Dreamer's Workbook [Intro Class]

[~Dreamer~]

Hello, I'm Dreamer! I'm an experienced lucid dreamer, but I have spent the last year intentionally killing my recall and lucidity as part of an experiment, where I needed to have a 'blank slate' to avoid skewing the results. I did a good job of it, because I rarely remember my dreams at all these days, let alone become lucid. I'm looking forward to getting back into a good daily routine, and I thought starting a workbook would be a great way to keep me motivated. Reality Checks: - nose plug - looking at hands / counting fingers - memory check Dream Signs: - toilet disasters, including flush malfunctions, missing doors, being walked in on, peeing on the seat, being unable to find a toilet, etc. - negative emotions, conflict, frustration - smaller signs come and go, eg. kids/babies, animals, medical themes, etc. Short-Term Goals: - Make RCs part of my daily routine, especially upon waking and during toilet visits - Buy a paper DJ and try Zoth's Mental Map Recall technique - Complete a Task of the Month for May - Dig up my old DJ and read TotM entries (maybe post them in current DJ) Long-Term Goals: - Practise stabilisation techniques and dream control - Do a 15 minute session of meditation/incubation every day - Learn WILD method Lucid/Dream Recall History: I was a natural lucid dreamer as a kid and had some great adventures. I had a break from lucidity for quite a few years, but my dream recall remained vivid. In 2007, I learnt how to induce lucid dreams. I used DILD/MILD methods over the next few years, and was becoming lucid most nights at my peak, sometimes multiple times per night using DEILD. Most of my dreams were at least semi-lucid at that time. For the last year or so, I have been experimenting with external aids as preliminary research for a documentary I am making on LD induction. I wanted to remove my natural LDs from the equation so I could get a better idea of the effect the external aids were having, so I stopped doing all things dream-related for a while: no recall attempts, no DJ, no RCs, no talking or thinking about dreams (hence my hiatus from DV,) and no other forms of induction. It took a while, but I eventually stopped having natural LDs, and my recall became very poor - some days I remember nothing, some days I remember only fragments. I generally only have LDs / vivid recall when I use supplements/aids at the moment, which was the purpose of the experiment, but it's not what I'd like to rely on in the long-term. I am keen to get back into a good daily routine, and shift my focus back to natural dream induction and recall techniques. I look forward to sharing my progress in this workbook. Current Technique: Will begin practising DILD/MILD/WBTB. In the future, I'd like to learn how to WILD. I have very little experience with this technique outside of DEILD, and have always been interested in trying it. Thanks so much to the wonderful DVA staff for your dedication to helping others achieve their lucid goals!

[~Dreamer~]

Additionally, your dream journal is a good place to list the times you wake up, which can help you hone in on when to perform WBTB. First question: I have a very irregular schedule at the moment, because I don't have a set time I need to be awake. Do you think it would be worth getting into a stable routine with similar waking/sleeping times for WBTB?

[NyxCC]

Hey Dreamer, welcome to intro class! So I take it, you're done with the no-induction tech different aids experiments and are ready to come back to having more lds? That's great! Feel free to browse the class materials and let us know if you have any particular questions here or in the http://www.dreamviews.com/intro-clas...o-class-q.html thread. I think getting started with DILD/MILD/WBTB is a great idea and you can experiment with WILDing whenever you feel it's the right time. Sageous has a great class on wild, so be sure to check out his materials as well. Now onto your question, I have to say that having a consistent sleep schedule is very important for both recall as well as lding. In the very least, try to minimize the fluctuation around your sleep/wake times. When you manage to set your schedule so it doesn't deviate too much, you will see that recall becomes better. By doing this you allow your body to best do what it is programmed for - regulate the circadian rhythm, produce melatonin on schedule and adjust neurotransmitter levels. It's also important to know that bright lights before bed time like lamps or PC/tablet, etc. stop melatonin production and can lead to major sleep disruption and affect recall as well. Hope this helps for starters!

[~Dreamer~]

Hey Nyx, thanks for your advice. Yes, I am done with my no-induction experiment! I'm so excited to get back into dreaming regularly! I will work on regulating my sleeping pattern. I'm sure it will be good for me to see more daylight anyway. I recalled some fragments this morning, in more detail than I have been lately. Perhaps just getting excited and thinking about what I want to achieve is helping already! I will keep posting my progress here. I will definitely check out Sageous' WILD class in the future!

[~Dreamer~]

I will probably stick to just posting memorable/lucid dreams in my DV dream journal, but I will post notes/fragments in my workbook, to keep track of dream signs and progress with my recall. I have been having a lot of 'Layer Zero' dreams lately, where lucidity features as theme, but I don't actually become lucid. I've had a few dreams about DV since I started posting again, and also some non-lucid dreams in which I've been talking about lucid dreaming. There were some lucid themes in my dream again last night. 7th May, 2014 [Fragments] Moved to DJ: Dream Journal: Contortionist, DV, Mancon's Dojo [Fragments] Lots of the themes in these dreams were a result of day residue, eg. reading melanieb's posts about being transgender, TheConned's thread about LDs for mental health, DV tutorials, making a Harry Potter / sorting hat reference yesterday, etc. There were also some pretty random elements, eg. contortionist, school characters, pumpkin. This recall is more detailed than the kind of fragments I've been getting lately, but I know it can get much more vivid with smoother narrative.

