Kactus's Workbook

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07-08-2013, 08:22 PM
Kactus

Kactus's Workbook

Hello Dreamviews.
Here is my Workbook:)

I have begun to Lucid dream again after about nine years or so. I used to LD as a boy. My re-introduction to lucid dreaming came about after I had a random LD which involved me sitting up from myself within the bedroom realising i was in a dream and then having a look around. I have been doing some meditation recently and so this experience excited me somewhat and so I decided to do some research. After a short youtube education on LD'ing I happened upon Dreamviews.com via one of your podcasts.

Here is a how I plan to develop my Lucid skills[/B

Regular meditation practice in the morning and before bed.
Followed by affirmations such as ' I am a LD'r

Putting together some prospective memory games to do during my day to help out with my DILD attempts.

Reality Checks, throughout the day when something unreal, coincidental, déjà vu like happens, plus when the random phone alarm goes of (alarm is a water sound as water is one of my dream signs.:

- Putting my thumb through my hand
- Looking at myself in a mirror and noticing changes in appearance
- nose plug and Breath
- Finger Counting
- covering dream eyes and seeing through hands
- looking at my hands, finger count, anomaly check.

Stability Techniques whilst in LD: looking at hands, rubbing hands together, vocal affirmations in dream (heard) saying what I see.

Dream Signs:
The following are re-occurring themes within my dreams and Lucid dreams so far

- Beautiful Floral garden with Lakes, Nature, Trees
- Streams and small river beds, Earth quakes,

Short-Term Goals: end of 2013
- Acheive a Lucid experience at least one time per week. ( sometimes I can have three or four in a week other times nothing for a month)
- Increase the length and clarity of the LD's using learned techniques (achieved)
- Carry out a simple predetermined task or action.(achieved)
- Converse with dream character. (Achieved)

Long-Term Goals: end of 2015
- Attain three lucid dreams per week (Achieved)
- investigate the dream consciousness I am sensing behind the LD projections. ( I have now begun meditation practice whilst in the Lucid state as a preparation for this)
- Use LD's in terms of Self development to facilitate personal changes. (Achieving)
- Through personal LD practice become the best version of myself, for myself and others. (Achieving)

Lucid/Dream Recall History:
Update : I have moved over to a written dream journal. Reason: felt more involvement and is immersive somehow. Keeping it open on the page with pen inside for immediate access after the dream. Have soft torch light next to the book to see. I am writing down LD and non LD's with observations, recommendations, experiments and goals etc.

Current Technique:
-WILD WBTB - (if fall asleep) DILD, bed for 11.00pm. Setting my alarm for 4.00am and then at waking at 90 minute intervals for brief periods of dream recall and diary entries.

Additional: Taking a practice period now for a few months going over methods and techniques in Dream time to improve proficiency. Getting stuck into a few LD books also. Recommended reading: 'Dreams of Awakening, Lucid Dreaming and Mindfulness of Dream and Sleep' - Charley Morley.

Notes: Do Waking RC's for DILD more regularly and in more detail so they become habitual.

Tools: self made audio track, affirmations. To promote awareness in DILD's (day time and pre-sleep usage), random phone alarm for reality check reminders.
07-11-2013, 06:20 AM
Chimpertainment

Welcome Kactus! Nice workbook! Looks like you are off to a good start already :)
07-19-2013, 09:34 PM
Kactus

Thanks Chimpertainment, it may be slow going for a while until I get some regular sleep again but I am continuing to study. Last night no sleep at all till six and then some very vivid hypnogogic images of rocks in water. Went into SP?for the first time since i was a child. i remembered a helpful comment from a DV user about staying excited about the process when going into SP and it dispelled any fear or anxiety I had whilst there, unfortunately I awoke consciously instead of LD'ing. Thanks for taking an interest. K
07-24-2013, 11:40 AM
Kactus

Quote:

I will do a WILD 00.45am 03.00am and 05.30am after feeding times approx. If I awake from any kind of dream I will re-enter the dreams without fully waking up. I will take a flying trip from my room and enter space where I will sit on a satellite and view the earth, before returning to my bed. Wish me luck

Believe i had a regular dream that I was doing a lucid dream induction and went into lucid dreaming, talk about a smack in the face of a reality check, thought I might have caught that one. Sigh. I do remember being aware and wandering around the room trying to solidify my surrounding and I remember a reality check....

