Thread: Bemistaken's Workbook

Date: September 25, 2013
Technique: MILD & WBTB (attempt to DILD...nothing happened)
Total sleep time: 8.5 hours

Dream 1

Me and my sis in law was working at an elementary school. We had cafeteria duty (were teachers just stand there and watch the kids eat). While standing up against a wall, a student looked at me and said, "Come sit with me, I saved you a seat and I got you an extra salad." I have no idea why the student was talking to me like I was a kid, but that should have been enough to get me lucid...it didn't.

Dream 2

Not sure if this was a continuation of the first dream, but I back with my sis in law again and this time she is working for the elementary school as a school nurse. She has to travel using her own car and I was holding a piece of blank paper. She took the paper from my hand and told me she was going to use it to hide how she gets extra money for driving her own car from the school system. Don't know what she was going to do, but she gave me a 'wink' like whatever she was going to do, it was going to be illegal.

Fraggle

Cats, cats, and more cats were everywhere inside my house.

Note: I'm so happy that I had such great recall that I haven't had in a long time .

Congrats on improved recall. Mine was much ether too tonight. I guess it was a good night for dreaming and remembering.

Thanks JoannaB,

I have to be thankful for the little things...in return, I'm hoping for bigger things tonight!

Date: September 26, 2013
Method: MILD & WBTB
Total sleep time: Finally enough

Dream 1:

I was running in the weirdest race with a lot of people…mostly women. The race took place in a very large home…somewhat like a mansion. We had to go through all of these nooks and crannies of the home…racing up back stairways and secret passages. To thwart our efforts some men was offering runners a nice cold beer, and other men were their flirting with the women…some women fell for it and had to drop out of the race. I was sitting down taking a break from the race when I realized that I haven’t seen any of the runners in a while, I hopped up from my seat and finished the last lap to win the race.

Fraggle:

I was trying to thread a needle, but the needle disappeared in thin air. I got down of the floor to look for the needle and found it, but instead of being the straight needle I started out with, it was a curved needle…like the kind doctors use to close up stitches.

Fraggle:

I was in the kitchen making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to eat.

Dream 2:

I was talking with my nephew when I noticed that someone was at the window trying to get his attention to come outside. When he did come outside, several people were there and started fighting him…it had to be around 5 or 6 people fighting my 1 nephew. It was a planned attack and I was so angry, that I went to go find the attackers all by myself. Once I found them, I made them sit down on the ground in a neat row and tell me why they had did what they did. It turns out that the attack was orchestrated by a female (don’t know if this was an ex-girlfriend or not) and she was not even sorry for what happened. I remember cussing her out and holding her down until the police came. The girl had stated that she was only in the neighborhood that day because she had special privileges at the prison…she was an inmate at the prison and she was allowed to be out in the community during the day, only to return back to the prison at night…and I noticed that she was pregnant. I didn’t care, I continued to grab at her and cuss her out. She kept a smirk on her face the entire time.

Dream 3:

I was riding in my car with my family when we noticed that a police car was pulled over to the side of the rode. I was speeding so fast that I almost ran into the back of the police car. The police car put on it’s lights and (can’t remember how) but I ended up at the police station with the police officer. The police officer was not dressed in uniform, he was dressed in some very casual shorts and a t-shirt AND he reeked of alcohol. As it turns out, the police officer was pulled over on the side of the rode for driving under the influence and he was waiting on another office to come get him and take him to jail!

Fraggle:

Something about me looking for a house to purchase and I had to choose between two homes…one of them was famous for serving the best seafood in town. I can’t remember anything about the other house except it was painted white on the outside.

Note: I couldn't be more proud of myself for improving so much on dream recall, I have been able to remember 3 dreams and 3 fragments in one night! Such an improvement for me! So sweet

Date: September 28, 2013
Method: Nothing...decided to give it a break for the night.
Total sleep time: Went to bed at 2:00am and woke up around 9:00am.

I decided to give myself a break and really not struggle with doing a technique and a WBTB. I took a break this Saturday because I got a monster paper to write for school and I have been staying up very late with a friend while we work on it . I have to complete it by Monday, so this will be taking priority for right now until its completion. Once I'm finished with this, then I can get back into my ld practice.

