• Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views




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    1. #1
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      My experiments with music

      A few weeks ago, I started trying out some lucidity induction with music. The routine I use is to get up around 4 or 5 in the morning using an alarm, stay awake for an hour or two, then returning to sleep with headphones and a CD player left on repeat. My experiments continue, and I may post updates here for those who may be interested in my progress. Or people who want to try it themselves are welcome to discuss tips and ideas here as well.
      So far I have not yet achieved proper lucidity using this method, but it's early days still, and I will persevere when I have spare days.

      Happy dreaming.

    2. #2
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      I have always had some cool experiences with listening to music while asleep, but i never used it to gain lucidity. I can recall a time where i fell asleep with music on without headphones. I slipped into a dream where i was in my old science class, listening to the songs playing in real life with my class. I woke up in the middle of a song, and it was at the same spot in which the dream ended. It was a very cool experience

    3. #3
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      Yeah I might loop a song all night and kind of sing it in my head. I have a hard time focusing on something while I let my body fall asleep. This might help keep my mind awake

    4. #4
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      I have had some partial success recently.
      After awakening and then falling asleep with some headphones on, listening to some of my own music, I came into a dream where I was in a bathroom and I could hear the music. In the dream I was wearing headphones too, but outside the door I heard my friend looking around and calling for me. I threw off the headphones to better make out what he was saying, but the music was still as loud as ever. I thought this kind of strange, but it did not trigger full-fledged lucidity. Instead I was more preoccupied with finding my friend, who jumped as I burst out of the bathroom, trousers down, trying to tell him that I was on the bog.

      Also, an interesting note: I am participating in someone's dissertation study over Christmas which investigates whether playing a musical instrument immediately before bedtime triggers more musically related dream content. I will be using my didgeridoo.

    5. #5
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      I was listening to Pink Floyd last night while trying to sleep. I don't know if it's because of the music or possibly the extra B6 (I ate a lot of broccoli last night), but I remember more dreams than I usually do in a week. I'll try again tonight.

    6. #6
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      Thanks to everyone who has read and taken the time to post comments on this thread. I return now with exciting progress.
      This very morning, at around 5 am, I put the headphones and the CD player on and returned to sleep. After awakening briefly during the first repeat, I returned to sleep again and dreamed myself in my bed setting my watch alarm while hearing the music.
      Next thing I knew, I was visiting a library similar to the one at my University, and my brother was working at one of the computers. I went to speak with him, so tried to lower the volume to better hear the conversation, but of course the music volume did not change. After fiddling with the controls for a bit, it clicked that I was dreaming since this had happened to me before (in my other post above).
      I was lucid, but everything immediately went black. I must have been on the threshold between asleep/awake at this point, as I could still hear the music and could feel myself lying in bed. But I did not open my eyes, and within seconds my eyes seemed to roll upwards and my body suddenly became very heavy, as if I was sinking into the bed. I understood this to be sleep paralysis, but I remained conscious and still could hear the music. I grew excited as this was my first conscious experiencing of sleep paralysis.
      As the seconds passed, it felt like my body was being stretched across the right side of my bed, and I wondered what visuals would soon be appearing before me at the start of a new dream, asking myself if the music could possibly influence it. But in my excitement, I thought a better idea would be to open my eyes and see if the feeling lingered. But opening them made it vanish and I was back to normal again.

      So that's two successes in one night. I must persevere with this technique, and next time try to actually stay in the dream. But tonight I'll take a break. Such excitement!

    7. #7
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      I tried again tonight, but things got a little strange.
      Usually when I put on some music, it's always manifested itself on my portable CD player in the dream, but this time it was on my big Hi-Fi system downstairs, which caught me out a bit. I was trying to help a silly man who wanted to perform some sort of solo routine turn it off because he was distracted by the music. But of course, absolutely none of the buttons did anything, but instead of remembering that this is a dream sign, I rationalised that the system must be faulty. It wouldn't turn off, and it even continued to play the music after I ejected the disc.
      "How's it doing that?" I shouted out in frustration.

