It is relatively common when the subject of dreams is brought up that someone will say, "I never dream." Of course we know this isn't true. At the other extreme are individuals who claim, "I remember all of my dreams." This is also a delusion. In all instances, we simply don't remember the dreams we forget.
Keeping a dream journal takes effort. Those who truly believe that they remember all of their dreams have the perfect excuse not to do it. It is easy for them to conclude (and I have personally heard it expressed), "Since I remember my dreams when I wake up, why should I keep a dream journal? It has the same effect, doesn't it?"
Well, actually no. It does not have the same effect. Once you awaken to the realization that many, more accurately most, of your dreams are forgotten, you will either decide to keep a dream journal, or you will never improve your dream recall. Without adequate dream recall, there is very little chance that you will become a lucid dreamer. If you are unwilling to pay, you can't play. By keeping a dream journal and following a few fundamental rules, you will be granted access to a vast inner world with very few rules at all.
Keeping a dream journal sounds much simpler than it is. The strong urge to slip back into sleep when a dream is still fresh in your mind is a formidable adversary. Equally insidious is the almost irresistible belief that you can wait until morning to record the details of a vivid dream. Not only will you forget the details of the dream, it is even more likely that you won't even remember that you had it.
In most cases, we only remember our last dream prior to awakening unless some waking event triggers the memory of an earlier one. Most of us have experienced this phenomenon. You must admit that without the coincidental event that stimulated the memory, you probably would never have recalled the dream. Consequently, the wisest course of action, when you wake up in the middle of the night with good memory of a dream, is to get it recorded while the getting is still good. Believe me, at the time, you will feel certain that you will remember it later. You won't.
You can easily prove this for yourself. Some night, when you awaken from a clearly remembered dream, force yourself to jot down the key points along with a few unusual details. Go back to sleep. The following morning, dwell for a little while on all you think you remember about the dream before referring to the notes you scribbled a few hours earlier. I predict that you will be surprised to discover that there were significant elements in the dream that you had forgotten.
Once you have gained respect for a dream journal's effectiveness in improving dream recall, you will be prepared to recognize a secondary benefit which is especially important for lucid dreamers. A dream journal will reveal personal "dreamsigns," a subject which is best covered in Dr. Stephen LaBerge's books. Briefly stated, these are objects, places or events which tend to occur repeatedly in your dreams. For me these include car trouble, violence, airline crashes, tornadoes, unusual attics or cellars, and provocative girls. Following Stephen LaBerge's advice, every time I experience any of these in "real life," I immediately do a reality test to prove that I am indeed awake and not dreaming. By adhering to this simple discipline, you will certainly one day do a reality test when confronted by one of your dreamsigns - and lo and behold, you will discover that you are dreaming! (If unfamiliar with reality testing techniques, see Stephen LaBerge's books or visit the Lucidity Institute's website at lucidity.com).
Keeping a dream journal has other benefits. From a philosophical perspective, wherever you choose to put your attention, there you are. Expressed as a maxim, if you pay attention to your dreams, your dreams will pay attention to you. Just the decision to remember and document your dreams will increase your dream recall and, it follows, your likelihood of having a lucid dream.
A good dream journal takes time, and for most of us, time is a precious commodity. If you are just starting and working to increase your overall dream recall, try to record each and every dream you remember. Even the ones that appear to be nonsense are initially useful. Once you have established a reliable routine and have identified your primary dreamsigns, you can back off a bit. Being experienced at lucid dreaming, I admit that I don't record every remembered dream. I quickly assess and rate my dreams. It is easy for me to distinguish between dreams that I consider significant from those that are confused, chaotic, or an apparent expression of my apparent hoard of fears and anxieties. I record and seriously reflect upon the former. I only briefly reflect upon the latter.
If you sleep with anyone you care about keeping, you will very likely need to negotiate alternative arrangements on the nights you target for dreaming. This is one sacrifice that keeping a good dream journal typically requires. I also recommend spending $40 to buy a hand-held microcassette recorder. I have a Sony M-529V. Writing out a long dream can sometimes make it difficult to get back to sleep, and you won't have to worry about trying to translate what usually looks like hieroglyphics the following morning. I reach for my recorder, conveniently placed, push one easy-to-locate button on this model, and a small red light glows so I know it is recording and the battery is good. I just begin drowsily talking. The off button is also easy to feel in the dark. The next day (or whenever) I play it back. Listening to it brings the whole dream back into memory as though I just woke up. I then type it with acceptable grammar and spelling, and it gives me the opportunity to add retrospect impressions and comments.