When I woke up, I did remember having around 3 dreams, but I didn't force myself to remember them (as I wanted to give journaling a break also). Funny thing is, I remember two of them quite vivid, so I was happy about that. One was about a famous person sexually assaulting me (weird) and the other was about a famous model (two famous people...should have become lucid here ).

Why is it taking so long to get out of the month September??? Ready to move on...

Date: October 2, 2013
Method: MILD & WBTB (Attempted WILD, but fell asleep, too exhausted. STILL working on my research paper from hell!)
Total sleep: Just 5 hours

Dream

Found myself in surgery with a Doctor and we were about to perform surgery on a low birth weight and premature baby (I believe this came from reading the TOTM of performing surgery on yourself). I was really nervous because it had been awhile since I had to work in the surgery department (in RL, I used to work with premature babies and I would have to assist with surgery), but the doctor was very pleased with me. After the surgery, the doctor came back to the unit and asked how the baby was doing. I told the doctor that the baby was off of oxygen and remarkably is not low birth weight and premature anymore and had gained all of the required weight to go home. (Yes...all in one day! Hooray for the baby! ).

Dream

I dream that I was watching the news and a report came on stating Gladys Knight (the singer from Gladys Knight and the Pips) had just died. The news report also stated that she was 62 years old and died of Cancer (I am not sure, but I think it was throat Cancer). I really don't want this to be true....

That's quite a good recall for only 5 hrs of sleep. Most importantly, you didn't end up dreaming about writing your hellish paper! Wish you lots of concentration for both your paper and lds, bemistaken!

Thanks NyxCC,

I am doing so much that my lucidity is seriously suffering, but I have this paper priority. Hopefully things will be back to normal after this week...I turn the 'paper from hell' into my instructor on Monday. I have been working on this thing going on 3 weeks straight...minimum page count is 60 pages!

Date: October 3, 2013
Method: MILD & WBTB (no WILD attempt tonight)
Total sleep time: 6-7 hours

Oh Lucy! All I remember is two fragements:

1. Me in a corner with someone attempting to style my hair...it seems like I slumped over in the corner and drunk
2. My mother in law was driving a car. My mother in law is practically 100 years old, bedridden, has only one working leg, and senile. I should have become lucid...

To the Great and Powerful Lucy ,

Please don't ignore my cry! It's so hot ...I'm practically dying of thirst! If you can find it in your heart to quench my thirst and break this dry spell I will be ever so grateful !

Okay Lucy,

I am all yours! I have finished my 'research paper from hell' and you have my undivided attention! I believe I have broken my original record of the longest dry spell ever . I am hoping that now that I have more time to think about LDing that it will actually happen. Keeping my fingers crossed...

Note: I did end up with some pretty good dream recall last night:

I'm Sorry? - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

Date: October 11, 2013
Method: MILD & WBTB (Hoping for a DILD...nothing.)
Total Sleep Time: 9 hours


Dream 1

I was giving a group of young USA Olympians a motivational speech. The Olympians were of various ages...but still very young (I'm guessing around 10-18 years of age). I was telling them about how much they have already accomplished just by being in the Olympics and winning was going to be automatic for them. I started asking them questions like "How many are in the Olympics for the second time?" and surprisingly several of them raised their hand. They were all excited, ready, and willing to compete for their country.

Fraggle

Something about my brother driving somewhere.

Note: I have no idea why I was motivating a group of Olympians...maybe because I have been encouraging myself so much on being able to LD.

I know I can...I know I can...I know I can...

Hello Lucy,

So this has been my routine for the last couple of days:

Reality check several times a day (the reality check of my choice is levitation, this has worked very well with my successful LDs)

Stay excited, plan, and/or think about what I plan on doing in my lucid dreaming all day

I am getting at least eight hours of sleep .

I have always exercised at least 45 min- 60 min every day.

Go over mantras before I fall asleep ("I lucid dream" "I recognize I'm dreaming")

Attempted WBTB in a different area last night so partner will not disturb my attempt (my 'lucid hide out' which is the couch or recliner)

WBTB routine includes waking up after 5 hours of sleep, staying up for 10 min., then attempt to WILD.

