CanisLucidus' Workbook

No lucid last night, but a great night of dreaming nonetheless. First, I got over 8 hours of sleep, which is a good thing all by itself.

Second, for the first time last night I tried prepping Wife (or her DC) for CALD. Wife shows up in a dream virtually every night, making her by far my most common DC and most common dreamsign. The prep itself just involved spending the time before sleep imagining a conversation with her where I asked her to aggressively remind me that I'm dreaming and to perform a reality check. Amazingly, she did just that in a false awakening, although I was too thick to pick up on it. Very encouraging. I posted the (amusing) results in Dream Snippets: http://www.dreamviews.com/f151/intro...ml#post1947240

I also experienced some very strong hypnagogic imagery after my WBTB that may have led me into the early parts of a WILD. I faded partially into and out of as many as ten different, very vivid scenes. I'd be in for maybe a second or two then find myself awake again. Sometimes I'd sort of DEILD back in and sometimes I'd just latch onto a new piece of imagery. Even though I never turned this into a lucid dream of any significant length, it was a great experience. Is this what the beginning of a WILD is like for me? Is this something else? Very intriguing new toy to play with.

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Originally Posted by Xanous

Edit: Epiphany!

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What a post. This gives a very thorough treatment of the issue I brought up with mental control during DEILDs and WILDs.

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Originally Posted by CanisLucidus

Second, for the first time last night I tried prepping Wife (or her DC) for CALD. Wife shows up in a dream virtually every night, making her by far my most common DC and most common dreamsign. The prep itself just involved spending the time before sleep imagining a conversation with her where I asked her to aggressively remind me that I'm dreaming and to perform a reality check. Amazingly, she did just that in a false awakening, although I was too thick to pick up on it. Very encouraging. I posted the (amusing) results in Dream Snippets: http://www.dreamviews.com/f151/intro...ml#post1947240

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What I great idea! I forgot that my wife is in a lot of my dreams as well. I may try this one. I love all the things I learn form peoples workbooks. Even the new students have great ideas! So cool!

oooh wouldn't it be great if she would play along and you could get a video of her telling you that you are dreaming? Then you could play it back before bed. LOL. I don't think mine would do it.

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Originally Posted by Xanous

What I great idea! I forgot that my wife is in a lot of my dreams as well. I may try this one. I love all the things I learn form peoples workbooks. Even the new students have great ideas! So cool!

oooh wouldn't it be great if she would play along and you could get a video of her telling you that you are dreaming? Then you could play it back before bed. LOL. I don't think mine would do it.

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LOL. There is zero percent chance my wife would do that. I told her about my false awakening and her verbatim response was, "Dorsolateral... ha ha! Dork!"

It might be worth asking just to see her reaction though. :)

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Originally Posted by CanisLucidus

LOL. There is zero percent chance my wife would do that. I told her about my false awakening and her verbatim response was, "Dorsolateral... ha ha! Dork!"

It might be worth asking just to see her reaction though. :)

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That's a valid response... jk. Actually my wife would say something similar? Hey do you have a CALD guide. I tried last night but realized I didn't really understand it.

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Originally Posted by Xanous

That's a valid response... jk. Actually my wife would say something similar? Hey do you have a CALD guide. I tried last night but realized I didn't really understand it.

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I have to admit that I'd only vaguely heard of the CALD technique myself. I pretty much rolled this on my own when performing my nightly dream incubation. It was quite ad hoc but I can describe what I did.

I was trying to incubate a dream scene where I was lazing around on some ancient, secret beach. (Specifically, a Cretaceous one, as that was my last shot at TotM.) The scene seemed lonely and I idly placed Wife into it. It occurred to me just then how strong of a presence she has in my dream life and I wondered if I could create this kind of strong association between her and the realization that I'm dreaming. I figured that Wife's DC is the strongest possible mnemonic device I could employ if I can just figure out how to do it.

I daydreamed one of these conversations we always have where we agree to remind each other about something important, complete with "Now you need to remember this too! Don't blame me if we forget!" kind of stuff. Wife and I have been together since we were teenagers so it feels normal for us to rely on one another's memory. The essence of it is that she agreed to tell me I'm dreaming and I agreed to assume I'm dreaming the next time that I see her. I daydreamed this whole thing as realistically as possible during bedtime and after WBTB.

In the end, of course, Wife's DC came through and I didn't. Apparently dream life is just like waking life. :) I was astonished to see results from this so quickly so I'll definitely be playing with it more. Seems like a good use of dream incubation time.