That's it. I hope it was helpful. Start a dream journal tonight. It speaks for itself in results. /Stephen Berlin
I always found keeping a dream journal a tedious affair yet I do belief it's very important in learning to lucid dream. I love to read my dream journal and the end result after having written my dreams down, but the actual work involved can get to you after a while. I think keeping a dream journal becomes an effort when one has only one goal in mind, namely to facilitate lucid dreaming by writing down one's non-lucid dreams. What can help is setting subgoals for each month in the amount of non-lucid dreams one tries to remeber as recommended in the lucid dreaming course, but I found this in itself not to be enough to be a proper motivator. To write down dreams solely for the purpose of getting to specific number of lucid dreams a month will get one sick and tired of writing them down.
We may intent to lucid dream before sleeping, but often the intent doesn't reach goal, and we are left with are non-lucid dreams. It then seems as we make no progress at all, because it's such an all or nothing thing, having a lucid dream or not. Having a lucid dream or not is not a very subtle way of measuring one's progress and doesn't give any subtle feedback as to how well one is doing.
There are other ways to get a sense of how well one is controlling one's dreams and get a good feedback on how well one's intent reaches its goal.
I found that a good way to give me the proper motivation to keep a dream journal and at the same time getting a good sense of my progress is by choosing the topic of the dream before sleeping. Those who have kept a dream journal for a while, yet had little success with lucid dreaming, may suprise themselves in how strongly their Will has developed already.
How well my intent reaches its goal by dreaming on the topic I intended gives me a far better measure as to how well I'm progressing. Before sleeping, I often intend to dream about a certain topic or resolve an certain issue, and sure enough, about 60% of the time my intent or will reaches its goal. You can take this as far as you want. Using imagination in a similar vein as the freedom found in lucid dreams. You could even intent to dream about lucid dreaming and ask for a dream that will resolve any blocks in becoming lucid during a dream. Keeping a dream journal becomes far more fun this way. So besides my goals of having a certain amount of non-lucid dreams each montht, and a much smaller number of lucid dreams, I also set goals as to how many dreams I want to have which have been intended before sleeping. If anyone follows up on this I would love to hear the results.
Frederick
Greetings dear Lucid Dreamers!
I'm new to this forum, since I became the LI member not so long time ago (many thanks to Yosseph Baumhaker who granted me access to the LI).
I have my own experience with a dream journal that proves it's very important to keep. I started my dream journal right after reading the Stephen B. posting, at August 21. The result: I had my 1st successful, long-lasting and wonderful LD at August 25, and have them till now once a week or more frequently.
I became interested in LDs in May, and I was trying various techniques, the reality tests mostly, but didn't have any desire to keep a dream journal. Any attempts to have an LD were effortless. I only had the short LD starting as WILD at August 9.
My way of recalling dreams:
Hi, I keep a dream journal. In the morning, when I wake up, I forget to "Not move" and try to recall the dream. I have a small clue on what I was dreaming. Then I got to the shower. In the shower I decide that I have 2 missions:
- To clean myself.
- To remember my dreams. =)
With my small idea of what I dreamt or sometimes nothing. I ask my self, "What had I jkust dreamt?" "What did I do?" and small bits of dreams come back. I think about them and slowly I start remembering the dream. Because I only shower, in the shower (of course), it's like a time to think, so I try to remember dreams. Sometimes , even when I don't remember a small bit, a dream can comeback to me because, in my opinion, only the thought that you try to remember the dream and there aren't many destractions in the shower, helps the proccess of recalling.
One diffect in this is that, if, or when I remember the dream, I can't write it. So I go over the dream a few times in my heart. After I get out of the shower I run and write it. If there are too many dreams, I write only topics on each dream like "Friends house, ufo taking me, krystals...". After that I start the expanded writing.
Hope I helped. Dream on! Guy Wald
Keeping a dream journal is great! I keep one, actually post them on my website, have some interesting ones. Just had my first lucid dream 2 nights ago, haven't posted it yet. http://www.webdiva.org/dreams
I think the hardest part about keeping a steady Dream Journal is the self discipline of updating it and keeping it frequent. I have a tendency to collect small books which I disregard after a few days....me thinks me needs a slap hehe.
Together in Electric Dreams, Daniel
Daniel,
Amen, brother. Even though I have very much liked the effect of keeping a journal, I rarely do write in one. When I have kept one up, I like to also have a section in which I write to 'my higher self', and a section in which I record meditations, and also one in which I explore 'my mystery lessons.' The 'Sad Mary Truth' is that I can't even get myself to take vitamins regularly. If you find that a slap works in promoting self discipline, let me know. I think I need to change the way I focus, or maybe the way I perceive myself.
Mary
I find a good slap works with certain things but definately not this. hehe I have a strong belief that these Lucid Dreams can be brought on using NO Experiments and NO Dream journals. It is pure thought before sleep that will allow these to take place. You have to almost plant an internal alarm clock that will alert you when you're dreaming. I tend to use the old "The next thing I see will be in my dream" method.
