Benni's Workbook

[benni]

Hey, I have finally decided to start a workbook because I hope that I can gain some more insight and refine my techniques in order to have more frequent LDs, explore the world of my dreams more and of course to have more fun overall Reality Checks: - Nose plug (usually the most reliable RC for me) - looking at my hands - thinking about what happened in the last few minutes/ questioning my surroundings - trying to change objects or trying to make something appear - Sageous' Reverse RC (if you want to count that as a RC) Note: It has only happened once that a RC made me lucid so sometimes I don't even bother to RC after having noticed that I'm dreaming because it is so obvious to me after having noticed something out of place. (I just do it to increase vividness within my LDs. However I'm performing my RCs quite frequently in waking life probably at least once an hour and everytime something strange or odd occurs to me.) Dream Signs: - school - friends - friends from New Zealand (I have been there on an Exchange Year in 2011/12) - being in New Zealand again - my parents - travelling to places all over the world Short-Term Goals: - staying motivated - improving my prospective memory - including my LDing routines into my daily life more well Long-Term Goals: - more consistent LDs (~2-3 / week) - increasing my overall daytime awareness - having more success with MILD - my first successful WILD and DEILD (but that can wait for now) Lucid/Dream Recall History: I got to know about LDing in late 2011 when I was on an Exchange in New Zealand however I didn't find much time to practice and I didn't really think about it. After I had come back to Germany in July 2012 I read an article about LDing on the internet in autumn 2012 and I was quite stoked and ordered Stephen LaBerge's book and started writing a DJ. However I still didn't get very far... Untill I (quite randomly) discovered DreamViews last summer (~June 2013). I read heaps of articles on here and finally decided to sign up I started having frequent LDs and all the guides and discussions on here helped me so much! After the summer holidays I slacked off a little because school and LDing practices didn't seem to blend very well, but I have to admit that my LDing schedule was much too packed and there was almost no way of fulfulling my goals that I have set. So by now I am trying to keep up my current schedule which is not so packed in order to keep going with my LDing practices while my final exams in March and April are approaching. My dream recall is fairly good and I am consistently recalling 4-6 dreaming per night (sometimes it can be 8-11 dreams of which about 70% are fully recalled and the rest are fragments). There are some nights in which I recall only 2 dreams, but that's an exception. I have accomplished a few tasks within my LDs so far including: flying, levitating, meeting some celebrities and old friends, crossing an ocean, etc but there is much more to come like flying to space for instance (I'm a huge astronomy fan) and tasting food, talking to a clone of myself, etc.... So those tasks and many more (I have a list of things to accomplish within LDs) keep me really excited and motivated but also the ability to discover more about yourself that LDing brings with it keeps me stoked. Current Technique: - a mixture of ADA (combined with some RRCs for self-awareness), SAT, Autosuggestion and exercises for the prospective memory to improve my awareness - MILD at bedtime - WBTB combined with MILD when I can sleep longer than usual - the usual RCs I will try to update daily, but if I am too busy I will at least try to update my workbook every third day (depending on what I have to do for school). I hope to have some nice conversations on here and get some advice helping me to improve. I'm sure this will be lots of fun andvery helpful. Thanks a lot for offering this service to help fellow LDers to strive for their goals!

[NyxCC]

Hey Benni! Good to have you here! The exchange year in NZ where you had the chance to learn about lucid dreaming sounds like a great experience. I also find DV to be a great lucidity booster that has helped me a lot. Looking forward to reading your updates, helping out with whatever tips I can. Don't worry about the posting frequency, it isn't as important as keeping up the daily practices and dream recall. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us here or in the http://www.dreamviews.com/intro-clas...o-class-q.html thread. Enjoy the journey to lucidity!

[benni]

Thanks for the welcome and the fast reply! Yes, the year in New Zealand was great! Especially getting to know so many people from all over the world (I'm still in touch with many and I have recently visited a friend from Sweden ). Anyway, my update: I Had 4 really vivid dreams last night and two fragments which is alright I guess. Yesterday I was really busy which always makes it hard for me to keep practicing. That's what I'm also a little bit worried about: When I just casually go through the day without any special things and I'm just at school or meeting a friend oer doing my homework or going for a walk in the forest then I have no problems reminding myself of doing RCs or being aware and completing my prospective memory training properly for instance. However if I am doing special things that I'm not doing daily then I find it extremly hard to think of all those daily practices... Maybe it's because my brain seems to be a bit overloaded with the different situations so that there isn't much space left?! (Those days don't occur very often but yesterday was one of them.) Any advice on how to prevent my mind wandering off whenever I'm involved in exciting stuff? I might also want to add that it's the same in dreams: I usually become lucid when there are a few quiet moments within my dreams without being involved in any crazy or exciting activities - so my goal would be to keep my mind clear even when there is a lot of whirling going on around me I suppose it's about keeping a distance to the things that happen and not getting trapped within them but much rather critically evaluating them while going through my day I just don't quite know how to do that. Oh and another thing: I have my next LD planned already! In my most recent LDs I was just focused on having fun and doing as much things as possible, but by now I actually want to change that a little. I want to explore the feeling of LDs more and my plan was to teleport to NYC and sit down in a cafe, have some cake and actually have a nice conversation with a DC (preferably Karlie Kloss. She's one of my fav celebrities and I have met her in many NLDs and also in two LDs before and I really started to like her! I would consider her a "dream friend" of mine haha ). I have barely talked in LDs before because I was focused on doing fun stuff, but now I want to hear what my subconscious has to say! and I might also want to pay close attention to what the cake tastes like and what all the materials feel like.