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Originally Posted by CanisLucidus

I also experienced some very strong hypnagogic imagery after my WBTB that may have led me into the early parts of a WILD. I faded partially into and out of as many as ten different, very vivid scenes. I'd be in for maybe a second or two then find myself awake again. Sometimes I'd sort of DEILD back in and sometimes I'd just latch onto a new piece of imagery. Even though I never turned this into a lucid dream of any significant length, it was a great experience. Is this what the beginning of a WILD is like for me? Is this something else? Very intriguing new toy to play with.

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I would say yes to this. My ways of inducing lucid dreams have changed SO much over the years. Right now when I WILD, the transition is very subtle (which make me subject for possible FAs, but I'm boss and I've figured out how to conquer those :P ), so I don't get as much HI as I used to. I don't know if it changes for everyone like this, but I do know that I used to get alot of HI, HH, and occasional SP. All of these eventually became part of transitioning from awake to a lucid dream, I guess they just phased out because I got so used to the feelings that I can now somehow skip over it? Still newish for me to LD in a way other than a plain DILD, so I'm still trying to figure it all out. But I can honestly say, that you should definitely "play" with this new toy. You're learning how YOU operate, and how YOU transition through all the possible phases that can eventually lead to WILD. No one can really teach those, we can just provide references to our own experience. You're at the best part now, because you get to experiment. I'm really excited for you and can't wait to see where this goes!

Excellent, thank you for the description! I love the idea of these experiences becoming simpler the more seasoned your grow. Over time, it's like the bells and whistles that once seemed so exciting either disappear entirely or just turn into scenery on the way to the real destination: getting lucid! I will definitely keep playing with this if it happens again. I'm not in a rush to tackle WILD (although that day will come.) But if I find my way their on my own, damned if I'm going to miss my opportunity!

After all that help, I hate to try to keep shamelessly looting you for more knowledge, but... have you totally conquered FAs? This is one I'm still working on. I really got a lot of these bad boys. They're charming in their own way but they've got nothing on a true lucid dream.

And that new October avatar!! That is perfect! :goodjob:

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Originally Posted by CanisLucidus

I'm not in a rush to tackle WILD (although that day will come.) But if I find my way their on my own, damned if I'm going to miss my opportunity!

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I'm with you there. I'll let you in on a little secret: When I first joined DV, I avoided WILD talk, or any other "induction method" talk like the plague! It just seemed too far fetched. I mean, I knew I DILDed, because it seemed like most folks just randomly happened upon lucid dreams, while the WILDs and DEILDs and MILDs etc, were for the elite lucid masters. Probably created a schema in my mind, but that's another story. At any rate, the point is, that was over 8 years ago, and since then I finally warmed up to WILD. But I owe this not only to time passing, but to reading others' experiences. Mainly Sageous's class, and of course RareCola's epic lucid journeys, not to mention teaching DVA. I hope you find that teaching and helping students embellishes your own lucid journey, as much as it has mine. :)

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After all that help, I hate to try to keep shamelessly looting you for more knowledge, but... have you totally conquered FAs? This is one I'm still working on. I really got a lot of these bad boys. They're charming in their own way but they've got nothing on a true lucid dream.

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I only say that because I regularly get "that lucid feeling" so much now, that I'm accustomed to the difference in feeling awake for real when I get out of bed, vs. in a dream when I get out of bed. I admit it's probably 1:10 chance that I get tricked, and it also helps that i can sleep in 4 days a week. There's alot of day residue there, considering the fact that I wake and fall back to sleep many times in a single morning, and I can experiment with this 4 mornings every week.

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And that new October avatar!! That is perfect! :goodjob:

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Why thank you! You should so check out the thread: http://www.dreamviews.com/f16/hallow...avatar-136749/

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Originally Posted by OpheliaBlue

I'm with you there. I'll let you in on a little secret: When I first joined DV, I avoided WILD talk, or any other "induction method" talk like the plague! It just seemed too far fetched. I mean, I knew I DILDed, because it seemed like most folks just randomly happened upon lucid dreams, while the WILDs and DEILDs and MILDs etc, were for the elite lucid masters. Probably created a schema in my mind, but that's another story. At any rate, the point is, that was over 8 years ago, and since then I finally warmed up to WILD. But I owe this not only to time passing, but to reading others' experiences. Mainly Sageous's class, and of course RareCola's epic lucid journeys, not to mention teaching DVA. I hope you find that teaching and helping students embellishes your own lucid journey, as much as it has mine. :)

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It's amazing how much perspective time and experience can bring. I remember from the podcasts that you've been lucid dreaming since you were small. When you've been successfully lucid dreaming for years, I think it'd be easy to wonder what you even need all this... stuff for.