You really should take your vitamins gal. The world is a playground for horribal type viruses and things ... laff
Keep well, Daniel
Daniel, I took vitamins yesterday and today. See how effective the power of your suggestion can be? I agree with your strong belief that no journalling or experiments, only pure (focussed) thought, are needed to LD. However, I also think that when someone goes into a gym no prior exercise is needed for that person to do a chin-up. But up until now it hasn't been happening that way for me. Unless my adrenalin is racing or I've been practicing on the weight machines some, I strongly suspect I won't pull off a chin-up. Now lots of other people can go into a gym and do chin-ups galore without having purposefully exercised exercised for years. Individual differences. Journalling and meditating are like exercising the muscles that I use while traveling the road of knowledge. Sometimes I have 'dark nights of the soul' (adrenalin rushes in the chin-up analogy) that permit me to achieve short term goals quickly, but I prefer not to live that way, to rely on them. I prefer the idea of keeping myself fit. Life is more fun that way. Now why I don't regularly journal and meditate, that's a good question. I did get out the journal and dust it off. Sweet dreams.
Hi, I am new to the forum, however I have been having Lucid Dreams for approximately 4 years now. At first I was keeping a detailed dream journal outlining all potential dream signs and trying to notice these signs during the day. This went on for about two years but I did not find that the reality testing technique was best for me. As time went on I lost motivation for the daily exercises and tried a variation of other techniques. I have found that the combination of the Nap and Mild techniques works best for me and I try it at least once a week. I have also found that I no longer need to write down every dream in my journal, only the ones that I find interesting (I also write down many observations with respect to my attempts). This may be only 2 or 3 dreams per week, when I am motivated enough. Motivation is therefore a key element to lucid dreaming (for some people the dream journal is a motivational tool) and another key element for me is my state of mind the day I wish to attempt having a lucid dream. If I am preoccupied by something during the day (work, home, etc) I have trouble focusing on the task of having a lucid dream. To be able to succeed, I need to be very relaxed in the evening and not go to bed with to many things on my mind. This may be why some people were having trouble at LDing over Christmas since they may have been preoccupied by their busy schedule (Christmas is often hectic for many people). Therefore, I only attempt to have lucid dreams when I am very relaxed and I know that no other thoughts will be fighting for my attention during the induction attempt. Furthermore, I have found that taking breaks (one or two weeks) is very helpful, specially when I am very busy at work.
I'm been working on L.D. for about 6 mo. now and had a few LD. I've learned a lot from reading these posts. Thanks everyone! I've been keeping a dream journal for a few months now however I find writing dreams out at night to be very distracting. I've found as some suggested here that using a cheap cassette dictation machine is ideal alternative as I can whisper the dream w/out even opening my eyes! (I also mention anything that seems odd about the dream which I might not remember the next morning) It is very interesting to listen back later as it conveys a bit more of the memory of the dream than just writing it out. The trouble is I find it hard to find the time to write out all this information. I'm wondering if just listening to the dreams and writing most interesting dreams and all the dream signs out would be OK and still get the benefits of the Dream Journal? Any thoughts??? Ted
Ted
Try it. And record dreaming and LD frequency. So you can evaluate the difference between the methods. I write down my dreams on computer. That takes a lot of time, but has many advantages. I can easily post them to interested friends. I can search for keywords / symbols / subjects and have in this way a better overlook. I can see the links and see, how myself evolves in dreams. I can relate to a dream, I had years ago. I think, this would be almost impossible, if I used tape recording. How can you decide, wich dreams are important? I know, that I have a different feeling of importance, when I recall my dreams. But sometimes I seem to delude myself in jugding a dream not important. If a friend or myself takes a closer look, some dreams turn out very important, but I didn't want to face the truth.
Dream on
Ralf
Hi, Dreamers! Longtime lucid dreamer here. I've kept journals for years, but I do go through short periods (usually when things are busy and frantic) where writing in them becomes just another chore, and I might miss a few days or even a week or two. But overall I do stay positive about it, and at least write down a quick note, such as, "sense of trying to get somewhere" or, "melancholy feel; something to do with school".
One important thing I've learned is, there's little doubt that people who write down their dreams develop better recall, and better awareness of the dream state. Your brain really does do what it's told, eventually!
I also find it interesting to look back on my long written history of my dreams...to see what is the same, and what has changed. In my earliest dream journals, I find entries where I write of becoming quite frightened by both lucid and non-lucid flying dreams, for example. I'm pleased to say I haven't been beset by this fear for a long time.
By the way, I'd beware of issuing unintended commands to my brain...saying "I can never remember my dreams" is not the best sort of neuro-associative command you want to be issuing. :-)
Attitude is probably important here. If you view any of these activities as drudgery, sooner or later you are probably going to rebel and not do them. They don't need to be doctoral dissertations to be good, useful dream journal entries.
