# Lucid Dreaming > DV Academy > Current Courses > DILD >  >  Shadowwolf6tail's DILD Workbook

## shadowwolf6tail

Hi, I'm Will and my username is shadowwolf6tail. 
Before the age of 15, I disregarded dreams and didn't understand them at all. I remember maybe 5 dreams from that time. At the age of 15 I started a dream journal around my birthday, just because that seemed like an interesting thing to do. My dream journal has helped my dream recall improve greatly. At the age of 16, I learned about lucid dreaming from an American Dad episode and have been trying to have them ever since. My first lucid dream was spontaneous. I had actually decided to give up on lucid dreaming, but this dream made me want to again. I've had 5 lucid dreams since, but they haven't been very clear, even when I try stabilization techniques I read about online. I've tried WBTB maybe 15 times but DILD is my primary technique and I realized recently I don't know much about it!

* What do I do during the day to incubate lucid dreaming?* 
Whenever something strange happens I'm sure to do a reality check and also every time I look at my watch (Not very often).

*Dream signs?*
I'm horrible at noticing any similarities in my dreams, but the only one I've noticed is a large body of water such as a lake, river, pool or ocean.

*What are the reality checks you use?*
My primary one is trying to push my fingers through my hand, but if I feel i need to do more than one, I plug my nose and/or look at words.

*Any goals?*
I'd like to attain lucidity regularly, fall asleep faster and also to find a way to do more reality checks more often. 

*In-dream goals?*
I would like to increase the vividness of my dreams while in them and also perfect dream control.

*How did I sleep last night?*
I woke up at 3:14 in the morning and decided to do a WBTB. After what felt like 20 minutes of lying still, I rolled over and opened my eyes. The clock read 5:34(digital) and I couldn't hear my analog clock ticking. Everything was blurry so I tried 3 reality checks but they all passed. So I just want back to bed. I'm still wondering if I missed a chance. It felt wrong, but everything was in its exact place.

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## fogelbise

.
Welcome!





> * What do I do during the day to incubate lucid dreaming?* 
> Whenever something strange happens I'm sure to do a reality check and also every time I look at my watch (Not very often).



We can talk about different ideas on this subject if interested.





> *Dream signs?*
> I'm horrible at noticing any similarities in my dreams, but the only one I've noticed is a large body of water such as a lake, river, pool or ocean.



When first laying down for the night remind yourself how large bodies of water often show up in your dreams. For me dream signs seem to serve as more of a hint and my awareness and how clear my mind is are more important.





> *Any goals?*
> I'd like to attain lucidity regularly, fall asleep faster and also to find a way to do more reality checks more often.



The last item there should help you with the first one. I use the 'Awoken' app for android as it features truly random reminders, but you can also decide to reality check every time that you enter a new room or "scene" in waking life. When you RC, ask yourself what was I doing 15-20 minutes ago as well or "how did I get here?" To me the biggest simple step during an RC is to really stop what you are doing and intently look around in wonder.





> *In-dream goals?*
> I would like to increase the vividness of my dreams while in them and also perfect dream control.



There are some great ideas throughout this site for both of those things. For dream control a key factor is to just KNOW that you can do pretty much anything and have no doubt as you attempt any dream control items. For vividness, paying attention to the little details in waking life can help among other things. Visualization can help with both of these goals as well.





> *How did I sleep last night?*
> I woke up at 3:14 in the morning and decided to do a WBTB. After what felt like 20 minutes of lying still, I rolled over and opened my eyes. The clock read 5:34(digital) and I couldn't hear my analog clock ticking. Everything was blurry so I tried 3 reality checks but they all passed. So I just want back to bed. I'm still wondering if I missed a chance. It felt wrong, but everything was in its exact place.



Was that 3 different RCs that passed?

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## shadowwolf6tail

Thanks.
And in response to your question




> Was that 3 different RCs that passed?



Yes. They were: looking at text looking away and looking back (This one I have had no luck with in the past because in my dreams, text tends to stay the same), pushing my thumb through the palm of my hand and looking at my reflection in the mirror I have beside my bed.

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## shadowwolf6tail

No dream recall for last night because I was awoken by a big crash at 6:00 in the morning and immediately went to investigate.

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## fogelbise

> Thanks.
> And in response to your question
> 
> Yes. They were: looking at text looking away and looking back (This one I have had no luck with in the past because in my dreams, text tends to stay the same), pushing my thumb through the palm of my hand and looking at my reflection in the mirror I have beside my bed.



