Bambrielle's Workbook

Entry #1

I'm pretty excited to be starting on this forum. I decided to join after listening to the podcast and I'm looking forward to trying some new techniques to induce lucidity.

I keep a written DJ by my bed in which I record detailed dream descriptions, doodle, and practice dream interpretations.

I go to bed between 10:30 and 12:30 every night (usually aim for 11, but shit happens) and get up at 8:00 everyday.

I want to reach lucidity because, as long as I can remember, there has been a specific boy in my dreams who is always with me, like a companion. I want to know who he is and why I feel so safe with him. Its like he's my other half, but there is no one like that for me in the waking world. I want to get to know this mysterious DC Guide who has been with me my entire life.

When I next reach lucidity, I want to ask the boy his name. And, if I am awake long enough, why he is always with me.

Looking forward to getting more involved in DVs and the lucid world!

-Bambs

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I go to bed between 10:30 and 12:30 every night (usually aim for 11, but shit happens)

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HA, Don't I know about this all too well.. :bedtime:

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as long as I can remember, there has been a specific boy in my dreams who is always with me, like a companion.

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Could very well be a dream guide. I'd really encourage you to seek them out, just don't loose yourself in the process of finding them. Because that thing happens some times. :shock: Hahaha. I'd like to add that you look like your optimizing yourself quite well to induce some lucidity. I'd also advise you to both look into, and use an RC, Or 'Reality Check' If you haven't already.

Some Background:

I first began to experiment with lucid dreaming after mentioning to a counselor that in almost all of my dreams I am with a boy. The same boy. My counselor was so intrigued that she explained the basics of how to achieve lucidity to me and two weeks later I was lucid. At the time I had paired my RCs with my watch, so that whenever I checked the time, I would be reminded to perform a RC and every time I performed an RC I checked my watch. When I was in my dream, I felt the need to check the time (because when you're robbing banks generally you have to move on a schedule). At the same time I subconsciously performed a reality check and discovered lucidity for the first time (the whole dream experience can be found in my DJ). After that first experience with lucidity, I tried a few more times to become lucid, but became frustrated after three nights with no lucidity and gave up all together. I wrote it off as a once in a lifetime opportunity and moved on.

Since then I had occasionally tried keeping dream journals off and on but never stuck with it--the failure of that first time still weighing me down. But this last Christmas my mother surprised me by purchasing me a book, "A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming." I guess I never realized that one experience had so much of an impact on me that I still brought it up every now and then. After reading the first few chapters I began to aspire once more to reach that alternate reality. And so I am back. Hopefully this time with more success.

Methods Being Practiced (with moderate success? and much failing):

1. MILD (& DILD): I mantra every night before I go to sleep and I change what I say each night in hopes of improving results (by switching it up I keep it fresh and reduce the likelihood that I consider it routine). I have also been using reality checks on a regular basis but I don't have a watch anymore and I feel like with nothing to tie my checks to they seem rather random and therefore non-committal. I would like to find a way to improve my RCs so that my DILD attempts are more feasible. I changed up my RCs for today and made sure to do a check whenever something odd happened (as was suggested in the intro guide). Some of the events I checked for were:
When I woke up (because why not?)
When I realized I was running 30 minutes late (because I haven't been late in months).
When I walked into work and saw an entire Indian tribe had set up a convention in the entry.
When I walked into physics and my Professor was melting balloons in liquid nitrogen.

2. WILD: I read (in one of my 5 books that I'm currently alternating between on the subject) that sleeping on your back increases the likelihood of lucidity, and twice a week I try to WILD while on my back. This is really difficult for me because I am a night-time side-sleeper and a nap-time face-sleeper. I have trained my brain to sleep deep when I'm on my side, and wake me after 20-30 minutes if I'm lying on my stomach. This essentially means my body doesn't know what to do when I sleep on my back. Idk, maybe it thinks I'm reading or watching a movie. The point it, that the first three times I tried to WILD I just laid in bed for two hours before I rolled onto my side to sleep. But last night, something different happened. For the first time, when I WILD I actually fell into a near sleep state, and began to feel like my body was actually falling through my bed. It was strange, and weird. But I was still too conscious of what was happening to actually sleep. So after two hours, I rolled over.