Write on, dreamers!
:-)
zzzzzzzzzzddddLLLL! fiat lux, reverie AKA brenda g.
Reverie,
Thanks for your inspiring words. I don't so much look at journalling as drudgery. More that I feel a barrier of resistance that keeps me from it. The result though is just as you say, "you are probably going to rebel and not do them." There are times when the barrier is not there. Lately it has been. I see my attitude as crucial. I will change, that I know. I'm not sure when.
Dream recording is rewarding. That is what I experienced again in the last days, focussing more on this primary technique. Like Brenda, I sometimes like to take a look back at former entries. It feels good to be in close contact with the night side of my life. Fiat lux! In the night, too.
Carpe noctem!
Ralf
Speaking of a Dream Journal I have kept one on my website for 2 years, and finally decided to build a site where people could come create their own public or private dream journal. Not trying to solicit here, the site is completely free and I don't even have banner ads or anything that display on it. I made it simply because I love dreams and figured it would be a good way to compare dreams with in the community. If you want to check it out it's at: http://www.dreamjournal.org Kelly
Hi, Kelly
I've just visited your site. It's a good idea to share dreams. I wish you all the best with your site. I've taken a look at your dream "UFO's and Lucid #3 - 03/14/01" and left a comment. And some promotion for Lucidity Institute (hehe).
Yours Ralf
Hi Ralf, Kelly, Mary, and other dreamers! I've been slowly making my way through all these fascinating posts so I can start to get to know you folks.
The more time I spend reading about dreams, here and elsewhere, I do notice I connect more effectively with my dream life... they are easier to remember, and keeping a journal starts to get easier.
I don't know how you folks do it, but...
Every December, I spend a weekend printing up my dream journals for the following year. I make 12 comb-bound volumes filled with pages of a simple form to fill out each night and morning. I have considered doing my journal in my laptop instead, but there's something about a hand-written dream journal that works better for me... at least for now. I keep a tape recorder by the bed, too, for those times when a verbal record seems more appropriate.
By the way, Kelly, I'm looking forward to checking out your dream-site.
Oh, and yes, I do have quite a few more lucid dreams when I spend more time and effort on my dream records.
zzzzddddLLLL Brenda / Reverie
Hi, lucid Reverie There IS something about hand - written diaries: I can touch and smell them, I can see the ink being blurred by teardrops... Nonetheless I prefer the computer. It took some time to get used to it, but now it is normal. I can send copies of my dreams and thoughts to all my friends (if they can understand English. Why isn't there only one language for all?). And I can research older dreams much easier. How do you look for a recurrent dreamsign? I'm somewhat inattentive to this subject lately, but I take notice of recurrent themes or characters in the dream reports headline.
And now something completely different:
During the Maui DreamCamp, Stephen LaBerge did point out, that it is important to make clear the advances of lucidity while journalising. And he said, it is important to check, whether one could think or act different in a ND or LD, regarding the use of free will, the pursuit of ones aims, etc. And one should imagine lively, how the "better" version would look, feel and taste. This would increase the probability of LD. This has been a new thought for me. I'd like to add examples of how to do it, using my today's remembered dreams. In former times, I often interpreted my dreams, some for hours and hours. Today, I think lucidity offers the chance to deal directly, live, with our dream - characters, with our shadow and our highest self. And lucidity opens the door to incredible explorations and adventures.
Tuesday, 24. July 2001
I'm in a big house. I receive a message, sent by I. (my former wife), saying: I'm not to do this and this and that with A. (my son) . Now I have enough! I don't say anything, but my father perceives, that I'm angry. I hurry to the telephone. Dial the number. The display doesn't work properly, or did I dial incorrect? I don't get a connection. I look at the number pad. The numbers seem to be strangely arranged. I take a very close look. They are blurred. Hm. I hesitate and think, it may be better to calm down anyway, before making this call. And I wonder, why she wrote such a notice, that doesn't fit in the way we worked things out. The dream continues.
Comment: A better version: The display doesn't work properly. I suspect, this might be a dream, typical dreamsign, a device doesn't work. I take a deep breath, relax, do a RC and recognise, that I'm dreaming. Then I have one more call to I., just to talk things over, integrate some negative emotions to have an easier living.
I'm ready to leave Maui. R. (a campmate) is around. But where did I put my money and my ticked? That's embarrassing. I thought, I already have a boarding card. Ah, now I remember. I left my purse in my car. I go and get it. Now I have more than enough money and find my ticket, too. The dream continues.
Comment: A lucid version: I remember to do a state check, whenever I'm in embarrassing situations. Or I recognise, that my car can't be on Maui. I take a deep breath, relax, and do a state check, just to make sure, that I'm dreaming. Then I'll ask R. , how he is, and why he doesn't email in the forum (or private). Then we fly to Haleakala crater to see and enjoy everything we couldn't on our last wonderful day on Maui.
