Batch's Workbook

Reality Checks:
Attempting to stretch fingers
Trying to fly

Dream Signs:
No clue at this point

Short-Term Goals:
Remember more dreams in more detail
Lucid dream more often
Dream about what I want to dream about more often

(my random dreams are great, and I don't want them to go away, but I'd also like to choose some of them before I go to sleep.)

Long-Term Goals:
Much greater dream control much more frequently
Revisit cool past dreams and real life events
Attempt things I don't believe in, just to see if I am wrong and they exist (shared dreams, astral projection, those kinds of things.)

Lucid/Dream Recall History:
I often remember a couple of dreams a night, sometimes more. Sometimes I find myself going several days without remembering any dreams, which I don't like. I usually lucid once or twice a month. Have kept dream journals for years.

Current Technique:
Winging it, and writing full dreams in my dream journal. I don't bother writing fragments, but the full dreams are enough that I am always behind on getting them posted.

Hi Batch, welcome to the Intro Class! :mrgreen:

It's really great that you have excellent recall, and even more so that you LD a couple times a month already! I bet you have a thing or two to teach some of the other students :) I agree with your "random dreams" philosophy. Some of my non-lucids are really incredible, and I journal them as proudly as I do the lucid dreams.

SO in close, glad you joined us. One last question, what is the "attempting to stretch fingers" reality check? I'm intrigued...

I dunno, I figure it is probably quite close to the pushing your finger through your hand bit, but I've always got to be a little different. I had at least a couple of dreams where I found that I could be reaching for something that is just out of reach, and I just really try to reach it, and my fingers grew to be ten or twelve inches long. Since those couple of dreams, I now try to stretch my fingers in several dreams, helping me prove to myself I am lucid. I also try to stretch them while awake, just to show myself I am not dreaming. Of course part of the time I try and stretch them -through- something, which also relates to the more usual push your finger through your hand ... only it's never been my hand, more a wall or window. (Hey, one time I realized I was dreaming, and started betting people I could walk through walls. They were very impressed when I did so. That's another dream I could (and I think I will) post to the dream journal here. Give me another lucid 'on record.')

OK, so here's where I stand currently. In the (roughly) month since I found this place and started concentrating on my dreams again, I have been remarkably successful in remembering more dreams, writing more down, and having longer, more involved dreams. The problem with this is that it takes time. Each time I wake and write down a lengthy dream, it takes a half an hour to 45 minutes. Then I usually have problems getting back to sleep, which wastes anywhere from a half an hour to two hours. I sleep for a bit, then wake again with more dreams to write down, and by then I am usually up for the day. AND very burnt out on dreams.

So I have been dreaming two and three dreams a night, most nights, with them being full, detailed, and (to me at least, interesting), and then I find I have no desire to take even more time to type them into the computer. Which really slows down some of my involvement here. But in the last three or four days I have gotten most of the dreams from the last three or four days entered, including some very long, and (I hope) interesting ones with great storylines, and a nice, pleasant (if short) lucid. So if anybody wants to check out the dream journal, there is hopefully some fun reading there.

I think I will manage to stay focused long enough to add another two or three dreams from the last few days, including more linked ones (more and more often some or all of my dreams in a single night are turning out to be partly related), the really miserable lucid that turned me off dreams for a day or two last week, and left me almost suicidal -within- the dream, and a couple of the dreams from a night where I was sick. You know, the kind that go on forever, seem to be half awake, half asleep, and when you wake up from them you are exhausted ....

So this place has made a very positive difference to my dreaming, recently, even if I haven't been posting as much about it. The down side to partial success.

