Thread: Mouse's Workbook

This morning I couldn't remember many dreams. Actually, I could only recall one dream, and it was dark and unclear. I didn't try WBTB last night because I went to bed so tired.

I don't usually nap, but I figured I'd try today. I did a few cycles of SSILD while I was trying to fall asleep. I wasn't able to fall asleep, but I did get some interesting hypnagogic images, and one pretty clear sound. I heard someone say, "Was I flying?" I felt really close to falling asleep then, but that sort of shocked me out of it. I had the feeling I was in some kind of plane, with a cockpit built like the cabin of a big boat. Probably was trying too hard to fall asleep at that point, I was really trying to focus on what I saw/heard.

I'm going to start lesson II this weekend. Thinking about starting a DJ on here, too, just for my most memorable dreams. I read that sharing can make dreams seem more real, so it surely couldn't hurt.

Also, an observation I had the other day: when I dream of places I regularly/have regularly visited, they are always a lot more vast than in real life. E.g. I live beside a small creek in a little "ravine." In my dreams it resembles a canyon with a river in it. But my house is there, and it still *looks* like the creek. Actually, my dreamscapes are usually quite big.

Sooo that's that for today. Thanks for reading!

This morning I had to work, had my alarm set for 4:30 AM. I woke up at 2:30 AM naturally. I felt very alert and not at all tired. Didn't think at all about dreams, just that I had to be up within two hours. It *felt* like I spent the next two hours tossing and turning, but I ended up sleeping through my alarm, and I woke to my dad tapping on my door. Almost immediately I started to remember my dreams.

It's been quite a while since I've recalled so many of my dreams in one night, and in such detail. Last night's dreams also taught me something else about myself; I normally dream in tunnel-vision. I never see anything beyond what I'm focused on. Last night was different, there were corners to the rooms instead of just shadows, there were backgrounds behind the DCs that I spoke to (I don't usually speak with DCs either. Did a lot of that last night.) So, I feel pretty awesome about last night (this morning?) even though I could've slept better.

I can't help but wonder if I was just sensitive to the natural awakenings we have after dreaming. I definitely woke up more than the two times I mentioned, which is why I felt like I wasn't getting any sleep. I know I read in the comments of MasterMind's technique (keeping a waking journal) that others experienced the same.

I have to work in the morning, so I'll be waking up early again tomorrow. I won't be trying WBTB unless I have another natural awakening. Will be researching other methods tomorrow after work for the next lesson!

Sweet dreams!

Day 3

Was too tired to try WBTB. Didn't wake up during the night. I did remember some dream fragments, which I normally have a lot of trouble with if I'm that tired.

Day 4

I set two alarms for early this morning, but I either slept through them, turned them off in my sleep, or I woke up and I can't remember it. This morning was weird; I normally get out of bed right after waking up, but I woke up really slowly this morning. I was awake and thinking about my dreams before I'd even realized that I was awake, or before I moved. I could remember a lot more details before I got up too. I dreamt of something that made me a lot more aware of the dreamscape. I definitely wasn't lucid, but I could tell that something was off.... I also remembered quite a few other dreams, but I lost a lot of details when I got up.

After researching some other induction techniques, I've decided to work with just ALA and my waking journal for the next two weeks. After my awareness improves, I'll try SSILD some more.... Judging by my dreams, ALA is definitely helping!

I got lucid! For a total of one second, but it happened. It wasn't strong lucidity, I just could *tell* I was asleep. The dream ended right afterwards, I didn't have time to even move. If the realization excited me, I can't remember it. I also didn't really feel the urge to do anything, but I was pretty interested in the dream I was having.

I did a WBTB this morning at 5:30, and I woke up 90 minutes later with that dream (plus about five more) in my head. The really weird thing is that, whenever I try WBTB, I can't seem to remember any dreams. But when I fully wake up in the morning, I find myself remembering tons of little dream fragments, which I'm then able to piece together. This seemed to happen the past two days, and on day 2 as well. Maybe I'm just not waking up enough for the WBTB (which I think could be very likely, I try not to wake myself up too much or else I'll have trouble falling back to sleep.)

Also... I said I was using "ALA" in my last post... I meant ADA. My apologies for any confusion that may've caused!

This morning I only recalled two dreams, but one of them was longer than what I usually remember. I was really tired yesterday, that may've had something to do with it. Planned on doing a WBTB around 3:30 this morning, but I can't remember hearing my alarm/turning it off.

I think I became lucid again, very briefly, last night. Unfortunately, when I remembered this dream fragment, I decided to write it down a few minutes later.... When I realized that I couldn't remember it anymore. I just know that I'd been standing somewhere, inside, and I looked around and decided that I had to be dreaming. The dream ended right after that.

I don't want to count this and my other brief lucid dream in my total count. I was lucid, but for such a short amount of time that it's ridiculous... It's exciting though!!

