Grody's Workbook

"What kind of name is Grody?"

Not really sure, but I'm stuck with it now. This is my workbook, I guess it'll document my progress into this exciting new world of dreaming. A little introduction: I started out with terrible/no dream recall at all. When I read about lucid dreaming I immediately wanted to do it so I set to work doing research.

[UPDATED Jan 12 2016]

Reality Checks:
-All day self awareness (does that count as a RC?)
-Plug nose and try to breath through it (my most common RC)
-Poke finger through palm of hand

Dream Signs:
-Going on adventures
-Drinking soda (I normally don't drink soda)

Short-Term Goals:
-Increase dream recall

Long-Term Goals:
-Successfully do 1 WILD

In Dream Goals:
-Fly
-Eat something
-Run super fast (kinda like the flash)
-Go to space

Lucid/Dream Recall History:
-Pretty low right now, but improving drastically every night, using dream journals, mantras, laying in bed for a few mins trying to remember, all that jazz.
-Has improved a lot recently, dreams are still pretty short, but getting a lot more vivid.

Current Technique:
-All day self awareness
-Randomly questioning reality (to make my RCs more believable)
-Mantras (mostly said after a RC and before I go to bed)

I might dump my dream journal on this site later, but right now its just in a notebook by my bed.

I'm excited to see what the future has in store for me.

[POSTED Nov 15 2015]
Good morning everyone! Big night.

I did it, a lucid dream. I'm shocked, but extremely happy right now that I could get one within my first week of trying.

I'm still trying to let it settle in, absorb every detail, make use of and enjoy the memory at the same time. Here's how it went down.

The day before was the day I was most naturally aware with my ADA practice. As in I didn't have to focus on being aware as much. Throughout the day I would do RCs, and repeat the mantras "I remember my dreams in the morning." and, "I have lucid dreams." While really trying to believe them. That night I repeated the same mantras constantly before falling asleep. I had a natural awakening about 5 hours later and couldn't go back to sleep for almost 45 mins. In this time I did the mantras, and periodic RCs. Sooner or later I must have felt something was off, so instinctively doing the nose pinch RC I realized I could breath through my nose still! I didn't even have time to be excited through the simple shock I experienced. I had to do it once more just to prove to myself this was really happening.

Here is an account of what happened, taken directly from my dream journal:
I woke up in bed, something must of felt off because I RC'd (nose) and I could breath through my nose! I was so shocked I did it again, and it worked again. Suddenly a short woman appeared and said "hello" and other things. She was very friendly. She told me to put on my glasses and look up. When I put them (the glasses) on my dream became super vivid, and my ceiling was covered in stars (breath taking). I asked her "so this is what it feels like to be lucid" and she nodded. Scene change from room to my porch outside.Short woman tells me she needs a harp, I try to make one appear but fail. I get bored of her request and make a massive wood structure (rectangular prism) my making a small tornado out of the leafs on the ground. I try to carve it into Obama with just my mind (not sure why Obama) and it looked more like Mr.Bean in a space suit. I continue messing with wood structures, short woman is saying stuff but I'm not listening. I decided to walk around the yard. It was like real life, visually, still felt off somehow. Eventually I could fell myself loosing lucidity, and had it completely torn away, almost by force, by short lady (or maybe someone else, not entirely sure). It went into a dream that was like a burger advertisement and then I woke up

The whole lucid part of the dream must have lasted 7-10 mins. I didn't really do much in the dream (I was more guided by a DC on what to do). I'v been so focused on getting a lucid dream that I never really got it in concrete of what I actually wanted to do. I think my subconscious knew that which is why that dream had my little guide in it.

I'm ecstatic, and a little in awe right now. This was a new experience for me, and it came completely out of left field. Heck a part of me can barley believe it.

I'm going to continue what I'v been doing and see what happens.

Hey Grody, welcome to the class and congrats on your first ld! :)

I think for a first ld you did quite a lot already. I especially liked the stars on the ceiling part and how the DC was giving you explanations along the way.

[POSTED Nov 15 2015]

Thanks NyxCC. The "short lady" as I came to call her seemed to know just what I wanted to know about LDs too. For example, I wondered if I would have my glasses in an LD. And wouldn't you know it she told me to put on my glasses almost first thing. That was an awesome realization.

I updated my first post to include "In Dream Goals" so that I wont be caught off guard in a LD again and not know what to do. Also edited an extremely embarrassing spelling mistake

I forgot to mention that I felt really stable in the dream as well. Even without doing stabilization techniques. Just making sure my scenes were in tune seemed to be enough.

Thanks for the reply, ill keep updated as interesting things happen.

Congrats on your first lucid dream, and so soon too! What a transformation already!

Since your dream started as a false awakening, it might be a good idea to RC every time you wake up so you can recognise more FAs in the future.

Keep it up! :)

Great stuff! Congratulations on your first Lucid Dream! My first lucid dream was also a false awakening. But, I did no where near as many things as you did in my first. You seem to have pretty good control. I look forward to hearing more about your lucid dreams. Keep it up!

[POSTED Nov 16 2015]
Good morning (or afternoon depending on your time zone/when you read this)

Thanks for all the comments, I appreciate it.