Hey Batch :D

I've had those nights as well where my dream is sooo long and I end up spending a lot of time writing them between sleep cycles. Lisa taught me something before. She said that when you wake up, you write a few keywords about the dream (I write usually the setting, people, gist of what happened) and when I wake up, I can pretty much remember the details in between, though there might be some few ones I missed. Also, have you tried using a voice recorder? I personally don't like using it because talking wakes me up too much, but there are people who find it very helpful. Basically you wake up and record yourself narrating your dreams (and i think the good aspect of this is that you can say all the details you remember within a short period of time). Then when you finally wake up, you can go over it and transcribe it into actual written words on your DJ :D


Anyway, I'm glad to hear you're making great progress! Keep it up :party:

P.S. Excited to read your dream journal! Right after I finish some schoolwork, as I might not be able to stop reading hehehe ;)

Should anybody read this, please don't take offense. I don't mean to give any. But last month was a tremendous month for dreams, with tons of stuff, and probably 3 or 4 dreams that were of such length, quality, and interest that I think they are some of the coolest dreams that I have ever had. This month, it is as if I have been losing interest. Much less dreaming, much less detail, fragments. Parts of it may be random, parts may be things like vitamins and fruit and techniques that I am not using/following as much. Part of it feels like 'why bother', since of these 3 or 4 dreams that seemed like some of the most interesting I have ever had. Only a single one seems to have been read by anyone. Even the lucid ones.

"Well, have you been reading and commenting on others' dreams?" Um ... er ... a little, but not as much as I ought to. OK, I'll shut up now.

Like I said, I am not trying to be pushy or obnoxious or a jerk, but I really think part of my dream slowdown this month has been due to so little response to previous dreams. And I have to mention it as something that might be influencing things.

It's alright Batch, I totally understand. I must admit, I have only read some of your dreams from before. Or anyone else's, for that matter. We all need to keep each other motivated. This month is just a really slow month, in my opinion. From what I've read lately, many of us have just started school again, and have been getting quite busy. Even those who have work have been pretty swamped too. Even I've been getting only about 3-4 hours of sleep lately because of school, and only get to lurk around the forums enough to update my workbook and maybe answer a question or two. I'm sure a lot of people can relate, perhaps maybe even you?

In any case, I hope you don't lose motivation! I'm sure everything will be back to normal soon. Keep us posted :)

Nah, like I said, I wasn't trying to offend anyone ... I don't read enough other dreams and comment on them, myself. And while enough of a lack of interest on the site could cause me to wuit posting my dreams here, it would never stop me from writing them down. And I can understand people being busy, even if I am not, currently.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Batch

Nah, like I said, I wasn't trying to offend anyone ...

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Ahh, I didn't think you were ;)

So, have you thought of any goals (lucid or waking life) you are planning to achieve this month? :D

Not really, I still haven't achieved my last goal ... I was excited just to remember what it was I wanted to do. 8-D

Oh that's good to hear. You can try some concrete goals too. I can't quite remember whose workbook it was, but she added some goals like:

-Read the SSILD tutorial
-Meditate for 20 minutes today
-Sleep before 10 pm

Etc...Just some real-life tasks basically.

Trying something new starting today. Don't know how long it will last or how successful it will be, but it can't hurt to try.

Several times a day, and right before going to sleep I will speak a sort of lengthy dream mantra. I've been trying to feel what might be a good number of times to repeat it each time I do it, and 5 feels about right. If I can find my watch that chimes once on the hour, I'll start wearing it and try to do the 'mantra' whenever it goes off; if not, it will just be whenever I can think of it. These are things I want to always do, so I am wording them that way. I want to program myself for this for the rest of my life.

I will always fall asleep quickly and easily.
I will always have long, detailed, interesting dreams.
I will always become lucid and develop amazing dream powers.
I will always have lots of sex.
When I wake up I will always remember my dreams completely and in great detail.

I know some of you will disagree with the fourth thing on there, but to be brutally honest, I am not getting any in the real world, and I probably never will, so I'm going to at least get some in the dream world. Live with it. My dreams, my choice.

In addition, I will add a single item each night that begins with 'tonight I will ...' which I will probably keep using until I do the thing in my dreams, then choose something else. These will vary widely, from dream settings 'Tonight I will dream of Disneyland' to people I want to meet 'Tonight I will interact with Harry Houdini' to dream powers I want to develop or improve 'Tonight I will practice flying' or even sex I want to have ... 'Tonight I will make love to some sexy character on a TV show.'

The idea is to work constantly and permanently on improving dream recall, lucidity, and taking more control in my dreams, (hence the five permanent items) plus experimenting with a wide variety of other things to do in my dreams. But all the other things don't matter nearly as much if I can't get to sleep, or remember my dreams.

If I am lucky and dedicated, the dreams will all end up in my dream journal, and I'll also get in here daily or close to it to report how well the 'programming' is going. We shall see. Any thoughts? Anything I've missed that I should be including in my mantra?

Awesome. Totally not judging about the 4th mantra :D

Hmm the only thing I can think of adding is to kinda say it in a way (or think it in a way) where you are like commanding yourself. "Have sex tonight." or "Remember the dreams." etc. I think that could work well too, and your mind responds well with imperative sentences.

Good luck!

Well, two days so far, and almost no results. Yes, I've remembered two dreams each night, but nothing especially interesting, no sex, no lucid, not much in the way of dream powers, and parts that faded from memory.

But I'll keep trying at least a few more days before I give up.

Hmm have you thought about dream incubation? That might help you out with dreaming about certain...stuff..you wanted to dream about hehe :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Batch

Should anybody read this, please don't take offense. I don't mean to give any. But last month was a tremendous month for dreams, with tons of stuff, and probably 3 or 4 dreams that were of such length, quality, and interest that I think they are some of the coolest dreams that I have ever had. This month, it is as if I have been losing interest. Much less dreaming, much less detail, fragments. Parts of it may be random, parts may be things like vitamins and fruit and techniques that I am not using/following as much. Part of it feels like 'why bother', since of these 3 or 4 dreams that seemed like some of the most interesting I have ever had. Only a single one seems to have been read by anyone. Even the lucid ones.

"Well, have you been reading and commenting on others' dreams?" Um ... er ... a little, but not as much as I ought to. OK, I'll shut up now.

Like I said, I am not trying to be pushy or obnoxious or a jerk, but I really think part of my dream slowdown this month has been due to so little response to previous dreams. And I have to mention it as something that might be influencing things.

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Hey Batch,
Its always nice to have people read your dreams. Remember though, it takes time to build a rapport with people and make those connections. Once you begin posting in the forums, talking about your dreams in chat, then people will take notice and care about your dream journal.
Honestly, the vast majority of my dream journal entries have no comments or likes. And that is okay. Recording dreams should be for YOUR benefit, and you are not benefited by having others read your dreams. Once you share your experiences, I'm sure people would be happy to comment on them and possibly even read the original dream in the DJ.
Don't be discouraged by that above all. Your dreams are your own no matter how many people read them. :)

Well, it's now been a week, and still absolutely nothing from the 'mantra.'

Will probably keep trying for another week or so, but I'm beginning to think I can't affect my subconscious like that.

And Chimpertainment, don't worry, I won't quit keeping track of my dreams just because of not getting a lot of response ... but I do suspect it had slight effects on the slacking off of my dreams, so I had to mention it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Batch

Well, it's now been a week, and still absolutely nothing from the 'mantra.'

Will probably keep trying for another week or so, but I'm beginning to think I can't affect my subconscious like that.

And Chimpertainment, don't worry, I won't quit keeping track of my dreams just because of not getting a lot of response ... but I do suspect it had slight effects on the slacking off of my dreams, so I had to mention it.

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Hi Batch! I think the general rule is two weeks. You may begin to think about other methods to try though. And try not to get discouraged or stressed. When I get negative about my dreaming it only makes it worse. Think positive thoughts as much as possible even if you don't fully believe it. Like everything else on this planet, I think lucid dreaming comes in cycles. It will get better. Best of luck to you!