Usually 3 different RCs is enough, so perhaps you were awake. If you ever have that lingering doubt, it wouldn't hurt to try them again or try another different RC and always believe that they will work to give you the best chance to discover that you are dreaming.





> No dream recall for last night because I was awoken by a big crash at 6:00 in the morning and immediately went to investigate.



Wow, crazy! I guess you are sure that wasn't a dream...

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## shadowwolf6tail

> Wow, crazy! I guess you are sure that wasn't a dream...



My dog had gotten into the trash and had pushed the can over a small 2 step flight of stairs.

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## fogelbise

Ah...I was imagining some kind of vehicular crash...either way that would indeed make it harder to recall dreams you hadn't recorded or thought about during any earlier, less eventful awakenings.

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## shadowwolf6tail

My dream last night was really depressing with lots of people I know dieing but one thing I noticed was that I wasn't a part of it. It was like a movie, scenes but no me! How would I go about making a reality check for when I'm not in my dream? I was thinking about trying all day awareness.

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## fogelbise

Well, 'you' are basically there...it is you that is there watching the scenes. If you have enough awareness to realize that it is a dream, then there are quite a few options. If you are hoping to trigger yourself doing an RC in those kinds of dreams I would try closing your eyes and thinking of a new scene. If the whole scene changes, then you are dreaming. You can even use this when you realize it is a dream...a kind of closed eye teleport (idea from BrandonBoss).

If you decide to try ADA, perhaps start with one sense or item (by item I mean awareness of a dream sign or breathing or gravity for example). You can always add other senses or items after you have the feel for the initial one that you chose.  Starting off trying to be aware of all of the senses so often may be hard to maintain. 

Have you tried mantras?

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## shadowwolf6tail

> Have you tried mantras?



I use a dream clarity mantra sometimes. Although I haven't used it in a while and seem to have completely forgot it.

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## fogelbise

You can just write a new one if you want to add it to your arsenal. I recommend thinking about lucid dreaming as you lay down to go to sleep for the night, jot a few notes in your DJ noting date and time going to bed along with any goals and then you can recite a mantra several times if you choose to. If you have trouble getting to sleep with such activity then you can try it earlier in the evening before going to bed.

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## shadowwolf6tail

No dream recall for the past few days.

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## fogelbise

You may already know how to improve recall, but if you need a boost, check this out:
http://www.dreamviews.com/dream-sign...reams-try.html

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## shadowwolf6tail

Thanks for that link, I've never heard of that before.

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## shadowwolf6tail

Last night I had a dream after a dry spell for a week. It was pretty short and not lucid but at least I had one.

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## fogelbise

> Last night I had a dream after a dry spell for a week. It was pretty short and not lucid but at least I had one.



Nice.  :smiley:  Do remember that, in general, you dream every night. It is remembering the dreams that is the trick.

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## shadowwolf6tail

Had a dream about zombies last night and this marks the 17th dream about zombies (Although in one they were zombie muffins)

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## shadowwolf6tail

After another dry spell I had a dream last night about sitting on a hill by a road. I noticed clouds in the sky and realized I should take cover to avoid getting wet. Then I woke up.

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## fogelbise

I love dreams where I am looking to the sky. I have found that I often notice something unusual the times that I do remember looking to the sky and this often helps me to become lucid. Since you have been having an off and on dry spell with recall I would recommend working on that. Do you try to lay still while keeping your eyes closed when you wake?...Or perhaps you always wake by alarm? I know when I was in my teens all the way up until more recently I was not paying attention to dreams at all and missed years of LD opportunities.

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## shadowwolf6tail

> Do you try to lay still while keeping your eyes closed when you wake?...Or perhaps you always wake by alarm?



I have 2 alarms set. One at 6:20 and one at 6:40. Normally I don't remember any dreams at 6:20 but I lie for a while just to make sure. Its at 6:40 I remember most of my dreams. Its pretty much WBTB.

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## fogelbise

> I have 2 alarms set. One at 6:20 and one at 6:40. Normally I don't remember any dreams at 6:20 but I lie for a while just to make sure. Its at 6:40 I remember most of my dreams. Its pretty much WBTB.



