L4xord's Workbook

Hi I'm L4xord, as you can see,

Lucid dreaming has pretty much been an on and off sorta thing (loss of motivation). So I've decided to bite the bullet (hope to actually do this in an LD one day) and stay committed.

So let's get started,

Wake Up and Sleep Times:
I don't have exact times yet, I'll try to get some averages calculated.
School Months: 10:00pm to 7:00am
Holiday Months- 11:00pm -12:00pm to 9:00am -11:00am

Reality Checks:
-Nose pinch
-Looking at clock or writing (stuff that requires accurate cognitive 'attention' that isn't available in your dreams.)
-Looking at hands.
I, of course, actually consider if I am dreaming and note my surroundings.

Why I want to lucid dream:
-If I'm going to spend 1/3 of my life sleeping, I'd might as well do something to pass the time.
-It is a life changing experience.
-Must get rid of my illogically abnormal fear of snakes.
-And it's fun!!!

Dreamsigns (so far):
-School
-Old school teachers

Short Term Goals:
-Increase length of lucidity
-Fly faster and more stably.

Long Term Goals:
-Get rid of numerous phobias
-Have LDs at least once a week.
-Use lucidity to improve creativity which I can use to become more successful IRL. e.g video games (I'm a programmer, and artist).

I have had lucid dreams before but very few. I'll start counting from zero now.

Induction Techniques:
-DILD/Awareness (main one for now)
-MILD
-Considering WBTB

Next Lucid:
-Control weather (making it snow is a current challenge, so this could be good)
-Prolong my lucidity.

I have a question for the teachers, What are the major differences between DILDs and MILDs as a MILD seems like a subset of a DILD.

Also my dream recall is pretty terrible with one full detailed dream a night being an achievement.

Today's routine:
-Today I've been trying reality checks every hour or so. These reality checks include some mild awareness exercises like really questioning you current state.
-And a few affirmations like "Tonight I will have a lucid dream and change the weather". I will reinforce this before bed.
-My main technique is DILD/MILD so I rely mainly of reality checking.
-Tonight I will be trying out my first WBTB ever! This will be combined with a MILD.

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I have a question for the teachers, What are the major differences between DILDs and MILDs as a MILD seems like a subset of a DILD.

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Great question and yes, you've got it right. Think of DILD and WILD as the two broad categories that cover basically all lucid dreaming induction techniques.

With one of the DILD techniques, you are attempting to become aware spontaneously while already inside of a dream. MILD is the classic way of willfully initiating a DILD. But sometimes DILDs just happen from out of nowhere. An accidental DILD is what made me discover lucid dreaming.

Techniques in the WILD family involve keeping yourself aware the entire time as you transition from awake to asleep. This can be the classic WILD, where you simply lie down, try not to move too much, and fall asleep with your awareness still intact. DEILD is also in the WILD family, but it involves bringing your awareness back during a micro-awakening, and then diving back into sleep as soon as possible, hoping to go right back into REM.

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Also my dream recall is pretty terrible with one full detailed dream a night being an achievement.

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Yes, let's tackle this. Are you maintaining a written or electronic dream journal? If not, this is the first stop for improving recall. Write down everything you can remember about your dreams, even fleeting fragments or emotions.

When you wake up, try not to move until you've recalled as many dreams as you can. You'd be surprised what a little effort can bring. The other night I pulled an entire dream back up by just writing down that I felt "vaguely anxious" and thinking about what else I could remember. Then I remembered "sand", and after that the rest of the dream came tumbling back. Putting in that effort and focus is a huge part of what makes good dream recall happen.

If you continue to have dream recall trouble after you start your dream journal, don't worry. We've all worked through building (and repairing) our dream recall, so we can help you there.

Let us know how the WBTB goes! WBTB takes some work, but it's amazing at enhancing techniques of both the WILD and DILD family. Oh, and... :welcome:

11/12/12
So no lucid dream last night. The WBTB didn't do much, probably because I was a bit slack and it was my first attempt.