[~Dreamer~]

I had an interesting realisation about one of those seemingly random dream signs. I think my brain has made an association between Mancon and carved pumpkins... I was reading through my old DJ, and there is an entry from 2012 where I did a Halloween task of the month, where I carved up pumpkins with Mancon and some other DV members. That's the only other time he has ever featured in my dreams: Halloween Party [Lucid, Task of the Month]

[~Dreamer~]

More Layer Zeros... D'oh! 8th May, 2014 [Fragments] Moved to DJ: Lucid RPG, Britney Spears [Fragments]

[~Dreamer~]

I've installed a program called f.lux on my computer and iPhone. It adjusts the colour temperature of the screens to reduce blue light exposure at night, which is what suppresses melatonin production. I usually spend some time reading on my phone before bed, so it will be interesting to see if this makes a difference.

[~Dreamer~]

I had a short LD during a half hour nap. I attempted a task of the month, but my dream control wasn't great. The most interesting thing was the induction. I was totally convinced that I was awake, but I have committed to doing RCs whenever I experience stress / negative emotions, because I know that they come up a lot in dreams. When my RCs failed, I really had to convince myself that I was definitely dreaming, because it came as such a surprise. 8th May, 2014 - Nap [Lucid] Moved to DJ: Dream Journal: Terrorist Hackers + Worst Limerick Everrr! [Non-Lucid, Lucid, TOTM]

[NyxCC]

Congrats on the ld! Very good catch with the RC and great try for the advanced task! I suspect coming up with a limerick wouldn't be very easy for me, I don't know if my mind can follow with the format!

[~Dreamer~]

9th May, 2014 [Non-Lucid] Moved to DJ: Dream Journal: Virtual Storytelling [Non-Lucid]

[~Dreamer~]

10th May, 2014 [Fragments] My recall wasn't very good today. It's mostly because I was so sleepy when I woke up, I had trouble keeping my eyes open to record my dreams. I even fell back asleep and dreamt that I wrote down a dream, and then woke up to find that my phone just said 'mdasldamkml'. And I had forgotten the original dream by then. D'ohhh. Moved to DJ: Dream Journal: Helpful Lady, Outdated Sex Ed [Fragments]

[~Dreamer~]

10th May, 2014 - Nap [Non-Lucid] Moved to DJ: Dream Journal: Video of H-Dog's Past Life [Non-Lucid]

[~Dreamer~]

11th May, 2014 [Fragment] Dismal recall last night. I only slept for a couple of hours and found it really hard to wake up. I have been setting alarms to get into a better sleeping pattern this week, and it's left me feeling a little sleepy. I will persevere! Moved to DJ: Alarm vs. Sleep [Fragment]

[~Dreamer~]

12th May, 2014 [No Recall] Slept for 3.5 hours with no recall. I may have remembered something briefly when I woke up, because I felt like I was in the middle of something, but my dogs were jumping on me which killed any chance of recall. I have been having trouble sleeping since I started trying to regulate my rhythm. I usually sleep for about 10 hours naturally, but I have only been sleeping for 2-6 hours per night this week. I should mention that I have DSPD, so attempting to stick to a 'normal' sleep/wake schedule has always been a challenge for me. I will probably get amber goggles soon, and make sure I get out in the sunlight first thing every morning.

[~Dreamer~]

13th May, 2014 [Non-Lucid, Semi-Lucid] I had an awesome sleep last night! I was so tired, I went to bed at 9:30 PM. I was woken up once when my housemate came home, but apart from that, I slept solidly til just after 7 AM (no alarm.) Hopefully I'm making progress with my sleeping pattern! Some of my dreams were semi-lucid, but there was never a moment of realisation where I took control of the dream. Moved to DJ: Flying, Favouritism, House Inspection, Sex Talk [Non-Lucid, Semi-Lucid]

[NyxCC]

Happy to read that you have managed to get more sleep and enjoyed better recall and lucidity! I'm quite of a night owl myself (and somewhat insomniac on top of that!), so I can relate to having difficulty adjusting to the new sleep schedule. Hopefully if one sticks with the regular times, falling asleep will get easier at some point.

[~Dreamer~]

Thanks for your encouragement! I've had a friend from interstate staying with me for the last few days, so I haven't had time to post updates. I have still been recording my dreams on my phone when I wake up.

[~Dreamer~]

14th May, 2014 [Non-Lucid, Fragments] Moved to DJ: Social Commentary, Frigid Wives [Fragments]

[~Dreamer~]

15th May, 2014 [Non-Lucid] Moved to DJ: Art Film For Enn [Non-Lucid]

[~Dreamer~]

16th May, 2014 [Non-Lucid, Semi-Lucid] Moved to DJ: Maze, Wise DC, Carjacking, Babysitting [Non-Lucid, Semi-Lucid]

[~Dreamer~]

17th May, 2014 [Fragments, Non-Lucid] Moved to DJ: Films, Ethics, Drug Talk [Fragments]

[~Dreamer~]

18th May, 2014 [No Recall] Woken by alarm, no dreams recalled. I have been waking up naturally most days lately, which makes it much easier to remember my dreams. My sleeping pattern is definitely improving.

[~Dreamer~]

18th May, 2014 - Nap [Lucid] Dream Journal: Having A Baby & Using The Force [Lucid, TOTM] I think I will start recording these in my DV journal after all. My recall has been much better since I've started this workbook, and it will be good to have a word cloud of my dream signs. Soon, I will start reading through all the tutorials listed in the lessons. I am not doing much incubation during the day at the moment, and would like to get back into a good daily routine.

[NyxCC]

Oh! All those tasks were during a nap? Awesome! How long was the nap? Congrats on the task completion. I have to stop reading all these bonus task descriptions, who knows what kind of stuff they will incubate. I really liked the part with the haiku! Really cool to have DCs recite like that!