Oh, ok. Do you get up at 6:40 for the day or for a while and then go back to sleep? Just looking for ways to help you with recall.  :smiley:

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## shadowwolf6tail

I get up at 6:40 for the day.

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## fogelbise

If your alarm is a little jarring it can make it harder to recall as much. If the one at 6:20am shuts off by itself, that is better. If not, you can also use one of these ways to wake up more naturally: by mantra; by drinking water before bed; or by a more gentle alarm.

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## shadowwolf6tail

I've hooked up my iPod to my speakers and used that as an alarm before. I think i'll try doing that again because I have much nicer wake up music on it.

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## fogelbise

Sounds like a great plan.  :smiley:  Especially with some soothing music that puts you in a good mood. It could wake you up smoothly so that you can lay there and let the dream recall start to flow but you may have to experiment with it. You can try listing your dream recall in your head to write down when you turn over or get up. Some people do better by just taking the first fragment they remember and start writing and then it starts flowing better. I used to wake up to soothing music similar to your idea and I loved it...I should find a way to go back to that.

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## shadowwolf6tail

I just returned home from a trip to Vancouver where my sleep schedule was greatly affected. Yesterday I got up at 4:00 Vancouver time and went to bed at 12:00 midnight. The next morning I woke up 2:00 Vancouver time from a lucid dream. My first one in months. In this dream i successfully flew horizontally but when I tried changing altitude I failed.

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## fogelbise

Congrats on your lucid!! With flying (and dream control in general), expectation is huge. Truly believe that you will fly with altitude changes and it will work! Trust this and remove all doubt and you will be amazed!  :smiley:

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## shadowwolf6tail

I had so many dreams last but I forgot them all while trying to remember the most interesting one where I was talking to a dream character. I realized I forgot the others panicked and tried to remember them and for got the one I about the dream character. I was left there cursing myself. I woke up to a gradually building alarm and stayed still so i could remember. Anything else I could do?

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## fogelbise

> I had so many dreams last but I forgot them all while trying to remember the most interesting one where I was talking to a dream character. I realized I forgot the others panicked and tried to remember them and for got the one I about the dream character. I was left there cursing myself. I woke up to a gradually building alarm and stayed still so i could remember. Anything else I could do?



My recommendation would be to not panic/don't stress about it. I lay calmly recalling the subject of the initial dream and commit it to my memory and then move on to the next one. For example: "Dad mad, Dad mad, Dad Mad, ok next dream- girl at door, girl at door, girl at door, ok Dad then girl...what else did I dream? Did my driving dream sign come up? How about my train/bus dream sign?" Of course I do this mostly when I wake up naturally. Is there a way to slow down the gradually building alarm?

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## shadowwolf6tail

What are some ideas for mantras for lucid dreaming in general?
I have a mantra for dream recall and waking up in dreams are there any useful ones I could add to my repertoire?
Also, I've heard some foods can be helpful to lucid dreaming, any truth to this?

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## fogelbise

> What are some ideas for mantras for lucid dreaming in general?
> I have a mantra for dream recall and waking up in dreams are there any useful ones I could add to my repertoire?
> Also, I've heard some foods can be helpful to lucid dreaming, any truth to this?



I think that the most powerful mantras are done along with visualization. Lately I seem to be having success with recognizing general dream scenarios and I will sometimes use a mantra like: "I am taking control (in an unusually bold way)...that is a dream scenario!" while also visualizing what that would be like in the dream or what it actually was like a previous time it made me lucid. Sometimes I will put specific dream signs into a mantra, especially if it is a common dream sign for me or if it is one that has been showing up 2 or more nights in a row (or starting to appear to be a new recurring/common dream sign). E.g. "I am on vacation again, I'm dreaming!"

On your other question...I have heard about mustard being helpful but I am not sure. Fresh pressed 100% apple juice (not concentrate) seems to help, especially around 6-8 ounces of it before bed but I have no scientific data to support that. If it does work, it is only a supplement to your practices, not a one stop solution for sure.

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## shadowwolf6tail

After a long dry spell of not remembering dreams I remembered one last night! It was of me turning garbage cans into planters. It was real vivid too! But not lucid. I was so close too because I had somebody mention lucid dreams to me.

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## fogelbise

Please consider this challenge for yourself as well...I think it would apply to you as well based on your OP in the workbook. It is intended especially for the younger DV members:

Link to specific post in>>http://www.dreamviews.com/dild/15062...ml#post2089545

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## shadowwolf6tail

> OP



What does OP mean.
And, Challenge accepted.