Though thankfully I was about remember 1 whole dream and a few fragments of another.
I'll post it the dream here as I haven't recalled a full dream in ages:

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I am standing with my mum and some extended family (who I don’t recognise). I seem to be at some kind of a crocodile show (plenty of these in Australia). I am standing next to the animal wrangler. We go up to the waters edge. She (the wrangler) is talking about salt water crocodiles while I stare at the water. I see a huge head of a crocodile jump out of the water. I immediately move back. Despite my family and I being on the waters edge, we feel quite safe (dream logic…screws with your head). What happened next is a bit hazy. I remember the crocodile leaping out of the water, seeing it’s huge body was terrifying but awesome, there was a bit of a cat and mouse chase for a bit of time. The dream came back into focus (and extremed in vividness) when I saw my baby brother jump into the water. I didn't know what to do –My family was urging me to go and save him and the animal wrangler decided not to be there. So I ran into the water, out of the corner of my eye I saw the crocodile swimming towards us. I grabbed my brother and swam but the croc was catching up so I squeezed his stomach to buy us time. We swam back.

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Today's Routine:
Continuation of yesterday's routine, I'll be doing this one for at least 2 weeks.
-Reality Checks every hour or two.
-Might include some ADA/SAT as that's how I became lucid in the past.

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Are you maintaining a written or electronic dream journal?

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Yes I have a physical dream journal but because my work demands me to be in front of a computer a lot I will have a word document open for me to write any extra details that appear throughout the day.

Another Question: How does the whole dream recall process work, do I stay still try to remember as much as I can and then make a run to my dream journal and immediately write in the dream? And if you a doing reality checks, should you do the check before or after recalling the dream as I don't want to forget my dreams because I was focusing on reality checks or end up recalling my dream in an FA (I did this once with my first LD).

I think I might practise a variant of the WBTB where I wake up later in the morning (5am-6am). I usually have a dream or two after waking up so I could use this to my advantage.

I'm not a teacher but for me a MILD is when you wake up in a dream either immediatly knowing or suspecting your dreaming. All other DILDs for me is when you become aware you're dreaming after more of the dream has gone on for a bit. So, a MILD is more like a super DILD! That's how I see it anyway.

Also, I noticed one of your short term goals is to fly faster and more stably. I discovered in a recent LD that if I spin while I was flying in the air I could stably fly a lot faster. This worked for me both when my body was vertical and when it was horizontal. It might be something to try out!

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Another Question: How does the whole dream recall process work, do I stay still try to remember as much as I can and then make a run to my dream journal and immediately write in the dream?

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Pretty much yes. Sometimes I have to work with the last bit I remember. Like an image or emotion. Then I think ok what happened just before that, then what was before that. You just work it back until you can't remember anymore. I don't know if you mean to "run" in a literal sense but I keep my DJ by my bed at all times. What I do is I don't write the entire dream in full detail down. Ain't nobody got time fo dat! I just write down some "cliff notes".. just the highlights.. so that I can remember when I actually do make a journal entry.

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And if you a doing reality checks, should you do the check before or after recalling the dream as I don't want to forget my dreams because I was focusing on reality checks or end up recalling my dream in an FA (I did this once with my first LD).

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You should be doing RC during the day when XY or Z happens as well as RC when you wake up just in case it is a false awakening. I think maybe if the RCs are hindering your recall, then you should RC after you write some dream bits down. I think starting out it would be more important to focus on recall first. Then if you notice you are having a lot of FAs you should think about RCs more. I have had many dreams where I was writing in my DJ and all sorts of non-sense was happening all around me. Sometimes I catch it, sometimes I don't. I'm getting better about doing a quick nose plug when I wake up though. :D

I hope that answers that. Happy dreaming!

Welcome, L4xord! :)

No lucid last night.

My recall was OK... I was able to remember 3 large fragments that seemed to be linked together.

Today's Routine:
-More RCs
-A bit of awarness

I'm keeping with MILD. But I have a question, with WILD you can obviously practice them whenever but with MILD you can only do it when going to sleep. My question, is there any sort of way to improve the success rate of MILD as well as using it every night, or is it that a limited technique?