[NyxCC]

When I just casually go through the day without any special things and I'm just at school or meeting a friend oer doing my homework or going for a walk in the forest then I have no problems reminding myself of doing RCs or being aware and completing my prospective memory training properly for instance. However if I am doing special things that I'm not doing daily then I find it extremly hard to think of all those daily practices... I find it very good that you have nicely incorporated RCs and being aware in your normal daily routine and that is surely going to transfer to dreamworld even more. Any advice on how to prevent my mind wandering off whenever I'm involved in exciting stuff? Well, first of all don't rush through anything you are doing even if it is uncommon and exciting. I usually take the opportunity to contemplate on the differentness of the experience if it is a more exciting one. Let's say you go out with friends to visit a place you usually don't go to. I would immediately relate this experience to the dream world - oh, now we are going on a trip, this is so exciting, it is just like in a dream. And as part of that excitement, you want to soak every aspect of what's going on, all the little details around you. So, just try to be as mindful as possible. I guess if you make it a habit to feel the excitement and at the same time relate the event to something similar happening during a dream, then you carry a bif of awareness while having fun at the same time. I have my next LD planned already! Oh, that is really good. I also think that having a plan or task to do for your next ld is very important. The things you want to do sound great! Good luck with your next ld and let me know how any dream food tastes (I've only had bread so far!).

[benni]

Oh thanks a lot! That actually helped a lot. Naturally I am a calm person anyway and I usually question things and look for mistakes where other people don't expect any so it should be easy and actually fun to look for differences between exciting and normal activities and trying to pay more attention to special things seems like a good idea. I have actually caught myself doing that at times - just thinking 'OMG how can that even happen? Seems like a dream!' If those kind of thoughts appear on a more regular basis then I think I'm on a great way to more regular LDs So that sounds fabulous - at least SOME awareness at all times even when I'm busy. Ohhhh nothing against a piece of bread! Did you have some butter and salt on it? And how did it taste within your dream? Bread can be delicious however I only eat crispbread (bad experience from New Zealand. They only eat this really soft and squishy toast/ white bread) so when I came back home I decided to go for crispbread and never have this squishy bread again (yuck). Anyway: Last night was quite bad. I didn't sleep quite so well (probably because today was the first day of school after the holidays) and I only remembered three fragments. It probably just takes some time to get used to getting up so early! But I did my MILD as always and I am planning to set my alarm for about 3-4 am tonight, do a little WBTB and do my MILD again so that I can have a LD tonight before having to get up at 6:30 am I am confident that it will work tonight! And I am also planning to put on a rubber band or drawing some mark on my hand from now on as to be reminded of being aware more frequently. I'm sure that this will be helpful especially at school. I finish this update by saying that I am highly motivated at the moment and that reading your reply lets me know that there are other people out there getting involoved in LDing all the time and that i am a part of this awesome community striving for discoveries within our dream worlds *how poetic* haha

[NyxCC]

If those kind of thoughts appear on a more regular basis then I think I'm on a great way to more regular LDs So that sounds fabulous - at least SOME awareness at all times even when I'm busy Exactly! That's a great attitude to have. Ohhhh nothing against a piece of bread! Did you have some butter and salt on it? And how did it taste within your dream? Lol, you must have eaten a lot of bread in NZ then! Mine tasted like normal bread, just taken out of the oven. I had another dream later on where I came across some food they were selling in the park - it was bread again, but more like a toast with some butter and unidentified spices. It looked really good, but had very little taste. Oh well, I guess I have to look for something else. Why do I never remember to go to the fridge when I have lds in the kitchen! Mmmm. I finish this update by saying that I am highly motivated at the moment and that reading your reply lets me know that there are other people out there getting involoved in LDing all the time and that i am a part of this awesome community striving for discoveries within our dream worlds *how poetic* haha Nice ending of the post, I like it! I also feel the same way, knowing that there are so many people lding out there, makes me really happy. Sweet dreams!

[benni]

Eating sounds like fun! I shall try that as soon as I get the next opportunity - it's quite high on my list of priorities I didn't plan to post an update today, but I really have to. My dream recall wasn't quite so again (2nd day of school today). I remembered two dreams and 2 fragments which is better than yesterday (that's good), but still not the usual six dreams per night, but I am certain that I will get there within the next few days of getting used to the school routine again However that's not the reason for this update. This is the reason: 14/01/2014 - 3rd LD in 2014 - The dream door, NYC and other strange occurences - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views I had a LD last night (you can read the entry if you want to). It was - considering that the feeling of being lucid is totally magnificent every single time - probably the most exciting of my LDs so far. I did some things that were more fun before in some other LDs, but using that dream door was exceptionally amazing! I just love how this doort appeared just because I wanted it to and how it precisely guided/brought me to my destination (which would take at least 10 hours in real life) in just no time at all!!!.... just.... I'm speechless! What are your stabilisation techniques? Do you have any other idea besides observing/feeling something nearby very thoroughly and rubbing your hands? I would have liked to keep the LD going for a little longer, but at the end I just couldn't prevent it from slipping away! At least it worked quite well in the beginning. And just one more question: I am in two minds somehow. As soon as I become lucid I am somehow trying to feel my sleeping body in order to ensure that I am dreaming (I also do that by RCing of course), but on the other hand I'm trying to prevent doing this in order to stay lucid and not wake up way too early because of somehow 'activating' my sleeping body. Would you suggest relying on RCs and not worrying about my real body at all? Another wee update: I feel like my prospective memory training is progressing and I am catching myself more and more thinking "dammit! I missed it!" So I think I am getting closer to noticing the things that I want to notice and hence catching more oddities within my dreams!. If I keep going like this, I am sure I will have my 4th and 5th LD of 2014 this week so that I can reach the 100 mark in 2014! 2x52weeks = 104! I will definitely go to bed early again tonight and maybe I will have another awesome LD! Sweet dream to you too!