3. WBTB: I try this technique on nights when I'm not trying WILD because I can only loose so much sleep a night. This, even though it is said to increase lucidity by 60%, seriously only makes me want to kill myself 3 different times. First, when I'm setting my alarm for 5:way-too-fucking-early o'clock in the morning; second, when my alarm goes off at 5:way-too-fucking-early o'clock in the morning; and third, when I wake up and wonder why I ruined a perfectly good night of sleep for absolutely nothing at all. Because nothing happens. I am a really deep sleeper, and I honestly think that it is because I sleep so hard that WBTB doesn't work. I'm so tried by being woken up, that I sleep even deeper when I go back to sleep. I swear.

I've been doing this or two weeks with minimal results and could use some advice to improve my results.

-Bamb

The last few nights I have been trying unsuccessfully to WILD. It seems that the biggest problem for me is that I can't seem to relax enough to let my body fall asleep while keeping my mind conscious. I can lie in bed waiting for two hours and the most that happens is bouts of shivers after about an hour. At what point should I start seeing HI? How does one go about opening one's dream eyes without actually opening their physical eyes? I'm still trying to make sense of this since the very idea of WILDing blows my mind.

I'm right with you there on failing to WILD. lol I'm actually failing to properly sleep recently which I never thought would happen because of this hobby.
It's probably mostly because of other reasons though. I guess...

You know when you experience HI. Maybe you already do but you don't recognize it? It starts when you see random forms of random colors moving around while conciously watching the back of your eyelids. Pretty much like when you close your eyes and press on your eyes. When you get relaxed enough you start to see dream snippets. You feel how your mind wanders around through random visual scenes.

I don't have problems with getting relaxed actually. And I most certainly don't have problem with getting HI. Those are a daily occurence when I go to bed. But I never seem to drift of into an actual dream.
Yesterday evening was kinda interesting. I listened to some lucid dreaming playlist via Spotify which consisted of all sorts of really calm music especially made for lucid dreaming and I was so incredibly relaxed. I loved it. Unfortunately it was never enough to actually make me fall asleep even though I had tons of HI and dream snippets.
After 3 hours of enjoying this relaxation I got rid of the earphones and just tried to sleep regularly but just couldn't. I'm still awake and tired...
Maybe you should try some music. The Spotify Playlist I meant is this one.
Spotify is for free usually, but I wouldn't suggest using it for trying to fall asleep unless you try or buy Premium, because the free version has advertisement in between songs which would just throw you out of everything.

My favorite songs of this kind are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8aovhOuJE4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ9KHs17964
The Dream Machine by Lucid Dreaming World-Collective Unconcious Mind (Couldn't find this one on YT)

These songs are great! I might just purchase an album by Marconi Union and play it on a sleep timer while I'm falling asleep.

How long does it take you normally before you start seeing HI?

Also, I found this link helpful and you might find it helpful too if you're having trouble entering a dream during WILD: http://www.dreamviews.com/wake-initi...ntry-wild.html

Having been trolling the DVs Forums for a while as well as listening to the Podcast, I have compiled a list of things I wish to do in lucid dreams to give me something to work towards. Kinda like TOTM, but more like a list of Lucid Dream To-Dos. I tried to start small, then have my tasks increase in difficulty so that I can keep striving to improve my skill overtime:

1. Meet the Dream Guide
- Ask him his name, who he is, and if there is anything he wants to show/tell me.
2. Fly
3. Have Amazing Dream Sex
4. Find and Speak to Both the DC Version of a Family Member and a Friend.
5. Teleport to the Festival of Colors in India
6. Have a Conversation with a Historical Figure
7. Learn Telekinesis
8. Eat Exotic Dream Food
9. Ride a Horse Naked Through the Wilderness
10. Go on a Secluded Island Getaway
11. Find and Tame a Mythological Creature
12. Build My Own Civilization and Rule Over It as Queen
13. Shape-shift into a Dragon and Make Friends with a DC
14. Visit Another Planet with Sentient Life
15. Terraform a Planet and Watch a Life-form I've Created Evolve to Sentience

The list is set, now all I need is a lucid dream....