Thread: A simple question concerning WBTB

I won't say you're "doing it wrong" because every one's different. But, I will suggest that you're probably not doing it the "best way".

First of all, you're getting about 8 hours sleep before your awakening. That's too for most people. Try sleeping only about 5 1/4 - 6 hours before you wake up.

I'd also recommend getting more than a half hour after returning to bed. That's not really enough time. If you do have an LD during that time it's likely to be cut disappointingly short. When you do the WBTB, it usually takes time before you become lucid (if at all). Now, if you WILD, that's different because you'll enter directly into the dream state. But even then you risk a good LD being cut off mid-stream.

I don't know how the shower may be affecting your wakefulness so I can't comment on that.

Well I wasn't trying to do the WBTB technique, that was just kind of my "schedule" in the morning before school. But now that school's out I can try it the way it's supposed to be done, waking up 5-6 hours after going to bed. Also aren't you supposed to wake up, and actually wake up as in go get a drink of water, watch some t.v. or something (I've heard you are supposed to wake up for an hour)? Wouldn't taking a shower be ok, or is it not waking me up enough? Or should I be tired when I wake up for the WBTB technique?

when you get too much sleep and go back to bed you might not become as absorbed into dreaming. This happens to me alot. I'll go back to sleep after waking up from an already sufficient night's sleep and have dreams that I'm really only observing. I'll be having a lucid dream but I can't move around in it.

Last night I had a dream I was reading something. And you know how they say when you read something in dream and then read it again it changes? Well I was doing that, so I knew I was dreaming, but my "body" wasn't involved in the dream. I couldn't go back into sleep paralysis. Damn shame too, perfect opportunities for lucid dreaming missed.

p.s. Oneironaught with a "gh", bad-ass carvings.

Well right now I'm just working on my dream recall since I rarely remember my dreams, but now since I've started a dream journal my dream recall should greatly improve. After going back to sleep (after waking up from 5 hours of sleep) is it ok to sleep for another couple of hours? Or are you supposed to wake yourself up (with an alarm or something) again so that you can remember your dream?

Originally Posted by Ziggy

Also aren't you supposed to wake up, and actually wake up as in go get a drink of water, watch some t.v. or something (I've heard you are supposed to wake up for an hour)?

That is correct. I usually wake but lie in bed and often watch TV for about 15-30 minutes. Sometimes I'll get a soda and have a few swigs. I know some people have good luck with getting up and doing physical activities but I don't do that. That's just my personal routine and it may vary for you.

Wouldn't taking a shower be ok, or is it not waking me up enough? Or should I be tired when I wake up for the WBTB technique?

The shower, like I said, is something I can't comment on. It seems to me that it may be too jarring to the process. Don't rely on my theory because I may be completely off-base with respect to the shower aspect.

I can tell you, however, that when I do WBTB I'm often quite tired when I do the 5 1/4 hour wake. Sometimes I'll have to fight to stay awake for at least 15 minutes. As hard as it may be sometimes, that's often when I have my best luck. I almost always combine WBTB with WILD. If one fails me, maybe the other with pick up the slack.

Originally Posted by Ziggy

After going back to sleep (after waking up from 5 hours of sleep) is it ok to sleep for another couple of hours?

Absolutely. My routine is to be able to sleep for another two and a half hours afterwards.

Or are you supposed to wake yourself up (with an alarm or something) again so that you can remember your dream?

You may do that. You may also choose to consciously wake yourself directly from within the lucid dream. I've done that but rarely. I usually just let the dream continue and make mental note to recall as many details as possible. It works for me, as I usually recall my lucids with startling detail.

I usually have my alarm set, too, so that I'll wake after the 2 1/2 hours on work days and about 3 1/2 hours when I don't have to wake so early. I do that so that I can try to squeeze in a WILD before I'm all "sleeped out".

Keep in mind that there are no firm rules. The various techniques are guidelines based on what works for some people. The common techniques work for many people but, we are each unique and require slight modifications to find our personal sweet spots for highest success levels and frequency.

Originally Posted by jamous

p.s. Oneironaught with a "gh", bad-ass carvings.

Why thank you

Thank you for your replys Oneironaught, I will try the WBTB technique tonight and tell you how it goes once I wake up. I probably won't have a lucid dream since I've just started my dream journal and my dream recall still sucks, but I should atleast remember a dream by doing this.

Well I woke up at 05:00 A.M. (went to bed at 11:00 P.M.) and stayed up for probably 20 minutes watching t.v. (also got a glass of water right when I woke up), but then I fell back to sleep. I guess I still need to work on my dream recall because I couldn't even remember any of my dreams when I woke up at around 08:00 A.M., should I keep trying the WBTB technique or just focus on trying to remember my dreams?

Originally Posted by Ziggy

Well I woke up at 05:00 A.M. (went to bed at 11:00 P.M.) and stayed up for probably 20 minutes watching t.v. (also got a glass of water right when I woke up), but then I fell back to sleep. I guess I still need to work on my dream recall because I couldn't even remember any of my dreams when I woke up at around 08:00 A.M., should I keep trying the WBTB technique or just focus on trying to remember my dreams?

You'll have much better success with decent recall. You may have an LD and not even remember it if you can't recall any of your dreams. I don't see any harm in working on both but, recall should be top priority.

Yeah you need recall first or its just a waste of time. Whats the point in luci dreams if you don't remember them. Just work on both at the same time, good luck.

I think recall is important but the problem is its difficult to get excited about. My reaction on first reading about lucid dreaming was very much to want to play with all these interesting techniques - and after all, I could already remember dreams. Some of them. Some days. Surely that would be enough?

For the Ideal Manual Of How To Be Lucid - which is something I like to think about - maybe it would be possible to start off with an emphasis on recall, while dropping in enough references to interesting techniques to stop the reader from just skipping ahead to sections which assume you've got good recall and focus on lucidity.

Emphasize recall by talking about what dreams are like, how strange and entertaining they can be, dream interpretation / dream signs. Sprinkle in how lucid dreams compare to the "normal" ones you're trying to recall, how dream interpretation can cause you to be more reflective within dreams, recognising dream signs can lead to lucidity and how you can use a reality check to confirm the suspicion that you're dreaming. When mentioning making time when you go to bed so you can clear your mind and concentrate on recall, it would point out that once recall is solid you can concentrate on lucidity instead. Point out that people often become lucid spontaneously just after reading about it - maybe *everyone* does that but not all of them remember it :-D.

Would you try to convince someone that Dream Recall is important and they should work on it instead of trying cool and effective techniques like WBTB? How would you do it?