Can watching a movie right before bed help to induce LD?

[BadAssLongCoat]

Going to watch Dead Pool tonight, so excited but wondering if: Watching a movie while tired would help induce WILD or DILD? Thinking that it could stimulate my brain and keep it active for long enough afterward that my body can fall asleep while still thinking about it? I am a visual person and while books wuld work well, I just haven't seemed to be able to get back into reading before lights out.

[LiLeila]

Well, screen is not good before bed. Usually I read that it's best to don't look at screens at least 1h before sleep. I think it's better to be calm than awake despite everything. So it can help you to induce a topic of your dream maybe (or just random thing from it which your brain choose frivolously). However I wouldn't recommended this. But I'm newbie so I can be wrong.

[RelicWraith]

Any form of media could work, really, so long as it stimulates your thoughts enough. Just set some related intentions for a DILD and you're good to go. EDIT: Of course, that's not to say this is completely guaranteed, nor that it's the only important factor. Just that you'll get your chances. Well, worked for me anyway.

[Sageous]

As LiLeila noted, watching movies (or TV in general) is not the best thing for LD'ing. There are no doubt lots of reasons for this, including the physical effect of movies on your body and brain, but my reason of choice is that movies tend to remove you from your Self, and can close some of the doors to imagination that would otherwise have been open at bedtime. That said, though, there are movies you could watch that might put you in a dreamy mood, like Science of Sleep, What Dreams May Come, or maybe Waking Life. If you watch TV that puts you in the mood to LD, and leaves your mind in a dreamy place, then you are in the right place. But if you are just watching cool movies like Dead Pool, you might find yourself a little to dazzled by the show to truly focus on LD'ing.

[dolphin]

There's too many variables to say whether watching the movie before bed will induce lucidity, especially through a WILD. In my experience, whether looking at screens before bed is bad for sleep or not depends on how much the content of the screen distracts you while you're trying to fall asleep.

[sisyphus]

Agree with the above. I'll add, if you are already going to watch a highly-anticipated movie and want to take the opportunity to possibly induce a lucid dream, then the best way is to engage your curiosity and inquisitiveness. I suppose this would mostly happen immediately after the movie and before sleep, but you can prime the activity as you are watching it by being mindful that you want to take in the detail and ponder it afterward. Two good methods are to ask yourself questions and to make "I wonder"-type speculations that make the fictional content personal to you. Reflecting on the scenes from the movie, ask yourself: What would I have done? and What would it be like to be there? And also, I wonder what character X was thinking when Y happened? and I wonder, if X happened instead of Y, what would character Z have done? Insert yourself into the characters' roles and allow your creativity to churn on it. The key when doing this kind of speculation is to let your waking mind linger on it for a while, but not reach any definitive answer before sleep. Instead, you want to leave it open-ended. This will invite your unconscious to continue the speculation while dreaming. If you become lucid in those dreams, great! Even if not, you might incubate some novel and profound non-lucids and that can be just as rewarding.

[BadAssLongCoat]

What sisyphus seems to be along the lines of what I was thinking as opposed to whatching tv or a move while going to sleep. The idea that I could re-live the movie in a non-lucid is cool but using the detail to become lucid whould be better. I remember the movie well enough that given 110 minutes to meditate I could probably watch it again in my mind. However there were points during the movie where I was saying things like 'I would have to be dreaming' and then reinforcing it with 'I am dreaming' and 'I am dreaming!' (The second was more excited to shock the brain into lucidity). I didn't acheive lucidity last night, nor did I dream about being Dead Pool, lol, but I wouldn't mind giving that sort of thing a couple more shots you know?

[xxPhoebusxx]

I watched DeadPool and had an LD that night. I focused on how cool it would be to be Deadpool as MILD before sleep.

[Elpis]

No. I've watched so many films in bed, and very little effect.

[gab]

All GREAT answers. All having different perspectives with their own truth. I have watched many of movies or trying to get myself inspired for a LD by watching cool images or movies. It's a hit and miss. I'm amazed at what my mind deems "worthy" or "exciting" enough to have it show up in a LD/dream. Watching some amazing scenery, like movie 2012 yielded NOTHING. Even when my thoughts were racing "ooohhYEAAAH THIS for a LD pls". Watching FUTURAMA'S hot air balloon escape from the sewers showed up in my dreams, having me think "what the heck, really, so this has interested you enough to show up in my dreams"? Point of mine (personal opinion, really) We never know what our mind will deem "worthy" or "strong enough" to show up in our dreams. I think what we THINK while watching stuff is more important than what we are watching. But I start to think that my subC has mind of it's own, haha, and it picks and chooses whatever it wants. Or what leaves strongest impact on us, weather we realize it or not. But in general, things that we have STRONG EMOTIONAL tie to tends to show up more. So go on, watch, read, be amazed. Then have fun anlyzing why your subC chose what it chose for a dream.

[yosa]

The issue with falling to sleep to movies is the sounds; you will be either influenced by it, or it may act as grey noise, or your captain Kirk and getting the girl and oh crap, spock is pulling your pants down, by the way dont watch porn while thinking star trek.

[cooleymd]

I never was lucid but one morning long ago I was watching MSNBC and left it on just before I woke up I was in a dream, I was in time square and there was like an upper layer with like balconies or cat walks with brokerage floors on it and lots of traders trading and talking. Meanwhile I was walking across the place with Erin Burnett. Sometimes she would talk to or look at me and sometimes she would talk about stocks or talk to the brokers. too bad she wasn't wearing the famous Giraffe Dress Giraffe.JPG when I woke up she was on the TV and talking away just like in the dream, still no Giraffe Dress tho he he Giraffe2.JPG So television can penetrate dreams

[Elpis]

I never was lucid but one morning long ago I was watching MSNBC and left it on just before I woke up I was in a dream, I was in time square and there was like an upper layer with like balconies or cat walks with brokerage floors on it and lots of traders trading and talking. Meanwhile I was walking across the place with Erin Burnett. Sometimes she would talk to or look at me and sometimes she would talk about stocks or talk to the brokers. too bad she wasn't wearing the famous Giraffe Dress Giraffe.JPG when I woke up she was on the TV and talking away just like in the dream, still no Giraffe Dress tho he he Giraffe2.JPG So television can penetrate dreams Oh, this happens often, as it's in the morning. Sometimes you hear an ambulance outside, and suddenly you dream of hurting yourself and getting picked up by said ambulance..