Hi, Ralf and all oneironauts... I am so envious of all you who were at the Maui seminar... Stephen's events always seem to fall (lately) on the wrong part of the calendar for me! Maybe someday this will change. And now there is the upcoming big island event, while I attend only in my dreams.
Yes, using a computer for DJ does make a great deal of sense, especially where key word searches and mailing to others is concerned. That's certainly true. Currently, if I want to send a dream to someone, I have to re-enter it electronically. And a key word search is a more tedious affair, although how I have the journal organized aids in data analysis.
I do enter my more striking dreams into an electronic database, so that helps.
There are, as I'm sure you know, other little reasons for a hand entry... things like little sketches, schematic diagrams, asides, that can more easily be a part of the journal. (Not that one can't manage these things electronically or in a supplemental notebook...)
But in the end, my more enduring reason is a pragmatic one. I have my DH to think about... the little tippy-tapping on the keyboard is a lot more likely to wake him up, unfortunately, than the virtually undetectible gliding of felt pen on paper! And if I don't get that dream down while it's fresh, so much is lost.
Perhaps if we all had full time dream-secretaries? Wouldn't that be marvelous? Of course, we would need to be assured that their skills were above reproach. ;-)
Finally, your discussion of Stephen's suggestions is right on. I have some good examples of that sort of thing that I plan on posting soon in the dreams section here.
off in a cloud of dream dust, reverie
Hi, Reverie
I, too, use a notebook for writing down (catchwords of) dreams after awakening. Dream secretaries, that would be fine. Or simply a library in my mind of all experiences I ever have and had (and will have?) day and night, that I could use, whenever I want. And the ability to let everyone participate in my experiences.
Just daydreaming...
Ralf
Hello all, I discovered anew the importance of keeping a dream journal. I've been working on LD for just over a year now (went from 1 LD in 10 yrs. to about 1 or 2 per month). Thanks for the Lucidity Insitute, you're a dream come true. My LD have been short (5 sec. to 1 min. max) and so easy to remember. Yesterday I finally had a LD lasting several minutes!! I now appreciate the journalling I've done and wish I had done more to improve my dream recall. I remember most of this long LD but have trouble ordering the sequences and wish I could remember it more clearly. This understanding will give me more enery to write out my dreams.
I have been keeping a detailed dream journal for the last 2 months and have definitely seen an improvement in my dream recall ability. I am also getting about 3-4 LDs a month now. I was previously waiting until morning to record my dreams (the ones I remembered), but have since changed to doing it immediately upon awakening. I have seen a drastic increase in the amount of dreams I am now remembering since the change. HOWEVER, one problem: my sleep patterns have been suffering. I often have difficulty sleeping. I can wake up at 1:30am, record a dream, and then instead of re-entering the dreamstate I will toss and turn in bed for at least an hour or 2. This is becoming all to common for me. Can anyone offer advice as to how I can relax and re-enter the dreamstate? Thanks...
Hi, Brian
Welcome to the forum. Nice success so far with dream recall and lucidity. I recommend reading "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" by Stephen LaBerge and Howard Rheingold. There you find all the basic techniques to (re) enter dreamstate consciously. http://www.lucidity.com/booktape.html
This is a related online - resource: http://www.lucidity.com/NL63.RU.Naps.html
In the Forum you find some descriptions of the MILD exercise and the count - yourself to sleep method. Browse the forum, especially the "Post your WILDs" folder! Use the keyword - search function with "relaxation" and "MILD".
Keep us posted. And please be so kind and answer the standard - questions for newcomers:
How did you come to lucid dreaming? What are your techniques to increase LD frequency? How do you prolong LDs? What for do you use LDs?
Keep on good work and get some nights of long , undisrupted sleep.
Yours Ralf
Brian,
I had exactly the same problem that you describe in getting back to sleep when I began to wake myself up during the night and write down my dreams.
In my opinion it is not surprising that something like this happens when sleep is disrupted in this unusual way.
I found that the problem gradually lessened as I continued to practice recalling my dreams during the night. I progressed from thinking sometimes that I would never sleep again ever to appreciating that I would eventually fall asleep. Of course if you want to have an LD after recording the dream it can be helpful to wake yourself up completely. Stephen points out in ETWOLD in relation to the MILD technique that repeating the technique for a long period prior to falling asleep can strengthen the intention to remember to recognise that you are dreaming.
Another useful thing I found if I could not get back to sleep was to say to myself, OK I can't sleep so I'll practice LD and meditation related techniques.