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## fogelbise

> What does OP mean.
> And, Challenge accepted.



Excellent! OP can mean Original Poster or Original Post. So your original post in this workbook (the very first post in it).

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## shadowwolf6tail

Ah, thanks for the terminology clarification.

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## shadowwolf6tail

After two whole weeks of unremembered dreams, I had an amazing amount of dreams last night. All of them were so clear that it took me an entire hour to write them all down in my dream journal. Hopefully this marks the end of my dry spell of lucid dreams but I'll just have to see.

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## fogelbise

Congrats on breaking the recall dry spell. Did you do anything differently to get your recall back?

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## shadowwolf6tail

No. Its interesting because I tend to write down anything I do during the day to possibly aid my dreaming. The only thing I could think of is that I was trying to connect the image of a wolf with lucid dreaming. So that every time I saw a wolf I'd do a reality check. Before, I was using fear as a reality check reminder but I live a pretty safe life so I haven't been getting reminded very often. Of course, I do reality checks whenever I remember to do them not just when I see one of the signs.

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## fogelbise

> No. Its interesting because I tend to write down anything I do during the day to possibly aid my dreaming.



Good!  :smiley:  I feel that this practice can help with recall and recall helps with lucid dreaming. 





> The only thing I could think of is that I was trying to connect the image of a wolf with lucid dreaming. So that every time I saw a wolf I'd do a reality check.



Do you see wolves a lot? Did you see this thread: http://www.dreamviews.com/general-lu...ghlight=wolves ?

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## shadowwolf6tail

I've just had the biggest success and failure, in my lucid dreaming career. I had the most vivid and eventful lucid dream I've ever had. I explored the physicality of the world (ran and jumped and smashed stuff) and talked to my subconscious however, after I woke up, I lost all of the dream except for about 3 fragments. Now I'd like to re-focus my attempts of dreaming on improving my dream recall. Currently I use my dream journal every morning when I wake up and a recall mantra before I fall asleep.

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## shadowwolf6tail

I have noticed that I've actually become lucid at the end of many dreams but I'm not very excited and the dream still fades out to a light or dark grey color. I was wondering if there is a name for this? It seems as though dreaming has stopped and I'm looking at my eyelids but I know that they aren't my eyelids because my closed eyes have a different color.

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## fogelbise

> I have noticed that I've actually become lucid at the end of many dreams but I'm not very excited and the dream still fades out to a light or dark grey color. I was wondering if there is a name for this? It seems as though dreaming has stopped and I'm looking at my eyelids but I know that they aren't my eyelids because my closed eyes have a different color.



It may just be that that particular dream has run it's course, especially if you are not seeing your normal waking eyelids. Similar experiences are often called "going into the void" but either way it is a great opportunity to attempt to form your next dream. You can either patiently wait in this grey while rubbing your hands and reminding yourself that you are dreaming or you can start to imagine where you want to be next. You can even simply proclaim something like "Hey, that sounds like the ocean" or anything that you want to experience next. If you prefer, use a different sense..."That looks/smells/feels/tastes like _______."

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## shadowwolf6tail

The past two days I've had two lucid dreams, however, I'm having trouble getting my vision working while dreaming. My hearing, smelling and physical sensations are all fine and feel like read life. The visual aspect of my lucid dreams AND normal dreams are still severely lacking. Everything looks like there is a grey film over them and sometimes I don't see anything. I'm trying to use mantras and meditation to clear up the problem, but it has persisted and I am beginning to worry.

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## fogelbise

Welcome back. I am sorry to hear about this vision trouble (anyone with tips feel free to chime in). I am confident that you can improve this while lucid. I don't have much experience with that issue except in the void where I patiently wait it out or start visualizing a scene, sometimes molding it based on what any of the sounds I might hear remind me of (example: static = waterfall or old analog TV static.). The rare times I have had vision issues from the beginning I either know it will clear up and it does...or in one recent case the vision trouble reminded me of my sleep mask so I "removed" it and voila. For your grayish trouble...maybe know that it is just dirty safety goggles that you can remove or put on some dream glasses or just wipe the "gunk" off of your face. You may have to practice the scenario during the day to be better at remembering the solution(s) you choose.