An occasional tendency that I have (and consciously try to fight) is to become calcified in thought and resistant to change. But learning, especially learning about lucid dreaming is by definition the opposite of that. Almost every improvement in LD skill is all about looking at things in a new way and gradually rearranging the web of schemata that defines our worldview. Working with the staff and students in this class is very, very good at helping me do that!

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Originally Posted by OpheliaBlue

Why thank you! You should so check out the thread: http://www.dreamviews.com/f16/hallow...avatar-136749/

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Ohh my goodness! I may have to play with this.

I hit lucid dream #19 last night! I had been avoided using "the d-word" but I'd gone 10 nights without an LD. Felt good to have a nice one. I attempted the Task of the Month and got to enjoy the sensation of popping my own head off. Not half bad! I'm sure it's more fun in an LD than IWL. :)

This was certainly a wonderful way to greet the day!

Here's the entry: The (Headless) Man in the Mirror - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

The secret sauce seemed to simply be getting enough sleep and going all-out during my WBTB with a proper MILD. I actually managed just about a full 8 hour sleep period, which is better than I've typically done. It seems that my odds just go way, way up if I get into those longer stretches of REM.

Nice dream,you were so close, better luck next time :),and a night of good sleep is always good for lucid dreaming,one day i slept for 12 hous and had 4 lucids.

Congrats Canis!! :party: I have yet to feel removing my own head haha. I hope to do that soon! Not irl though x)

Great job!

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Originally Posted by paigeyemps

Congrats Canis!! :party: I have yet to feel removing my own head haha. I hope to do that soon! Not irl though x)

Great job!

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Thanks, Paige! I think you'll enjoy it. :) You really killed it on September's Task of the Month so I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with this pile of cool Halloween tasks.

Lucid dream #20 last night! I got stuffed early trying Task of the Month but I finally achieved high altitude, stable flight and made it all the way to space! I know that flight comes naturally to a lot of folks but for me it's been tough. That made this LD a big milestone.

Here is the Dream Journal entry:The Unprepared Astronaut - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

LD goals accomplished:
-Stable, high altitude flight
-Travel to outer space

I also thought this would be a good time to document my precise LD routine these past two (successful) nights. It seems easy to remember now but I just know that I'll forget some important detail later.

Food/Supplements: Drink a lot of pee water before bed. As in, water that will make me get up to pee throughout the night. Not water with pee in it. GOSH, you guys!!
Bedtime: 9:345-10:45. I do the best I can here. I can go later than 10:45 on a weekend, but otherwise my odds are going to be really bad.
WBTB: I rely on natural awakenings for my WBTB, but I definitely employ WBTB. If I wake up after or around 4 AM, I put my game face on.

Before sleep, sit in bed, writing a few sentences in DJ about how vivid and memorable my dreams will be and how well I recognize the state of dreaming. Skim over a few recent dreams. Lay down, planning to visualize what I'll do in next lucid. (In reality, fall asleep in like 3 seconds.)

Upon each waking, try to recall any dreams while feeling the bedsheets to catch false awakenings. Get up, reality check, pee. Try to avoid light. Write down all dreams, back to bed. Perform MILD. In most wakings before 4 am, I don't last long before falling asleep.

In any wakings at 4 AM or later, I journal as usual, then give MILD a full-out effort. I visualize myself back in my most recent dream while constantly having my dream voice say, "I'm dreaming." I add banners and graffiti all over the walls of the dream scene that say "I'M DREAMING". I visualize myself moving as quickly as possible to performing my chosen lucid goal. Once this is done, I loop back to the beginning of the dream and repeat. I do this until I feel drowsy, then I roll over onto my side or stomach and try to fall asleep, continuing to MILD. If it's difficult to sleep, I cut the MILD out and just meditate on my breathing until I am asleep.

Great dream, congrats on lucid #20 and the flight milestone! Several things you did in that dream are extra noteworthy in my opinion. Instead of just saying "Waaah, I want a mirrorrrr," you thought of the details you wanted and it appeared! Then when your reflection wasn't cooperating, you decided to do something else, which ended up being you accomplishing a personal goal. This is much like real life isn't it? Say fuck it to the thing that isn't working in the moment you want it, and put your efforts somewhere else, and you meet with success that way. :)

Thanks!! I appreciate it. I feel like keeping up with dream journals is helping me make so much more of my opportunities. There's always going to be tons of fun trial and error in lucid dreaming but others' experiences help so much in shaping strategy. I didn't have to experience your frustration with trying to clear the stormy skies out of your dream in order to understand the lesson there.

