TheAnachronist's Workbook

[TheAnachronist]

Lesson I- 6/17/16 I'm so excited to have stumbled across this DV Academy! I think it will help to keep me accountable and motivated! Here it goes: Reality Checks: -Looking at my hands, specifically the ring I always wear (this RC has led to lucidity for me in the past) -Plugging my nose and breathing -Sensory awareness, i.e. what do i smell, taste, touch, etc. -Checking my watch, looking away, and looking back to check if the time is the same Dream Signs: -Being in a tall building, trying to get to the top -Seeing friends from high school Short-Term Goals: -Interact with my recurring dream, figuring out what it means and why I have it -Speak with dream characters to learn more about my subconscious mind -Enjoy more of my life through dreaming Long-Term Goals: -Be able to attain lucidity on a regular basis -Make friends on DV who are into this sort of stuff, as I don't have any friends IRL who are interested -Be able to practice interacting with strangers in my dreams so that I have less social anxiety IRL, something I struggle with -Beat my waking life addictions (caffeine, sugar, alcohol, weed, porn) -Access my higher-self -Reach some sort of peace and enlightenment Lucid/Dream Recall History: -Growing up, I've always had good dream recall. My sister is the same way. Each morning we would share our dreams over breakfast, and I think that increased recall naturally. I had lucid dreams as a kid without knowing exactly what it was, and had an amazing time. Once I found out about LD and DV, I started an account (this was 6 years ago) and had snippets of lucid dreams here and there, with plenty of non lucid dreams as well. Once I got a bit older and started drinking and smoking weed, my recall fell apart. Now, I have quit both of those and my recall is slowly coming back. -Besides having a fully lucid dream, many times I have this sort of in between lucid feeling, where I know I am dreaming in the dream, but am somehow still unconscious. For example, the other night I had a dream my friend gave me a cigarette to smoke. As I was smoking it, I told her I knew this was only a dream, so it's ok that I'm smoking, and she told me that smoking in a dream is still bad for you. This whole conversation happened but I was not lucid, yet I was saying that I knew I was dreaming. Also, a lot of times if I'm having a nightmare, I am just able to will myself awake, like if it gets too scary, I just say "ok i've had enough" and I wake up, yet it was not a LD. -I have a recurring dream that started about 4 or 5 years ago. Each time there are subtle differences, but the main points are always the same. I'm in a tall building, like a high rise, and I'm trying to get to the top, either by way of elevator or stairs. There is usually some sort of obstacle that could prevent me from ever reaching the top, and sometimes I don't make it, but when I do, the top floor is filled with different pianos of all kinds. If I reach the top, I get to play as many as I can before I wake up, but usually something happens and I can't play them. On the off occasion that I do, it is a great dream. I usually wake up from this dream excited and happy, and if I can become lucid in this dream, I have a feeling that there is more to it that will be even better. Current Technique: -DILD -I have attempted to WILD many times, but always fall asleep. I'm thinking of practicing some meditation on a regular basis so that I can be more focused when attempting a WILD, so that is one of my short term goals as well. -Practicing awareness in WL, questioning when strange things happen -RC as much as I can remember to -Stopped drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana (proud of myself for this one!!) -Yoga and exercise -Stopped eating right before bed (used to eat a lot of sugar right before bed, but noticed my motivation to record dreams was not there when I do this) -Stopped drinking coffee after noon (used to drink coffee all day, even as late as 7 or 8 at night) -Recording in DJ the past few nights, will continue to do this Bedtime: 10:30pm-11pm Wakeup: 6:00am-6:30am