[NyxCC]

Wow, Benny you are fast! Congrats on the ld! I'll catch up with you tomorrow because I want to take time to read it all!

[NyxCC]

Hey, read the entry, your recall is great! That is a very long ld too! The non-ld part of the dream was also very cool. It's really awesome to have dreams where you are visiting new cities. Very good catch noticing the slippers instead of winter shoes! Talking about stabilization, you fared pretty well here, examining the detail on the floor. Excellent job with the high tech teleportation door you found! It must have been really exciting when you opened it and saw NYC. And then the cafe and Karlie just as planned and Taylor Swift as a bonus. Man, you are already doing advanced tasks with such great dream control! What are your stabilisation techniques? Do you have any other idea besides observing/feeling something nearby very thoroughly and rubbing your hands Well, I do those two, plus the occasional running through the surface of object with my fingers and paying attention to the texture. More recently, I found I like to move a bit faster around when I feel the dream is slipping away or just pretend that nothing's happening and continue doing whatever tasks I had on my mind. And just one more question: I am in two minds somehow. As soon as I become lucid I am somehow trying to feel my sleeping body in order to ensure that I am dreaming (I also do that by RCing of course), but on the other hand I'm trying to prevent doing this in order to stay lucid and not wake up way too early because of somehow 'activating' my sleeping body. Would you suggest relying on RCs and not worrying about my real body at all? I understand what you mean, I sometimes try to remember if I was lying in bed the moment before I realized this was a dream, especially if I had been doing a wbtb. But then it's not really a good idea to think about your physical body too much as you said, this may wake you up. There are different ways to verify if it is a dream or not, sometimes there's a distinct dream feeling and you may know with great certainty. But it never hurts to do an RC, especially if you plan to do something wild. You can also do multiple RCs just in case. The jumping out of the window thing still gives me worries even if I know it is a dream, so right now I prefer to use other means to get down. They work pretty nicely and don't add up unnecessary stress. I use nearby objects to help me go down, branches, curtains, etc or simply climb down. Looking forward to your next awesome ld!

[benni]

Hey! Thanks for the kind words. The non-ld part of the dream was also very cool. Yes, I loved it! It was definitely one of those dreams that probably happen 2-3 times/months where I say "Wow, that was fantastic". Honestly it was one of those dreams that are more likely to become LDs because the NLD-part was already extremly vivid and nice and I tend to be more aware of my surroundings in vivid dreams because it makes everything so clear and hence increases the chances of spotting oddities. In the more unclear dreams I just tend to accept everything because it's all more like a blur of strange actions one after another... Anyway, that's what really keeps me going: looking forward to those kind of dreams that are just stuck in my head for ages.... You can look at another dream in my DJ called "first time in the USA"... That's exactly the kind of dream I'm talking about. It was probably the best NLD I have had so far even though nothing too special happened but the whole feel about it was just fanstatic! Do you know what I mean? - For me every dream has a different feel Man, you are already doing advanced tasks with such great dream control! Oh haha, yes thanks. I have to admit that this was the LD with the best control I have had so far. There were some other LDs that were quite awesome, but I always got through them without even stabilising somehow because I didn't really know how to use the stabilisation techniques properly, but now it just worked out so amazingly well that I'm not even worried about control and stabilisation anymore! The only thing I am strongly trying to improve now is the consistency/amount of LDs! I have the next one planned already! I definitely want to catch up on eating something and for some reason I want to have Karlie with me again! I always get such a good feeling when I'm with her in NLDs and LDs and she just became such a good buddy within my dreams even though I have no idea what she would be like as a friend in waking life... It is really strange but such a compforting feeling to be with her (maybe it's because she closely resembles the person that I once assumed to be my anima in a NLD?! - I can't quite remember what she looked like but I knew she was me! and Karlie pretty much resembles her whenever she appears in my dreams!) I honestly want to be with her in many more of my LDs so the plan is to use the lovely door again. I want to go to the top of a really high snow-covered mountin in a jungle or maybe right next to it and fly all the way up to the top. Then I'll get two nice and cosy winter jackets for Karlie and me and start bending the snow around us (time to give bending elements a try!) and then build an igloo with my bending skills! Then I'll go inside and finally eat the piece of cake I was planning to have and finally have a nice and long conversation with a DC! And if there will be some time left after all that - then I'm sure there will be a bed somewhere in the igloo.... There are different ways to verify if it is a dream or not, sometimes there's a distinct dream feeling and you may know with great certainty. But it never hurts to do an RC, especially if you plan to do something wild. Thanks for the advice! I have had this dream feeling as well. I usually just get this very brief moment after becoming lucid when thinking "Oh yeah, I just went to bed a few hours ago" and that just shifts my focus slightly, but from now on I will try to keep the focus on the dream world as much as possible and do some RCs instead (I'll just be creative and try making something appear! ) So, the actualy update: Two nights ago my recall went up to 6 dreams - some of them rather long and vivid (above average) so that was a good night. Quite interesting dreams - being followed by two criminals and getting shot at and then running away, finally finding a hospital where my sparkling body armour gets repared (I usually don't have those kind of fancy sciene-fictional dreams). Last night I was able to remember 5 dreams which isn't bad, but there was just one dream which was vivid and long which brings me to one/two questions. 1) Whenever I am setting my alarm (which is not so often during the week. Usually once per night at 4:00am if I have to get up at 6:30 am in order to just reaffirm my intentions, drop down some notes and fall asleep again) I usually shut the alarm off and sometimes fall asleep immediately! I lie still for a minute and the dreams come back to my mind and I think "oh yeahh, good. I'll write that down in a se...." BAM - asleep. And the next time I wake up.... all is gone! Any idea on how to prevent it because quite a deep sleeper (falling asleep quickly and not waking up quite so easily)? Maybe sitting upright while trying to remember dreams and reaffirming my mantras again? How do you do it? 2) I have to admit that my prospective memory training slacked off a little in the last two days... and I'm trying to get back to it more thoroughly. Any ideas on how to get focused better in order to spot more of my set-up events during the day (besides writing a daily schedule of what to look for)?? Thanks again and thanks in advance for replying, and I hope I will be able to enetertain you with some more LD stories as soon as possible!

