Thread: Dolphin's Workbook

Yeah, reality checks is one of the things I can really improve on. I'll work on doing reality checks when I wake up and when I see something unusual. For example, last night when I was greeting guests as usual while serving, I smile and offer a warm greeting and guests over 12 years old smile back, but kids under 12 give me strange looks like or or . Is simply thinking "Am I dreaming" or "Reality check" a good reality check? I need a good discreet reality check to do in public as kids would give me even stranger looks if I plugged my nose!

Anyway, last night no lucidity again.

I went to bed at around 11:20. Here are the times I woke up and some notes about what happened each time before each time I woke up.

1:40-no dreams
2:45-no dreams
4:00-I had a dream about making cookies. I forgot the eggs though.
5:54-I stayed up 1.5 hours during a WILD attempt. I ended up sleeping normally and had a dream about my composing computer program Noteworthy Composer. I seemed to be picking music for some computer project. There was a much larger variety of choices to choose from in my dream.
6:50-I had a dream where I was at work in the kitchen and I set down a rounded glass cube a bit bigger than the size of a die. Then from the cube came a female voice similar to the steriotypical fortune teller head inside a crystal ball. I forgot most of what she said but I'm sure she said "bear with me". After it was done talking I locked the cube up in a box with a complex locking mechanism.
7:55-I didn't sleep after the dream but I had some nice HI of 5 cars parking all at once at a McDonalds and of the ocean lit up during dawn.

I seem to be indecisive about which mantra to use. I started off with "I'm awake. Reality check. I'm dreaming. Stabilize." then tried "I'm awake. Reality check. I'm dreaming." then "I will have a lucid dream" then "I will have a lucid dream NOW" then "I'm dreaming". I'm leaning towards "I'm dreaming" because that's the only mantra that has given me any results.

Looking back at my dream journal my dry spell started when I changed my technique that was giving me some decent results in an effort to make it even better. At the time, I wasn't satisfied with a lucid every other day but after over a week of no lucids it doesn't sound too bad now! I'm going try to go back to my old technique that was working well for me before I changed it and hit a dry spell.

I copied the technique from my dream journal-

This technique is an all day cycle. When I wake up, I do a reality check to make sure I'm awake. Then I write my dreams in my dream journal. As soon as I done with my dream journal I think "I'm awake", enter "awake" mode and I start my day. As I'm in "awake" mode, as much as possible, I take slow breaths and in between my breaths, I think "I'm awake". As soon as my day is over, I relax and make sure my mind is clear. When I'm relaxed and I'm just about to close my eyes to go to sleep think when "I close my eyes to enter dreaming mode, anything is possible". I close my eyes and take deep breaths at first thinking "I'm dreaming" in between breaths. I take deep breaths until I feel completely relaxed. Then I switch to slow soft breaths still thinking "I'm dreaming" in between breaths. If I still have trouble going to sleep doing this I visually transport myself to the most relaxing location possible and continue with slow, soft breaths until I go to sleep. Then I hopefully lucid dream at will all night! When I think I'm awake, I do a reality check to make sure I'm awake and the cycle continues until I become proficent at lucid dreaming. If I need to work on my dream control, when I have time, I will relax and think "As I enter dreaming mode, anything is possible". I will then work on my visualization and daydreaming thinking "I'm dreaming" in between slow soft breaths. When I'm finished, I'll think "I'm awake".

Oh wow, a lucid every other day?!

Your recall is great, I dont even think I can journal the dreams everytime i wake up. I usually just write them down when I finally wake up x)

Anyway, keep it up, and let us know how it turns out with the switching back of techniques

Originally Posted by TwilightShawn

Yeah, reality checks is one of the things I can really improve on. I'll work on doing reality checks when I wake up and when I see something unusual. For example, last night when I was greeting guests as usual while serving, I smile and offer a warm greeting and guests over 12 years old smile back, but kids under 12 give me strange looks like or or . Is simply thinking "Am I dreaming" or "Reality check" a good reality check? I need a good discreet reality check to do in public as kids would give me even stranger looks if I plugged my nose!

Good, good. "Am I dreaming?" may not be quite enough. As for discrete reality checks, here are a few ideas:
-Remember how you got here in detail. What were you doing 15 minutes ago (or before you got where you are now)?
-Look at text once, look away, check it again
-Check your hands for any oddities

One more that I have heard about but not tried myself:
-Try to breathe in through your mouth while it's closed

Originally Posted by TwilightShawn

I seem to be indecisive about which mantra to use. I started off with "I'm awake. Reality check. I'm dreaming. Stabilize." then tried "I'm awake. Reality check. I'm dreaming." then "I will have a lucid dream" then "I will have a lucid dream NOW" then "I'm dreaming". I'm leaning towards "I'm dreaming" because that's the only mantra that has given me any results.

Looking back at my dream journal my dry spell started when I changed my technique that was giving me some decent results in an effort to make it even better. At the time, I wasn't satisfied with a lucid every other day but after over a week of no lucids it doesn't sound too bad now! I'm going try to go back to my old technique that was working well for me before I changed it and hit a dry spell.

I know what you mean about the urge to switch techniques. I think we've all been there in some area of life. Not necessarily with LD inducement techniques, but I can think of several times in life where "something worked so well that I stopped doing it." Sometimes we just can't help ourselves. Chalk it up as an easy learning experience.

When you go back to your technique, give it at least two weeks (and probably longer.) If it's giving you an LD every two days, that's great! I can't speak for the other staff members but I'd be thrilled to get one every other day for the rest of my life. That's over 180 LDs per year. In 5 years you'd rack up nearly 1000 lucid dreams! Do you know how many people in the world have experienced 1000 lucid dreams? Well, neither do I. But it is damn few.

One other note on techniques. A subtle point to remember is that the technique simply enables you to employ your ability to lucid dream. The technique only aided you. That every other day lucid dreamer? That was you, not your technique. Always think of yourself this way and with this much confidence. Not only is this true, but it will help you along as an LDer. Simply knowing that you can and will have frequent lucid dreams is so important.

Good luck and keep us up to date! You are doing great so far.

Thanks everybody for their support! Those reality checks are just what I need CanisLucidis. Thank you!

No lucidity last night again. I was very busy during work and very tired afterwards so my awareness and recall wasn't anywhere near it needed to be.

I went to bed at 10:30.
1:30-I had a dream that I can't remember visually but I think it was just a lot of talking. I remember hearing somebody saying "It's delirious" at the end.
3:30-Had a dream I was at a mountainous amusement park heading towards a gray roller coaster that twisted down a hill.
5:10-No recall
6:30-No recall
7:00-I just hear "Old McDonald" playing at the end
7:50-I just hear "I'm Lovin' You" playing at the end

Yeah, it was one of those nights. At the beginning of the night, I was having lots of HI of still having to greet and wait on more tables! This gradually disipated as the night went on. It actually took me a few minutes to realize I don't have to wait on these imaginary guests! So, you could say my head was spinning from it being so busy at work. I was still yawning after 9.5 hours of sleep.

Today should be better!

Originally Posted by TwilightShawn

I need a good discreet reality check to do in public as kids would give me even stranger looks if I plugged my nose!

There is one I use in discreet situations that seems to work pretty well. This typically works best if your hand is not empty. It could even be resting on something. First, ask the question: What is in my hand? Evaluate the answer and how it got that way. Then try to push one of your fingers through the object that your hand is in contact with. This should provide a pretty good reality check. Pushing your hand/fingers through things can always be a good RC in any situation.