Long Layoff, then G + Ch + WBTB Success

[Goldenspark]

Just thought I'd recount my recent success. I've had a long frustrating time with LD'ing generally. Started out "naturally" and had about a dozen very short LDs (max 5-10s), mostly by WILD, with a few DEILDs over a period of 18 months or so. For some reason I always woke immediately an LD started. Then I tried Galantamine and had some success, but again, usually only a few seconds at a time. The best I had was one LD that lasted about 2 minutes. I decided to have a complete break. Then after about 3 months, still getting quite good recall and waking after at least a couple of dreams each night, I decided to try 2 x (4mg G + 200mg Ch). I woke at about 3am naturally after a short dream, waited about 1/2 hr, took the tablets and then tried to just stay awake some more. I thought it was not going to work when I could feel the G coming in, because it sort of gets me buzzing a bit, making it difficult to sleep, but I just tried to chill out and relax, just letting my mind wander, but still making sure I didn't just fall to sleep in an un-controlled way like I have in the past. I had some fitful mini dreams and semi-lucid flashes for the next couple of hours. I don't think I actually went to sleep, but I might have done, being "on the edge". At about 5:15 I fell into an LD, quite literall falling through the air towards a house below, and my long LD started! I then had about 45 minutes of something like 5 different sequences, varying from very detailed and vivid, to sometimes a bit more washed out. One was under water where I checked the nose pinch RC, so I could both breathe under water and through my pinched-off nose which was a bit weird! On a couple of other occasions I looked at my hands. One time they were all puffy with more fingers, the other they looked like cartoon hands with newspaper print all over them. The key to this success was I think down to 3 things; 1) The Galantamine obviously helped 2) I've been checking my dream cycle timing and I think mine fit quite nicely into the 90 minute cycle timing, so if 3 am was the end of a cycle, 6 am is about the end of another, which is about when my LD ended. I.e. timing in terms of other brain chemistry was about right. 3) I was definitely a lot more chilled and patient, which meant I didn't just wake up immediately. Engaging regularly with the dream scene, looking closely at things, touching them, doing RC's, all the stuff we read about. But of course if you wake up in just a few seconds you have no time for all that, which was what was happening to me! Now that I have done it (long LD), I hope I can repeat it without supplements. I hope this acts as encouragement for all those long-term frustrated LD enthusiasts like me!

[FryingMan]

I had a huge August which was in part supplement-fueled, September was sort of a break, October I've been ramping up the intent but still avoiding the supps, and have gotten some nice lucids so far. Yes I'm familiar with the "buzz" on G+choline. G+Ch's effects are real, no doubt about that. Congrats! Nothing like a long LD to really get you going again. I've had one about that long as you did but it was hazy the entire time. Still looking for that ultimate, long, vivid, aware LD. I'm progressing though, so, slow and steady wins the race!

[Goldenspark]

Thanks Fryingman. Glad to see you're still having some good success. As I said, I've had a bit of a break and also have been of this forum for a while. Read Rinpoche about Tibetan dream yoga, which gives an interesting alternative view of LDing. I do wonder if that might have helped a bit in terms of calming down? One thing I didn't perhaps get across in my post, which sort of goes without saying was how absolutely f*ing amazing it was! Even though I seemed to have managed to calm things down so as to stay lucid and not wake up, it did feel like I was running around like a mad thing doing all sorts of stuff. Very naive and newb I guess for some on here! At one point I did even try to converse with my subconscious, by asking some quite deep question, but there was no reply. I guess that was a bit to much too soon!

[Goldenspark]

I had another good long LD last night (about 1/2 hour). It was a WILD after 8mg + 200mg. It took about 1 hour before I got lucid. But, I was aware of one thing. In order to not wake up I do seem to be somewhat drifting through the dream, almost as a casual observer. With my limited success rate and tendency to wake up in the past, I am just rolling with it for now. The thing is, when I woke I almost doubted it was an LD. It was quite "dreamy". I remember at one point really looking closely at something on a table. It turned out to be a small lump of gold which I picked up and could feel its weight. But even though I made a conscious effort to scrutinise and interact, the scene stayed a bit dreamy. I have resolved to interact more and do several RCs next time (I didn't RC once - it seemed obvious it was a dream at the time).