Thread: Morten's workbook

That is so cool, what a beautiful sky! Lucky. I don't think my night skies stand out in dreams, but water sure does. I can get some really creepy, but fantastic looking water sometimes. I'll see if I can find a picture...

It's always dark blue, creepy, wavy, not much sun, and usually a tidal wave. I blame a childhood experience:

Spoiler for waves:

I'm not sure if I should stick with MILD. It hasn't made any difference at all yet. Should I consider switching to a different technique (I have thought about DEILD) or continue with MILD?

Originally Posted by Morten

I'm not sure if I should stick with MILD. It hasn't made any difference at all yet. Should I consider switching to a different technique (I have thought about DEILD) or continue with MILD?

I'm going to tell you what I told Caenis, because I realize now that alot of beginners may have felt compelled to select a technique immediately to practice, before the Lesson III was posted about the Pros and Cons:

Ordinarily I would say pick one and stick with it, but I realize that it's important to experiment with what feels natural to you, and not many people grasp it right away. Which is something I was trying to attempt with Lesson III. Anyone who is ambivalent about selecting a technique can review the pros and cons and see which one is the best fit for further experimentation. So I say go for [another technique] if you feel it's more you. Just give it a while before giving it up.

Not much progress has been made this week. I'm still sticking with MILD, and my dream recall is good. I woke up early this morning and when I tried to go back to sleep I entered SP. I thought it might be a good time to try WILD and I was so close, but noisy kids on the second floor woke me up. I haven't had any lucidity hints in my dreams this week, which is really annoying since MILD very much depends on lucidity hints. I think I'm going to stick with MILD throughout this course, and if I haven't had any lucid dreams by that time I will switch to a different technique.

So close to lucidity last night! I woke at 6.30 am and wrote in my DJ, paid the toilet a visit and went back to sleep. I visualized the dream I had just had and repeated "I will realize I am dreaming". Even though I didn't end up in the same dream scene I immediately thought I might be dreaming. As I was about to do a RC someone spoke to me and I completely forgot about it!
Nevertheless it has given me courage to keep on with MILD.

Originally Posted by Morten

I visualized the dream I had just had and repeated "I will realize I am dreaming". Even though I didn't end up in the same dream scene I immediately thought I might be dreaming.

That's awesome Morten, that's definitely progress. Sounds like 6:30 is a good time for a WBTB for you. Just sleepy enough to go right back to sleep, but also awake enough to carry your awareness over into the dream state.

Keep doing what you're doing!

I did it! I finally had a LD!

I wrote about it in my dream journal.

I was still in sleep paralysis when I woke up, and I'm certain I could have chained into another dream if I didn't have to pee so badly.

Bitch yeah!!!! I'm so proud of you I could cry. I will lucid kill that fat cop for you myself as a bonus.

Seriously, well done. DILDs are a true testament to faithful reality checks. So pat yourself on the back big time Morten.

I just wanted to let you know that I had another lucid dream last night!
I had a high level of awareness, I was completely aware that everything, sounds, visions, smells, feelings, were constructed by my brain. I stabilized the dream several times by touching the grass, rubbing hands, look closely at stuff etc., but my vision often became blurry, and I had to stabilize over and over again. I'm just wondering if I did something wrong since I had to stabilize so often?

Update since last class:
I have had one lucid dream since last class. The one described above. Still doing RCs every day, and my dream recall is still good although it has changed a bit lately. I usually woke up several times throughout the night, found my pen and my dream journal, and wrote down the dream I just had. Now I still wake up, but I just tell myself that I have to remember the dream in the morning, and I go back to sleep. I do this with every dream I have, and I can usually remember 2, 3 or 4 dreams in the morning.
It works quite well, but I thought it might be a bad idea since my mind is not on lucid dreaming when I go back to sleep but on remembering the dream. Any thoughts about this?

Originally Posted by Morten

I just wanted to let you know that I had another lucid dream last night!
I had a high level of awareness, I was completely aware that everything, sounds, visions, smells, feelings, were constructed by my brain. I stabilized the dream several times by touching the grass, rubbing hands, look closely at stuff etc., but my vision often became blurry, and I had to stabilize over and over again. I'm just wondering if I did something wrong since I had to stabilize so often?