[NyxCC]

I love your enthusiasm! Yeah, I also absolutely enjoy vivid dreams, especially ones involved with exploring and finding interesting stuff. I've found similarly to you that vividness may help bring lucidity, even with negative vivid events. But even with no lucidity, vivid positive dreams are awesome! I read your USA entry, it seems that you have a sweet tooth. I love shopping and exploring stores in dreams. Sometimes I think I like it so much it prevents me from becoming lucid, because there are always interesting items I end up examining. Great plan for the next ld! That's very interesting about meeting your anima in an NLD. The good thing is even if you don't remember her, the memory is still somewhere within you and may emerge at some point during a dream or as a flash during the day. I get memory references from previous dreams during lds and non-lds, it's pretty cool. This by the way can be very useful when it comes to dream control. We've already done tons of stuff in non-lds and we just have to be confident in lds and dream control will flow more naturally. Any idea on how to prevent it because quite a deep sleeper (falling asleep quickly and not waking up quite so easily)? Maybe sitting upright while trying to remember dreams and reaffirming my mantras again? How do you do it? I either use or an alarm or a natural wake to do a wbtb. Most of the time I would wake up naturally after getting 3.5-4 hrs of sleep or if I am feeling very sleepy after 5-6 hrs. If I notice that I feel extra sleepy for couple of nights in a row, then I would set the alarm, to be sure I don't miss a planned wbtb. At any rate, I always get up and visit the restroom first and if there's something I remember I would write down some notes. If it is exciting dream, then I would review it in my head to make sure I will be able to recall it later. If you are falling asleep too fast, I would suggest putting the alarm far from the bed so that you have to get up to reach for it. And as you said, it may help to be sitting in your bed while doing a revision of the dream, that way it will be less likely to fall asleep. There's also the option of drinking a bit of water before bed, to make sure you are going to get up. While I don't do this on purpose, I have a tea before bed, which has the same effect. Any ideas on how to get focused better in order to spot more of my set-up events during the day (besides writing a daily schedule of what to look for)?? It depends how many prospective things you have on your agenda. Writing them down is a good idea. I sometimes do training like "spot 5 things that may be dream signs", or "look for a particular DS". I try to mentally count each occurrence and then summarize them or carry a very small notebook where I can put a tick or write whatever was relevant to the daily practice. You can also use your mobile to write down notes. One other thing that I find really nice is to run through whatever has happened during the day from the present backwards and then from the past to the present. It takes like five min so you can do in the bathroom, while waiting on bus station, travelling etc. That way you can bookmark events in your mind and your memory improves too.

[benni]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy reading my posts and DJ entries. I get memory references from previous dreams during lds and non-lds, it's pretty cool. This by the way can be very useful when it comes to dream control. We've already done tons of stuff in non-lds and we just have to be confident in lds and dream control will flow more naturally. I understand the last sentence, but could you maybe explain the first bit in a little more detail? Especially the part with the "memory references". It sounds really interesting, but I don't quite get the idea of it. If you are falling asleep too fast, I would suggest putting the alarm far from the bed so that you have to get up to reach for it Yes that's probably the best idea. At least it will definitely get me awake enough to do a proper WBTB instead of falling asleep right away... I'm just a little bit worried that getting up quickly might decrease my dream recall... but I will be sure to try it that way and see how it ends up And thanks for the other advice as well! I should drink more before going to bed - makes sense and it is probably the best way to lead to a natural awakening if you are a deep sleeper. It depends how many prospective things you have on your agenda. I got the idea from this thread: http://www.dreamviews.com/attaining-...ml#post1969437 so just as stated there I usually write a list of 2-3 items in advance and then in the morning when I get up I try to memorise them as well as possible. Yesterday for instance I had to watch out for movie trailers, hearing the words "okay" and "wait" and hearing someone (including myself) talk about the weather. I think I did quite well and I caught myself at least 7 times missing something a few minutes after it happened. But I really like your tasks as well! I might do them soon when my propsective memory training is over (I don't want to load my schedule too much... Stress is probably my demotivation number 1 so I want to find the right amount of getting involved in things concerning dreams, but I don't want to structure my whole day according to practices... I did that before and it was a bad idea ._. ) run through whatever has happened during the day from the present backwards and then from the past to the present That definitely sounds lovely. I already stretched out my RCs by thinking about what I have done in the last hour (before I just considered the last 5 minutes which might have been a little short), but going over the whole day in the evening sounds good ... Sooo many things I want to try out hahaha. Maybe I should put all those bulletpoints on a piece of paper so I can see what I have planned. just a wee update: two nights ago I did great - rememering 8 dreams... I love those nights when I wake up, remember the last dream and suddenly many more dreams start pouring out of my brain and I just think "woaaah hold on, I can't write that quickly!!". Tonight I remember 5 dreams. Today I have to spot eldery people, people wearing ties and notice every time when I take or lay down any part of clothes... And I am pretty sure that tonight my next LD is coming because it's the last opportunity for this week and I really want to accomplish my goal of having two LDs/week!! And if not... oh well then I'll simply have 3 LDs next week =P haha Oh and if I can find some time (in between studying for the final exams and meeting friends) I really want to go through my old DJs and maybe write up some dreams in as much detail as possible and upload them here! Sweet dreams!