WILD routine includes getting rid of mental chatter, wait for dream to start, and jump in. This is were I am failing miserably! I either end up falling asleep after 15 minutes or end up being to awake and can't go back to sleep.

Back up plan in case WILD doesn't work...I hope for a DILD. I have very rarely DILD in the past, mostly WILDs and DEILDS.

Does anyone have advice for improvement ?

Forgot to mention, my recall is great...I can remember at least 2-3 dreams every night.

Date: October 13, 2013
Method: MILD WBTB (Attempt WILD)
Total Sleep Time: 9 hours

Dream 1

Gorging myself on shrimp and buttered Lobster. OMG it was so yummy! The more I ate the more I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. I tasted every element of the seafood...and the Butter ! It coated every bit of the inside of my tongue. I can go on and on about the food, but I'm making myself hungry!

Dream 2

I was in the home of my sis in law and I was extremely tired and I just wanted to lay down. There was no where to sleep, so I just got in the bed with my baby nephew. She kept calling my name for breakfast, but I couldn't move, the bed was so comfortable.

Dream 3

My niece and I committed a crime, but I can't remember what the crime was. It was really bad though, it may have been along the lines of either kidnapping or murder...for the life of me I can't remember what it was . We were hiding out in a store until it closed in the hopes that we would break out when the doors where locked.

Note: Good recall

Date: October 15, 2013
Method: MILD WBTB
Total Sleep Time: 7 (ish) hours

Dream 1
I was at the beach with my nieces and my kids (back when they were babies). My grandmother (who is deceased and never met my children in RL) was there also. We were just enjoying each other fishing and playing on the beach. Then my grandmother decided to take all the kids with her so she can by them some new clothes.

Dream 2
I was with a man and he was washing and styling my hair...I looked beautiful! He had an amazing talent in hair styling..almost magical and I wish I could find this person in RL to do my hair .

Hi Lucy,

Change in plans...my goal tonight is to go to bed early (and not at my usual midnight or 1:00am bedtime). I believe my problem started when my hours changed from day shift to evening shift last month. I didn't mention it before because I love the change. I am really an evening person but I believe this schedule is not agreeing with you Lucy. So, my goal is to still get to bed at a decent time and rise at a decent time. I will take a nap if I get sleepy before I go to work. Hopefully, this will help .

Originally Posted by bemistaken

So this has been my routine for the last couple of days:

Reality check several times a day (the reality check of my choice is levitation, this has worked very well with my successful LDs)

Stay excited, plan, and/or think about what I plan on doing in my lucid dreaming all day

I am getting at least eight hours of sleep .

I have always exercised at least 45 min- 60 min every day.

Go over mantras before I fall asleep ("I lucid dream" "I recognize I'm dreaming")

Attempted WBTB in a different area last night so partner will not disturb my attempt (my 'lucid hide out' which is the couch or recliner)

WBTB routine includes waking up after 5 hours of sleep, staying up for 10 min., then attempt to WILD.

WILD routine includes getting rid of mental chatter, wait for dream to start, and jump in. This is were I am failing miserably! I either end up falling asleep after 15 minutes or end up being to awake and can't go back to sleep.

Back up plan in case WILD doesn't work...I hope for a DILD. I have very rarely DILD in the past, mostly WILDs and DEILDS.

Your routine looks great, bemistaken! Really, really good, in fact. You are motivating me to improve my own practices, which haven't been quite as on point lately as they should be.

Okay, let's look at the WILD attempts. For falling asleep too fast, I don't have a great tip to recommend apart from staying up longer during WBTB. This one does create the risk of insomnia, but I have generally had higher percentages with a longer WBTB.

That being said, don't do anything that compromises your sleep. Find your sweet spot. Tiring yourself out won't be worth it. Lately, I've been using quite short WBTBs simply because with a little more life stress going on, I can't afford to give up much sleep. This does drop my LD rate a little lower, but in the end getting more sleep makes up for it.

I can give a few more tips from the other direction (too awake.) For this, try to at all costs remove any frustration or anxiety from your mind about the fact that you're not asleep. If I'm not careful I can get caught up in a cycle of being annoyed that I'm awake, which makes me more awake, which makes me more annoyed...