No you didn't do anything wrong. Lucid dreams don't always start out perfect, but you did right by touching the grass and looking at things. Some verbal commands might be useful in the future if you come across something like this again. I also heard (but haven't tried YET), that snapping your fingers is good. I like stabilization techniques that involve more then one sense. Like if you snap your fingers while looking at them, you have sight, sound, and touch all in one. On the rare occasion that you find the need to stabilize more than once, it's good to have a few extra tricks up your sleeve.

Originally Posted by Morten

Update since last class:
I have had one lucid dream since last class. The one described above. Still doing RCs every day, and my dream recall is still good although it has changed a bit lately. I usually woke up several times throughout the night, found my pen and my dream journal, and wrote down the dream I just had. Now I still wake up, but I just tell myself that I have to remember the dream in the morning, and I go back to sleep. I do this with every dream I have, and I can usually remember 2, 3 or 4 dreams in the morning.
It works quite well, but I thought it might be a bad idea since my mind is not on lucid dreaming when I go back to sleep but on remembering the dream. Any thoughts about this?

That's a 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. While it's better to write down your dreams for recall than to simply try to remember them, the act of writing in between cycles might wake you up too much. Then again, there are some beliefs that forcing your mind to remember details in between cycles is good brain exercise for recall. I think gab mentioned something about remembering specific key-words from each dream.

At any rate, well done on the 2 lucids last month! I look forward to working with you again Morten.

I just put together the most relevant info from my workbook and added some new stuff.

Dreamsigns

Driving in car: I don't have a drivers license in real life, but for some reason I often decide to drive a car in my dreams even though I have no idea how to do so! I often drive into people and destroy several things before I decide to stop.
My hometown: I moved from my hometown a little less than a year ago, and my dreams nearly always happens there. My family is also often a part of the plot.
Electronics: It doesn't happen often, but whenever electronics are a part of my dreams they are always working improperly in one way or another.
The night sky: When my dreams happen at nighttime the sky always look fabulous! It looks like a bit like Sovngarde in Skyrim.

Reality checks

Nose pinch
Count fingers
Attempt to read
Finger through palm

Goals

Goals in next LD:
Stabilize by using several senses; see, touch, hear, taste and/or smell.

Goals in general:
Explore space
Listen to some of my favorite tracks (I've heard it can be quite powerful in dreams)
Visit Narnia and meet Aslan
Eat something
Ride a speedway bike
Fulfill a task of the month
.....
Can't remember any other goals right now. I might add some another time.

It's so weird, I keep reading about people having their hometown as a dream sign. I guess our youth is really important to our subconsciouses.

And I like that you are aiming for the 5 senses too. Hyu gave me that idea and I've been incorporating them more and more.

Finally, if you see Aslan, give him a hug from me. I wub heem <3

Sorry for the inconsistent updates, I've had a lot on my mind this week.
My mind hasn't really been on lucid dreaming although I remember to reality check every day. My dream recall is still good, and I had some very bizarre dreams one night when I was sick (I always have bizarre dreams when sick)!
I have chosen to try DIELD for some time now. I'll read up on some tutorials today, and check out some of the additional references posted in the Homework Thread.

About the hall point thing; it doesn't really matter to me. You can keep them or give them to others. I just want to LD.

Originally Posted by Morten

About the hall point thing; it doesn't really matter to me. You can keep them or give them to others. I just want to LD.

You're such a sweetheart Morten <3

Good luck with the DEILD, I fully expect you to kick ass on that.

I'm surprised I could remember anything from last night since I had been drinking, but I recalled one dream in the morning. Happy with that.
The night before that I had a dream in a dream! Inception!!
No LD yet, but I'm confident it's coming.

Originally Posted by Morten

The night before that I had a dream in a dream! Inception!!
No LD yet, but I'm confident it's coming.

Haha really! I wanna reeeeead it!

Originally Posted by OpheliaBlue

Haha really! I wanna reeeeead it!

It was nothing special, I was just taking care of some children with a girl, and we had to leave the house at one point, but I was a bit tired, so I snuck into bed for a little nap. Unfortunately I couldn't sleep so we went for a walk in a forest where I was swimming around in a lake until the girl woke me up and said I was waving around with my hands and feet in the bed. Turns out I did fall asleep in the bed, so I actually also had a FA in the dream! Crazy stuff.

Update:
I have decided to change my sleep schedule a bit. I'm now going to bed one hour earlier, since I have realized I miss a good amount of REM sleep in the morning, because everyone else in the house is up and makes a lot of noise.