You could practice a relaxation exercise, eg the 61 point technique. Ralf has a lot of experience of this, I prefer to use a muscle relaxation tehcnique. Try MILD; I've found that the final part of the exercise where you imagine being back in the dream doing LD things particularly effective in sending me back to sleep. Try the counting yourself to sleep, see if you can get to "100...I am dreaming" without letting your mind wander. I note you say that you toss and turn, I had this problem too; I've found a good practice is to try to fight through the intense strong urge to move position, if I can do this (within reason) I find that I'm overcome with a wave of relaxation. Doing this I've taught myself to go to sleep lying on my side (used in some Buddhist dream techniques) which I could never do before.
Don't waste your time lying their worrying because you cannot get to sleep.
Of the medically approved non-drug methods for getting to sleep I think that the two that have the best scientific evidence are the relaxation techniques and also one called paradoxical intent. The latter involves deliberately trying to PREVENT yourself falling asleep. I'm not sure how it works but perhaps it forces a shift of focus away from the fear that you will not fall asleep. Perhaps in this it is related to other meditation techniques such as counting.
Owen
Thanks for the advice. I've never heard of the paradoxical intent technique, but I like it. I'm definitely guilty of mind games while trying to fall asleep, especially the night before a big day where a lot has to get done, at work and at home. There is a definite "fear" of not falling asleep and therefore having little energy for a productive day. I have also tried fighting the urge to move while trying to fall asleep. I have had a little success, and I will continue exploring all possibilities and techniques!
I have indeed read ETWOLD, which is what initially brought me here. As a very young boy I had a very specific and vivid recurring dream involving floating as an asteroid (literally, I was an asteroid) through space. It got to the point where I would make myself enter that specific dreamscene as I was falling asleep because I enjoyed it so much. I read a few generic gas station books on dreams also as a kid, but that was the extent of my interest. Until now, that is.
Now, many years later after my "Asteroid Dreams," I find myself once again interested. I haven't had the dream in well over a decade, but I have moved on. It was a discussion with my girlfriend that re-ignited my interest. I was telling her about how sometimes I could control my dreams and fly, then she told me about Stephen LaBerge's books, now I'm here.
I don't have any specific techniques as far as LD induction. I have been eagerly practicing all of the techniques in ETWOLD and have seen some success. Spinning has indeed helped me prolong my LD's. The last one I had I was in a car eating an apple and began to feel myself wake up; I couldn't necessarily "spin," so I just shook my head rapidly from side to side. It definitely helped, however I found my apple was rotten afterwards.
I am interested in the benefits that lucid dreams can have on our waking lives. And to be quite honest, I'd love to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl, but since I don't see that happening in my near future, I will save if for my dreams. I feel sorry for the people who don't actively participate in lucid dreaming. They don't know what they are missing.
Hello Lucid Dreamers,
I've had Lucid Dreams every two or three days or so when I was really into it last summer but then I stopped cause I was tooooo busy with Piano and School. Now I started for good, but the problem is Dream Recall, I had a very good Lucid Dream two days ago but my Dream Recall is REALLY HORRIBLE compared with how good it used to be. I started a dream journal again, anything else that might help?
Any advice would be appreciated, Happy Dreams, Damien
Hi, dreamers
Owen
Thanks for your words on not moving. They inspired me to deepen the relaxation - exercise. Of course you are right in saying that there are different methods of relaxation. I only tried the 61 points. Some years ago I tried Jacobsens progressive relaxation.
Brian
Thanks for feedback.
Maybe you shouldn't shake that long next time. Or do it longer and find a new apple tree growing in your palm :-)
This is what people are missing: All these endless games and adventures!
Demijan
If you have the chance, time, whatever, get up after 5-6 hours of sleep, write down dreams, stay awake for 1/2 - 1 hour, then go back to bed, do the MILD exercise. If you do this some days, your dreamrecall and frequency of LDs will certainly benefit. Set intentions before sleep, maybe write your goal (e.g.: I'll remember one detailed dream next morning) on a sheet, lay it under your pillow. Set realistic goals, and you will succeed, set higher goals, when you reached one. Goal - setting is a key to success. Keep the diary by your bed, so you can immediately write everything down. If you don't recall details, try to imagine, what they were. If you don't recall any dreams at all, make up your own dreams and write them down. If you use the ND - mask, set the dream - alarm, so the Novadreamer awakens you after every dream. All this has helped to increase dream recall.
CU later
Ralf
Thanks for the advice Ralf. =)
Here's the dream I had last night:
I have no idea how it started I remember being in the living room and something happened, I think it was the NovaDreamer sound and flash that made me question my state. I looked at the digital watch in the corner and tried to make the numbers change, and they did.
Right after I realized that I was dreaming the dream started to fade and I rubbed my hands together, looked at the floor, and then I was spinning and it finally stabilized in about 5 - 10 seconds.
Immediately I started thinking what to do next and I decided to try to fly, so I went downstairs I remember it very in detail, and opened the door and went outside, the weather was not to hot and not too cold and it was pretty windy I think. I saw our neighbor get inside his house and everything was real.
Now I'm trying to fly, I stand in the middle of the road, stretch my arms out and jump but I'm unable to go forward. I only get up vertically and a bit forward but I can't fly straight! So I try it like 2 more times but I can't do it, it's like gravity is pulling me down.
The dream begins to fade again but I'm unable to stabilize it again, and so I wake up.
It was amazing =) I can't wait to have another one again.. I just need to learn how to fly.
Superb, Demijan!
Congratulations.
That is a good new start. Classical, ND cued, with digital clock - RC, successful prolonging.
Glad, that the advice worked for you in this way! Did you never fly in your LDs? If you can't fly, try high jumps or dance, or flutter like a bird or stay on the ground and encounter situations by foot. There are many more tips re flying. I like to fly, but avoid it these days, because it often leads to premature awaking.
Keep us posted
Ralf
Hi Ralf,
I can do the high jumps but I can't go horizontally it's like gravity is pulling me down, heh.
Byers, Demijan
Hi All,
I've been keeping a dream journal for several years now (off and on). Recently I've switched to entering my dreams into the computer in my room. I was wondering if anyone else had used this method and any advantages/disadvatages it may have.
Steve
For the past four nights I'm getting Lucid every night!! That's very good, but I'm having trouble by losing lucidity in the dream like a minute after I become lucid, it's not like the dream fades, but I just forget and the dream goes on in a 'normal' way, next time I'll keep telling myself "I'M DREAMING I'M DREAMING" throughout the dream - lol.
Way to go Damien!
This loss of lucidity often happens to me as well. You might want to experiment with different methods of prolonging lucidity like looking at your hands, that usually works really well for me. You're on the right path though...
I'm new to the board and thought I would give you all a little info on myself. I first got into lucid dreaming about six years ago after reading "Lucid Dreaming" by doctor LaBerge and later read, "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming". I practiced most of the techniques for becoming lucid including reality testing, dream recall, and memory exercises. I had incredible results. I increased my LD frequency over several months of practice from 1 or none a month to about 12-15 Lucid Dreams a month. I was especially fascinated with the WILD technique, which I used quite often. I have also experimented with methods of prolonging LD's, changing dream scenes, conversing with dream characters, and facing dream "demons". Needless to say I did have many profound experiences that have had a great effect on my life but I have been sidetracked by all my waking activities for the past several years. Well, after many years of little practice and few lucid experiences I would love to get back into the swing of things. This Message board seems to be a great way of sharing experiences with others of like mind.
Steve
Steve
Welcome to the forum!
You made a great success the other years. Hope you'll get back to and go over your former experiences. I'm looking forward to your dreamreports and discussions with you. Why don't you post your first LD. What did inspire you to work on LD, besides the lecture of LaBerge?
Towards more light
Ralf
Hi Steve and Damien,
Better yet, try rubbing your hands to prolong the dream (not to be confused with prolonging lucidity), because engagement/interaction is what helps keep that mental model of the dream world vivid. To prolong lucidity, try repeating to yourself "This is a dream!" or act in a manner that continues to remind you that you in an illusory world.
Journey on! Keelin
I'm pleased to anounce I just had a lucid dream and would like to share it with you all....
5/13/02
Written before sleeping in the morning-
I've been up for about a half hour now, I will now go to sleep and have a dream regarding my current treatment and "illness'. Am I Bipolar? Are the current western psychological models of mental illness flawed or do not look at the situation in a "correct" way? What way is correct? I would like to find the answers to these questions. I call upon any parts of myself or other powers that have this information to come to me and share their knowledge so that I may further understand myself and my place in life. Ideally I would like to become lucid and discuss this isse with an expert on the issue.
I contemplated my intentions as falling asleep and experienced some very strange hypnagogic imagery as well as bodily sensations of sleep paralysis. First I started to hear buzzing and knew I was becoming paralyzed, I tried not to get to exceted so I could enter the sleep state. I decided to try to visualize a scene and began walking down a corridor, it was somewhat realistic but I thought to myself "I am lucid but this is only imagery not a dream', Then I was in paralysis again. I had some other imagery in this half sleep state of a cop holding me down with his arm at my chest area so I could not move (something I don't think I have felt before). I also tried to feel as though I was leaving my body and above it during the buzzing and I could hear the most sinister of laughs and I was somewhat frightened It may be a being with bad intentions.