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## shadowwolf6tail

> maybe know that it is just dirty safety goggles that you can remove or put on some dream glasses or just wipe the "gunk" off of your face



That sounds like a good idea. I haven't tried something like that before. 
The grayish thing is quite weird its almost as if light is shining through my closed eyelids however when I open my eyes the room is pitch black. I'm currently searching the forum for suggestions or things that I could adapt to my situation, but I will be sure to try the goggles idea next time I find myself with the grayish tint.

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## FryingMan

I had a lucid that started clear but became blurred a bit, and I "removed the blurring goggles" from in front of my eyes and everything cleared up again.

You may want to try focusing on your waking experiences and recalling them at bedtime, try to make clear visual memories and to recall these images when you do the recall.    In general, the answer to "how can I make <something> better in dreams?" is to work on it while awake.....good luck, let us know how it goes!

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## shadowwolf6tail

Fuzzy dreams have turned into no dreams. I haven't had dream recall for the last few days.

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## FryingMan

If you're tired or stressed, just concentrate on getting caught up on sleep and well-rested.    Instead of full WBTBs try micro-WBTBs where you just quickly reset intention and head back to sleep.    Recall goes up and down naturally for everybody.  Keep trying, and you'll keep getting better and better at it.   I compiled a list of recall tips, the link is in my signature, read through it, you may find something helpful there…..let us know how it goes!

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## shadowwolf6tail

I broke the no dream streak last night with the most dreams I've ever recalled. I recorded not 1, not 2, not 3, not 6 not, 4 but 5 dreams! An all time personal record. They were all of decent length. All I did was set back my WBTB time from 4:45 am to 3:30 am.

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## FryingMan

^^ The more little wakings you notice, the more you can recall!   Congrats on finding a personal "sweet spot"!   The more you continue, the more accurately you'll be able to judge your prime dreaming time and use this for estimating WBTB, alarm-DEILD approaches, etc.   Keep it up and soon you'll be recalling 5 dreams *per waking*, woohoo!

Just a tip, unless your to-bed time is really rigorously regular, it may be better to note times in "hours since bedtime" since that generally has more meaning than absolute times.

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## shadowwolf6tail

Ever since I was very young I've had a very hard time getting to sleep and I was just wondering how you would set an alarm to wake up when it could take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours to fall asleep? Apart from buying some sort technology which maps sleep schedules and wakes you up near a REM cycle.

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## FryingMan

Well the idea is that after about 5 hours of sleep, you're never too far away from your next REM.    So an auto-snooze alarm (smartphone app perhaps) could be set for 90 minutes to go off for a few seconds every few minutes.     Certainly, struggling with back-to-sleep is an issue for some, me included, when I have an active mind.    I have been able to make great progress vs. insomnia though over the last year and a half: focusing on the total relaxation of mind/body.   Daytime meditation can help, to learn to recognize when your mind has gone off of your desired focus (e.g., the breath).

In lucid dreaming the ability to return to sleep relatively quickly is definitely a plus -- even if you feel like you've tried everything, you may want to look into it again.      Falling asleep can be hard word (paradoxically): I find I must maintain a mindset of continually "letting go," of not "trying to sleep," and continually release physical tension which always has a way of creeping back in.   I believe with determination and practice that anyone can learn to do the same.

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## shadowwolf6tail

After a lucid dream hiatus I am back at it again! A few days ago I was browsing a used bookstore when something caught my eye: Stephen LaBerge's Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming. Now the book provides some light bedtime reading and an assortment of exercises to try out.

 Last night I actually might have become lucid but I barely remembered it. (All I remember is looking at my hand as it is shape shifted and thinking "that's weird, could this be a dream?) So, now I really need to work at improving my recall. I always kinda thought it would be impossible to forget when I get lucid, but now I see that when everybody says recall is very important for lucid dreams, they aren't joking.

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## FryingMan

Welcome back!   Reading ETWOLD at bedtime is an excellent way to bring thoughts of dreaming into your dreams!

Recall is very important.   Not simply for remembering (which of course is critical, otherwise what's the point!), but also for building a closer connection to and awareness of your dreams.   This results in more vivid dreams, and more lucid ones IMO.

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## fogelbise

Welcome back.  :smiley:  I would like to point you to the beginning of the following post for my pep talk aimed towards our younger, future lucid dreaming masters: http://www.dreamviews.com/dild/16071...ml#post2193612

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