Getting started - few questions

Hi! First post here. Thanks in advance for anyone who takes the trouble of reading through this all and answering my questions. I'm really excited about this.

I've always had great interest in dreams, probably because I'm relatively good at remembering them (compared to most people I know, some people even claim they don't dream!). I've never used a dream journal, but it is not uncommon for me to remember dreams long enough to, say, discuss them over breakfast. There are also a couple particularly strong dreams which I've had years ago but can still remember in vivid detail. In one I was getting kidnapped while my mom was to busy doing laundry to help me (I was perhaps 10 when I dreamed this). In the other, I lost all my teeth and went to the dentist to get them fixed. The dentist put me under general anesthesia and when I woke up from the anesthesia (all in the dream) I realized the dentist was actually a shrink who had sedated me because I was having an episode which caused me to hallucinate about losing my teeth.

I've had a few spontaneous lucid dreams in my lifetime (I'm 23) which I can remember. Most involved some adverse situation I was in and then me realizing "Wait a second, I'm dreaming this aren't I? That means I can control it!" followed by me getting myself out of trouble by magical or supernatural methods. From what I remember, these realizations are usually produced by some small alteration which made me become half-awake in the middle of the dream but not awake enough for the dream to end.

There's also this recurring dream I have sometimes which I really can't remember, but when I wake up, I know I just had "that dream again". All I can ever remember about it is that it involves a wooden fence.

Anyway, my questions are these:

1. How long do you think I should exercise dream recall before even attempting to identify dream signs and/or perform reality checks during dreams?

2. Based on the background info I shared, what method of attaining lucidity do you think would work best for me? I dread on the thought of methods that involve me waking up on purpose in the middle of the night, but I'm willing to give it a shot if you think it'll be the best for me.

3. Have you ever heard of/bought the Lucid Dreaming Kit by Bradley Thompson? Do you think it could help?

4. Have you used audio tracks that supposedly induce aware REM sleep using binaural beats? Do you think these might help?

5. About dream journals, do you find its better to use a notebook, a voice recorder, a laptop, or something else? Those who use a voice recorder, have you found it to be cumbersome going through your recordings to review them?

6. My plan is to begin exercising dream recall at once, because most sources I've read from seem to agree this is the logical starting point. However, I usually take mid-day naps on a daily basis. Do you think I should start attempting WILD techniques during these naps or should I wait until I have more experience remembering dreams? And will attempting WILD ruin the rest I get from my naps?

7. On the topic of reality checks, what do you think about having a "totem" like in the movie Inception (a small object you can use to know if you're dreaming). I was thinking perhaps a card in my wallet with "Am I dreaming?" typed on it, and taking it out and trying to read it. I was also thinking about a cigarette lighter, trying to light it.

8. I use cannabis recreationally on occasion. Will this ruin my efforts in attaining lucidity? (Please don't hate on me for this)

Thanks again!

Hi, welcome to Dreamviews!

:welcome:

People claiming that they never dream just can't remember what they dreamt about. Everyone dreams, nearly every night, some just have poor recall.

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1. How long do you think I should exercise dream recall before even attempting to identify dream signs and/or perform reality checks during dreams?

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I suggest making sure you can remember at least two dreams a night. I also recommend against relying on dream signs to trigger lucidity, because you're not always going to see them, and besides, lucidity usually comes from instant awareness instead of seeing something and thinking it's strange (just like your experiences). My method involves simply stopping every few hours (or whenever I remember) and asking myself if I'm dreaming, and doing a reality check.

As you know, in dreams you're going about things as if they're normal activities. This is why it's important to stop what you're doing to question reality, even if you know you're awake.

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2. Based on the background info I shared, what method of attaining lucidity do you think would work best for me? I dread on the thought of methods that involve me waking up on purpose in the middle of the night, but I'm willing to give it a shot if you think it'll be the best for me.

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I'd give DILD a shot, or even WILD if you're up for it.

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3. Have you ever heard of/bought the Lucid Dreaming Kit by Bradley Thompson? Do you think it could help?

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I haven't heard of it, but the only product I use for lucid dreaming is apple juice, right before bedtime. (: You don't need anything but your mind to induce lucids.