Try to just make it your goal to passively observe and enjoy hypnagogic imagery as it pops up. Don't force it, but rather just kick back and relax. Have no expectations about when you'll fall asleep. Treat it like settling in for a movie.

I mostly DILD rather than WILD, so I have a few DILD-related tricks you might want to use. The chief one is that while you're observing HI, gently remind yourself that it's all a dream. Even imagine yourself as part of the scene and becoming lucid. The more you play through this, the more likely it is that the thought will occur to you during the dream. You'll want to do this with a very light touch, very passively in order to keep yourself sleepy. Just gently toy with these thoughts, don't "concentrate" too much, and stay just aware enough as sleep starts to overtake you.

Something else I like to throw in is backwards counting. So I do "99... I'm dreaming... 98... it's all a dream... 97... this is a dream...", etc. As soon as I lose track of what number I was on, I don't worry about and simply start over again at 99. (I lose track very frequently, and it's totally fine. Just start again rather than doing a bunch of concentrating that might throw you off.)

Okay, let's look at the WILD attempts. For falling asleep too fast, I don't have a great tip to recommend apart from staying up longer during WBTB. This one does create the risk of insomnia, but I have generally had higher percentages with a longer WBTB.

That being said, don't do anything that compromises your sleep. Find your sweet spot. Tiring yourself out won't be worth it. Lately, I've been using quite short WBTBs simply because with a little more life stress going on, I can't afford to give up much sleep. This does drop my LD rate a little lower, but in the end getting more sleep makes up for it.

I can give a few more tips from the other direction (too awake.) For this, try to at all costs remove any frustration or anxiety from your mind about the fact that you're not asleep. If I'm not careful I can get caught up in a cycle of being annoyed that I'm awake, which makes me more awake, which makes me more annoyed...

Try to just make it your goal to passively observe and enjoy hypnagogic imagery as it pops up. Don't force it, but rather just kick back and relax. Have no expectations about when you'll fall asleep. Treat it like settling in for a movie.

CL,

Your suggestions are right on point! I have been needed assistance with these very things. I have not tried staying up a little longer with WBTB, but I have thought about it. I will try this for a few days and see what happens. Your other points regarding the HI and DILD are very helpful. Being still a newbie, sometimes you just don't know how to explain what you are doing, let alone what exactly you see and what you may need help with. It's like the "You don't know what you don't know" scenario. Thanks for pulling out the issues that I have been having a hard time trying to identify.

Date: 10/19/2013
Technique: MILD WBTB
MILD Mantra: "I lucid dream tonight" & "I recognize I'm dreaming"

Dream
I was in the car with Chris Brown and Rhianna and I was dropping hints from the front seat (yes, Rhianna was sitting in the back seat like she was on punishment or something) on how I would love to drive his car. His car was totally wicked and I really wanted him to pull over and let me drive. Of course he paid me no attention .

Date: 10/21/2013
Technique: MILD & WBTB
Total Sleep Time: 8 1/2 (ish) hours
MILD Mantra: "I lucid dream tonight" & "I recognize I'm dreaming"

Fraggle
Was at a party and some ex-NBA players were there dressed in drag. I was holding one of the player's hand for some reason .

Dream 1
I was with some boy who wanted me (sexually) and I was dressed really weird. My niece was there and they were having some kind of parade and I was working for the parade or organization planning the parade. I recall seeing my son with his friends looking through some sort of peep hole in the wall. They were laughing and giggling so I decided to take a look into the peep hole and I didn't see anything but a row of chairs.

Dream 2
I was in some really weird car that looked like a skate board (missed my lucid opportunity here) and I was having problems with my car (skateboard). I even remember pulling over to the side of the road with my car (skateboard) in my hand trying to fix it so I can get back on the road .

Date: 10/22/2013
Technique: MILD & WBTB (failed WILD)
Total Sleep Time: 8 1/2 (ish) hours
MILD Mantra: "I lucid dream tonight" & "I recognize I'm dreaming"

Dream 1
I was with my ex-boss and we were shopping for vintage designer handbags. I saw what looked like a black hefty bag on the floor filled with vintage Gucci bags. I crawled on the floor and retrieved a beautiful blue vintage Gucci shoulder bag. I ran to show my ex-boss who turned around and told me that she was wearing that exact bag at this very moment except her handbag was 'authentic' and mine was a fake. Sure enough, she had the authentic Gucci handbag on her shoulder (she has always been jealous of me ).