      Curiously though, I wasn't using headphones this time; I just left the CD player on next to my bed so I could sleep in a more comfortable position, which may explain why the music didn't appear on my portable device this time. But interestingly, it happened during the same tracks that the experience I wrote about above featured.

      Cool...

    8. #8
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      More success this morning, folks.
      Throughout this morning's dream I experienced several false awakenings and a few times when the dream faded to black before I re-entered. Every time I heard the music, I was listening on headphones in the dream, which I could promptly take off to see if the music continued to play. It did, and served as a lucidity trigger.
      The first time I was in my back garden, and upon hearing the music and attaining lucidity, I decided to try flying into the neighbours' garden. On my way there, I tried out some dream manifestation experiments, by telling myself that I would see the neighbours in their back garden. Sure enough, when I got there they were all chilling out on chairs, but the dream faded away as I stood before them.
      However, I got back into the dream pretty quickly, and was now standing on my front garden. I walked to the neighbours' house again, checking my hand as I went there. It looked curiously normal, and then I tried out the trick that involves rubbing your hands together to stay in a dream. But it was difficult; there seemed to be too much friction and my hands felt like they got stuck together. So instead I tried the spinning technique. I didn't wake up but when I stopped spinning I was back on my front garden again. This time I flew back towards the neighbours' house, and could see them in the back garden again, but then the dream faded again.
      The dream started to get a little frightening after this, as I experienced many successive false awakenings. Every time I was in a car, but upon taking of the headphones or ejecting the CD I was listening to, it continued to play. I began to fear that I was stuck in the dream, and as this continued to happen more and more, I grew increasingly fretful. It was then that I realised I was having trouble breathing, and when I tried to call out for help I could only gasp and snort. A few times I fell out of the car into fresh air which seemed to aid my breathing, but then I would awake and do the whole routine all over again.
      When I did finally awake for real, I was greatly relieved.

      It certainly seems my music technique works, and I'm sure that with practise I will be able to gain greater proficiency with my experiences.

    9. #9
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      News. I tried again this morning but using a different CD this time, and don't remember hearing it. I do remember watching a TV program in the dream though, and if there was music playing along to that I must have assumed it was part of the program.
      This experience has led me to conclude that only certain types of music can break through the numbed senses of dreaming. The other CD I have used has given me success every time so far, and curiously it was during the same tracks. They contained a lot of low drones.
      Since I had no lucidity this time, I may try again later this week, probably Wednesday morning. Anyone interested in the results check back here.

      Have fun.

    10. #10
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      Very interesting Well now what! Could you please tell us what was the specific music that you listened to, both success and not so?

    11. #11
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      Hi Goldenspark, and thanks for the query.
      To answer your question in a way that would be generally applicable to all readers, I remember reading somewhere, possibly in Sleepfaring (2006) by Prof. Jim Horne, that you are more likely to sleep through sounds you do not find annoying, whereas annoying sounds will more likely wake you up. Applying this to music, coming in the huge variety it has, it has to be something you find tolerable. So success, I predict, will depend on your interests.
      For me, it is ambient music, which I listen to frequently. This style of music is designed to be non-intrusive, and is often characterised by very slow, very quiet structures, with no lyrics or beats. You can leave it on quietly while working, for example, and completely forget that it's playing, because it becomes part of the background noise. This is why I believe it to be a good choice for musically inducing lucid dreams, as it will not keep you awake, but should appear in your dreamstate. There is plenty of free ambient music (Creative Commons) available online if you know where to look; don't go and illegally download things that you should rightfully be paying for.
      I have used CDs which were legally purchased, as well as some of my own ambient music which is currently unreleased. I have yet to try the free downloaded stuff, as I cannot be bothered to turn on my computer in the early hours. I may burn some of my collection to discs for future use though.
      If anyone would like recommendations, let me know and I'll send them through a private message. Maybe we can all work on this together as a sort of music-dream project?

    12. #12
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      This new experience actually happened last week, but I have been slow to post it here.
      In this dream, even though I'd gone to sleep with the headphones on, the music appeared on a CD player in the dream this time. I was with a group of people, and we'd all set up with mattresses and blankets at the foot of one of the stairwells in my old college, to have a seminar. It commenced without problems, though the track I was listening to had some loud bits in it, and when they came I attempted to lower the volume so as not to disrupt the seminar. I don't think the volume worked, but I remember paying less attention to it (that's interesting in a way, because the seminar, which was due to happen in real life that week, was about selective attention and distraction). What followed were the same emotions experienced in one of my accounts above; I began to get very anxious about the music, and feared that I would not be able to get out of the dream again.
      My next task when I attempt it again this weekend, will be to act more calmly and remember the experiences from last time, so that I may improve my progress and get some proper control happening.

    13. #13
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      More success again this morning, folks.
      I was able to achieve lucidity with the music, and in the dream I was in my bedroom. After checking the headphones and asserting that I was in a dream, I went downstairs, sometimes floating down or throwing myself down them, I entered the lounge. Christmas decorations were up for some reason. So I walked to the end of the room, and facing the wall I decided to try some manifestation again. I kept telling myself that when I turned around I would see someone standing there in the room. I tried really hard to concentrate on this fact, but when I turned around there was a kitten.
      I kept slipping in and out of sleep a few times, but every time I re-entered I was in the same situation. When the dream looked like it was fading away, I tried rubbing my hands together vigorously, and it seemed to help because the scene came back into focus. Sometimes I would double-check the headphones to make sure I was still in the dream.
      Curiously, I had a false awakening (but no frightening emotions this time, I am glad to report). I awoke on a mattress and sleeping bag on the floor in the lounge, with my laptop by my side playing the music through my headphones. I took them off and heard nothing, so I said "Now I can reality check properly," and proceeded to try and turn the laptop off. I looked over to one of the cupboards and could see it was full of video cassettes, all in sleeves which contained pictures of mountains (which I suspected to be K2), and they bore the word "FROZEN".
      Then I awoke for real, and a new track started playing on the CD player at my bedside. I think that false awakening must have occurred during the gap between two tracks, which would explain why I heard nothing.

      So to conclude: that's another successful experience. I was thinking more calmly and consciously, I had greater control over staying in the dream, and I experienced no intense emotions before waking up.

    14. #14
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      Update: I did not achieve lucidity this morning. I used a different CD to the one I usually do, and while I don't directly remember hearing the music, I do remember talking to someone about it in the dream, and showing them the CD case.
      Then, irrelevantly, I went around looking for computer keyboards and cutting out keys with a Stanley Knife, mostly those which spelled out the word 'gillpump'.

    15. #15
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      More success this morning, folks.

      The CD I used last time I failed to notice in a dream, but I gave it another shot this morning and this time it worked. When I noticed it, I was working in a small but busy shop, and someone was trying to talk to me, so I lowered the volume and took the headphones off, but when nothing happened I realised I was in the dream.
      I remembered the task I wanted to perform, which was to shout out loud "I am dreaming!" At first I just thought it, but then shouted it properly, which felt a little strange, and I hoped I hadn't shouted it in the real world as well. Then I threw myself through a large window. After a short awakening I re-entered the dream, and found myself inside a sleep tunnel that someone had built to help achieve lucidity. There was even an audio deck there to play audio cues. I tried to explain all this to a person that was there, but he kept vanishing and re-appearing in different places.

    16. #16
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      This morning I tried again with the new CD. I heard the music this time, but it was incorporated into the dream in the form of a very emotional music video, even with added lyrics. Sadly, I cannot remember what any of the lyrics were, except for one line which sounded like "Here and now." The dream ended up becoming very emotional, and towards the end I began to feel very thirsty. But I woke up fine, albeit feeling rather sad.
      So that was something new. I wonder if it will happen again.