Thanks for reading

Wow, day 7 already! Time goes by pretty fast when you're catching dreams, it seems!

Set two alarms for this morning, one at 4 and one at 5. No luck; I keep sleeping through them. So today I have started using a mantra, "I am aware of waking after my dreams."

I did have some really vivid dreams last night into the morning, and I had a FA. One thing I need to improve on is doing RCs after I wake up. It takes me 30+ min to wake up fully enough to do a good RC.

I'm beginning to think I'm wearing myself out with ADA. I'm doing ~30 second sessions at least once an hour, so really not much, but autopilot was my life two weeks ago. If I'm still feeling out of it by the weekend, I'll take a little break.

I'm feeling better today, not as tired. I've altered my RC a little bit. Basically, I can't recall ever seeing my body in dreams, except in nightmares. I haven't had a true nightmare in years, so.... Every time I RC, I start off by checking that I can see my body, and that it's not neon blue or something. Then I do the other things, general awareness and a nose plug.

I could only remember one very brief and faint dream from last night. It took me a few minutes to figure if I had actually dreamt it or not. It seemed like a very real-life memory, but I'm sure I didn't experience it IRL, not any time recently.

Thanks for reading!

Day 9, I was too tired to get anything productive done. Could only remember one vague dream.

Day 10, again unproductive. I set an alarm but slept thru it. I woke up naturally an hour and a half later, and I could remember a dream, but I was too tired to get up and write it down. Slept for another two and a half hours and I couldn't remember any more dreams.

Last night I was very tired when I went to bed. When I'm that tired, I actually tend to have trouble falling asleep, so I did a few SSILD cycles. My mind started to drift after the first cycle, and I redirected my thoughts back to the cycles. Crystal-clear, pristine images started to form before my eyes. They weren't like the images I see when I try to imagine things like that, they just appeared and they were so clear and realistic. It surprised me enough to stop doing anymore cycles, and I let myself fall asleep naturally.

Tonight I am going to try SSILD again with WBTB. I reread the guide and some other threads about the technique today, and I'm ready to seriously retry it.

I went to bed at 10 last night, and set an alarm for six hours and seven hours after I laid down. I had a natural awakening four hours later, and I got up and went to the bathroom. Remembered my plans to do some SSILD cycles. I kept distracting myself though, and I fell asleep thinking about something random, which I then started to dream about. I slept through my alarms again and woke up five hours later.

The good news is that I was able to remember the first dream I had after my WBTB, and then another longer dream later in the morning. Obviously, I remembered more details in the longer dream, but I was about 50% less aware in that dream. I could remember what I had been doing in the dream when I woke up, but not why. The first dream I can remember much clearer than that.

I'm going to do the same thing tonight, with a few minor adjustments. I'm feeling good about this technique!

Thanks for reading!

Well, I didn't sleep through my WBTB alarm this morning! Unfortunately, I couldn't get back to sleep afterwards. I stayed awake for too long, and then focused too hard on SSILD. At least I have a better idea of how to go about my WBTBs for SSILD. I'll stay up for five minutes or less, and try not to worry as much about getting the cycles done.

I'll try again tonight, same deal.

Also: I've decided to work with SAT for now, as opposed to ADA. The latter is just too much for me right now, and the former I think I can put a lot more effort into, especially when I'm at work all day.

Thanks for reading!

I decided last night to take a short break and let myself sleep through the night. I woke up naturally at 3 AM, and took the opportunity to try SSILD. Again, I stayed awake too long, kept distracting myself, and I laid there for an hour and a half. I may've drifted into a dream at one point, but at that point I felt like I was close to falling asleep, so I didn't want to RC. I also remembered some dream fragments during that time.

I did finally manage to fall back to sleep, and I woke up remembering some insanely vivid dreams. In one of those dreams I asked myself, "Why is this happening? This isn't supposed to happen." But I didn't take the hint. I was close, though!

I went to bed really late last night, so I didn't do a WBTB. I woke up naturally around 5:15AM, and when I closed my eyes I kept seeing these bright flashes. Sleepily thought to myself that I should get up, record my dreams, and try SSILD, but I was asleep a few seconds later.

I was able to record two fairly detailed dreams when I woke up for the day. My dreams are becoming much more realistic.

Went to bed pretty late last night too. Woke up at 5:16, and recorded a little dream fragment. I went back to sleep, and woke up again at 6:20. I could remember another, longer fragment and a FA. The FA was extremely short; I just lifted my head to look at the time, and the clock read 8:40-something AM. I felt very tired so I laid my head back down and "fell asleep."

I always wake up tired like that, and I won't remember to RC until I'm out of my room. I suppose I can use a mantra to help with that. I've been using the mantra, "I remember my dreams clearly and vividly," the past few days, and it seems to be working. Recall is gradually getting better!