[NyxCC]

I understand the last sentence, but could you maybe explain the first bit in a little more detail? Especially the part with the "memory references". It sounds really interesting, but I don't quite get the idea of it I guess this is because I'm paying more attention to dreams, journalling and lding more often. Sometimes during a regular dream while doing something, for example climbing, I would remember that I have done something similar in a previous dream, this might then trigger lucidity. It's a bit different than recognizing DS though because not all references to past dreams include items that I have officially tagged as dream signs. Another example would be a memory of a place I remembered during an ld. At some point I had this dream about going to a ride in a amusement type of building, it was a really cool experience. Then during an ld I came across a building that reminded me of that place and I remembered this dream. The interesting part is I don't think I wrote that non-ld and I certainly didn't think about until I recalled it, yet I know it was a real dream memory that did happen. Memory during dreams is so intriguing. It's also much more vast than our normal waking life memory, which feels like a shorter term memory in comparison (because we are mostly focused on our present circumstances and think chronologically). But in dreams everything gets mixed up and spontaneous memories may arise. One thing I would really love to learn is how to call back those memories on demand, that would be really cool. I hope I'm not confusing you with my explanations. With your excellent recall, you will certainly be able to experience such things (if you haven't already) and play around with this. Sweet dreams!

[benni]

Oh no worries, after reading it twice it doesn't even seem so confusing anymore! I think I got the main idea of it. It seems to me pretty much like an autobiography of your dream world which is not like a book at all but much more like a huge collection of stories (without any particular order) of which any scene (theoretically) can/could be accessed at any time?! So basically if anything at all reminds you of something from previous dreams, then memories can be triggered... sounds extraordinarily cool! I suppose that it could be compared to a deja-vu in real life I really hope that I will experience this (maybe I have already? I shall look for it when I go through my journals soon). However what happens to me quite frequently is that fragments of some dreams and sometimes even whole extremly vivid dreams just randomly pop up in my mind when I see something in waking life... and then I try to figure out whether it's a dream that I have journaled already or a dream that I just recalled for the first time... it can be really tricky but I like it. Anyway I have considered to raise my goals after reading brandonboss' new thread http://www.dreamviews.com/attaining-...ml#post2075390. I am aiming for two LDs every night now in order to really affirm my will of raising my consistency (if I fail that's no problem. I just want to get across the message to my subconscious mind and assure that I will eventually get there)! I also like his idea of primarily focusing on one goal (for instance increasing the amount of LDs you regularly have instead of trying to focus on many things at once like having two LDs, accomplishing this and that, etc...). May I ask how many LDs you have per day/week/month whatever. I am really curious - sorry if that's a little too pushy. Another little plan: I want to get my sleeping schedule a little more straightforward. So I will continously go to bed by 10pm for at least the next 2 weeks and see how this affects my dreams and I also want to try to wake up right before my alarm goes off. Last night I went to bed with the intent of waking up several times after dreams and I actually managed to wake up twice with my eyes closed (which is good for DEILDs as I have heard), but I just fell asleep after a minute or so... I am not directly striving for a DEILD but if waking up with closed eyes becomes something regular now I shall at some point be able to actually induce a LD Sooo almost 9:30pm.... Time to get read for bed. See you and sweet dreams!

[NyxCC]

Oh, that's good! I'm happy you understood and actually explained it way better than I did! Anyway I have considered to raise my goals after reading brandonboss' new thread BB's Ideas, Thoughts, and Ramblings. I am aiming for two LDs every night now in order to really affirm my will of raising my consistency (if I fail that's no problem. I just want to get across the message to my subconscious mind and assure that I will eventually get there)! I also like his idea of primarily focusing on one goal (for instance increasing the amount of LDs you regularly have instead of trying to focus on many things at once like having two LDs, accomplishing this and that, etc...). May I ask how many LDs you have per day/week/month whatever. I am really curious - sorry if that's a little too pushy. Sounds good! I like BB's idea of shooting for the stars. I remember he actually said this in a thread. Definitely, try to get as many lds as possible. The trick indeed is not to get disappointed but keep on trying. For 2013, I averaged 18 lds a month. There have been lots of fluctuations, depending on all sorts of stuff but during my best months I did a lot of daily practice plus wbtb (and was also woken up involuntarily - I think we had some guests staying again, so this led to more wbtbs). Also, there was a competition going in one of the months which was very motivating and that helped too. Last night I went to bed with the intent of waking up several times after dreams and I actually managed to wake up twice with my eyes closed (which is good for DEILDs as I have heard), but I just fell asleep after a minute or so... I am not directly striving for a DEILD but if waking up with closed eyes becomes something regular now I shall at some point be able to actually induce a LD Nice! Intent is extemely important if not the most important thing in lding. If you manage to learn to wake up by willing it like that, this opens up opportunities for deilds or wbtbs, where you can additionally reaffirm your intent of having a lucid dream. Good luck with your practice and sweet dreams!