    17. #17
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      Nice thread I will try this out tomorrow or the next day, this seems pretty cool.

    18. #18
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      Hi Phased. Thanks for reading my thread. Hope your attempts go well; I'd love to hear how you do.

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      This is interesting. I may try this myself. Thanks for the inspiration!

    20. #20
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      Hi AsleepAwake, glad I could provide you with some inspiration. I'd love to hear how you get on in your attempts.

    21. #21
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      "Well now what?", do you have some sample of your music to listen too? I am a musician too (keyboard player) and i like ambient music, also new age, celtic, orchestral, etc. I also have been composing instrumental music for some years. Maybe i'll try to compose some lucid dreaming induction music, who knows.
      I'm curious to listen to your music.

    22. #22
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      Thanks for visiting my thread, DreamHighlander. I have sent you a private message so do be sure to read that.

      More success this morning, in the possible form of a dream within a dream.
      As usual, I put on the headphones and the CD, and went back to bed, this time paying more attention to the music instead of my lucid-intention mantra. In a surprising twist, I dreamed that I was in a bed trying to induce lucidity in exactly the same way, with the headphones and the music which was playing through into the dream. The bed was outside on my back garden back home, and even though trying to sleep under the open sky was lovely, it soon started raining. I sighed, got out of the bed, took in the laundry on the washing line so it wouldn't get wet, and entered the conservatory to continue trying under the shelter of a roof.
      The next bit is kind of fuzzy, but I was soon aware that I was dreaming. Maybe I got to sleep in the dream and entered lucidity that way? Regardless of what happened, I was now walking up the garden with a portable DVD player bag, conscious of my dream state. The music could still be heard, and I walked with large, slow, deliberate steps, paying attention to the garden around me. I could even identify the particular track on the CD that was playing, and roughly how far I was through it. (Suggestion: Maybe this could be a new means for timing your lucid experiences?)
      I came to the fish pond at the top of the garden to look at the fish, and they all had slightly bulging eyes, looking kind of goofy.
      After that, I ran back to the bottom of the garden, throwing my clothes off as I went, and then walked through the large glass door into the main room of the house. Inside, I tried to manifest one of my friends into the dream by expecting to see her around the corner in the next room. Sadly, this failed, and I entered my bedroom, where I contemplated jumping out of the window and flying. But I decided against it for some reason, and instead went into my brother's bedroom.
      He was sleeping in his bed, and I shot through the air above him and out the window, looking back to see him looking quite shocked. I popped back inside the room again through the window to shout "Boo!" but my voice failed to work. I now seemed to be frozen floating above my brother's bed, trying to reach out for him and ask for a drink, because my throat felt so dry and empty. I couldn't speak, and it was not a pleasant feeling. I interpret this to be an effect of sleep paralysis, and a sign that I was beginning to wake up.
      I was able to twitch my hand, but it was my real hand that moved and not my dream hand, and I could feel this in the dream. Things slowly began to fade out and very soon I felt myself lying in my bed with my eyes closed. The first thing I then did was take a drink.

      One of my best and most stable experiences so far.

    23. #23
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      I like this thread because I had my very first lucid dream this way. I woke up early in the morning for some reason and I stayed up for a while until i realised i was too tired to stay awake. So i put on some music and went back to sleep and became lucid, although i'm not sure if the music is the reason why i became lucid.

    24. #24
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      Hi Vengeance, and thanks for your contribution. Glad to hear this technique worked for you.

    25. #25
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      A new one from yesterday; my first in a while. In my dream, after being pursued through a town by a minion of Ares (at least that's what I thought it was), I made peace with it and sat down in a restaurant with a friend of mine. It was then when I became aware of the music, and proceeded to fall into the routine of repeatedly removing the headphones and still being able to hear it. I resorted to asking my friend to help me wake up properly, so he grabbed hold of my leg. Don't know how that was meant to help, but it must have worked because I woke up properly the next time.
      Odd.

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