Day 16

Not much exciting to report. Had a nice dream that I remembered pretty clearly, and then some dream fragments that I recalled throughout the day. I did try WBTB but I was too tired.

Day 17

I was really tired when I woke up for WBTB again. Thought about the goals I'd set before going to bed, which were to get up for a few minutes, then go back to bed to SSILD. I fell asleep again as I was thinking about it.

Success, though! I only just remembered an hour or so ago, but I had a FA that turned into a LD. It was short, but I "flew" (more like hovered) for a few seconds. The dream ended very abruptly, but I don't recall waking up after it ended. It's actually the only dream I've recalled so far today, besides some very faint, nondescript fragments.

My recall has definitely gotten better the past ~18 days, but until last night, my dreams seemed so distant. Like I wasn't actually particating in them, or even trying to pay attention to them. Yesterday I drank a glass of orange juice for the first time in years, as I read it can help with recall. Not sure if that's the only thing that helped, but my dreams were so intense last night. When I woke up, I was still half-dreaming, or so it felt, because of how strong the dream seemed in my mind. I leapt up and scribbled the dream down as quickly as I could, while I was still in that drowsy, just-woke-up state of mind.

The last time I remembered a dream like that, I must've been 12 years old. What a great feeling! I was able to recall it fully, from the beginning to the end.

I will be giving SSILD a shot tonight, with WBTB ~4 hours after I go to bed. Also will continue to experiment with OJ, see if that was just a fluke or not.

Sweet dreams!

Hi Mouse! Great workbook! Let us know if you have any questions regarding techs, etc.

Best of luck with your ssild!

Last night was very strange and really not the best in terms of getting anything productive done. I was awake before my WBTB alarm went off, but I wasn't fully aware of it. When my alarm went off I realized I'd been lying there for a little while already, and I felt like it would be silly of me to try SSILD when I'm obviously going to have trouble sleeping. I managed to fall back to sleep, and I remembered one pretty interesting dream.

I have nothing to do tomorrow, so tonight I can focus solely on successfully trying out SSILD. My new game plan is to start waking myself up after every sleep cycle. I want to do this so that I can recall more dreams per night, and also because it'll get me used to waking up during the night, and getting back to sleep afterward.

Originally Posted by NyxCC

Hi Mouse! Great workbook! Let us know if you have any questions regarding techs, etc.

Best of luck with your ssild!

Hey NyxCC! Thank you so much! I do have one question, now that I think about it.... When doing SSILD, or any tech for that matter, is it possible to go from being wide awake to dreaming without any obvious signs that the change took place? I know SSILD can produce really vivid FAs, but the past few times I've tried it, I end up just lying there wide awake. That's what it feels like, at least. I never think to RC because it seems as if nothing changes.

When my alarm went off I realized I'd been lying there for a little while already, and I felt like it would be silly of me to try SSILD when I'm obviously going to have trouble sleeping.

Oh, that's not silly at all. You can do ssild with a short wbtb as well as with a long one (meaning the time being awake). Longer wbtbs may actually work a bit better for ld induction, although one can fit them less easily obviously. So, I encourage you to play around with the timing.

When doing SSILD, or any tech for that matter, is it possible to go from being wide awake to dreaming without any obvious signs that the change took place? I know SSILD can produce really vivid FAs, but the past few times I've tried it, I end up just lying there wide awake. That's what it feels like, at least. I never think to RC because it seems as if nothing changes.

Indeed, there are all sorts of entry into a dream, with lots of special effects or with none at all. These can vary even for the same person. It is possible that while you are in bed relaxing and doing the ssild you transition. There have been occasions when this happens quite quickly, while you are staring at the darkness you might begin to distinguish things and after a while realize that you are already in the dream.

Let me emhasize that you don't always need to catch those transitions with ssild. Doing the cycles and falling asleep can lead to both wilds and dilds. What's most important is to focus on the expectation of having an ld - which will guide your mind so even if you fall asleep normally you may later realize that it's a dream, because the last thing you were trying to do was to have one.

There are different ways to check whether one is dreaming or not (after ssild, wilds, wbtbs, FAs), one could perform a RC upon waking in the room or you could try visualizing yourself performing a certain action. Let's say you imagine moving your hand and grasping an object or doing a sort of repetitive motion like cycling, swimming. This can help you get in the dream and move your dream body rather than your real one. Also you could try floating up and moving away from your bed. That will only work if you're asleep.

Too many distractions. Someone was awake when I woke up for my WBTB, and I was having trouble focusing on what I wanted to do (SSILD.) I got woken up by my dad a little while later, while I was in the middle of a really vivid dream. I helped my dad and tried to go right back to the dream, but I don't think I gave it enough time. I also may've been trying too hard.