[benni]

Oh yes, I love BB's ideas! However I have discovered yet another thread that did exactly what I was too lazy to do in the last few weeks/months: summing up everything important! http://www.dreamviews.com/induction-...ml#post2076092 This is just soooooo incredibly aweeeesome! I copied this arrow diagram (with all the techniques) from the thread and I'll add some notes to each technique This perfectly describes what I am trying to do every day and having it right in front of my eyes is just a huge help! Intent is extemely important if not the most important thing in lding I couldn't agree more! Some of my friends whom I talk to about dreaming occasionally always ask "Oh my god, I can barely remember any dreams! How do you remember so many?" and when I say "I just tell myself that I want to..." they never believe me and think there is some kind of magic going on xD hahaha Most people don't believe that intent is all (or at least the main part) there is to do. I might not update my workbook in the next two days because apparently I am just trying to further incorporate my daily practices into my routine and heighteneing my awareness... so nothing too exciting is happening (of course that's very exciting, but I don't want to write the same every day )... unless there will be ld tonight (which shall be the case!) Just one more thing: In the thread I linked you, Burke mentioned how he once did a RC counting 7 fingers and not minding it at all... and guess what?? After reading this, that's exactly what I did last night! SO CLOSE TO A LD! I was on my way to school in this NLD and I looked at my hands and yep... my vision was blurry but I was somehow counting 7 fingers. I thought "Ohh, that's a little bit weird" and after staring at them for a little longer I lost two fingers and everything was as usual.... That was sooo annoying to lose this chance but really funny at the same time Anyway, I hope this won't happen again - learning from failures probably gives you even more insight than always succeeding At least I failed in a funny way and this entry will make a good read in my DJ Thanks again for all your lovely and quick replies! I just love coming online and seeing one of your replies in my workbook - always makes my day a little better See you and sweet dreams!

[NyxCC]

Hey, thanks for the link! This really looks like a nice summary and it always helps to go over these things again and again. Just one more thing: In the thread I linked you, Burke mentioned how he once did a RC counting 7 fingers and not minding it at all... and guess what?? After reading this, that's exactly what I did last night! SO CLOSE TO A LD Oh, that's awesome! I love those times it gets so close to ld! Even if it's miss, it's still a really good sign that all the practices are working and an ld is coming soon! Great to read your entries too Benni! Lots of luck, motivation and awareness to you! Sweet dreams

[benni]

HEyyy! 1010458_667673613271680_1353250238_n.jpg (I hope everything works fine because this is one of my first times of posting pictures....). Anyway if everything worked as I wanted it to work then you should see my fact sheet that I came up with after reading the thread about the new MIT technique by Burke which really is sooo helpful to me - and probably many more LDers out there who were looking for a good overview to see all the relevant things in one reasonably short post. Pardon my messy handwriting, but writing small isn't really my strength =P What do you think it about it? I have to say that I didn't add too much concerning WILD and DEILD because my experiences with those two forms of LDs are... frankly... not existing - but I hope to get into it soon after raising my DILD count/consistency a little more. update: I feel like today was a good day and I did SAt every 1.5-2 hours and my overall awareness was a lot higher than average (mayber a LD is coming?!). Even while talking to people and while solving exercises at my maths class I was able to keep up my awareness which is a good step forwards and I feel like my awareness during the 'busy times' is improving at great lengths! I guess this will be the key to lucidity since all my NLDs are more or less 'exciting' and if I can manage to be aware in those busy daytime situations then DILDs will begin to flow! My prospective memory training is continuing like before, my sleep schedule has become more consistent and my recall is as always (3 days ago: 3 fully recalled dreams, 2 days ago: 4 fully recalled dreams and one fragment and last night: 6 fully recalled dreams and two fragments! ) I will consider to draw an "A" on my hand starting on Monday to keep up my good awareness during activities that tend to capture my awareness - so everytime I see the "A" I will think (Example "ohhhh wait! I'm just minding my business so absentmindedly! I should probably see what's going around here. Where am I? Why am I here? Is everything where it is supposed to be and can I breathe through my plugged nose?!?! ... No, I can't. But if this was a dream, I would levitate off my chair and fly elsewhere....." *Visualise* (end of example ) Anyway, somehow I have this feeling that you will hear about my next LD before the next week starts! I simply can't finish this week without a LD. That would be nearly 14 days without a LD... that's just not an option! Sweet dreams!

[NyxCC]

Yep, everything uploaded properly. Very nice fact sheet with the all the revelant stuff needed for a multiple attack on lucidity. I think that if one follows such a program consistently (as you put it in your notes), it should really maximize the chances for lds. At any rate, it is very important to plant the expectation of an ld with RCs/ADA as well as during wbtbs. I think you are doing pretty well telling yourself to remember your dreams with intent and expectation, so focusing your attention on having lds should involve a similar process. Really nice to hear that you are pumping that awareness and being able to keep it even when busy. I'm already getting excited about this! Sweet dreams!