Dream 2
I was fishing with my husband and the rest of our family and I was doing very well catching several fish. I remember how real it felt with the fish nibbling on the bait and me yanking the fishing pole to hook the fish and reel it in. Soon, we ran out of bait and started using anything available and the fish were still biting. We were still catching a lot of fish and I told my husband that the next time we go fishing I would like us to go by ourselves and spend the entire weekend with just us fishing (I have always loved to fish ).

Lucy,
I have implemented the changes that we had previously discussed. Let's do a quick recap shall we?


Reality check several times a day (the reality check of my choice is levitation, this has worked very well with my successful LDs) meh...somewhat. When I am at work I tend to get so caught up in my work that by the time I remember to do a RC, the day is practically over.

Stay excited, plan, and/or think about what I plan on doing in my lucid dreaming all day YES

I am getting at least eight hours of sleep. YES

I have always exercised at least 45 min- 60 min every day. Not everyday...maybe every other day, but I am still happy with this goal

Go over mantras before I fall asleep ("I lucid dream" "I recognize I'm dreaming")YES

Attempted WBTB in a different area last night so partner will not disturb my attempt (my 'lucid hide out' which is the couch or recliner) Okay, this one I definitely have been slacking. I have not been going to my 'hideout' because lately my husband has been leaving for work earlier and I have the bed to myself. I only go to my 'hideout' if I am sharing the bed during my WBTB with my husband. I have been pushing my WBTB later, so I can time it to when everyone has gone to work/school and I am alone for a little while in the morning before I have to go to work. When I do this, I still try not to sleep no more than 6 hours before attempting a WBTB

WBTB routine includes waking up after 5 hours of sleep, staying up for 10 min., then attempt to WILD. Modified...I am now trying to stay up a little longer with my WBTB...now I am going to track each WBTB to see exactly how long I need to stay awake for optimal lucidity. Tonight, my goal is to do a WBTB and stay up for at least 45 minutes and then work my way down from there.

WILD routine includes getting rid of mental chatter, wait for dream to start, and jump in. This is were I am failing miserably! I either end up falling asleep after 15 minutes or end up being to awake and can't go back to sleep. Please see above.

So let's see what happens with these changes...I am doing very well with my recall and I am always pleased with that. I need to note that I have not been able to meditate for the last couple of months and this really played a huge part in me attaining lucidity. I really need to start back meditating, but with my screwed up hours at work, it is hard to find an appropriate time. I do miss my 'me time' terribly!

Date: 10/24/2013
Technique: MILD & WBTB
Total Sleep Time: 9 hours

Welp...

Last night, I did my WBTB and tried my best at staying awake. I believe I only stayed awake for 15 minutes and the main problem was that I didn't get to sleep until at least 2:00am (not trying to make excuses but my insomnia was in full effect). By the time I did get to sleep, I believe I timed my WBTB too early and I just was too sleepy to stay awake. I also didn't get out of the bed and walk around so my my next attempt will have me getting out of that damn bed!

The only recall that I have is me looking at a couple riding in a really old car. Their dress and car looked like they were from the past...early 1900's and this fragment was even in black and white. It really was neat to look at, it didn't last long, but I really enjoyed it because it was so vivid. I don't know why, but I really need to stop getting so wrapped up in my dreams. I will be working on my awareness all this week in the hopes that I will not be so 'fascinated' with what I see. The second fragment was of some woman dancing and she lifted up her skirt and exposed her thong...I was not interested .

Date: 10/31/2013
Technique: MILD & WBTB (stayed up for 1 hour and had successful WILD twice)
Total Sleep Time: 6 hours

Lucy, I can't thank you enough for teaching me how much patience is a virtue. I had two beautiful WILDs that are so special and 'different' that I don't think it would be appropriate to post them. I would like to say that I am grateful and thankful for the long wait because this was probably the best WILD experience I ever had. To have this experience on the last day of the month (and being Halloween) makes it even better. So humbled to my higher power....