I believe it is about time I start this. I'm not going anywhere by doing things aimlessly. Might as well start the class.
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I believe it is about time I start this. I'm not going anywhere by doing things aimlessly. Might as well start the class.
Welcome, PhantasmDragon! :)
Looking forward to reading your updates. Let us know if you have any questions.
Oh, thank you! I'll make sure to contact you guys if I need to know anything. ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by NyxCC
Background info:
I've been into lucid dreaming for actually a really long time, a few years actually. However, I couldn't really get into it because of school pressure, sleep deprivation, laziness, and my reluctance to use social media (long story). I just didn't have the time to do so. I felt it would just end up being something I have to balance along with all my other stresses. However, as I'm growing up, life has just been getting more and more stressful, and because of this, it has got me thinking, "What if I could use my dreams as a temporary, place to relax/practice a little to keep me from going insane while also helping me get ready for the next day". This is what motivated me to get more serious. I've also decided to clean up my school life, so I hope this year I won't be as sleep deprived as the last few years have been.
Reality Checks:
- Take time to be aware of all the little details currently happening.
- Ask myself am I dreaming?
- Plug nose and breath in.
(I would ask myself how and when I got here, but I never remember that in real life either, haha.)
Dream Signs:
- Unique Surreal Locations (Many of my dreams often involve locations in which are surreal in nature such as a forest clearing with a huge tree in the center, a cave which could fit a skyscraper with a stone staircase leading to a lake at night with many Asian bridges connected by hubs on the lake, a dark castle, building ruins, etc.)
- Bridges, Staircases, Restaurants, Plant-Life, School, Video Games, Third-Person, Exaggerated Things/Places (These objects/ideas appear often enough to be noted, but still appear in the great minority of my dreams)
- Unique Lyric-less Music (I may hear some music which I have never heard before right before I fall asleep, but my consciousness is very low at these times so I never remember them. It makes sense I would hear these songs since I listen to video game music quite often. This happens in the great minority of like the second bullet point, but it was unique enough for me to give it its own bullet.)
Short-Term Goals:
- Remember More Dreams
- Remember Dreams More Consistently
- Remember Dreams With More Clarity
- Have More Full Dreams
- Have Lucid Dreams More Often
- Remember the Entirety of a Lucid Dream (I think I succeeded in this.)
- Have a Clear Lucid Dream (Succeeded, Sort of)
- Have a WILD (Succeeded Maybe?)
- Remember the Entirety of a Clear Lucid Dream (Possibly achieved. Reason why? Look above.)
Long-Term Goals:
- Master the WILD Technique
- Consistent Realistic Dream Clarity
- Consistent Full Dreams
- Consistent Lucid Dreaming
- Dream Manipulation
- Learn More About Myself
Lucid/Dream Recall History:
- Absolutely terrible. I've been trying to build up my dream recall for a while now, but I still can't remember dreams consistently. I may remember one dream every week. Maybe it's because my thoughts get locked on "I have to wake up" when I wake up because my mother yells and threatens me every morning in order to try to wake me which stresses me out (She also turns on the lights which actually makes it harder for me to wake up as the light is too bright for my eyes causing me to keep them closed). I also have trouble finding a time to record my dreams as I have to rush to get to school.
Current Technique:
- DILD, WBTB (FILD/MILD/SSILD varies depends on how I'm feeling), WILD (I'll probably start WILDing more often now)
Extra Info:
- Because I've had an interest in lucid dreaming for a while, I've had lucid dreams before, though they are not clear and I don't remember very many of them when I wake up.
- I have a very good imagination being able to imagine very detailed pictures, sounds, and feelings.
- I am lost in my thoughts so often, it would be safe to say I spend most of my life in mind rather than actually in reality.
"I am lost in my thoughts so often, it would be safe to say I spend most of my life in mind than actually in reality".
I feel the same way
Alright, here is my first request. I have finished completing my workbook template, so I wondering if you could check out my template and tell me your thoughts on it. It would really help if you could tell me some ways to improve my template such as suggestions to focus more on one lucid dreaming technique or to use certain/more types of reality checks. Don't be afraid to recommend me the best lucid dreaming technique for me or to tell me I'm doing something wrong. I would like as much feedback on it as possible, please.Quote:
Originally Posted by NyxCC
Thank you in advance!