[benni]

Apparently, this is day 13 without a LD... So instead of being disappointed (maybe a tiny little bit), I thought about why this is the case.... And my DJ showed me something that I didn't expect! I noticed that in the last 13 days I had the same sheets on my bed and I really don't like the feel of them... They are so soft and slippery. But even further: With the sheets that were on my bed before those 13 days I had 3 LDs within 10 days! I know, this sounds extremly odd, but I actually consider that those sheets might play quite a big role in becoming lucid because everytime I wake up with those new sheets I am extremly annoyed because my whole blanket is just one messy ball of fabric due to the slippery surface of those sheets! Soooo obviously I changed them today and I am quite excited to see how it will influence my sleep and my dreams. Maybe it's only sort of a placebo effect because I believe that this will change something, but maybe it actually does change something! I have heard that many factors like brightness, temperature and background noise can affect the quality of one's sleep and dreams greatly so why not the sheets on your bed as well?! I REALLY hope that this will give me a LD tonight because it's time to get motivated again! I'm always really stoked after every LD so they always help me to keep up my practices - and even if it won't help I will still stay consistent because I know that at some point the time will have come when being aware is just a routine and doing RCs properly will be just as easy as drinking water... and by then I will have consistent LDs! But of course I'm setting my intent to really strive for LDs every single night! Also I am thinking of other things (besides the sheets) that I have done or any circumstances whatsoever that could have influenced my sleep previously because there were times (before taking a little LDing break) when I had 2 LDs/week over a time span of about 3 weeks... so I really want to get there again as a solid base and then work my way up from there Anyway, my recall is stable as always. I'm trying to be as aware as possible and I'm striving for a DEILD even more now in order to raise my LD count. I had a look at Dutchraptor's DEILD guide which seems fairly easy so I will give DEILDs a try whenever I wake up still. Do you have any advice on how to perform DEILDs (the part after waking up and staying still). That would be great. Sweet dreams!

[NyxCC]

So basically these bedsheets you've been using in the past week are made from some sort of material that gives you an unpleasant overall feel, right? I'm totally for changing things to make yourself more comfortable and also changing bedsheets quite often (I don't even want to start on how alergic these things can make you sometimes). Also, letting in a bit of air before bedtime might bring in extra oxygen, etc. I'm always really stoked after every LD so they always help me to keep up my practices - and even if it won't help I will still stay consistent because I know that at some point the time will have come when being aware is just a routine and doing RCs properly will be just as easy as drinking water... and by then I will have consistent LDs! But of course I'm setting my intent to really strive for LDs every single night! You are absolutely right about this! It does become a habit for the subcon and you are more aware in dreams and start thinking about lding at some point and then you might do a RC and surprise! I remember this time when I was having a normal dream and messing around by announcing that I will do a RC by reading some strange text. I genuinely believed this to be rl RC but the text changed and I became lucid. Do you have any advice on how to perform DEILDs (the part after waking up and staying still). That would be great. I usually DEILD after an ld, so I just stay still and either strongly desire to be back at the same dream that just ended or I have no particular scene in mind but eagerly wait for the new scene to start. It's generally somewhat easier and quicker than classical wilding. Also, there's this non-ld DEILD thing that's pretty interesting and it might give you an idea of what feeling to look for. For example, you have a really cool dream you enjoy so much you wish to be back there. You wake up, will this thing to happen, fall asleep and then you are in a similar non-ld. On the back of your mind you still know you are dreaming, but you have given up the control to fully participate into the non-ld. It's the same sort of determination and desire that you bring with you when you want to DEILD, but you add some extra awareness, expecting to be in the dream lucid. It will be cool to experiment with this, especially since you are a deep sleeper, this might help for the dream to pick up faster. Sweet dreams!

[benni]

So basically these bedsheets you've been using in the past week are made from some sort of material that gives you an unpleasant overall feel, right? Yes, exactly! I just really don't like them anymore even though they are really pretty... I usually change my sheets quite often in summer when it's warm, but during the winter months I leave them on for 10-14 days, but I shall change them a little more often. This refreshing feeling of new sheets always gives me a good nights sleep! And I also open the window before going to bed for a few minutes and whenever it's above 10°C I leave it ajar all night long to get some good air. I was having a normal dream and messing around by announcing that I will do a RC by reading some strange text. I genuinely believed this to be rl RC but the text changed and I became lucid. That is so cool! I have some similar memories but I've never managed to get lucid through any of those... I'm just too engaged in those dream actions most of the time. Concerning DEILDs: Thanks for your advice! I always try it whenever I wake up still with my eyes closed and if there are no results after ~5-10mins I just get up quickly (hoping to be in a dream and doing a RC). If it's not a dream I just have some water and go back to sleep. Two nights ago for instance I missed a LD again (which means day 15 withou lds ) I had quite a realistic and vivid dream where I sat at school with some friends. We were talking and I somehow had this "dream fading"-sensation after a while and I knew "This must be a dream", but in the same instance I knew that I was awake with my eyes closed... Apparently my throat was very dry and my teeth hurt (stupid sleeping position) so at some point after trying to get back into the dream I just had to move... Anyway; every failure teaches me at least something new and I'm sure that at some point I will have a good sleeping position upon waking up and enough power to get back into my dream scene! Anyway I had a look at my schedule again still wondering why I had no LD in the last 15 days... That's by far the longest period of time without any lucid moment whatsoever. I think it's just that I don't seem to loosen myself from being too engaged in my daily actions! I will just continue to draw an A on my hand daily and try to think of SAT every now and then My propsective memory training has been getting worse every single day and I fail at pretty much any event that I am trying to notice. I actually don't know why because I do things just like I did them in the beginning - oh well, I will just keep at it and at some point more LDs will come, but it's still irritating to have no LDs at the moment even though I am very consistent. But the time will come. Maybe it's because I have to study for school a lot more than a few weeks ago, but I will take some time and read through some old tutorials on Dreamviews and through my old DJs - this always gets me in the right mindset! I think it's very important to gain some distance between the things I do and my mind watching over those things (as you said before). I shall continue trying to achieve a neutral view on things before getting too engaged Wish me success so that tonight I can finally go the jungle and start snowbending on the mointain with Karlie (apparently I start missing her since she has become a friend of mine within the dream realm! so the next Ld can't be far away!) Sweet dreams!