As I am righting this now, I have just remembered I did do my reality check within the dream! I put my thumb through my hand! then continued with the process. Maybe it's my dream recall that's off! I have been very blank in that area recently. The Dream wasn't as vivid as my other lucid experiences, so I assumed it was a regular one... Maybe not. Maybe my first Dild with a reality check. Interesting.
07-25-2013, 01:56 PM
CanisLucidus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kactus

Believe i had a regular dream that I was doing a lucid dream induction and went into lucid dreaming, talk about a smack in the face of a reality check, thought I might have caught that one. Sigh. I do remember being aware and wandering around the room trying to solidify my surrounding and I remember a reality check....

As I am righting this now, I have just remembered I did do my reality check within the dream! I put my thumb through my hand! then continued with the process. Maybe it's my dream recall that's off! I have been very blank in that area recently. The Dream wasn't as vivid as my other lucid experiences, so I assumed it was a regular one... Maybe not. Maybe my first Dild with a reality check. Interesting.

Welcome, Kactus! Great-looking workbook.

Yeah, those "dreams about lucid dreaming" always do feel like a bit of a slap in the face, I'll admit. :) But we all get them, though, especially when lucid dreaming is really on the brain. That means you're looking for dreams and thinking about dreams, which is such a huge part of achieving a DILD.

I've had a bunch of these dreams lately where I "know that I'm dreaming" as part of the dream plot, yet still somehow don't become lucid. :chuckle: Invariably, a real LD comes close behind, though.

It's very interesting, though, that you actually RC'd! Do you have any memory of how you felt after you RC'd? Any flash of lucidity, that excited realization that it's all a dream? I know it's probably hard to remember now.

Anyway, it sounds like your mind is precisely where it should be for DILDing! Keep doing what you're doing and saturating your mind with thoughts of lucid dreaming and I think you're sure to hit more LDs. :goodjob2:
07-25-2013, 08:32 PM
Kactus

Quote:

It's very interesting, though, that you actually RC'd! Do you have any memory of how you felt after you RC'd? Any flash of lucidity, that excited realization that it's all a dream? I know it's probably hard to remember now.

Hi CanisLucidus!
Actually I remember after the RC, there was no real whoosh of excitement or sudden clarity or a definitely woah 'This is a dream' moment. There was surprise at the RC working and i preceded to bring clarity to my immediate area but somehow felt as though i was just re-enacting what i planned to do, kind of going through the motions. Previous times it's been a solid no-doubt scenario, no questions asked ' I am lucid'. Interesting.

I have come to the conclusion it was just a dream cause i was repeating the RC throughout the day. ( Although i could swear I knew it was a dream:)hmm) My goal today has been to ramp up my awareness in Waking life in hopes it will trigger a LD, there I can use my RC as a confirmation.

Thanks for the interest!

Excellent job on the podcast BTW, had a lovely flow and Rhythm to it, great format and information was interesting and valuable, please keep it up!
07-26-2013, 12:11 AM
CanisLucidus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kactus

Hi CanisLucidus!
Actually I remember after the RC, there was no real whoosh of excitement or sudden clarity or a definitely woah 'This is a dream' moment. There was surprise at the RC working and i preceded to bring clarity to my immediate area but somehow felt as though i was just re-enacting what i planned to do, kind of going through the motions. Previous times it's been a solid no-doubt scenario, no questions asked ' I am lucid'. Interesting.

I have come to the conclusion it was just a dream cause i was repeating the RC throughout the day. ( Although i could swear I knew it was a dream:)hmm) My goal today has been to ramp up my awareness in Waking life in hopes it will trigger a LD, there I can use my RC as a confirmation.

That sounds like a great plan! In the end, it really is all down to self-awareness. The reality checks are really there for confirmation and to help shock you into lucidity. I see the nose pinch RC on your list, and that's a great one for producing a fairly shocking effect. Breathing through a pinched nose feels so strange and runs counter to your normal expectations. I find that this one tends to help me get my head in the game in those instances where I'm a little wobbly awareness-wise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kactus

Excellent job on the podcast BTW, had a lovely flow and Rhythm to it, great format and information was interesting and valuable, please keep it up!

