body and my waking body. I also seemed to have much more control than normal over the dream as well (I was able to fling a annoying DC into space with the wave of my hand). I was trying to use my senses to pull myself more into the dream (I'm not sure if that's the best method or not but it seems to stabilize other lucids). Would that be a DEILD since I was in the dream and could use my senses? Or is it just the threshold of a DEILD since I could still feel my body? I'm guessing this it pretty subjective but it was a new experience and wasn't sure what to do or what it would be called.

One possibility is that your dreaming mind came up with the feeling of your sleeping body. Either way, since you were aware you were dreaming and additionally were taking control of your dream by flinging that DC into space suggests to me that it was an LD and not HH. It does sound like a DEILD to me.

I end up in the void and am able to regroup

I'm still a bit confused about the void. Is that just a blank space between dreams and being awake or is it something else altogether?

Originally Posted by Zachlew

I'm still a bit confused about the void. Is that just a blank space between dreams and being awake or is it something else altogether?

Most dreamers refer to "the void" as the loss of dream visuals. You're still fully dreaming (RCs you can do like nose pinch without visuals confirm this, this is one reason nose pinch is my #1 RC of choice), just without a visual element to the dream: usually an all-black or near-black place without lighting. I've been in an all-white or all-gray void once or twice as well.

One should *always* assume one is still dreaming, and keep on thinking about where you just were or where you want to go. Stay in motion, walk/run/fly (flying works great for me) forwards and much of the time the dream visuals return very soon.

Who knows what the void actually is. It could be what we all normally experience in between dreams while our dreaming hardware is spinning up the next scene for us, or it could be a sort of a "crash" of our dreaming system unable to keep up with the demands of being lucid in the dream state. Maybe our sudden desire for a scene shift when lucid catches the dream hardware by surprise and it's just not ready to meet the new demand, so it just shuts off the visuals.

Spoiler for possible schema infection :

I don't experience the void all that often. I know that I most often experience the void when phasing through solid objects like walls.

Most dreamers refer to "the void" as the loss of dream visuals.

Thanks! I was a bit confused about this since I haven't experienced it yet that I know of. I have noticed that right after a dream there is still a little period where my mind is still in the dreaming state. It's like I know I'm in bed and I just had a dream but I'm not awake yet. It seems that's my optimal state for recalling dreams. I wonder if that would be the void if I was lucid before hand.

Who knows what the void actually is. It could be what we all normally experience in between dreams while our dreaming hardware is spinning up the next scene for us, or it could be a sort of a "crash" of our dreaming system unable to keep up with the demands of being lucid in the dream state. Maybe our sudden desire for a scene shift when lucid catches the dream hardware by surprise and it's just not ready to meet the new demand, so it just shuts off the visuals.

I find it pretty interesting how little is known about the dreaming even though everyone does it every night. It seems lucid dreamers know more that anyone else and it still mostly just assumptions based on experiences.

RCs you can do like nose pinch without visuals

This has been my #2 RC for a while now for just that reason! I would say #1 but I still do reading text for a RC more than any other.

Originally Posted by Zachlew

This has been my #2 RC for a while now for just that reason! I would say #1 but I still do reading text for a RC more than any other.

How does the reading RC work out for you? I rarely read in dreams or notice text, compared to things like noticing people, plot, etc (there are exceptions of course).

Do you find that every single time you have the urge to RC in a dream that there is text handy ready for you to use right away, or do you have to go searching for it?

I think I've been lucky or I just don't RC that much in dreams because there always seems to be text in my dreams when I want to try that RC. I mostly end up reading license plates or digital clocks. I actually rarely do a RC when I first become lucid though. It is mostly just the feeling of 'I know I'm dreaming'.

Originally Posted by Zachlew

I'm still a bit confused about the void. Is that just a blank space between dreams and being awake or is it something else altogether?

Experiencing the void is like FM said. Mine are also usually black also, sometimes white or gray which may be something else happening. I agree with the possibilities that FM mentioned for what may be be bringing you to the void. You most likely will only notice the void when you are lucid and not expecting to wake up (we tend to get what we expect), though I have recalled some transitions of non-lucids that were void-like and I bet FM has recalled quite a few with his excellent recall rate. The more time I spend in the void, the more I feel that there is also a possibility that the void could be moments of non-REM lucidity (NREM, Delta), especially towards the end of your sleep when REM periods are close together thus making it likely to be easier to surf the gap between REM periods. I find fun ways to stay lucid through the void like moving in an unusual way, often like different animals: a dolphin or a slithering snake.

I didn't notice the void early on and I think it was because when there was even an inkling that the dream might be fading that I would immediately wake up and shorten my lucid. It was as if there was no time to spin or do anything. Once I knew about the void and even more so after Sageous mentioned "not following the normal path back to your waking body" (or similar) I began extending my LD's more and more, usually via a brief trip to the void and sometimes bringing back the same scene after the shortest of fades. So even though this may seem more advanced, I think that you can take advantage of this too. By realizing that it is possible to extend dreams, you will be able to extend at least some of your LD's.

Experiencing the void is like FM said. Mine are also usually black also, sometimes white or gray which may be something else happening. I agree with the possibilities that FM mentioned for what may be be bringing you to the void. You most likely will only notice the void when you are lucid and not expecting to wake up (we tend to get what we expect), though I have recalled some transitions of non-lucids that were void-like and I bet FM has recalled quite a few with his excellent recall rate. The more time I spend in the void, the more I feel that there is also a possibility that the void could be moments of non-REM lucidity (NREM, Delta), especially towards the end of your sleep when REM periods are close together thus making it likely to be easier to surf the gap between REM periods. I find fun ways to stay lucid through the void like moving in an unusual way, often like different animals: a dolphin or a slithering snake.

Thanks! More good info! That's funny you try moving like different animals. I guess that would give you something to occupy your mind during that space.

I didn't notice the void early on and I think it was because when there was even an inkling that the dream might be fading that I would immediately wake up and shorten my lucid. It was as if there was no time to spin or do anything.

This is definitely what has happened in all my LDs so far.

Once I knew about the void and even more so after Sageous mentioned "not following the normal path back to your waking body" (or similar) I began extending my LD's more and more, usually via a brief trip to the void and sometimes bringing back the same scene after the shortest of fades. So even though this may seem more advanced, I think that you can take advantage of this too. By realizing that it is possible to extend dreams, you will be able to extend at least some of your LD's.

I hope I can give this a try. Now I just need to get lucid!

Fifth month recap
Dreams recalled: 36
Lucid dreams: 5 - DILDs

I did sensei's comp for the first 2 weeks of my 5th month and it was a huge motivation. I did manage to get 5 lucids in 15days which is a lot for me. I amped up my practice a lot during the comp. Which was very helpful but it is too much for me to do everyday.

Practice During Comp:
Banana, water, and B-50 vitamin complex
Quiet undisturbed sleep (was in hotels for 12 days)
Check for FA after every awakening
DEILD attempt or dream recall every awakening
Record every dream/fragment recalled as fully as possible in DJ
WBTB + SSILD/WILD multiple attempts a night
Sleep in late (8hrs of sleep but 10hrs total time for WBTB, WILD attempts, and recalls)

I hear you on the various practices sometimes feeling like too much. I think finding a balance is important and I think I have found a way for myself. I give myself a little breather while not stopping completely and I ramp it up both when I feel like it has been a while since I have been lucid, and also after having an invigorating lucid...I just ride that wave a bit to maintain a higher level of practice. Your balance will probably be different since everyone practices a little different and everyone is at a little different stage.

Good luck and keep it up!