Dreaming what you've watch on tv, etc

[Scapetraverser]

this isn't so much related to the lucid aspect of it. But, how likely is it for you to be able to dream of places, events, people that you have watched on tv, movies, or even real life, right before bed? Is there a certain time of the day where memory is more likely to trigger these dreams? Does falling asleep while watching something actually work, or is it just more likely to make your sleep less restful (even if muted)? I've always wanted to induce dreams by what I watch, and I find it's not so easy. In fact sometimes randomly occures within weeks to months LOL. Of course I don't wait on it that long, it just happens. Maybe someone knows some good methods?

[Darkmatters]

Without really knowing the answer, I suspect it would work best if it's video of motion or of travelling through an intense environment - you know, like this: I'd think it could work even better if you do something like ride a bike that day, and make sure to coast fast down some long swoopy hills or something - something you don't do all the time that gives you that feeling of flying. Then watch the video for a while before sleeping, and as you lay in bed imagine yourself doing it - feel the movement. Playing a lot of video games all day can make me dream of being in the game, I think it's best if it's a game with a really immersive environment that makes you feel like you're actually there (Tomb Raider used to do it for me).

[ZeraCook]

I had a few Non Lucids that I was a normal space marine, and my friend was a spartan and we were stealing tech from the covenant. my friend, who probably not so coincidentally was the spartan in my dream, has nightly occurrences of dreaming about halo.

[lilmacky8abug]

I often dream about some of my favorite TV shows (mostly just me hanging out with the characters). Just the other day I had one about one of my favorite shows, Doctor Who. Occasionally I will dream in this half cartoon-like style which is really strange since my brain can't sustain that kind of scenery very long, so I will be seeing some of my favorite cartoon characters walking around in the real world (or the other way around). In response to your questions, I usually get those kind of dreams if I love the show a lot and think about it often. If they don't come on that way it's just a random occurance. I also don't like to watch things right before I go to bed because I find that I don't have good recall in the morning (however that's just my experience, I don't know what would happen if you tried it). I guess the only advice I can give you is to try and think about it occasionally when you go about your day, and eventually a dream involving that show/movie/game you like may just happen. Maybe you could listen to a bit of the show or play a song that reminds you of it right before bed. PS- I liked Darkmatter's idea. It would be a good test to see if watching something before bed works. Good luck

[Scapetraverser]

Without really knowing the answer, I suspect it would work best if it's video of motion or of travelling through an intense environment - you know, like this: (link removed for registration reasons) I'd think it could work even better if you do something like ride a bike that day, and make sure to coast fast down some long swoopy hills or something - something you don't do all the time that gives you that feeling of flying. Then watch the video for a while before sleeping, and as you lay in bed imagine yourself doing it - feel the movement. Playing a lot of video games all day can make me dream of being in the game, I think it's best if it's a game with a really immersive environment that makes you feel like you're actually there (Tomb Raider used to do it for me). Good advice on the other stuff. Its kind of funny how the few responses that I have received since I registered here related to gaming as well. Since I can truly relate to the immerse experience, and even sometimes dreaming of it. I love beautiful exploration games like the Myst series, or RPG with fantastical environments. I guess you can even say gaming got me interested in dreaming in a way, LOL. Its unfortunate that at my age of 31, and probably since I was at least 25, dreams have become less vivid. I also wake up randomly throughout the night. At least for better chance of recording what I remember. i think my dreams usually last between 5 and 15 minutes. Last night I actually started recording wake hours and dream details to see if they become more vivid, and even repeat. One thing I noticed right away, is that I was thinking so hard to remember to voice record myself after dreaming, that 2 times my mind almost fooled me that I already had in the dreams. I was able to truly wake, and record these. I have a good dozen recordings that I'm going to try to piece together, and write about elsewhere on this site. A preview includes a Ice Dragon in a icy cavern, after falling through a cavernous tube in the Earth. Another of a majestic wild horse riding up an enormous hill. What gets me is how bad I was at actually becoming lucid, or at least being aware of being lucid. I had so many opportunities from the recordings I listened to, that were DUH moments, that I don't know what was holding me back. For example, seeing recognizable furniture out of place and merged with other furniture. My mind is very imaginative and creative. So, I wonder if my unconscious mind is just believing it as real. And for that to happen, I wouldn't think in my unconscious mind about becoming lucid. I have a feeling there was maybe 1 short time I did though, for a few seconds.

[Sensei]

This could be a great experiment for you guys to run in the experiments sub-forum (even though it isn't a lucid experiment). You would have to journal what you did all day the previous day, and what time. Journal what dreams you had at what times, and see if it matches up. I have found that going through your previous day in detail is great for recall, because if you know what sparked a dream, you won't forget it. If yall want I can start the experiment, or one of you can. I don't want to do it alone though, haha.

[Scapetraverser]

Still doesnt explain how I crossed paths with a fire breathing ice dragon, LOL. Don't remember the last time I've seen one in a game or even movie. Unless the last teaser of The Hobbit counts, nothing like it though. perhaps just a thought of dragon, based on the setting.

[Sensei]

Nah, some of it has gotta be just random. Or maybe there is a connection between the last time you saw dragons with a something that connected dragons unconsciously with your brain. Last time you saw dragons - item Item - the day you had the dream The item could be something like a remote or something vague. Just a guess though.

[EricinLA]

I've always wanted to induce dreams by what I watch, and I find it's not so easy. In fact sometimes randomly occures within weeks to months LOL. My two cents: I remember when I was younger and fell asleep watching something on T.V.. I would sometimes dream of the show or something similar in my dream. I also noticed that the audio that was still listening to from my dream state influenced my dream path. Like your mind is still trying to process it and since you are dreaming it just becomes a dream. Try to play a movie you would like to dream about in your bedroom. Watch about 30 min of it and then try to go to sleep while it is still playing. Make sure it is loud enough to still hear but not load enough to wake you up if it has loud sections of the movie. I bet it will work with only a couple of tries.