Thread: The Journey Technique

I always found it funny to do a reality check while visualizing...

So, it seems this technique integrates two things that are independent: (1) reality checking and (2) visualization. I don't think there's any need to combine them into one technique, and I guess, I don't love the combination in this technique.

If you are already "reality checking / dream checking / reverse reality checking" throughout the day, you might already be checking the consistency of your commute. I, for one, never dream about my actual commute, but I do dream about waiting for buses, so I do a check while waiting for the bus. It would be quite a surprise to see any "focal point" from my journey to work in my dreams because turns out, my psyche seems to find those kind of irrelevant, I guess.

Second thing is, it's one thing to practice reality checking in waking life, I think it's another to reality check during visualization. It's just kind of dissonant to me, the idea that I imagine "myself pinching my nose and seeing if I can breathe or not"... you can definitely imagine any result depending on your imagination and dreams can copy them. (Yes, it's part of MILD, and yes, it's not about the actual nose pinch, let's be honest, we know we're dreaming before we do any nose pinching, and if not, we're likely to miss the result). Nevertheless, if I am going to practice "checking" during a "visualisation," I prefer to simply take a silent moment to lucidly examine my state of mind. If I am visualizing, I become aware that I am visualizing. No need, to falsely imagine that you are dreaming or are in waking life (they are both false results, and non-lucid results).

All in all, cool. I liked reading this technique. It reminded me of Mental Palace techniques (visualizing a sequential path traversing rooms (which are replaced with focal points in this exercise). I'm a big fan of Mental Palace techniques, hence my interest for this technique and my response. I just don't personally feel the need for the Mental Palace to be an exact replica of a monotonous daily journey. If visualizing is useful for WILD, is it really useful to put much energy in visualizing "exquisite" details or is it not better to be more passive with the exercise? That's why I like that the path is known, it might be more effortless to visualize it. I just don't see why it would be problematic to suddenly find yourself on a beach and then under the sea during your visualization journey, and to continue to take moments of mental quiet to gain some lucidity and evaluate your state of mind.

(btw in this last example, I'm sure that's the goal of the technique, for you to be on your journey and then, suddenly, oh! you're on the beach! Check! You might be dreaming! No, no, I meant, while you're clearly still not asleep, I don't think it will be harmful to intentionally allow the mind to stray off the path, as long as you continue the practice of "checking.")

I don't know, maybe it has it's advantage of being like counting sheep... but if it must be this way, I prefer conceiving a way more fantastical journey. I don't want to re-imagine my monotonous commute every night. I'd rather walk through a familiar mental palace.

Anyway, thank you for the technique, it got me thinking a bit