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4. Have you used audio tracks that supposedly induce aware REM sleep using binaural beats? Do you think these might help?

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I use binaural beats, but the only ones I've heard of are to help you relax.

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5. About dream journals, do you find its better to use a notebook, a voice recorder, a laptop, or something else? Those who use a voice recorder, have you found it to be cumbersome going through your recordings to review them?

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My method of recording dreams is pretty simple, I basically just wake up naturally after a dream. I have a sheet of looseleaf and a pencil at my bedside; with my eyes still closed as not to lose the dream I just woke from, I scribble notes on the paper, just enough to remind myself of the main details of the dream. Then I record the full thing on Dreamviews the next morning. I have no experience with using a voice recorder, but it could make things a lot easier for some people.

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6. My plan is to begin exercising dream recall at once, because most sources I've read from seem to agree this is the logical starting point. However, I usually take mid-day naps on a daily basis. Do you think I should start attempting WILD techniques during these naps or should I wait until I have more experience remembering dreams? And will attempting WILD ruin the rest I get from my naps?

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Yes, it's a very good starting point. Regarding WILDS, you should have a good level of dream recall. Although WILDs are known to be more vivid than DILDs, they're still forgettable if you don't have good recall. Attempting WILD during a nap shouldn't disrupt you at all, you're still getting sleep if you do manage one.

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7. On the topic of reality checks, what do you think about having a "totem" like in the movie Inception (a small object you can use to know if you're dreaming). I was thinking perhaps a card in my wallet with "Am I dreaming?" typed on it, and taking it out and trying to read it. I was also thinking about a cigarette lighter, trying to light it.

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Due to the nature of dreams, you don't always have objects with you. You'll need some dream control skills to spawn the objects (pulling them out of a pocket and "expecting" it to be in your hand, for instance). If you have good dream control, they might work, but sometimes words read out normally for me in dreams. I've lit a match before in a dream too, so that may not work. Regular reality checks, such as plugging your nose and trying to breathe through it, are much simpler and less of a hassle.

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8. I use cannabis recreationally on occasion. Will this ruin my efforts in attaining lucidity? (Please don't hate on me for this)

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From what I've read around the DV forum, people seem to have worse recall when using Cannabis. I'd stop using it while lucid dreaming, or experiment to see if it gives you less recall in the first place.

Thanks a lot Puffin!

So just to get this straight (I just read your guide as well) doing reality checks during your wake hours causes you to routinely attempt them while dreaming, thus alerting you of the dream and allowing you to become lucid?

And also, you only listen to binaural beats to relax, but turn it off before going to sleep? Can you recommend a source?

Again, thanks!

I am in love with cannabis, but I've already noticed a change since i haven't been smoking the last couple days. I am just a beginner though
I wish you luck though =]

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Originally Posted by JackoBius

I am in love with cannabis, but I've already noticed a change since i haven't been smoking the last couple days. I am just a beginner though
I wish you luck though =]

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What kind of change, for the better or for the worse?

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Originally Posted by stjimmy

Thanks a lot Puffin!

So just to get this straight (I just read your guide as well) doing reality checks during your wake hours causes you to routinely attempt them while dreaming, thus alerting you of the dream and allowing you to become lucid?

And also, you only listen to binaural beats to relax, but turn it off before going to sleep? Can you recommend a source?

Again, thanks!

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Exactly. But you really have to make your awareness spike during those times, as you don't want them to become a routine where you just pass over them mindlessly. Myself, I listen to binaural beats to relax initially, and then turn them off when I'm relaxed enough.

This one on youtube is pretty good; you can convert it using mediaconverter.org.

YouTube - ‪Air ( Alpha Binaural Beats ) Unisonic Ascension‬‎

Note that binaural beats don't work for everyone, but it's worth trying!
Good luck. :)

Well good and bad My day isn't as interesting anymore but my dream recall is getting a lot better. You could look into some thing called REM rebound its basically not smoking as often and when you do smoke Get stoned as possible you can read about it here http://www.dreamviews.com/f44/mariju...rebound-39425/