And you're right! I think it's so much better to redirect your energy when you get that slight sense of "now what the hell was that?" frustration. It's so easy to become obsessed that things be just so. If I'd stayed there Windexing that mirror, would I have ever realized what kind of opportunity I was trading away?

You know, if I'm not careful, I might learn a thing or two about life here. That's okay, I guess, so long as it doesn't distract me from Task of the Month. :)

Last night gave me lucid dream #21! This one was extremely trippy and wasn't always the smoothest ride. This dream took me through identity confusion, a false awakening, and lots of weird imagery (including Thomas Jefferson in bright Technicolor.)

At one point my consciousness was separated from the Dream Character that was acting as me, even though I could still hear "his" thoughts. Easily one of the weirdest experiences of my life. But you know what? I still had a great time!

This is the DJ entry: Technicolor Thomas Jefferson - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

I ate two tablespoons of natural peanut butter before bed but I've never gotten anything like this from pre-bed PB before.

Another oddity was that my couple of pre-bed glasses of pee-water didn't wake me up until I'd had nearly 6 hours of sleep. (Usually it's more like 3 hours for the first wake-up.) All this water gave me a series of dreams where I was some kind of social worker whose job it was to wake up and rescue people who had wet the bed. :o

Hours of sleep: Just over 7
Technique: MILD, w/ visualization and "I'm dreaming" mantra

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Originally Posted by CanisLucidus

I ate two tablespoons of natural peanut butter before bed but I've never gotten anything like this from pre-bed PB before.

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Peanut Butter as a lucid aid?

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Originally Posted by Xanous

Peanut Butter as a lucid aid?

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Heh, I really just ate it because I like it. I wanted to note it in case this ever happens again, though. We'll see whether Technicolor Thomas Jefferson visits me again the next time I dig into the PB jar. :)

Peanuts have choline and various B vitamins but I can't imagine it's enough to make anything crazy happen, yeah? I've never done any dream supplementation so I don't have any basis of comparison. But I think with the supplements, the quantities are way higher than just the little bit I ate.

Given the fact that I love peanut butter, I have no problem with making this a nightly thing for the next week or so. :D

I actually searched "Peanut butter lucid aid" and sure enough someone was claiming it was effective. But this person was WBTB eating a whole PB sandwich. I'm sure my waist line could not handle that. But I may try a tbs for fun. I can't say any lucid aid has ever worked for me though. Maybe I forget that its just an aid and I don't try as hard as I normally would.

Mind if join you in a PB experement and compair notes? Might be fun.

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I can't say any lucid aid has ever worked for me though.

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I take that back. A moderate amount of Alcohol seems to help a lot but sometimes I wonder if the dream quality is affected.

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Originally Posted by Xanous

I actually searched "Peanut butter lucid aid" and sure enough someone was claiming it was effective. But this person was WBTB eating a whole PB sandwich. I'm sure my waist line could not handle that. But I may try a tbs for fun. I can't say any lucid aid has ever worked for me though. Maybe I forget that its just an aid and I don't try as hard as I normally would.

Mind if join you in a PB experement and compair notes? Might be fun.

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Yeah man, go crazy! Looking forward to comparing notes.

I have to assume that the insanity of my last dream must have been down to just catching myself in a particularly hectic state of dreaming. My WBTB was nearly 6 hours from bed time. It's hard to imagine that my modest 2 tablespoons of PB was still doing enough to get all that craziness going.

So, tonight's pre-bed nutrition: two tablespoons natural peanut butter and, of course, pee water.

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Originally Posted by CanisLucidus

Yeah man, go crazy! Looking forward to comparing notes.

I have to assume that the insanity of my last dream must have been down to just catching myself in a particularly hectic state of dreaming. My WBTB was nearly 6 hours from bed time. It's hard to imagine that my modest 2 tablespoons of PB was still doing enough to get all that craziness going.

So, tonight's pre-bed nutrition: two tablespoons natural peanut butter and, of course, pee water.

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Oh yeah probably not a factor by then. I was thinking more WBTB PB. Haha pee water. I do that too but set an alarm just in case. I used to wake up with aching kidney because I would not get up to pee. Of course now a days I have a small carbon based life form sleeping next to our bed. He usually makes a great WBTB alarm several times a night! :p

Peanut Butter has vitamin B if im not mistaken...Increases neural activity and that somehow turns into greater awareness while sleeping....

And dont forget apple juice!! It has lots of B6 PLUS it's liquid so you will get the pee feels :D

I'm not a big advocate for lucid aids myself, but I'll totally join you two in the PB before bed challenge for the heck of it!

I say I'm not an advocate because I don't believe lucid aids should be used long term because they usually level off and stop working anyway. But I'm all for experimentation, so cheers!

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