Thanks for the kind words! :) I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it. We'll be recording a new one soon!
07-29-2013, 08:59 AM
Kactus

Update: WILD WBTB. Dream recall very poor right now, few snippets of remembering here and there. Attempts to WILD unsuccessful the last few days. Getting about five and half hours sleep a night, with possible nap in the afternoon over the weekend.

Re-read Sageous's WILD sessions and making a start on Sivason's dream yoga section. Would like to go further in this direction of Dream yoga.
07-29-2013, 11:29 PM
CanisLucidus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kactus

Update: WILD WBTB. Dream recall very poor right now, few snippets of remembering here and there. Attempts to WILD unsuccessful the last few days. Getting about five and half hours sleep a night, with possible nap in the afternoon over the weekend.

Is there anything at all you can do to increase your amount of sleep? The difference in my dream vividness, lucidity, quantity, and quality is tremendous between 6 hours of sleep and 8 hours of sleep.
07-30-2013, 11:33 AM
Kactus

Quote:

Is there anything at all you can do to increase your amount of sleep? The difference in my dream vividness, lucidity, quantity, and quality is tremendous between 6 hours of sleep and 8 hours of sleep.

Absolutely, my short sleep is just because of baby feedings, I begin work again proper now after summer holidays and so my normal routine of 7-8 hours will phase in again. Looking forward to it! I will pick up where I left off.
07-31-2013, 05:54 PM
Kactus

So it's been a few weeks since my last LD. Then last night I became aware I was dreaming after a rather unpleasant nightmare scenario, regrettably I couldn't get out of there fast enough, hopefully with experience, I can override this Hastiness to depart and turn the experience to a more positive one.
08-11-2013, 12:47 PM
Kactus

I have been able to take some days of full uninterrupted sleep this week 7+ hrs and last night I experienced four or five mini lucid dreams chained together. Each dream longer and more stable than the last. I was very encouraged too that i remembered the TOTM, but as I was searching for a DC i awoke unfortunately. The LD's started up again naturally, not intentionally doing my usual WILD WBTB method and with no intent to LD (This was also encouraging)

On this occasion in (real life) i was outside in a tent with my son. It was raining and i was listening to the patter of the rain as i drifted off. I wonder if the sound of the rain on the tent was a factor or if it was just random, has anyone else experienced something similar?
08-17-2013, 10:11 PM
Kactus

I beleive i had another string of short LD experiences, It could have been however; as I discovered later in the experience one long LD with false awakenenings. Between 20.00 - 21.30 nap. Technique, failed WILD into a DEILD.

If I can give any advice to my intro class buddies is never assume you are awake, do your reality checks, do it multiple times and do a variety of them. Tonight I did the nose pinch breath at a time when I was sure I was awake between LD's. I 100% percent thought I was awake, but, as i had practiced it I did the RC anyway, and Wow! the nose pinch one is a bit of a shocker when it actually works. the first time I just didn't comprehend the breath, the second time I tried it I thought I didn't have a good enough seal, the third I thought maybe I had an extra nostril that the air was escaping from, (i know.... ) the fourth time I was there.... Finally:)

Dream included a Combination of flying, hiding from dream characters, walking through muddy darkness and popping out into ocean spray, lying in a stream, having conversations with someone, myself I assume. lots of falling and jumping from buildings.

Back to bed in an hour or so to try again.
08-19-2013, 04:49 PM
CanisLucidus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kactus

I beleive i had another string of short LD experiences, It could have been however; as I discovered later in the experience one long LD with false awakenenings. Between 20.00 - 21.30 nap. Technique, failed WILD into a DEILD.

If I can give any advice to my intro class buddies is never assume you are awake, do your reality checks, do it multiple times and do a variety of them. Tonight I did the nose pinch breath at a time when I was sure I was awake between LD's. I 100% percent thought I was awake, but, as i had practiced it I did the RC anyway, and Wow! the nose pinch one is a bit of a shocker when it actually works. the first time I just didn't comprehend the breath, the second time I tried it I thought I didn't have a good enough seal, the third I thought maybe I had an extra nostril that the air was escaping from, (i know.... ) the fourth time I was there.... Finally:)

Congratulations, Kactus!! :goodjob: Great work.

Your advice is spot on. It's so hard to internalize the idea, but it's true: any given moment of consciousness may just be a dream. This has to be an idea that your mind cycles back to at the right time.

