Exercise: Prospective Memory Training

[Dream scientist]

Very similar to shift's Daily Dreamsign forum. This is excerpted from Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming. (If you have an objection to this excercise, take it up with Stephen, not me!) Exercise: Prospective Memory Training 1. Read the day's targets This exercise is designed to be practiced over an entire week. Below is a set of four target events for each day of the week. When you get up in the morning, read only the targets for that day. (Do not read the targets before the proper day.) Memorize the day's targets. 2. Look for your targets during the day. Your goal is to notice the next occurrence of each event at which time you will perform a state test (Reality Check) and ask yourself, "Am I dreaming?" So, if your target is "The next time I hear a dog's bark," when you hear this next, note it and do a state test. You are aiming to notice the target once- the next time it happens. 3. Keep track of how many target events you hit At the end of the day, write down how many of the four targets you succeeded in noticing (you can make a space in your dream journal to record your progress with this exercise). If you realize during the day that you missed your first chance to notice one of your targets, then you gave failed to hit that target, even though you may notice its occurrence later in the day. If you are certain that one of more of the targets did not occur at all during the day, say so with a note in your dream journal 4. Continue the exercise until you have tried all of the daily targets given below. If at the end of the week, you are still missing most of the targets, continue until you have hit most of them. Make up your own list of targets, keep track of your success fate, and observe how your memory develops. Daily Targets Sunday: The next time I see a pet or animal The next time I look at my face in a mirror The next time I turn on a light The next time I see a flower Monday: The next time I write anything down The next time I feel pain The next time I hear someone say my name The next time I drink something Tuesday: The next time I see a traffic light The next time I hear music The next time I throw something in the garbage The next time I hear laughter Wednesday: The next time I turn on a television or radio The next time I see a vegetable The next time I see a red car The next time I handle money Thursday: The next time I read something other than this list The next time I check the time The next time I notice myself daydreaming The next time I hear the telephone ringing Friday: The next time I open a door The next time I see a bird The next time I use the toilet after noon The next time I see the stars Saturday: The next time I put a key in a lock The next time I see an advertisement The next time I eat anything after breakfast The next time I see a bicycle Make sure to post your results. Lucid dreams, D.S.

[Stygian]

My kind of excercise. I'm gonna start tomorrow! Thanks for posting this.

[Dream scientist]

You are very welcome. Tell your friends!

[Stygian]

I don't have any friends

[Dream scientist]

Turn that frown upside down!

[Reinards]

This may help!

[ignaraph]

What do you do once you are successfull with all of the targets? Do you quit the excercise or do you develop new lists?

[Reinards]

What do you do once you are successfull with all of the targets? Do you quit the excercise or do you develop new lists? You can make new lists to further improve your memory. But I guess that after you are successful with all of the targets you just start MILDing

[ignaraph]

Yes but wont you lose your prospective memory capability if you stop doing these excercises every day? I can only assume that after 2 weeks of not doing this your prospective memory will be back to were it started.

[Reinards]

Yes but wont you lose your prospective memory capability if you stop doing these excercises every day? I can only assume that after 2 weeks of not doing this your prospective memory will be back to were it started. Now, let me ask you a question. When you will do MILD won't it be kind of training? It will train your brain to remember what you said it to do...so yes! As for me, I am not doing this exercise, but I just tell myself to do RC whenever I do something or go somewhere. It is also exercise and it will be as long as you have to use your prospective memory