I finally stabilized some imagery into a LD. I began walking outside a building and it was dark. I decided to open a door and thought to myself that I wanted it to be light inside and that my "expert" would be there. It was light inside, I walked down the hall repeating that I was dreaming and examining some of the details witch I can no longer recall. I decided to go out another door and surly my expert would be there. There was a black man. I tried to ask him if he could answer my questions but I could hardly speak I have to force out the words. "Can you answer my questions.' He gave me some vague answer I do not recall (maybe it wasn't vague) I think I tried to rephrase and ask him about a specific question but I felt like It was a waste of time and I started to float away as I talked to him! (Previously I had to try to break laws of physics, now I can't get them to work!) Finally I found another man outside the building and I asked him a different question, "Am I mentally ill?' He responded with a very sure "NO" and I began to float away up over the building and higher and higher until I lost my focus.
Has anyone else had success answering questions of this nature about ones self? I woulder how much I can trust the answer given by this dream charechter. Or rather I would need further information to understand his answer (I think?)
Anyway I'm glad I've had me first LD, it seems like I'm over that hump now and can get back into dream exploration.
Steve
Dear Steve
Now I have some minutes to read and answer your posting. First of all congratulations to your LD. As far as I understand the first LD since a long time. You display good skills in navigating the phase of hypnagogic imagery. And your actions in the LD were widely arbitrarily. Our focus here is on lucidity, how to achieve and how to use it. Everything linked to lucidity is our subject. From this point of view it interests me what lies behind the phrase: "I finally stabilised some imagery into a LD." You said, you worked a lot with the MILD technique. How do you cope with the fears related to strange threatening voices and maybe (at least for me it is so) the extreme distortions of how you perceive your body, the passage from feeling your physical body to being in the dream. How do you stabilise the imagery?
Although we are not that into interpreting dreams here, I hope the following thoughts maybe helpful for you:
If I were in your place, I would ask myself, if the cop is somehow related to something "depressing" (because that is what he does), to something, that hinders you to stand up or even to breath deeply. Does this scene resonate with your life in any way? What does the cop mean for you?
The onset of OBE is often accompanied by strange sounds, words etc. and fear is common.
If it were my dream, I would ask myself, if the black man relates to my subconscious, the "place" where there are no words. Floating is common in LDs, but in this case I would ask myself, if this involuntary floating has a meaning (because it is related to the difficult dialogue with the black man). There have been discussions on flying in dreams and what flying means. I don't want to go deeper into this now.
In general I would say, that it isn't easy to find someone to talk to in the more or less "symbolic" dreaming realm. It seems to me that the plot, the actions, emotions and images are much more important vehicles of information in dreams. This is the language of our unconsciousness. I, too, have experienced, that especially in LD it is mostly hard to speak and even more difficult to get answers (at least the answers, I expect ;-) )
If it was my dream, I would certainly think about the dichotomy of inside/black/no words - outside/white?/words.
Trusting dreamcharacters: Sometimes I don't trust myself. The same counts for dreamcharacters, who are with 99% possibility representing myself. It is plain, that we tend to veil our/ the truth, at least sometimes. This is why it can be helpful to use structured approaches to dream interpretation and/ or discuss them with someone else.
If you want to go deeper into dream - interpretation, here are online resources /discussion groups:
http://www.asdreams.org/
http://dreamgate.com/electric-dreams/
Thanks for posting your lucid dream and your thoughts and keep us posted. And please don't be sick with me reminding you (and everyone) of the focus in this forum: It is lucidity. Most of us certainly interpret their dreams. But we agree not to interpret them here in length. I sometimes write some lines about how I interpret a LD of mine or how it influenced the following days. We try not to be too strict, it is a lively discussion, but we want to keep the focus.
I wish you tons of lucid dream to explore and enlightening dreams to all
Yours Ralf
Dear Steve, and Ralf,
Erm... this is kind of going off the Lucid Dream topic... but maybe it will help some.
If you're interested in dream interpretation, I've had very good success by using a book from Wilda B. Tanner called "The Mystical Magical Marvelous World of Dreams." It's not your run-of-the-mill dream dictionary. I've used it to interpret my own dreams for years, and found clear, yet unexpected meanings arriving from otherwise senseless dreams. The kicker is, I've used it to decipher dreams for others too, with the same good results. If you're interested in dream interpretation, I'd recommend it highly.
Now for something completely different...
We're used to talking to communicate here in the physical. In the Astral Plane, we converse in "NVC" - non-verbal communication. Basically, it's telepathy which is internalized in our own language and understanding. Often, one receives an entire concept in one shot, simply completely understanding what was meant. If you have trouble "talking" to a dream character...try "thinking" to him/her. I haven't done this with dream characters yet, but it is the standard communication in Astral projection. Give it a try.
Good point about NVC. I am, and always have been, totally blind. Because my mental model has no visuals whatsoever, I often know things about my dream self, dream characters, their histories, who they are, even the surrounding area/environment, by some means other than observation. Intuition, telepathy, not sure what it is exactly, but alot of my dreams, lucid or not, have alot of NVC, to fill in the gaps which may otherwise be observed visually. Thea