tywilliams' Workbook

[tywilliams]

Hi everyone, I'm Tyler, I'm very new to lucid dreaming, and I'm very excited to have come across this site. For me, interest in lucid dreaming comes as part of a fascination I have developed with the imagination, visualization, and conscious/self-awareness. The catalyst to all of this was initially the realization that I have very weak visual imagery. Since then, I have realized that my conscious awareness in waking life is what I would describe as incredibly low, especially with regard to visual awareness. My journey, as it stands now, is equally one of awareness in waking life as well as in the dream world. My research has lead me to believe that Lucid Dreaming is going to be a vital component in the development of my visual and sensory imagination, as well as my awareness and observational skills in the real world. So, this journal will essential serve to document two separate objectives: 1- Development of ability to lucid dream, and all goals within the scope of the dream world 2- The subsequent impact and integration of Lucidity in dreams upon waking consciousness/awareness and visual imagery I have had one lucid dream. It came on a night when I just couldnt get to bed, so I laid there and tried to force myself to sleep but was unseccessful for hours. Eventually, i heard a loud buzzing noise, and once I got the courage to let it come over me, I entered a dream. I was aware that I was dreaming, but could not control the scene or even my own body. weird! My present dream recall is quite good, I remember at least one dream per night and often more, except they seem to blend into one another quite a bit.. ie i cant distinguish which fragments correspond to which dream sometimes. side note: if anyone here has any insights or personal experiences regarding the correlation between visual imagery and lucid dreaming, (i.e. you have amazing visual imagery and you lucid dream often) I would love to hear more about your thoughts! So without further ado, here's my workbook! I will update it frequently as I develop my own routine -Reality Checks: Finger through palm Short term Goals: Have a lucid dream where I am in control of my body Lucid dream on a weekly basis Raise conscious awareness during the day Begin to develop visual imagery with LD and practicing imagination Long term goals: Lucid dream nearly every night Explore my subconscious mind Develop strong visual imagery and self awareness techniques being used: meditation WILD WBTB updates coming soon!

[Chimpertainment]

Welcome tywilliams! glad to have you here! lookin forward to your updates

[CanisLucidus]

Welcome to the class, tywilliams! side note: if anyone here has any insights or personal experiences regarding the correlation between visual imagery and lucid dreaming, (i.e. you have amazing visual imagery and you lucid dream often) I would love to hear more about your thoughts! Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts in this area, although I'm still forming a lot of these opinions. Since I was young, I've always had a pretty vivid imagination and visualization comes very naturally to me. This was something that I cultivated largely with practice so I'm not sure that it's any natural talent of mine so much as just something I focused on. I always felt that it was a bit sad that I couldn't actually experience the things that I imagined. Visualization can be immersive in its own way but it's still a very different beast from waking life experience. Lucid dreaming unites imagination and experience in a way that I never thought was possible. Once I experienced this for myself, I knew that it was something I'd pursue forever. Good luck and I'm looking forward to seeing your progress!

[tywilliams]

Thank you guys! CanisLucidus, thank you for your input.. Visualization is such a subjective experience, so it's tough for me to know where I stand compared to others, but I can only assume that I'm less skilled than most. Still though, I'm convinced that the gateway to the imagination is through the eyes.. I find that more and more, as I practice being aware of what my eyes are seeing, watching visual scenes unfold as I move in and through them, paying close attention to space and time, I notice the feeling I get from any particular experience - even mundane tasks. Also, I have had mild astigmatism all my life but never wore glasses, I wonder if that kind of visual disturbance could contribute to the sensation being overlooked in the imagination.. Anyway, on another note, I had my first full Lucid dream last night!! Got into bed at around 12:30am... was not so sleepy, but relaxed my entire body by focusing on each part.. Already, the visuals started coming to me which is unusual for me... As I relaxed each body part, I could faintly imagine that part in my mind, wrapped in a blue-ish energy.. by the time I get to my neck, a visual scene has formed, and I can see two other people, as well as several blue energy beings with bright yellow eyes.. they appear to be approaching my 'comrades', and pulling them into a void, a portal of sorts... It is my turn, I focus on relaxing my neck and head, the spirit pulls me backward, and my whole body is covered in a numb energy.. at this point, i've come to realize that i've just entered a hypnagogic state. My visual field becomes covered in dancing shapes and patterns, mostly yellowish brown, and this continues all the way through to my peripherals.. I kindof went blank, not sure If i should try to imagine something or just watch, and eventually my eyes got super dry, and felt the hypnagogia fade.. eventually I gave up since it didn't seem to be going anywhere (can anyone comment on this experience?). I change positions and fall asleep. Later in the night, I am dreaming about camping.. I wake up, realize the opportunity, and lay still to perform a WBTB. within seconds, I feel numbness creeping up my body, a static sound in my ears, and in my visual field it looks like i being teleported through a staticky portal. I submit to the growing sounds and distorted visuals, and I am thrust into a dream... Everything is wobbling, but takes a few seconds to stabilize.. I quickly realize I am in the same dream as before! I look down at my hands, and... success! two of my fingers are missing and things just don't look right. I remained entirely calm, so as not to wake up form excitement, but still, I was taken by surprise by having gone lucid so I wasn't sure what to do.. I just wandered around the dream scene, performing a bunch of reality checks just to see how it would feel.. Pinched by nose, jumped up, checked my watch, everything confirmed that I was dreaming. I explored a little more before deciding to try to fly. I made my way outside, trying to stay calm, rubbing my hands together to try to keep the dream going. I guess I either got excited, or my dream time was simply up, but I awoke after what felt like 4-5 minutes of lucid dreaming. I went back to bed, and had a long, vivid non-lucid to follow. What a night! can't wait to try again tonight.

[CanisLucidus]

Congratulations!! Great job hitting the LD. It sounds like this was a DEILD, is that right? And a really well-executed one at that! And if I'm not mistaken, this is your first? That's an awesome moment and I'm very happy for you! Now that you know what you're capable of, this is just the beginning!