Okay, here are some thoughts I have and possible suggestions for things to pay more attention to:
Schedule and lifestyle
While school is surely keeping you busy, with a little a bit of reorganization of your assignments you will probably be able to make a bit of time for lding, especially if this is important to you. The school years are in general a great opportunity to hone one's ld skills, a bit more flexible than the later stages of life. So, try to add little moments here and there to dedicate to lding.
Wake up 5-10 min earlier to be able to recall and journal your dreams. If you don't have time, you quick tag and/or review your dream on the go. Then, look for the little moments during the day and do your ld day work - RCing as often as possible, critical thinking and also prepare for your next dream - i.e. think about what you will do if this is a dream when RCing.
RCs:
Any RC is ok, here what you want to focus on is quantity as well as quality - take your time to perform the RC, do it with full attention and not just mindlessly. Also, you can add the next dream goal to your routine.
Dream signs:
Keep journalling and underline/color/bold the people, places, items that appear in your dreams. See if any occur more often and even if not evident - try to find some common denominator. For example, if one day you dream about cats, then next day about dogs, then about squirrels, etc. - then your dream sign is more like a category - animals in this case. I have another vague category as an example - something strange in the sky - it can be aliens, weird weather or flying objects but that category includes it all. Even by using a general mantra like "I see something strange in the sky, I realize I'm dreaming/it's a dream" you can train yourself to recognize this as a dream sign and become lucid.
Dream recall:
As I said, try to wake up a bit earlier to allow yourself the time and comfort of recalling and taking notes. Also, it is very important to try to go to bed at relatively the same time. This will take a bit of organization and discipline but is crucial for recall and lding as it relates to our body's biological clock.
Technique:
This looks goods so far. In addition, try to incorporate the tips above and let me know how it goes! :)
Wow, you work fast! Alright, I'll try to wake up earlier, though this may be hard as I'm used to sleeping in late. I'll also RC more often. (I thought you could only RC when you see something weird which never happens in my boring life lol.) As for my dream sign, I am almost certain the second dream sign listed (which is now my first dream sign BTW) is one of my dream signs as the majority of my dreams do take place in surreal places which I've never been to before. The ones who don't take place in an other-worldly location generally have some sort of fantasy element attached to it such as having the ability to manipulate elements or my school being much larger and fancier than before. I'm assuming Dream Signs don't appear in all your dreams, right? Also, I record all my dreams on Dreamviews, so you could look at my dreams and try to find another Dream Sign if you'd like. I haven't recorded 6 of my dreams yet though, but I'll try to get them up ASAP (I quick tagged them on a notepad, but have been too lazy to put them up lol). You don't have to, it's just a suggestion as I understand you are busy and I don't want you to waste your time. I've also made some edits to my workbook template, by the way. I mostly added more goals, but I also edited my Dream Sign section.Quote:
Originally Posted by NyxCC
Thanks so much for your advice! It's really gonna help me. Sorry if I'm being a nuisance by being selfish with your assistance.
I just noticed I called this thread "PhantasmDragon's Dream Journal" instead of "PhantasmDragon's Dream Workbook". :doh:
Yes, dream signs usually pop up in dreams but it's also possible to have a dream where none of those appear. That's why it's helpful to question the world and do RCs that may help reveal it's a dream.
Lol about your workbook title. I haven't noticed either - so much for the awareness talk! :doh:
These things happen to me all the time, so I'm pretty used to it lol. Curse my absent-mindedness. :cackle:
So I guess my mantra would be "If I am at a place which seems too other-worldly, I am dreaming." It's kinda vague... I don't if this is a good enough mantra. I guess I'll take your opinion on this one. If think it's too vague, I guess I'll just have to look for another dream sign.
Yesterday's Sleep Time: 12:00 (Insomnia) Curse you first day of school...
Wake Time: 4:00
Second Sleep Time: 4:12 (Insomnia) Once again curse you first day of school...
Second Wake Time: 6:00
What I should do in my next lucid dream:
- Create and explore dreamscape (probably create an amusement park if I can).
Not too vague, but I would make it a bit shorter "(I see) other-worldly/strange place, I'm dreaming". To make it more effective be sure to tag your dreams in the same manner. I.e. today I was dreaming I was in an other-worldly place, where....Then think about it this way. Your journalling and contemplations can also show up as dream sign recognition in dreams.Quote:
Originally Posted by PhantasmDragon
Yesterday's Sleep Time: 11:15
Wake Time: 3:30
Second Sleep Time: 3:35
Second Wake Time: 6:00
Afternoon Nap Sleep Time: 4:00
Afternoon Nap Wake Time: 7:00 (Err... that's pretty bad. I forgot to set my alarm. :doh:)
Last Goal Status:
- Failed
What I should do in my next lucid dream:
- Create and explore dreamscape like before.