Congratulate yourself every time this thought goes through your mind. All you have to do is have that thought go through your head when you're dreaming (something we do >10% of the time we're "conscious") and you are in.

Keep up the great work!
09-01-2013, 08:59 AM
Kactus

A small success last night with a lucid dreamlet from WILD technique. Involved getting stuck in an underground railway tunnel passage for a while. Luckily I met a kindly (DC) man in a suit who told me he had, had 90 LD'ers stuck in there that month alone and that he would get it fixed. .?.
09-17-2013, 07:54 AM
Kactus

A big Lucid dream event for me on the early hours of the 15th, between approx 04.00 and 04.38, achieving two of my three short term goals. Very pleased with this. Increase in Length and Clarity plus carrying out a simple task. Technique WBTB then WILD.
09-19-2013, 04:36 PM
CanisLucidus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kactus

A big Lucid dream event for me on the early hours of the 15th, between approx 04.00 and 04.38, achieving two of my three short term goals. Very pleased with this. Increase in Length and Clarity plus carrying out a simple task. Technique WBTB then WILD.

Congratulations again on this great LD, Kactus! Isn't it amazing finding out what you're capable of?

Now that you know you're capable of experiences with this much length and clarity, it sure makes the future look exciting! :goodjob2: Keep up the great work.
09-28-2013, 03:05 AM
Kactus

Just had my second intentional LD event string in two days! I will consider one more event this week as a move forward to more consistent LD'ing. Thanks DV's! More to follow. Going WBTB now for another try. :D
09-28-2013, 04:27 AM
CanisLucidus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kactus

Just had my second intentional LD event string in two days! I will consider one more event this week as a move forward to more consistent LD'ing. Thanks DV's! More to follow. Going WBTB now for another try. :D

Excellent news, Kactus! :goodjob: I'm really happy for you! That's a great step forward indeed.

In fact, you've got me feeling inspired as well. Maybe I can mimic what you've done here! Job well done and I hope you keep enjoying your continued success!
09-28-2013, 04:24 PM
Kactus

Thank Canislucidus! I'm super pleased. I actually made a hypnosis track for myself as a backup to a failed WILD, hoping to trigger a Lucid event within the dream itself.

It starts out with a relaxation for 15mins which i found on youtube, that was particularly relaxing to me, followed by my voice saying things like " next time you are dreaming you will know that you are dreaming" with some funky sounds attached. Not sure yet wether it's the actual track or the intention behind making the thing which appears to be working. I remind myself to RC and state the ones I have chosen (nose plug, look at hands, thumb through hand)

I've listened to it about six times now, plus for the few hours of constructing the track and I'm going to refine it every few days to make improvements. My second draft I entered a small bell on the parts that I state "do a reality check"
The intention is to attach the same bell sound to an alarm, the alarm will be set up to go off when I'm in REM. I am using an app I found called DreamZ to do this.

Right now It's still early days and with so many variables it's too early to tell if this method will work for me long term, having said that, it's a hell of a lot of fun! and I really enjoyed putting the track together, I would be happy to share but I would recommend putting your own voice and commands in there.

I think for the next draft I could add the task of the month in there as an interesting addition.
10-01-2013, 11:09 AM
Kactus

Follow up from last time. No new LD events to report this week, a little disappointed but I think still moving in the right direction. Mental note, not to rely on external things like the mp3 or app to much. Found a youtube video on reality checking recently and realised, I really don't go into enough detail and immersiveness to use it within a dream scenario. Additional goal will be to do Waking RC's more regularly and in more detail so they become habitual and then manifest in my Dream.
10-03-2013, 03:01 PM
CanisLucidus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kactus

Follow up from last time. No new LD events to report this week, a little disappointed but I think still moving in the right direction. Mental note, not to rely on external things like the mp3 or app to much. Found a youtube video on reality checking recently and realised, I really don't go into enough detail and immersiveness to use it within a dream scenario. Additional goal will be to do Waking RC's more regularly and in more detail so they become habitual and then manifest in my Dream.

Yeah, the big thing to remember about any external aid is that it's still you that becomes lucid. The aids are only there to magnify the skills that you've worked to cultivate. When you have a lucid dream, never forget that it was your skills and abilities that got you there! The external aid/device only helped.

Your lucids so far? All you! :goodjob2: