Thread: Booney's Workbook

Week 18:

My motivation has dropped a bit the last few days, but I don't want it to.
Maybe I should switch from the DILDs back to the WILD technique, maybe the first two LDs attained through WILDing weren't a fluke?

Anyway, I've been noticing these dramatic sounds at the end of my sleep. I remember having them, a lot when I was younger. Could they be signs of hypnagogia? I think they are, what else could it be?
They are very loud in my head and give me an uncomfortable feeling like something bad is about to happen. I want to try and be able to listen to them instead of them waking me up halfway through falling asleep.
So I guess I'll time my LD attempts during the last few hours of sleep might go to bed a bit earlier when possible.

My motivation has dropped a bit the last few days, but I don't want it to.
Maybe I should switch from the DILDs back to the WILD technique, maybe the first two LDs attained through WILDing weren't a fluke?

I think sometimes switching techniques is a good think when you feel like the current one isnt' working for you. It keep things fresh.

Anyway, I've been noticing these dramatic sounds at the end of my sleep. I remember having them, a lot when I was younger. Could they be signs of hypnagogia? I think they are, what else could it be?
They are very loud in my head and give me an uncomfortable feeling like something bad is about to happen. I want to try and be able to listen to them instead of them waking me up halfway through falling asleep.
So I guess I'll time my LD attempts during the last few hours of sleep might go to bed a bit earlier when possible.

Maybe you are entering REM atonia? Do you feel paralyzed during the sounds or do you wake up and remember the sounds like it was a dream? The noise can be pretty crazy. I think paigeyemps said she hears sounds like someone being murder or something similar.

To me the sounds are like an orchestra playing the eeriest sound you'll ever here. The way it builds up is what gets to you.
I don't have the feeling of being paralyzed but it does feel like I was about to enter the dream state when these sounds start and then the continue for e few seconds when I wake up.

Creepy. I guess Im lucky. I dont notice it anymore but all used to hear was a buzzing/ringing sound. I bet youre really close when this happens. If you could learn to ignore it and relax I bet you'd make it to the dream state.

that has been labeled as hypnopompic hallucinations...

Hypnopompic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Very similar to the hynagogic stage but it occurs when leaving sleep instead of when entering sleep. This is actually a good sign because you are aware when you are waking up. You can utilize that awareness to practice DEILD and hopefully get some lucids!

Agreed, they are most probably hypnopompic hallucinations. Don't worry, if you really think about it, it's kinda cool to be able to notice those things your mind is conjuring up

I personally get auditory hallucinations (right before or right after sleep) all the time. They're usually creepy and involve door-banging sounds, chains across the floor being dragged right next to me, children screaming in my ear, or some dude whispering my name. But over time, as I understood them more, I learned to turn them into pleasant things like I'd make the screaming turn into Morgan Freeman's voice or morph the banging and chain dragging sounds into some cool funky beat. Lol

You can definitely play with them and experiment, no need to think of it negatively :3

Thanks for the tips guys!

They don't scare me as much now, but during my childhood and teens it did sometimes freak me out. Now it's just annoying because it surprises me. I don't even have them that often anymore, which I guess is a shame because now I can't work with it.

End of Week 19:
Updates have been slow, life's been busy but this last week progress was there.
Two seperate times I gained awareness and asked myself the question if I were dreaming and during one dream I was convinced I was but the nose-plug backfired.
The second time which was last night I didn't feel the need to check I knew I was dreaming.
In that dream I was with a girl/woman I never met before just a random, yet beautifull, DC.
We sat down after something work related when I figured I never met this women and that we weren't at work at all, everything was off. It was at that moment that a sexual tension grew between us. I kept telling myself this is a dream dammit make a move it's ok!
But I didn't, even knowing I was dreaming at the time I kept behaving in a waking life manner.

This also happenend during my first DILD. I knew I was dreaming, I succesfully checked to make sure. And even levitated a little. But then I shut down and don't know what to do.
Maybe it's kind of a fear of the unknown?

It's weird because I have written pages full of things I want to do in my lucids but when I am I'm to scared or shy or I think to much about the consequences to do anything.
I guess it's because the lucids are so vivid and life like.
I should probably work on my confidence somehow but I have no idea how to do it. Especially because I don't feel unconfident in waking life.

Week 20:

I have been looking back at my progress up to where I am today. And even though my last lucid was 12 weeks ago, I can tell I'm better at lucid dreaming than I was in, lets say, week 14.
Even though the lucid dreaming isn't there yet I can see improvement when I look at the big picture over the course of these 20 weeks.
The last 2 or 3 weeks I've been taking a more relaxed attitude towards LDing. Not worrying about doing RCs or keeping up with my DJ. And it has been working. I can tell that I'm starting to apply all the lessons and tutorials I've read here since I joined sinking in. But really sinking in deep this time.
Recall dropped when I quit DJing but got back up on its own a few days later.

I'm now at the point where I'm regularly doubting my surroundings in my dreams.
I feel once I have my fourth and fifth LD things will be more consistent.
My focus right now is on concentration when I doubt in the dream and to stabilize.

I've also made the personal discovery that nose plug and finger RCs don't work for me right now.
I'm better of questioning myself and my surroundings.

That's great to hear, Booney. I think the best thing about this update is that there's an element of patience—which is often overshadowed when people start getting lucids. For some people, they go like "oh i had some lucids" and don't really focus on the essentials as much anymore. But personally I think the nonlucid phase is just as important and beneficial as the lucid phase. It's during those nonlucid phases that we get to adjust our technique, tinker around with our attempts and utlimately figure out what works for us and what doesn't work for us. And if you truly understand the importance of that, then I'm sure once you get lucid, you'll have the best lucids!

Good luck, and keep it up

Thanks Paige!
I agree that patience is the key to LDing for me now. And I think more beginners should take the time to look at their non lucids when they feel they aren't making any progress.
To me it's clear that things are still changing for the better.

Week 21:

Lots of time to sleep and prepare for LDing this week and the next. Still notice in a change of feel towards my dreams. The atmosphere has changed, like they are no longer just things I remember but things I am experiencing.
I'm thinking of going back to some MILD and WILD attempts.

Lookin like some great progress booney!
From what I know of reality checks, they are actions that get you to question yourself and your surroundings. So if you are the type of person that can do that without a physical action, that is good news! The goal is to get your mind into that questioning setting, then observing your surroundings within space, and time, to assess whether you are dreaming or not.
Awesome!

I'm thinking of going back to some MILD and WILD attempts

Ahh definitely! Seeing your progress these past few weeks, i can tell you're gonna be doing well.

Well, I haven't been around on here as much the last month which also means lucid dreaming has been put on the background during that time.
But my dreams have been leaving impressions on me the last few days, so maybe now is a good time to pick it up again.
I'll just start journaling again, I seem to pick that up pretty fast every time.
I've been recalling some of my most recent dreams from memory and was able to gather quite a few old and new dreamsigns to look out for.
It's comforting to know that after every period of time where I lose some interest, the moment I start again I seem to go back where left much faster.

So even though the constant moments with loss of interest/motivation/discipline slow the progress down it never disappears completely.
Kind of a two steps forward one step back kind of deal.

Welcome back. I always think it's like riding a bike.

Hey folks!

So, it's been three months since I've been active on this forum. No room for LDing during that time.
But the last few days I'm getting these moments of awareness/lucidity in my dreams but I don't have a chance to really enjoy them because DC are attacking me.
I seem to remember reading a lot about this in topics of other beginners, about DCs attacking the dreamer as soon as awareness kicks in. So I wonder if there is a reason our mind triggers this? And the logical follow up question, how to take controle.

I've been shoving daggers up in peoples necks for days now. :p

Booney! Welcome back, I have missed you


Well, I'm not entirely sure why it happens. Perhaps it's simply a mechanism for your dreaming mind to distract you once you start having awareness, because it's no longer the 'normal' way. I mean it might be just like when you become lucid and the dream starts destabilizing, and you have to ground yourself to stay in the dream—perhaps it's a form of dream destabilization when your DC's start attacking you (but more about destabilizing your mindset than the actual dream environment, if that makes sense), in order for you to return to your normal dreaming mind which is non-lucid.

As for how to control it, I would recommend practicing more awareness once again so your mindset would be much firmer about being lucid. I think it would help a lot so that when you start becoming aware, you become even MORE aware right away rather than kind of just having that 'i might be dreaming but im not sure' head-floaty feeling. And when you gain a high amount of awareness right away, you're able to think more clearly and act against the DC's or any other obstacles. You can practice more awareness by delving into your reality checks and reality check on yourself reality checking (haha). Know your mantras by heart, don't slack off on journaling too! The journaling is probably as much help as practicing awareness itself, in this situation. Personally i think it's because your dj is how you get to familiarize yourself with how your dream world works, and once you really read your journal and understand how things happen in your dreams, you are at a better mindset to be lucid and react accordingly.

Hope this helps! See you around

Originally Posted by Booney

Hey folks!

So, it's been three months since I've been active on this forum. No room for LDing during that time.
But the last few days I'm getting these moments of awareness/lucidity in my dreams but I don't have a chance to really enjoy them because DC are attacking me.
I seem to remember reading a lot about this in topics of other beginners, about DCs attacking the dreamer as soon as awareness kicks in. So I wonder if there is a reason our mind triggers this? And the logical follow up question, how to take controle.

I've been shoving daggers up in peoples necks for days now. :p

Hey, welcome back, Booney! Good to see you around these parts again.

What an excellent question. My best guess on this is that like most things that happen in dreams, it's a product of some fear of expectation that you have. Perhaps in some earlier dream you had the sense that dreams were an alien environment and that you were somehow unwelcome.

This may have led to an attack, which of course feeds into ideas you've picked up from reading about other peoples' experiences. Combine that with any self-doubt about whether your conscious mind is welcome in your dreamworld, and I think that you have the recipe for a situation like this.

My advice would be to remain almost in denial of what's happening. Your dreams are your domain, and these attackers don't have an ounce of strength that they don't borrow from you. If you ignore them or channel their energy in some other direction, they'll have nothing. As they approach, try to imagine them just passing right by you. Imagine that they know what you know -- that this is your world, and only your rules apply.

Hey man, would you mind if we pulled this question in for an episode of the Q&A podcast? I'd dig hearing all the hosts' thoughts on something like this.

Anyway, hope to see you around!

Originally Posted by paigeyemps

Booney! Welcome back, I have missed you

Originally Posted by CanisLucidus

Hey, welcome back, Booney! Good to see you around these parts again.

Hi guys, it's nice to be back. The community here always welcomes you with a feeling like I've never been gone.

Originally Posted by paigeyemps

You can practice more awareness by delving into your reality checks and reality check on yourself reality checking (haha). Know your mantras by heart, don't slack off on journaling too! The journaling is probably as much help as practicing awareness itself, in this situation. Personally i think it's because your dj is how you get to familiarize yourself with how your dream world works, and once you really read your journal and understand how things happen in your dreams, you are at a better mindset to be lucid and react accordingly.

Hope this helps! See you around

I think this is the main issue I had in the last few dreams. The loss of familiarity I had with my dreams, so restarting my journal is the best step to start with. Tricky how such basic tools for lucid dreaming are forgotten, thanks for reminding me!

Originally Posted by CanisLucidus

What an excellent question. *My best guess on this is that like most things that happen in dreams, it's a product of some fear of expectation that you have. Perhaps in some earlier dream you had the sense that dreams were an alien environment and that you were somehow unwelcome.

This may have led to an attack, which of course feeds into ideas you've picked up from reading about other peoples' experiences. Combine that with any self-doubt about whether your conscious mind is welcome in your dreamworld, and I think that you have the recipe for a situation like this.

My advice would be to remain almost in denial of what's happening. Your dreams are your domain, and these attackers don't have an ounce of strength that they don't borrow from you. If you ignore them or channel their energy in some other direction, they'll have nothing. As they approach, try to imagine them just passing right by you. **Imagine that they know what you know -- that this is your world, and only your rules apply.

*** Hey man, would you mind if we pulled this question in for an episode of the Q&A podcast? I'd dig hearing all the hosts' thoughts on something like this.

Anyway, hope to see you around!

* I agree, the sudden realization made me grasp into my most recent memories about the subject which were other experiences of fellow beginner.
And about sense of being in an alien/unwelcome enivironment. This made me think about another thing.
These dreams in which I get attacked all have the same point of view, which is through the eyes of someone else, or sometimes it feels like I'm a bystander in the whole of the dream. So a big part of the focus from the DCs to the dreamer could be explained with the dreamers sudden self awareness.
I guess it's like when you feel uncomfertable on the beach when you're changing clothes, the self awareness and the feeling that everyone is looking at you. In a dream that feeling will become your reality.

** Another way to deal with it could be to ignore them all together. Accept their presence and don't think nothing of it. Just like beach example.

*** Go right ahead, I'd love to hear what others have to say about this. Be sure to let me know when it's up

Originally Posted by Booney

* I agree, the sudden realization made me grasp into my most recent memories about the subject which were other experiences of fellow beginner.
And about sense of being in an alien/unwelcome enivironment. This made me think about another thing.
These dreams in which I get attacked all have the same point of view, which is through the eyes of someone else, or sometimes it feels like I'm a bystander in the whole of the dream. So a big part of the focus from the DCs to the dreamer could be explained with the dreamers sudden self awareness.
I guess it's like when you feel uncomfertable on the beach when you're changing clothes, the self awareness and the feeling that everyone is looking at you. In a dream that feeling will become your reality.

** Another way to deal with it could be to ignore them all together. Accept their presence and don't think nothing of it. Just like beach example.

Exactly! The beach scene is a great example. Okay, yeah, some people are going to be looking at you, granted. But unless you insist on looking at these people, all of the horror and embarrassment you feel comes from within. And in a dream, there is no other audience! Just you.

In dreams, brushing off problems and just ignoring them is great advice. Without your energy, they simply can't gather strength and overtake you. It takes practice to actually follow this advice, but it really does work.

Let us know how it all goes for you!

Originally Posted by Booney

*** Go right ahead, I'd love to hear what others have to say about this. Be sure to let me know when it's up

Sounds great, will do!

I want to make a little update about my plans.

As I'm writing this I'm nearing the end of a graveyard shift at work and have been reading some old posts on page 4 of this thread.
It's fun to read about the problems I had during those weeks and how they were solved. It's obvious now that I will have to expect facing them again now.
Yesterday I started a fresh DJ for the second season of LDing '13.

Timing couldn't be worse though. I'm going on vacation by the end of this week which means I'll have no regular sleep patern and when I get back I'm going right back into the midnight working hours.
But instead of worrying I see these nights as an opportunity to really read into some dreams related material. Really focus on recall familiarize once again with the dreamworld environment.

So, my plan of action for Lucid Season 2 2013.
First three weeks will be spent on recall only. (DILDing in the background)
When recall is back to where I want it to be I'll have to figure out what LD technique fits best in my current situation.
I've reached small amounts of lucidity with all the basic techniques so I can't point out a favorite yet.

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, being back here really is a big motivator. I'm not a very active member but read a lot.
It makes a big difference when you have all this knowledge and experience available that the members offer. And it's fun to read the experience of others.
I guess it makes it more accesable. It changes LDing from some vague spiritual hobby to something you can talk in depth about with fellow dreamers.

Originally Posted by Booney

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, being back here really is a big motivator. I'm not a very active member but read a lot.
It makes a big difference when you have all this knowledge and experience available that the members offer. And it's fun to read the experience of others.
I guess it makes it more accesable. It changes LDing from some vague spiritual hobby to something you can talk in depth about with fellow dreamers.

I couldn't agree more. Discussing and reading the experiences of other dedicated dreamers is a huge motivator for me. I shudder to think where my practices would be if I'd continued trying to go it alone. I've learned a ton here.

Hey, your work situation sounds like a bit of a sleep challenge. So you are working midnight-early morning shift, something along those lines? If you're sleeping during the day, are you able to block out light and other stimulation to get some good rest? Even though I have pretty normal working hours, I'm a little sensitive to the morning sun so I've taken to wearing a sleep mask lately. That's been a help. It may be something to consider if you have any concerns/problems with your sleep quality.

Originally Posted by CanisLucidus

Hey, your work situation sounds like a bit of a sleep challenge. So you are working midnight-early morning shift, something along those lines? If you're sleeping during the day, are you able to block out light and other stimulation to get some good rest? Even though I have pretty normal working hours, I'm a little sensitive to the morning sun so I've taken to wearing a sleep mask lately. That's been a help. It may be something to consider if you have any concerns/problems with your sleep quality.

Yeah my work situation is the main reason my progress isn't where I think it could be. The biggest challenge is lack of routine.
For example, yesterday I indeed had a midnight-early morning shift. But today and tomorrow I have an afternoon-midnight shift. I've had weeks where I had to deal with three different shifts and 1 day off. I work on a laboratory for a pharmaceutical company. We are one of the last stages for testing new medication which involves testing it on volunteers, and these studies just go on 24/7.

But as sleeping is concerned, I can darken my room enough to not be bothered by light. And the noise is something I'm trying to learn to live with but obviously it is a big annoyance.*
I have thought about earplugs but never got around to actually buying a pair and trying it out.
Right now I just try to block all these signals and impulses and focus on my inner self. I guess you could call it a form of meditation. It has worked sporadically.

* The noise is caused by a building site right in front of our house. The builders should be on their summervacation but due to deadlines they have to continue building through the summer.

I just had my last graveyard shift! It's all regular shifts from now on for two weeks. Dream recall is up, and I've stopped killing people in my dreams.
This is partially because of a change in my emotional state when I go to bed (thanks to the podcast).
But looking back it also went together with me finishing a book trilogy I was reading during that time which was set during the roman empire, so I was reading a lot about blood and gore and I have a very vivid imagination.

One thing I noticed about my dreams lately though, is that they are very, how do I say this, busy? Or chaotic or stressfull. I can't quite express the feeling I get from them but I can say that they are the complete opposite of my waking life.
This is making it hard for me to really focus in dreams, I keep getting distracted because there is so much going on.

--Funny how I just finished a wall of text about how I don't understand the stressy dreams because of my relaxed waking life, but I allready found the problem while writing this. I suspect it's got something to do with a small drama in my social circle.
And here I thought it didn't affect me because it doens't concern me....

Originally Posted by Booney

I just had my last graveyard shift! It's all regular shifts from now on for two weeks. Dream recall is up, and I've stopped killing people in my dreams.
This is partially because of a change in my emotional state when I go to bed (thanks to the podcast).

Wonderful news, Booney! I'm really happy to hear that your dream world is at peace again. Very very good.

Also good to hear that the graveyard shift is ending!

Originally Posted by Booney

One thing I noticed about my dreams lately though, is that they are very, how do I say this, busy? Or chaotic or stressfull. I can't quite express the feeling I get from them but I can say that they are the complete opposite of my waking life.
This is making it hard for me to really focus in dreams, I keep getting distracted because there is so much going on.

--Funny how I just finished a wall of text about how I don't understand the stressy dreams because of my relaxed waking life, but I allready found the problem while writing this. I suspect it's got something to do with a small drama in my social circle.
And here I thought it didn't affect me because it doens't concern me....

Well there you go! I just wish I could take any credit for helping you figure that out. Hopefully the drama will work itself out. And if not, at the very least it sounds like you know what to do -- try not to get wrapped up in it, stay happy and contented with your own life, and definitely don't think about it before bed. I'm glad that you have an answer!