Originally Posted by NyxCC

Oh, that's not silly at all. You can do ssild with a short wbtb as well as with a long one (meaning the time being awake). Longer wbtbs may actually work a bit better for ld induction, although one can fit them less easily obviously. So, I encourage you to play around with the timing.



Indeed, there are all sorts of entry into a dream, with lots of special effects or with none at all. These can vary even for the same person. It is possible that while you are in bed relaxing and doing the ssild you transition. There have been occasions when this happens quite quickly, while you are staring at the darkness you might begin to distinguish things and after a while realize that you are already in the dream.

Let me emhasize that you don't always need to catch those transitions with ssild. Doing the cycles and falling asleep can lead to both wilds and dilds. What's most important is to focus on the expectation of having an ld - which will guide your mind so even if you fall asleep normally you may later realize that it's a dream, because the last thing you were trying to do was to have one.

There are different ways to check whether one is dreaming or not (after ssild, wilds, wbtbs, FAs), one could perform a RC upon waking in the room or you could try visualizing yourself performing a certain action. Let's say you imagine moving your hand and grasping an object or doing a sort of repetitive motion like cycling, swimming. This can help you get in the dream and move your dream body rather than your real one. Also you could try floating up and moving away from your bed. That will only work if you're asleep.

Wow, thank you!! I've definitely been trying too hard, or at least thinking about "technique" too much. I thought it was the technique that did the work, but I suppose it's what you believe that really matters (i.e. "I believe I'm a natural LDer," as opposed to, "It'll take a lot of time and practice to get this right.")

After I read your post, I tried to nap. I used SSILD to get myself close to sleep, and then I imagined myself climbing a rope. At one point, the sensation became very realistic, and I saw the outline of a mountaintop form. Someone slammed a door the next second, and I couldn't get back to that point, but it was really interesting to experience.

Tonight I'll give it a go again! I'll stay awake for a bit longer than usual, just to experiment. Tbh, the 5-10minute WBTB timeframe outlined on the SSILD guide sort of puts me on edge. So I'll just forget about that altogether.... Thanks again, NyxCC!!

This morning I woke up at 4 am, and I stayed awake until I felt like I wouldn't fall right back to sleep (didn't time it, it felt like at least ten minutes.) I must've misjudged by a lot though, because I can only recall doing about two short cycles before my mind wandered. I fell asleep before I realized what had happened. Had an awesome dream this morning though, it was really vivid and long, and I remembered quite a bit of it.

I'll do the same thing tonight, but I'll stay awake a few minutes longer. Oh, and the OJ definitely seems to be helping. I'm having a much easier time remembering my dreams all the way through.

My plans were foiled last night by a surprise sleepover! I stayed awake until 4 in the morning, and woke up for the day at 7. Couldn't remember any dreams unfortunately, and, of course, no WBTB

I have to work the next two mornings starting at 6AM. I'll sleep through the night tonight to catch up on sleep, and see how I'm feeling tomorrow night.

Thanks for reading!

Day 23

Couldn't remember any dreams. Woke up at 3:30Am (natural awakening.)

Day 24

Worked in the morning, remembered some dreams. I woke up at 3:30 again and couldn't get back to sleep.

Day 25 (today)

Had to work again, and I woke up again at 3:30... This time I remembered my dreams right away, as if I had been dreaming just before I woke up. I'll set a WBTB alarm for that time, and SSILD. Gonna stay up for at least 15 minutes.

Thanks for reading!

Day 26

Couldn't get to sleep until after 12. Woke up a little after 7 AM. Recalled one dream upon waking up, and a few dream fragments throughout the day.

Day 27

I went to bed at 9pm last night. I was really tired, and I assumed that meant I'd have a good night of dreams. I set an alarm for 4am, thinking I'd take about an hour to fall asleep, which is normal for me. Didn't consider how tired I was when I set that alarm. I did some SSILD cycles to fall asleep; I remember seeing clear HIs, being intrigued by them, and doing at least 5 good cycles. The next thing I remember is waking up to my alarm. I sat up, planning to go to the bathroom and maybe walk around a little. I didn't get up, but as I was falling back to sleep my mind was on dreaming (I didn't do any cycles that I can remember).

I woke up again around 6:20. I remembered a lot of dream fragments and one FA. It was a freaky one, but I feel awesome about it.

Thanks for reading!

Went to bed at eleven last night. Forgot to set a WBTB alarm, I had been researching MILD yesterday and was busy reciting/visualizing my mantra. I woke up at 6am, sick. But I could remember two dreams, and a few fragments. I went back to sleep after about an hour, and slept until 9. Couldn't remember any more dreams when I woke up.

Not sure if it was the mantra, or all the researching I did, but I seemed to be pretty aware in my dreams this morning. Now, I'm not done experimenting with SSILD, I just thought it'd be nice to try something else out for now, so I don't get tired of the one tech.