Yesterday's Sleep Time: 12:00 (Keep in mind I had a nap yesterday.)
Wake Time: 4:00
Second Sleep Time: 4:05
Second Wake Time: 6:00
Last Goal Status:
- Failed
What I should do in my next lucid dream:
- Create and explore dreamscape like before.
Yesterday's Sleep Time: 11:00
Wake Time: 3:30
Second Sleep Time: 3:35
Second Wake Time: 6:00
Afternoon Nap Sleep Time: 5:30
Afternoon Nap Wake Time: 8:30 (Have lots of homework tonight and I don't want to be extremely sleepy when I surpass my normal sleep time.
Last Goal Status:
- Failed
What I should do in my next lucid dream:
- Create and explore dreamscape like before.
Yesterday's Sleep Time: 5:00 A.M. (Curse you school...)
Wake Time: 6:00 A.M. (I'm gonna go to sleep earlier tonight lol)
Last Goal Status:
- Failed
What I should do in my next lucid dream:
- Create and explore dreamscape like before.
Yesterday's Sleep Time: 12:00
Wake Time: 4:30
Second Sleep Time: 4:35
Second Wake Time: 1:00 P.M. (Talk about two extremes... That isn't good)
Last Goal Status:
- Failed (At least remember a dream tonight... The last time I remembered a dream was the night before the first day of school)
What I should do in my next lucid dream:
- Create and explore dreamscape like before.
Yesterday's Sleep Time: 12:00
Wake Time: 4:30
Second Sleep Time: 4:35
Second Wake Time: 9:00
Last Goal Status:
- Succeeded (Actually had two dreams last night, but only one was lucid)
What I should do in my next lucid dream:
- Manipulate the dreamscape.
Yay! Congrats on the ld, PhantasmDragon! :)
How do you plan to manipulate the dreamscape in your next ld?
I'm unsure. Probably just move some things. However, my sleep has been thrown completely out of whack as of late because of school. I'll have to spend some time recovering it. Funnily enough, my lucid dream defaulted to being at an amusement park. I didn't have to make it one. It was nighttime instead of daytime though.
Cool! That's one of the best dream control shortcuts - instead of creating the scene on the go, incubate it and then just enjoy! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by PhantasmDragon
I've tried and tried to maintain a sleep schedule, but I just can't. Homework has made it almost impossible. Every time I stay up past what I would like, it leaves me tired for the next day. This forces me to take a nap when I get home which gives me less time to do homework and puts me off my sleep schedule even more. I guess, I'll just have to make the best of my current situation and use naps as my primary lucid dream source. I'm so sorry I haven't been updating. I just don't have the time to post my sleep schedule every day.
On a more positive note, I finally had a clear lucid dream! Well, sort of. I was lucid and I knew I was dreaming, but I didn't remember how I wanted to manipulate my dream... again. Also, I don't think I could really think any deep, complex thoughts. It seems I have some sort of disconnection between my memories in reality and my dreams. I ended up just exploring. Anyways, lets start from the beginning. I was tired today, so I took a nap. I tried to induce a lucid dream via WILDing (I've started trying to WILD even though I haven't really mastered MILDs, DILDs, FILDs, or SSILDs. Don't ask why since I don't really have a reason.). While I was WILDing, my mom was yelling for some reason. It made it harder for me sleep as I have trouble sleeping whenever there is the slightest noise. I ended up focusing on my mother's yelling. Soon, her yelling stopped and since it stopped, I decided to return my attention to my body. It felt sorta numb, and I noticed that I was no longer closing my eyes and I could see my room. I didn't remember opening my eyes. Then it hit me. I'm dreaming! (For some reason my mom's yelling has induced quite a few of my memorable/lucid dreams. Probably because she wakes me up, and I don't move out of being too tired, which induces these dreams better than an alarm from an alarm clock which I never hear. But this time my mom's yelling actually helped keep my mind awake. Funny how the way she tries to wake me up, ends up putting me to sleep.) I then thought I should move, since it would be a waste of a lucid dream if I just stayed in my bed the entire time. However, I didn't want to wake myself up by moving my physical body in my attempt to move my dream body, so I decided I needed to separate my dream body from my physical body. I used my vivid imagination skills from real life to imagine the feeling of a gravity pulling me upwards and soon enough, I started flying above my bed. I then landed myself right next to it. I then precede to move to my door, but I stopped myself. I wanted to make sure my dream was stable, so took a second to pay a lot of attention to my room. I noticed how vivid my room was. I could see every little detail and feel every texture I could feel in real life with absolute clarity. This surprised me as I thought I would be hindered by my really bad vision in reality (I don't even wear glasses except in the cases in which I have to see something far away because they hurt my eyes and I don't have contacts.). I then thought to myself, "Wait, I don't want an OBE. I want to see and experience new places and experiences, not just explore my house," So, I used my imagination powers to imagine the hallway outside of my room to be movable with my mind. I then imagined moving it out from behind my door and having a different "room" replace it (Once again, I couldn't really specify as I just didn't remember where I wanted to go from reality). I then opened my door and, as expected, there was a different room. I then spent the rest of my time in the dream exploring this "world" my mind created by itself. I'll explain what I saw. The first room I saw right outside my bedroom was a dark, somewhat blue room with a red "alarm" light turned on. The room reminded me of a backstage to a concert. Also, there were a two "anime style" people in the dream, though I only remember that one of them had blue hair. I talked to the blue haired one to stabilize my dream. I then walked out the door under the red exit sign and I was greeted to a wide open place with highways. One of the highways were even on a bridge. In this place, I could see the stone texture of the highway, each individual blade of grass, and the partly cloudy, blue sky in extreme detail. There were no cars on any of the streets. I decided to walk down the road. While walking, I found my family near a truck having some type of get-together. I decided to walk over to them. However, right as I got to them, the dream faded to white very quickly and as I couldn't search my memories to deeply, I didn't remember how to stay in the dream and I woke up.
This dream knocked out many of my short-term goals. However, I can't say with certainty these goals have been achieved. I'll list the reasons why below.
- I'm not sure my dream was necessarily a WILD since, even though the dream was very realistic like WILDs are and I did relax beforehand, I didn't really try to keep my mind awake with a mantra or counting, I just focused on my mother's voice. Also, I didn't experience any hypnagogia.
- I couldn't think hard or remember certain things from my waking life, so I'm not sure if I'm really lucid or just semi-lucid.
- I think I may have forgotten a few things in my dream upon waking. Some of my memories of the dream seems to have gaps in between them due to some memories having conflictions (when I was walking to my family, I remember I was walking back where I came from even though I was walking away from where I came from when I started exploring the third area). I still remember the order in which everything happened pretty clearly and smoothly.
if you are able to wake up and then go back to sleep in 5 minutes (from wake and second sleep times)
then you need to wake up more often to increase recalled dreams. Use MILD to set intention to wake up after every dream, and to remember the dreams. Just repeat to yourself that you will wake up and remember your dreams, then journal and go back to sleep. If you can't really get to sleep quickly then this will just leave you more sleep deprived. Also try going to sleep a lot earlier than midnight like say 9:00pm
a good way to set yourself to wake up after every cycle is on a Friday night set your alarm for every half hour, you won't have any dreams, but you'll find that eventually you get back to sleep very quickly from exhaustion and from being awoken from deep sleep. You'll be setting yourself to be rem deprived for the next night and then you will likely also wake up after every dream. Still use the affirmation that you will wake up and remember your dream. It will blow your entire weekend, and possibly set you up for mega disrupted sleep, but if you want to recall and journal that is what you want. Earlier sleep time and waking after many cycles.
Haha, I wish I had the luxury of being able to sleep at 9:00 P.M., but that just isn't the case. I'm so sorry, but I don't think your advice is going to help me too much. For starters, I don't have an alarm which plays at regular intervals. Secondly, I already get very little sleep as it is; I don't think I want to risk being even more sleep deprived than I already am. Finally, how fast I fall asleep really varies. Sometimes I fall asleep in less than 5 minutes; other times it takes me well over an hour to fall asleep. It really depends. I'll try do your MILD suggestion if I can, though.Quote:
Originally Posted by cooleymd
Congrats on the ld, PhantasmDragon! :) The exploration sounded really nice, especially noticing all the fine details in the dream. Also, good job changing the scene. :goodjob2: