# Lucid Dreaming > DV Academy > Current Courses > DILD >  >  Tradl3s's Workbook

## Tradl3s

Hey all, Tradl3s here. I've been on/off about Lucid Dreaming for around 3 years now, maybe more. I was never very motivated, which didn't get me far. I would like to be far more dedicated now, and i also know what areas i need work in. I guess i am making this so i can keep track of where i'm headed. DILD is the _only_ way i've ever been able to LD, and it probably will stay that way. Just recently i've made a hint of progress, which was a good sign for me. I thouht now would be an excellent time to pursue Lucid dreaming again, because i'm out of school for a bit. I feel like i just need to put more work into my Reality Checks, and i DEFINITELY need to get better with Dream Journaling. Just can't get that down. I'll have a daily reminder set to update here, so hopefully this won't go dark anytime soon.

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## fogelbise

Welcome to the DILD workbooks Tradl3s!  :smiley:  Motivation is always a factor and often a challenge. I was just telling another member: "I need to freshen up my approach periodically to keep my day practices and night practices at a sufficient level to have regular LD's. The last time around (just a week or so ago) I went back to a previous state check/visualization I have always like and paired it with some new goals that got me excited." So keeping your day practices feeling fresh and as fun as possible helps along with having concrete goals of things that you want to do in your next LD...LD goals that really get you excited.





> I'll have a daily reminder set to update here, so hopefully this won't go dark anytime soon.



Awesome! I look forward to it  :smiley:  You can use this space to track your progress and experiments and also to ask any questions you may have.

You mentioned being out of school and I am not sure how young you are but here is what I told some other younger members that may be helpful to you:





> I recommend that you consider that learning lucid dreaming is most like a journey of learning and measured progress, a journey where your eyes will gradually open up to a world of possibilities! As you have surely already experienced, it is nothing like learning to ride a bike, as an example. It would only be like learning to ride a bike if you had to learn much about the different parts of the bike and how they work and how to adjust and maintain them to get the maximum speed or efficiency before you ever start truly riding. It would also involve much more falling off of the bike and getting back on. The things you learn during the journey can help you in so many ways in addition to learning to lucid dream regularly. 
> 
> I would love to see you overcome the trend of our younger members taking breaks of years at a time before coming back to lucid dreaming (taking a breather for a few days or finding balance is always okay!). In order to do that you will want to find a way to make it fit in with schooling, studying and life in general and make it as fun and as fresh as you can.

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## Tradl3s

Not much progress last night, i'd say the fault lies in the fact that i stayed up really late last night watching netflix. Tonight i'll try WBTB, that's what i did when i got the little hint of success i mentioned earlier, and obviously not go to bed at 2am.

thank you, fogelbise. I'll be sure to keep in touch, and not let myself get demotivated.  :smiley:

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## Tradl3s

*still here. going to try to record a Dj tonight

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## Tradl3s

these past few nights haven't been good for LDing. i frequently have friends over that like to stay up quite a while. i've had an hourly reality check reminder on for the past week or two, and the reminder is supposed to play while i sleep but i don't think it's been working

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## fogelbise

Good to see you checking in. I also use a reminder of sorts during the night but I only have it go on the last half of the night when REM is longer and to play only 4 random times in that last half. I hear it occasionally, usually if I am closer to wakefulness it seems. I'm not sure if it helps but it doesn't seem to hurt. It is on Awoken, a lucid dreaming app for Android.

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## Tradl3s

Had a nightmare last night. Wasn't insanely terrifying, i was just in a bathroom full of spiders of varying types, and it got increasingly weird from there. No LD, just a somewhat unpleasent dream.

Reply: yeah, i tried Awoken, i have an app just like it. It plays a unique sound that i don't have anywhere else on my phone and it plays every hour. I then do an RC and go back to what i'm doing. i've been doing this for a few weeks now, so i think i just need to keep it up and work on my actual dream recall now which is currently horrible. It plays hourly through the night as well, so it might end up working well once i have my dream recall in good shape.

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## Tradl3s

Definitely keeping my dream journal next to me tonight. I remember having a dream, and i remember _when i could remember_ the dream, but alas. I no longer remember what my dream was. Either way, it seems my recall is taking it's first baby steps here. I hope i can get a vigorous entry tomorrow morning.

_-T_

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## Tradl3s

No result. I'll keep at it.

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## fogelbise

> Reply: yeah, i tried Awoken, i have an app just like it. It plays a unique sound that i don't have anywhere else on my phone and it plays every hour. I then do an RC and go back to what i'm doing. i've been doing this for a few weeks now, so i think i just need to keep it up and work on my actual dream recall now which is currently horrible. It plays hourly through the night as well, so it might end up working well once i have my dream recall in good shape.



So there are two things to watch out for is. 1 - Lucid dreaming greats like Sageous recommend that any daytime reminders are truly random (instead of exactly every 60 minutes). You may notice that you are already expecting the alarm, right before it rings, after a while. I am not sure if that is a negative to expect the alarm (it feels similar to when prospective memory kicks in), but again random is recommended. 2 - The RC's may start to feel rote and you may find yourself doing the RC without really considering whether you could be dreaming or without stopping to really look around with a sense of wonder. The random alarm helps to avoid this and changing the tone periodically helps as well.

See Fryingman's recall tips if you haven't yet: FryingMan's Dream Recall Tips  :smiley:

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## Tradl3s

> So there are two things to watch out for is. 1 - Lucid dreaming greats like Sageous recommend that any daytime reminders are truly random (instead of exactly every 60 minutes). You may notice that you are already expecting the alarm, right before it rings, after a while. I am not sure if that is a negative to expect the alarm (it feels similar to when prospective memory kicks in), but again random is recommended. 2 - The RC's may start to feel rote and you may find yourself doing the RC without really considering whether you could be dreaming or without stopping to really look around with a sense of wonder. The random alarm helps to avoid this and changing the tone periodically helps as well.
> 
> See Fryingman's recall tips if you haven't yet: FryingMan's Dream Recall Tips



Are you able to use Awoken to make it random? you're right, i have been expeting some of them

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## fogelbise

Yes, I have mine set to 12 reminders between 8am and 10pm (12 over a 14 hour period). It is truly random but it must use some calculation to keep them mostly spread out through the day. I may get two in the same hour and then none for close to 2 hours.

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## Tradl3s

I'll try it out. Then i guess there's the option for them to play through the night so you hear them in your dreams. Does that work at all? I've been trying a similar thing to that with another app but it didn't seem to do much for me. The fault could still lie in my sleep schedule, but it's getting better because i have less keeping me up now that my friend moved away.

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## fogelbise

> I'll try it out. Then i guess there's the option for them to play through the night so you hear them in your dreams. Does that work at all?



I'm not really sure if it works. I don't remember hearing that sound in a dream and realizing I am dreaming, but the best results would likely be if you make sure you always do a sincere RC or two (two or more RC's are even better), even when you hear it while lying in bed: because you might just be in a false awakening thinking you are just hearing it during one of your wakings. Have you experienced any FA's yet?

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## Tradl3s

Never experienced a FA. Though i do have something to add to the famous "Dumbest Ways you've missed becoming Lucid" thread. I had a dream that i was driving around with this girl that i like, and i was driving like a maniac swerving through lanes and i said out loud; "Man, i sure wish this was a dream." Sucks how it didn't click in. Anyway, no. Never had a False Awakening. I'll keep it in mind though, thank you.

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## fogelbise

My guess based on my experience and reading other's experiences is that we all have more FA's than we realize. FA's are often so mundane that we don't give them a second thought unless we get in a repetitive loop of them OR if our awareness is high enough. FA's are dreams after all, and dreams are notoriously fleetingeven more so if it is a dream about doing something we pretty much do every morning - waking up and getting up. Why should we store moments like that in our long term memory/easily accessible memory in general? No good reason until you are practicing LDing. If you get consistently good at recall I think you will remember an occasional FA's after waking up. If you are at a high level of awareness, then you will eventually catch some while you are still dreaming. My first catch (caught the recall only) that I remember involved writing something in my bedside paper DJ and then later actually waking up and seeing it wasn't there. If I hadn't looked for something that I did during the FA that changed my bedside environment (the change in the dream was the written words I added to the paper), then that memory of the FA would have probably faded out completely. A recent FA catch I had while still dreaming involved pulling out an earplug and noticing my ear still felt plugged and finding another earplug inside the same ear and realizing that I was dreaming. That same night I caught another where my drawer was completely empty.

"Man, i sure wish this was a dream." Those moments can make us laugh or cryI have had a fair amount of success with "If this were a dream right now, I would!..wait!" Perhaps the difference involves starting to think about taking some dream action, some action that you would only take in a dreamthinking a little further along. This can be helped by thinking the same way during the day. I have also had moments similar to yours. Fairly recently in a dream I was noticing cash on the ground and looked around and saw more and more of it as I continued walking. Realizing that this scenario is somewhat of a dream sign for me, a variation of a dream I have had every once in a while since childhood, I decided to look at my hands (RC) but I did so half-heartedly and quickly. I didn't notice a difference and quickly went back to picking up the money. For me, that was a big reminder that I need to make sure my RC's don't become rote and to also do more than one kind of RCIf I did my float RC, I bet I would have floated. If I looked at my hands more than once and with more wonder, I bet I would have seen something off like as I have before.

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## Tradl3s

Had a dream last night. Didn't write it down. You ever remember a dream but you just _don't know what to write?_ this happens all too frequently for me. I have a random RC reminder using the Awoken app, as you suggested. The sound is again exclusive to RC reminders and won't play if i get a text or something, but will play when a reminder triggers.
Tonight should be the night. I'm fairly confident. Yesterday i was at a friends house for the night (I'm 17, so it's still normal for me to do that kinda thing) and usually when i'm anywhere but my own bed, i don't have my phone well positioned for me to hear dream clues. 
Anyway, i'll report back tomorrow morning. Also, i'll be in chat most of the night tonight if you feel like joining

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## Tradl3s

An update on my future goals/plans: 
After i get a good sort of rhythm going with dreams, (Recalling most nights, Dream clues kicking in for those nights, DJ Every morning)
I would like to experiment with WILD. Mainly because i can sort of choose where i want to be in my dreams right off the bat, and i've also come close to inducing WILD before. I've seen dreamscapes form before my eyes with this technique, but the dreams i managed to make were _not_ lucid, and were very short lived. It's definitely a cool feeling though, and definitely something i'd like to take advantage of.

An experiment i'm going to try tonight:
I'm going to try writing down every dream i've had in my past (That i can remember) onto a text document right before bed. I want to see if we can gain any benefit from remembering/ writing our past dreams.

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## Tradl3s

That all went as predicted. and not in the good way. I had an incredible amount of insomnia. I'll just keep trying though. This is usually the point where i'd give up. Not this time.

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## fogelbise

Hang in there  :smiley:  





> I want to see if we can gain any benefit from remembering/ writing our past dreams.



Especially the ones that stood out to you and are fun to think about. It can also help to identify dream signs.

WILD practices can lead to DILDs. SSILD is kind of a hybrid and takes the pressure off by allowing you to "let go" when you finish the cycles. I find it very effective for both WILDs and DILDs but I still get mostly DILDs from it and have been using it for over 3 years.

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## Tradl3s

I know i haven't checked in in a few days, but i haven't stopped trying. RCs are still very consistent (Randomized like you suggested) and now that i'm in school for a month i have a bit more of a stable sleep schedule. Hoping to see some progress soon. I'll be trying WBTB some nights. Last night i still didn't get to sleep till 1am (which means i got less sleep than i've been getting lately) so i'm taking a melatonin to set my sleep schedule in place. Hopefully this little boost helps. I might try WBTB tonight, i'll check back tomorrow.

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## FryingMan

Hello Tradl3s, and a belated welcome to you to the DILD class!   Looks like you've gotten some great advice from fogelbise.

As for building recall, really the most important thing is consistency and desire.   Recalling dreams should be really important to you, and you should work towards forming the habit of immediately reaching for dream memories every time you find yourself awake.   Your mind will catch the hint and soon you'll be remembering more and more.   Of course keeping a DJ helps, as you're reviewing the dreams again, and you're telling your SC that dream memories are important to you.

Getting to bed on time (keeping a regular schedule) is one way to show your SC that dream recall is important to you.  Instead of watching another video (cough cough, speaking to myself here!), get to bed and get dreaming!

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## Tradl3s

Hey  :smiley:  yeah i have the habit of doing that. My sleep schedule seems to help a bit now that i have school. I'm getting closer and closer to being able to write something down. I keep getting incoherent dream stuff that i don't know what to white down. I'm getting there though. When i have a lucid dream that is lasting and stable, i'll talk my subconscious into making this work more often. (I saw a thread on talking to your subconscious in dreams and it seemed to work for many people)

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## fogelbise

> (I saw a thread on talking to your subconscious in dreams and it seemed to work for many people)



Do you remember where you found the thread? If you posted in the thread or "subscribed" to the thread, it will show up in your control panel at the top of this web page. I would like to check it out also. If you can't point me to it, do you remember if it was old or the username who started the thread? Thanks!  :smiley:

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## Tradl3s

I've searched for it but i can't find it  :Sad:  sorry. I just remember that people have talked to their subconscious in lucid dreams and they manifested themselves into a human form/ heard it as a voice in the sky. I guess it varies for everyone.

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## Tradl3s

So it seems i have an issue. I need to try to improve my recall other ways before DJing. Whenever i try to think of something to record, it's just an intangible mess that i can't fully put into words. Are there other methods of Dream Recall that can get me started? I'll DJ as soon as i can, but this seems to be a recurring problem. I'm going to try WBTB tonight since it's the weekend.

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## FryingMan

> So it seems i have an issue. I need to try to improve my recall other ways before DJing. Whenever i try to think of something to record, it's just an intangible mess that i can't fully put into words. Are there other methods of Dream Recall that can get me started? I'll DJ as soon as i can, but this seems to be a recurring problem. I'm going to try WBTB tonight since it's the weekend.



If you haven't yet, have a look at my dream recall tips and "Unified Theory of Lucid Dreaming.".

Recall is all about attention.   If you learn to pay attention to your experiences, all your life experiences (waking and dreaming), with the idea of recalling them later, and practice this on a daily basis, your recall will grow and grow over time.    

Also, a great way to kickstart recall is to train yourself to notice the multiple wakings we all experience every night, and taking that opportunity to reach for dream recall.   Form the habit of reaching for recall (and spending some solid time on this, 10+ minutes is very beneficial, more if you can) *every time you find yourself awake*, and your subconscious will eventually catch on and provide you with your dreaming memories.

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## Tradl3s

Dream recall's getting a bit better. Still have reminders almost every day (almost = sometimes i forget to take my phone off silent after school). Still haven't been able to record anything, but i can tell i'm getting there. I took a look at some of your tips, thank you by the way. i think they'll help. I'll check back soon.

*-T*

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## Tradl3s

Dream recall seems very good now, despite the difficulty i have writing things. I actually still remember key points of the dream i had this morning. Found a really cool sword in it. Now it's the weekend so i can try some WBTB or other experiments like Binaural beats or something.

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## FryingMan

Great, you're on a roll, keep it up!

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## Tradl3s

I'm planning to WBTB tonight. I _mean_ it. I always try it and end up being too lazy to do anything. Not this time. I'll check back tomorrow.

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## Tradl3s

Had a dream. No LD though.

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## Tradl3s

Okay, i actually managed to write something down this morning. This is a step. I'll start working harder on my RCs, i keep forgetting to take my phone off silent.

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## fogelbise

Step by step, inch by inch, whatever you can manage, will keep you moving forward until you are ready for more.

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## Tradl3s

not gonna lie. getting pretty demotivated. just part of who i am i guess. i'll keep swinging.

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## FryingMan

Dreaming practice is all about perseverance.   Stick with it, and keep working on the basics: some RCs and increased attention during the day, and reaching for recall upon waking up.   Getting enough sleep and maintaining a regular sleep schedule helps a lot, too.

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## BlairBros

Keep going, good recall is just around the corner  :smiley: . I used to be in a similar position to you, barely able to remember any dreams, but once I started regularly reaching for dreams every morning and writing in my DJ every day within a few months I was averaging 2-3+ dreams a night. If writing out your dreams is tricky then drawing little doodles of them can help, even saying them aloud and recording if you want. Even just thinking about them throughout the day, getting into the feel of them and reliving the storylines and imagining how you would get lucid from them can be effective. The main thing is consistency of intent rather than any specific technique; recall is a habit, it takes a few weeks to adjust your brain to _want_ to recall dreams, but once you do its pretty smooth sailing (with the occasional dry spot). Good luck!

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## fogelbise

If you still have some time before you go back to school, I recommend making a real push for doing WBTB's as much as possible. Would you be able to do a WBTB 2-3 nights in a row staying up for at least 20-30 minutes (unless less time works well for you)? WBTB can do wonders for having lucid dreams and you mentioned that is what you were doing when you had some success in the past. You got this! I know you can have another…and then another, etc!  :smiley:  

Try to also make sure your phone is not on vibrate and that you really imagine what you will do in your next LD when you do your RC's during the day.

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## Tradl3s

after summer school's over (August 5th) i still get like a month +2 weeks off. I'll really try to push for it then. You all gave me really good tips, i feel pretty great again. I might try saying aloud what i last saw for recall, even if it's just a few weird details. As for WBTB, i'll try, but whenever i wake up (By use of alarm, otherwise i won't wake up) i usually get really damn lazy. My body does NOT wanna do anything but lie back down and sleep. Thank you all very much  :smiley:

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## fogelbise

I hear you about just wanting to lay back down. That is one advantage to the water method, you have the urge to get up and go pee. While up, do something you enjoy perhaps on your phone surfing or checking out Instagram, anything. Even better if it is lucid dreaming related, but right now you are just trying to avoid the urge to lay straight back down and doze off too quickly. WBTB is definitely not the only way to become lucid, but it is a tremendous boost.

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## Tradl3s

Just checking in. I haven't started yet since summer school ended, but i will be on Monday. I am currently in horrible circumstances to be LDing.

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## fogelbise

Anything I can help with? I might be slow to respond for the next 3-4 days as I am traveling.

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