So no LD last night (aww), but I did learn a bit and have a slightly better game plan now. So I did have 2 dreams last night, but I didn't remember the first because I didn't write it down after a natural awakening from it. My natural awakening came about 6-7 hours into my sleep, so when I wanted to try and go back to sleep it was really difficult. When I did I fall asleep it was a false awakening, but didn't notice (aww). It was a really clear dream, but kinda short. Maybe 2-3 mins tops. My room was covered in junk food and was a huge mess. Pretty funny dream.

So this is what I'm gonna try to do:
1)When I wake up from a natural awakening I MUST record anything that I might remember from my dream.
2)When I naturally awaken, I need to clear my mind before I go back to sleep, maybe remind myself that I'm still tired. So I'm gonna try to walk around a bit instead of just laying in bed and see if that helps.
3)I need to do an RC right after I wake up to try and catch any false awakenings.

Other then that nothing interesting to report. I updated my main post to be more polished and change a few things.

[POSTED Nov 17 2015]
Good morning, good evening, and goodnight

Last Night:
Oh boy, last night was rough. I didn't remember any dreams, not even a glancing idea of them. I had a natural awakening about 3 hours into my sleep, but couldn't for the life of me fall back asleep. My nose was all runny which made me super irritated the whole night. Even with trying to relax I felt like I just couldn't do it.

The Day Before:
So all day yesterday I was super unmotivated to do ADA, RCs, and mantras. I'm not really sure what got over me, but it carried over into the night, which led to the awful night I had. I remember thinking about if it was even worth doing all this, but I tried my best to snap out of it.

Additional Comments:
So yesterday, in a way, wasn't a total failure. This morning I decided that I was going to be more persistent with my practice and make sure that I don't give up. This is something that I want to do and I'm sure this isn't going to be the only time I going to think of giving up. If I feel like giving up again I'll just think about how much I wanted it in the beginning, how amazing a lucid dream feels, and how angry I'd be at myself if I quit.

I have been thinking of trying DEILD for my consistent natural awakenings. Would that work?

I also am trying out a new format for my update post, I think it'll be easier to read now and show more information.

[POSTED Nov 18 2015]
Mornin'

Last Night:
So last night was better then yesterday. I remembered a dream that was really long and fragmented. It was pretty vivid, but I wasn't too aware during it. I think I'm starting to recognize a dream sign though. I think I dream about video games a lot. So if I feel like I'm in a video game world, or a game is "full screened" to my entire vision, probably a dream. I also didn't have a natural awakening last night, which was kinda weird.

The Day Before:
So yesterday was good too. I am starting to implement a "what was I doing 15 mins ago" question into my RC routine. My RCs are starting to feel more believable too, as in I find it easier to trick myself into thinking this is a dream. My ADA was pretty decent, starting to notice even more super small details. It's getting easier and easier to naturally be aware as well, its becoming a habit more then something I'm actively trying to do.

Additional Comments:
I'm back in action again. Still motivated and still going strong. Dream recall is going up, vividness is going up. Its only a matter of time before awareness starts going up too.

I need to remember to do RCs as soon as I wake up.

[POSTED Nov 19 2015]
gninrom dooG

Last night:
I only remembered one dream last night, and it was pretty short. I seem to have a lot of dreams where I'm just observing people doing things without interacting. I wonder if that could be a dream sign. No natural awakenings again, although I did wake up like 20 mins before my alarm went off.

The Day Before:
My ADA was pretty decent all day, although I could feel myself slacking a lot about half way through. A problem I have is trying to find enough stimuli when I'm just doing nothing on my computer, or repetitively doing the same thing over and over again at work. I guess I should just trying and focus more on being aware in these situations. I came home from a very tiring day at work, which made me go to sleep almost instantly.

Additional Comments:
Still need to make sure I do RCs as soon as I wake up. Haven't gotten into the habit yes and I'm sure its going to come back to get me later on. My regular day time RCs are getting better though. I question reality better, wonder what I was doing 15 mins ago, and say a mantra afterwords. It feels a lot more genuine.

Also this marks a week into starting this little adventure. Good stuff. Looking back I can see how much I'v already improved.

[POSTED Nov 20 2015]
(Good morning pun)

Last Night:
So I'm pretty positive that one of my best dream signs is observing things from afar without interacting with them. Almost like watching TV, only its Dream TV. I also had 3 dreams last night, but due to negligence of not writing the first 2 down I only really remember one. Gotta make sure I write this stuff down, and not roll over and go back to sleep.

The Day Before:
Not much to say here. ADA was good, RCs were regular, and I was not very stressed throughout the day.

Additional Comments:
I am finally getting in the habit of doing a RC right when I wake up. I am also trying to be a bit more self aware as well as just aware.

I hope posting theses every day and having a giant wall of just my post isn't considered spamming. If it is, just tell me and ill make them less frequent, no biggie.

Keep up the good work Grody and feel free to post here as often as you like. :) I think it helps keep one motivated and also track one's progress.

[POSTED Nov 23 2015]
It is before 12:00 PM and after 12:00 AM, and it is doing good.

Before I start, sorry for not updating for 3 days, not really any excuses there. And thanks NyxCC, I'll try to keep updating every day.

Last Few Nights
So these last few nights have been a mixed bag. On one hand I seemed to have terrible dream recall, almost not remembering anything from my dreams. On the other hand I had a very small and short lucid. First, I'm not sure what has caused me to loose some dream recall. It could be naturally going up and down, or I'v been slacking in some area. I know I need to write down my dreams in my DJ better, and do my mantras a bit more. That's all I can think of for that problem though. I did have a lucid, which was pretty awesome. Unlike my last lucid this one was really unstable and short, lasted maybe 30 sec to 1 min. It was another false awakening catch (so far no DILD, or anything like that). I woke up and did the nose RC, and it worked. But some part of my brain was like "this can't be right" and I repeatedly did the RC in disbelief until I suddenly felt extremely fatigued and woke up.

Last Few Days
My ADA has been up and down over the last few days. Sometimes I am doing great with it, other times its been almost nonexistent. Overall though I feel like iv failed with it. I need to make sure to keep it up more and notice things that I'm missing. Doing constant RCs throughout the day and really trying to believe them seems to have more reason now that I had another LD. haven't done too many mantras either, I basically one do them after an RC. Need to keep up on that. My dream journal has been neglected too, in fact I didn't even write anything in it this morning. I didn't remember a single dream from last night and couldn't be motivated to write even the faintest gimps of a dream in it.

So I need to step up my game, I can't slack like I have been. The results of slacking are obvious to me, remembering less dreams, short LD, less detailed dream journal. So my plan is simple. Just do what I was doing, but do it better, rededicate myself and make sure this happens.

[Posted Nov 26 2015]
Happy Thanksgiving!

Last Few Nights
I remembered a few dreams in the last few nights, nothing major. Except for last night where I remember a long and epic dreams where I went on some sort of adventure. It was really awesome. Besides that my dream recall seems to be going up again, just need to keep trucking at it.

Last Few Days
Its been pretty stressful and busy the last few days, had finals, work, etc. I tried to keep up my ADA as much as possible, but I know I'm slacking on it still. I need to try harder the next few days. Other then that I'm keeping better care of my dream journal. I'm writing in it more and more every day. I'm also keeping up with my RCs and mantras better.

Additional Comments
I might of had another LD, but didn't remember it. I remember waking up and thinking that it feels a lot different to be in a dream and in waking life. I'm not going to count it though because I don't remember what happened.

Still not bad Grody, even a short ld is a sign of progress. :)

[POSTED Jan 12 2016]
HEY I'm still here!

I haven't given up or anything like that, in fact i'v redoubled my efforts. I just had a lot of stuff going on with school and family and so on. I going to try and update this workbook regularly again from now on though.

So how has my LDing been? It's been on and off, I seem to have a serious problem with dream recall, which seems to be my biggest hurdle right now. Gotta keep up with the dream journal. In the time seance my last post iv just had 1 LD, not much but still something. It was a DILD in a particularly long dream. But I can't seem to remember more then just snippets of dreams now, and I don't know what to do about it.

Either was I decided to move away from the DILD mindset. I tried to make it work, I really did, but I don't think its for me. I'm moving on to try WILD. I'm using my experience with ADA as a platform for practicing self awareness and all day self awareness. I am also paying much more close attention to my sleeping habits to find out when is the best time to try a WILD. I think this would be the best path for me to take. If I can get good at WILDs I can take advantage of my frequent natural awakenings for either WILD attempts or DEILD.

With the dream recall problem I'm having, I have a few theories. I have been slaking on my dream journal quite a bit. I didn't think it would have such a big impact, but I might be wrong. So I will redouble my efforts on the DJ. I also have stopped saying the mantra "I remember my dreams" throughout the day, also thinking that it wasn't helping, but I might be wrong on that too. So I'm going to get back into that habit.

So that's that, gonna update more, move to WILD, and try and find someway to increase my dream recall again.

Good to see you back Grody!

Let us know how your practices go and also if you need any tips regarding ld induction or recall. :)

[POSTED Jan 17 2016]
heyo

It's safe to say that I have been improving from the last post.

First off my dream recall has been back into full throttle, most because I have been doing my dream journal again. I am starting to remember multiple dreams per night night, which is exciting. I plan on keeping my dream journal very detailed until further notice, because it seems to be helping.

Now the juicy part. I had another LD last night, which brings my count up to 4. It was a DILD, but a unique one for me because it happened because of a dream sign. Basically I was drinking soda, which I don't do in waking life and remembered that drinking soda was a dream sign for me. I then became lucid. I went outside and tried to fly but it didn't work, so I gave up. I then started to mess with the trees in my yard. First I made all of the leaves and twigs shake at once. For some reason this made my dream hyper realistic, like even more real then real life if that makes sense. I guess it was because it engaged my sense of hearing with the twigs and leaves shaking? Either way I then changed the season to autumn and the leaves started to fall around me. After that I woke up. Probably the coolest thing I've done so far in a LD.

So I'm going to keep doing my dream journal work. I am also going to start trying to WILD, wish me luck!