[NyxCC]

Two nights ago for instance I missed a LD again (which means day 15 withou lds ) I had quite a realistic and vivid dream where I sat at school with some friends. We were talking and I somehow had this "dream fading"-sensation after a while and I knew "This must be a dream", but in the same instance I knew that I was awake with my eyes closed. That's a nice catch even if it was at the end of the dream. It shows you are paying attention subconsciously! I think this is really good! Anyway I had a look at my schedule again still wondering why I had no LD in the last 15 days... That's by far the longest period of time without any lucid moment whatsoever. I think it's just that I don't seem to loosen myself from being too engaged in my daily actions! I will just continue to draw an A on my hand daily and try to think of SAT every now and then My propsective memory training has been getting worse every single day and I fail at pretty much any event that I am trying to notice Ok, just don't worry about it. I know from experience it really doesn't help to count the number of days since your last lucid or having any thoughts of failure because that really influences your subcon. You are thinking about lucidity on a daily basis and doing the practices and that's what matters. Nobody expects that you do all of them with the same amount of effort every single time. Maybe it's because I have to study for school a lot more than a few weeks ago, but I will take some time and read through some old tutorials on Dreamviews and through my old DJs - this always gets me in the right mindset It's quite possible. That's a good idea, those things are a great source of inspiration. I think you are on the right path and you will soon catch yourself dreaming in some nice place and do all the cool things you have planned! Oh by the way have you already played with this DEILD alarm thing, got a reference about it from Steph. Sweet dreams and good luck!

[benni]

Hey thanks for the nice words! having any thoughts of failure because that really influences your subcon. You are thinking about lucidity on a daily basis and doing the practices and that's what matters. You are totally right about that! I mean - yes - it is a little bit discompforting not to have a LD recently, BUT I should probably remind myself of your words more often. This is not a competetion so there is no failure. I do all those things because I like to do them and hence at some point i WILL succeed. Actually I succeed with every single dream that is written down in my journal because it is one more story or facet of the dream realm that I managed to capture! I know that it is a bad idea to think about failures and to count days, but sometimes I just can't refrain, but that will end right now! I shall look at it as if it is something I love doing - which is true of course - so building my practices upon this thought instead of the thought of trying to succeed all the time is probably much much better... Oh by the way have you already played with this DEILD alarm thing, got a reference about it from Steph. Are you talking about the alarm clock with the autosnooze function? If yes, then: I have used it before, but it didn't help me too much... As I said previously I'm such a deep sleeper and I missed the alarm on >50%! :O If you are talking about something else, then no? And thanks again for those kind words!! I think today is a good day because I came to this conclusion: building all my expectation and motivation on a thought that stems from anything similar to a competition with an option like "failure" is definitely not the greatest way of enjoying my hobby of dreaming! It is much too focused on seeing success everywhere and all the time. Focusing on the "process" itself because it is the reason why I am doing all this is much better. The process itself never disappoints - but amuses and amazes instead! So from now on I shall enjoy every little step because the steps provide me with reason for being on this journey - the anger about failing just adds to a bad temper that should have never been there in the first place... I think this just was some little enlightment you gave me right here!!! Thank youuu <3 ! Oh and today was one of those "good dreaming days" again! Some pretty unforgettable dreams. In the last 2 days the dreams were a little blunt, but tonight it was much more a rollercoaster ride of fun and nice experiences This always makes my day before even getting up (except for a WBTB ) Sweet dreams and most importantly: enjoy hehe

[NyxCC]

I do all those things because I like to do them and hence at some point i WILL succeed. Actually I succeed with every single dream that is written down in my journal because it is one more story or facet of the dream realm that I managed to capture! One thing that has changed since I started being more serious about lding induction and from paying more attention to dreams and dream experience is acquiring this appreciation for all sorts of things. I would walk down the street and notice the breeze and feel as joyful as if it is a dream (I enjoy this during a lucid, so why not enjoy it in real life). When the sun is shining, I would pay attention to the light being reflected from different objects. I would marvel the little droplets of rain on my window which would shine like tiny crystals at sunset. And when it comes to dreams, I have started noticing story lines developing over long periods of time in non-lds. I would often dream of a friend of mine and her having parties at this apartment of hers in the past, weirdly a lot dreams with her would revolve around either mentioning these past parties, that mostly took place in the dream or they would involve her apartment or getting a new place in one way or another. It's quite interesting since I haven't been in contact with her for years and don't too often think about her, yet these stories happen every once in a while. And there seems to be a very vague connection between many other dreams like this. Then I would take special notice of negative dreams and meditate on them, trying to release emotions that have been trapped, like being unable to express anger would circulate in dreams making its own stories. Weird stuff. So, yeah, there's definitely more than enough to explore and play with. Are you talking about the alarm clock with the autosnooze function? If yes, then: I have used it before, but it didn't help me too much... As I said previously I'm such a deep sleeper and I missed the alarm on >50%! Lol! I have tried it once so far with similar results, but I'm still quite curious if it will be able to bring me an ld this way. Must try again sometime. The process itself never disappoints - but amuses and amazes instead! So from now on I shall enjoy every little step because the steps provide me with reason for being on this journey That's true. I think it is much more fun like this. Think of it as great journey with endless possibilities, which it really is. You learn and experience something new at every step of the way. Lots of inspiration to you and sweet dreams!