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Originally Posted by L4xord

I'm keeping with MILD. But I have a question, with WILD you can obviously practice them whenever but with MILD you can only do it when going to sleep. My question, is there any sort of way to improve the success rate of MILD as well as using it every night, or is it that a limited technique?

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You know I think I remember someone asking a similar question in the past. I'm not a MILDer personally, but I believe the final vote was that yes, you can practice your mantras any time during the day as well. Like maybe linking it with your RCs and daily awareness rituals.

Maybe someone with more MILD experience has something to offer to this question?

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Originally Posted by OpheliaBlue

You know I think I remember someone asking a similar question in the past. I'm not a MILDer personally, but I believe the final vote was that yes, you can practice your mantras any time during the day as well. Like maybe linking it with your RCs and daily awareness rituals.

Maybe someone with more MILD experience has something to offer to this question?

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Thanks, linking mantras to RCs is a nice idea.

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Originally Posted by OpheliaBlue

You know I think I remember someone asking a similar question in the past. I'm not a MILDer personally, but I believe the final vote was that yes, you can practice your mantras any time during the day as well. Like maybe linking it with your RCs and daily awareness rituals.

Maybe someone with more MILD experience has something to offer to this question?

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I frequently do daytime mantras or affirmations and I see a difference. I never thought of it as MILD but I guess that makes sense.

Going to sleep soon, I have a good feeling tonight!

on the point of mantras...combining them with visualizations can be useful. Depending on what works for you, using strong emotion with the mantras can be very effective. We always remember experiences more when they are accompanied with strong emotion...

welcome :)

.......... Life has got in the way and I was unable to post my dreams for some time. Just today I had my second (or technically 3rd, see below) LD, though I haven't recorded it yet. I also had my first LD since the workbook a few weeks ago.

1st Lucid

I am watching an film adaptation of a Dan Brown novel that doesn't exist yet in my English class. The end of school bell rings and me and students leave class. My memory jumps to being with two of my friends and a teacher from WL. I am sitting down and the teacher walks up to me and praises me for having the correct uniform except for my socks. I look down to my socks to see they are socks for running. I wonder how I came to be wearing them as I never forget to put on my socks. I have an Inception moment -I can't remember even getting changed for school and I suddenly recognize the socks as the socks I was wearing before I went to sleep in WL. I'M DREAMING!!!*
Then my memory jumps to being at another part of my school. I am still lucid and practicing reality checks but only with semi-success. What happens here is very blurry though I remember the dream scene going orange and me nearly losing the dream but I manage to spin out of it.
Another memory jump. I'm in a supermarket still trying to put my finger through my hand. I decided I'll summon a DC (a person I know in real life). I will and shout for him to appear. I look to the entrance of the supermarket to see him enter but along with him is...... A bunch of villains from a few horror movies. I realize I've accidentally turned a lucid dream into a nightmare... I try get out of the shop but I am caught by one of them. My subconscious tries to pull a joke as the knife turns into a piece of cardboard. As I realize they are no longer a threat I leave.
I find myself in a warehouse probably under the shop. I am with a bunch of talking worms who are trying to escape a machine that'll squash them into jam. I save a few and then go o n my way to my school again.
Then I see a few people playing a game. I think, if this is a dream is can't hurt to have some fun. After all it's therapeutic and a confidence booster. So I test out my dream control and will a weapon (gun) to appear. It works but the gun strangely has a huge number of 'options' like power levels, explosive yields and safety modes. They is also a teacher (from WL) who is pressuring me to make the right decisions and put the gun on the right settings and everything. I throw that gun away in annoyance from the teacher. But I am still content on finding a suitable firearm. I start to talk to a DC in attempt at passive dream control and ask him to give me a gun. To my delight he says "yes" but he opens up his lunchbox and hands me......a banana skin.... (Subconscious humor again...)
In a last attempt I try using brute force again. It is successful but the gun barrel is extremely long and it has a suppressor which is twice as long. It feels a bit odd and a few people a looking at me.
I decide to change my approach and I go up a DC and ask him for a magic staff, instantly I notice him holding a staff with beautiful jewels imbedded into it. I take it and ask him how to use it. He replies with the classic: "You will know how when the time comes." So I notice the two people who were playing before, and I decide to test out the staff on them. So I flail my staff at them, something happens but what comes next is purely the result of my subconscious's humor... One of the guys I am attacking turns around and pulls out his own staff and blocks whatever I did, next is extremely vivid. He pushes the staff into the area between my groin and stomach and and in one lever motion, flings me like a catapult into he air. I feel a crazy feeling of vertigo and fall and hit the ground. It doesn't hurt but my legs feel like rag dolls. I feel the dream fading and I reluctantly open my eyes.

I also experienced 2 sleep paralysis eps but I think one may have been a dream. In one of them I WILDed. Though I can barely remember a thing only running on a grass field and the colors red and blue.

I desperately want to do a TOTM or a TOTY, so hopefully my emotions will cause a lucid.

2nd Lucid

I realise I'm lucid then I run away as far as I can because I am escaping being shipped back to the trenches (I have a dream memory where I fighting in a battle) and jump off this amazing white pearl balcony. I experience the*same intense feeling of vertigo. I land safely.
I look at my hands to make the dream more vivid. My hands turn vibrant orange and everything is extremely vibrant. I continue to do that for some time.
Memory jump. A large drainage lake (reminded me of City 17 or Dishonored) is in front of me. I jump in attempt to get over it to the other side to the city. I jump by I fall in right front of a building. I get up and walk into the building. Strangely before I jumped in, it was day time but now it appeared to be night. The building I am in looks like a larger version of the Melbourne Central building (Google Image it). I decide to do some dream control. So I cover my eyes and expect it to be back to daytime. It works -too well. The sun is extremely bright and the shadows pure black.
Another memory jump. I am on my school oval and I see some people. I walk with some people and I try to spawn a gun. It works. My ego desires takes control of me and I fire at the people.

Going to sleep soon. Been doing some RCs and awareness today. Also been trying to fix my lucid mindset and intent as that seems to be extremely important.

Woke up with literally no recall but I managed to eventually remember a few things later.

Any advice on what to do when this happens.

Fragment 1
Sitting with people (from WL) in my school library (WL).
We are *chatting and laughing -something I wouldn't normally do with these people.

Fragment 2
Climbing or abseiling of a huge cliff also with school friends. There are all sorts of flexible rubber bands that some people are climbing on.

This little climbing adventures turns out to be the set of a film. There is a rude director, almost evil...

Fragment 3
We are inside a shop and me and my family spot three nice vases with paintings. We decided on two of them since the other we already got in China. For some reason my family thinks they are free, except for me.
As we leave the shop I hear a small alarm hoping it isn't us up who set it off.

I remember being in a car and a restaurant I think.

Memory jump. We are at home (strangely an apartment). We hear someone knocking at the door. My mum opens to the door to find the police. A sad and scared look is on my mums face. The policewoman begins talking about the vases. My mum immediately (in the dream I started to crack up when this happened) starts to cry saying she thought they were free. Strangely the police now starts saying it's ok and that it wasn't your fault.

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Originally Posted by L4xord

Woke up with literally no recall but I managed to eventually remember a few things later.

Any advice on what to do when this happens.

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Something that I do which helps me in situations of low recall, is:

1. Write something down, anything: Be it a fragment, image, color, shape, physical sensation or emotion. And do it quick, right when you wake up.
2. Tell someone about it: Anything from ^^. Sometimes recall can be unlocked when you actually verbalize the fragment or whatever out loud to someone.
3. Retrace steps: If you remember the very last thing/image/action that took place right before you woke up, then retrace your steps backwards from that point.

You can do any of these 3 steps later in the day too and you may get lucky and recall more. I've forgotten lucid dreams before upon waking, and remembered them later when I was regaling a nonlucid tale to a friend. Suddenly boom, I remembered. Hope this helps you :)

Only a fragment of a dream recalled last night.

I've had success with DILDing and even accidentally WILDed so maybe I might start trying DEILD.

mixing it up is always good...on the other hand, if you are switching to try something new, it may stretch you to thin and that would result in lower success rates...my experience with DEILD has been that it is somewhat natural. Once you have DILD and WILD down, DEILD becomes much much easier..just a thought

Another lucid!!! :rockon: (DILD) They are starting to occur more consistently! I attempted the TOTM (first attempt) as well, but failed... In this LD I didn't have good recall as what you see are only large fragments.

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I'm a in house (from WL). I do a reality check. I have many fingers, like 15… I do a nose plug RC as well, I can breathe. Amazed, I jump out of window to the ground below. I remember to maintain composure unlike in my last LD. I remember to stabilize and think before I act.

I begin running and try to practice flying. From the I cannot see any DCs around. Eventually I find some DCs, but they are strangely aggressive. At first I think it it is the apocalypse. Then suddenly they are friendly but DCs 50m down the road run to attack. We all run inside and barricade the door down. I run away up the all these staircases (reminded me of Hogwarts).
I get to the top of the building. I think I started to fly here.

Memory jump. I am at an open park. There is a half pipe similar to one at a skatepark. I realize I should try of of my dream goals. I remember the magic staff. I immediately go and ask someone for a magic staff. It is given to me. It is the exact same one as the one in my previous dream set at my school. I begin to wave it around, but I am interrupted by a DC I know from school (I'm starting to think my subconscious doesn't want me to use this staff). He immediately wants me to take a quiz on Harry Potter. I fail every question.

Pretty sure I practice more flying experimenting with the air swimming technique. Breath stroke works perfectly (but tiring).

Memory jump. I am in the house I live in in WL. Thinking the dream will end I want to make the most of it. I won't go into to detail about what happened next... I sure every LDer does this once in there dreaming life.

Memory jump. I remember the Basic TOTM. I tried to think of a lake to freeze. I hide behind a cupboard and try around expecting a lake to be there. It works but I don't like the lake. So I try again focusing on the lake in my hometown. It works but it is not frozen. I don't care (must've been losing lucidity...) so I continue to approach it but I am interrupted by my Mum. I leave with her...

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I actually started ADA before getting that lucid. So we'll see what happens tonight for me. I feel pretty confident I'll have one tonight. I might try accomplishing one of my dream goals or a TOTM. TOTY still feels a little out of my reach...

No recall last night due (don't remember falling to sleep to the very hot weather around the whole of Australia.

Hey congrats on the lucid, though sorry for the late reply :D

5 LD since starting workbook: Random lucid dream - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

I haven't updated recently due to school. Since I'm quite busy, I'm trying to do a reality check every now and then and a bit of SAT.

Hey, welcome back! Real life happens, so don't even worry about it :)

Anyway, I replied to your latest DJ entry.

I'm back...

Recently, I've been experiencing quite a bit of abnormal semi-mild auditory hallucinations. I don't usually get much yet recently I've been getting tons. Do you guys think I can do anything with this. Like some sort of a WILD. I tend to put on the radio in my room now to focus on because the HI can be annoying sometimes and freaky.

My recall's pretty bad right now; I know I had two dreams last night but I can hardly remember what they were about...

Going to sleep soon enough. Hope to DILD tonight as I've been doing RCs and ADA over the past two days.

How are the attempts coming along?

I'm having a lucid dream tonight.









P.S: I'm back. :)

I had some surprisingly good recall last night!

I seem to be getting a little sick :( I hope the fever doesn't bring on any crazy hallucinations. No more Dr. Who for now... (twice now, I've had both Dalek and Weeping Angels hallucinations...all caused by too much Dr. Who before bed.) Thinking about it now, this could be an opportunity for a WILD..., or maybe not? Any advice if sleep paralysis was to come about as it sometimes does? :bowdown: