# Lucid Dreaming > DV Academy > Current Courses > Intro Class >  >  Sibyline's workbook

## Sibyline

My new friend bemistaken is taking this class and led me here.

I have been lucid dreaming at irregular intervals all my life, but I would like to be able to induce LDs more often, and also to improve my control of them. The first LD I remember was a WILD, and I was about 5 years old at the time. I was afraid of the sensations then, but now that I understand what they are, I'm quite comfortable with this way of entering LD. But of course it would be nice to get to where it is second nature and DILDs just happen spontaneously - and of course excellent recall is a must.  :smiley: 

I have dabbled a bit in summoning and using vocal commands. Both with some success. I need to get better at remembering what i intended to use the lucidity for, once I'm there.


*Reality Checks:* 
Hands - appearance and textureReading text twiceDigital watch or clock
*Dream Signs:* 
Exaggerated architectureTrains, boats, planes - and _almost_ being late for themOnly being able to focus on one faceGrogginessImpaired visionMy old carAbandoned placesDeja vuDangerCelebritiesGolden sunshineWalking in the middle of the road (no traffic)Crowds of peopleMalfunctioning electronics
*Short-Term Goals:* 
Lie still in bed in order to recall and journal 2 dreams per night2 LDs per week (I know it's high, but I'm doing quite well as it is, and it didn't feel right to write 1)Keep an LD going for more than 5 minutes (better stabilization, don't get sidetracked by DCs or unimportant things)Complete more TOTM tasks
*Long-Term Goals:*
Work on some of the issues that trouble me IWLImprove various skills by practicing them in LDExplore the possibility of accessing lost memories
*Lucid/Dream Recall History:*
I recall dreams reasonably well when I'm not under stress. I like to tell my kids about them, and that helps me remember the dreams and identify dream signs. Since starting a DJ here, recall has improved with plenty of detail. I have found several new dream signs. Lucid dreams tend to be memorable.


*Current Technique:*
WBTB/WILD. I am also using SSILD now, and using subliminal audio files. Reality checks are sporadic, but I do think about them, especially when something unusual happens, or if I notice a dream sign.


*Sleep schedule:*
*MON-FRI**SAT-SUN**Sleep*23:0000:00*Wake* (spontaneous WBTB)04:0005:00*End of sleep* (alarm)06:3009:00

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## OpheliaBlue

Hey Sibyline! Wow, I love your workbook, especially the sleep chart at the end.

I was afraid of the WILD sensations as a kid too, so I never learned to develop them into anything. I had no idea that they were just a normal part of the dreaming process. I just thought they were really intense nightmares and I wanted to wake up!

Anyway, when you want to remember your lucid goals once you're IN the lucid dream already, it helps to have a list of goals (like you already have). Then commit 1-3 of them to memory, for starters. remind yourself what they are every time you go to sleep, and every time you wake up, including WBTB. You''ll be surprised at how quickly these goals pop into your mind once you just make this small effort a routine.

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## bemistaken

Welcome Sibyline!  Your gonna like it here and you are already making so much progress... I have enjoyed reading about your adventures so far and plan on using the one about the 'apple' and 'butternut squash' tonight!  Again, welcome aboard!  :wink2:

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## Sibyline

Thank you for the advice, O. I had already sussed that we probably started out the same way. I think it's interesting how some people have a natural ability for LD, and some have no idea it even exists. My dad calls it humbug.  ::biggrin:: 

Today was useless, dream-wise. The kids woke me up twice during the night with various complaints, and I couldn't remember a thing this morning. So, as you have already noticed, I have updated my workbook profile, and then I also thought of something to aid me in remembering dream goals. Let me know what you think of this:

I took a small notebook, and on every other page, I drew a simple picture. There's an egg, of course. Then there's a flying carpet, a house, a cartoon figure, a heart, a shooting star etc. Each represents a dream goal. My plan is to leaf through it every night before going to bed, and again in the early morning for WBTB. I'm hoping that I will remember to find the book while in LD, and then see if I can remember any. Of course, I think you were the one who wrote a note for yourself, which then turned into leaping cows or something, right? Who knows? I thought it might be worth a try. I'm very visually oriented, anyway, which is why I always try to find pictures to match my dream journal.

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## Sibyline

Thank you for leading me here, bemistaken.  :smiley: 

The apple and butternut squash were strange. I've never noticed recognizable figures in the HI before, but I had read here on DV that you could try to see familiar shapes in them, and suddenly the flashes began to take shape as halved veggies/fruits, and it seemed that within a couple of seconds, that sent me right into a WILD. I just wanted to mention that those two images weren't important, they were just what I happened to imagine at that time. Although it does seem relevant that the dream started in the kitchen.

Go ahead and try it. I'm curious to hear what they'll turn into for you. I'll keep reading your DJ too. I can't wait for my next LD!  :smiley:

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## Sibyline

This is the second day in a row that I have had zero recall. It's definitely more difficult during the week, and I still need to get used to lying perfectly still whenever I wake up. For some reason I forget it every time!

I did have some proper RCs today, though. I don't do them at random intervals, or very much at all, but I caught three dream signs today, and immediately did a couple of RCs after each one. The first one was during a bathroom break at work. As I exited the stall and went to wash my hands, I saw that the tap was already running. That struck me as so odd (especially that I hadn't noticed it going in) that the first thing I thought was RC! And then I had two occasions of talking to men that I only rarely see, but who never fail to give me a pleasant feeling (as it were), and since that is of course also a dream sign those two prompted RCs too.

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## bemistaken

Hi friend,

Well, for the first time, I think I can actually give you some helpful advise instead of the other way around!  :Cheeky:  When it comes to dream recall, I have not had many problems with it, mainly because I literally sleep on top of my dream journal at night.  As soon as my eyes open, I see my dream journal...I literally sleep with it under my pillow!  Before I can get out of the bed, my hand is already touching my journal (with pen inside), so immediately I know I should be writing down any little fragment of a memory I may still be holding on to from a dream.  Now, some people can not sleep with anything under their pillow like a journal, but I also have a suggestion for this too.  You know those little writing pads that you can put in front of a shirt pocket?  I have used something this small to put under my pillow, just to take notes, and then when I get up in the morning, I can transfer these notes, to the real big dream journal I have on my night stand.  This is just a small suggestion that may help you with your dream recall. Good luck to you!  :OK Bye now: 

Oh yeah!

Great information regarding the dream sign you had in the bathroom with the water already running...I have seen this so many times before and never thought nothing about it but maybe the last person that washed their hands was a germaphobe (like me) and didn't want to turn the water off by touching the faucet!  I will definitely be using this in the future!

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## Sibyline

Looking forward to the weekend. Weekends are good for dreaming.  :smiley: 

Still doing RC when I notice something odd (for instance a toy windmill that suddenly began to turn as I walked by it) or a dream sign. Today I saw a car of the exact make, model and colour of my old car, and I immediately knew what to do.

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## Sibyline

I am so happy! I had a monster of a DEILD chain this morning. Go have a look: 1 CANWILD, 4 DEILDs including a FA - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

I even completed the two basic TOTM!

Mood for today:  ::banana::   ::aphiusiscrazy::   ::muffin::   ::dancingcow::   :Awesome Dance:

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## paigeyemps

HOLY COW

*i am jelly*

Congrats!

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## Sibyline

I haven't really been away, just mainly lurking due to a bad cold that killed my dreams. But they have been coming back for the past two nights. I had a fun one last night, not lucid though. I recall having had an accidental almost-WILD while I was ill. I got to where the dream began to fade in, but then I woke up.

I still do reality checks whenever I notice a dream sign or something odd. Examples: I saw a red sheep the other day (still don't know what that was about), I saw identical twins, heard sudden static on the car radio, the light changed dramatically because a rain cloud passed in front of the sun.

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## Sibyline

I love weekends! I had a DILD this morning. I've been waiting for those to come. I mean, with my laziness and all, just happening to notice that I am dreaming is ideal! And having suffered through a bad cold paid off, because I'm still congested, and that caused me to snore, which I noticed while I was dreaming.

My dream control is still pretty bad, and I have to work on keeping my emotions in check, but it was a nice LD nonetheless.  :smiley: 

DILD - cyclops in mirror, pushy dad - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

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## Sibyline

I'm ditching the MILD. That is _so_ not me, LOL! I'm going to work on SSILD for a couple of weeks now, and of course continue with WBTB. I'm really pleased with the DILD I had this weekend although the lucidity trigger was a bit unsexy and probably not reproducible now that I'm on the mend. I have always had more WILDs and DEILDs than DILDs, so if this is a developing skill, I'm more than happy.

My goal for this week is to get into the habit of RC'ing when I wake up.

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## Sibyline

I messed up this morning. I remembered two dreams when I woke up, as well as one failed DEILD attempt. I tried to commit keywords to memory and thought my recall was good enough to wait a little while before writing them down (because I had so much to do before leaving for work), but once I tried to write them down, they were  100% gone. I have absolutely no idea!  ::doh::

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## paigeyemps

Awww that sucks! Many a time do I do the exact same thing. Biggest lie I tell myself: "You don't need to write that down, you'll remember it later." haha.

Congrats on the lucid btw! Sorry I haven't replied for a bit, my internet died. Anywhoo it looks like you're doing okay despite the recall problem. I noticed you have plenty of established dream signs. One tip I can give you is that when you are trying to recall your dreams, sift through your known dream signs. Since you have a lot, you might have better chances. Just thik of your dream signs one by one and try to remember if it was in your dreams. Many times, the answer is yes since they manifest a lot in your dreams every night (being dream signs ofc). Once you remember if it was indeed present in a dream, you can start connecting the dots to remember other parts.

Hope this helps, good luck!

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## CanisLucidus

> I'm ditching the MILD. That is _so_ not me, LOL! I'm going to work on SSILD for a couple of weeks now, and of course continue with WBTB. I'm really pleased with the DILD I had this weekend although the lucidity trigger was a bit unsexy and probably not reproducible now that I'm on the mend. I have always had more WILDs and DEILDs than DILDs, so if this is a developing skill, I'm more than happy.



Ah yes, SSILD!  That was actually the first tech that legitimately got me LDing with regularity.  Even though I do more MILD than anything these days, SSILD's always the "first love".   ::D:   Now's an especially good time to find yourself a new technique now that your "Phlegm-Induced Lucid Dream" tech is slipping away from you.

CosmicIron (the guy who invented SSILD) published an updated version of the tech here that is worth checking out.  I think that this cycling strategy is an improvement over the original.  Feels very natural and seems to be well-suited for settling me into the rhythm.  Here it is: å®å®ã®é: Senses Initiated Lucid Dream (SSILD) Official Tutorial





> I messed up this morning. I remembered two dreams when I woke up, as well as one failed DEILD attempt. I tried to commit keywords to memory and thought my recall was good enough to wait a little while before writing them down (because I had so much to do before leaving for work), but once I tried to write them down, they were  100% gone. I have absolutely no idea!



Ahh, sorry about that!  We've all been there.  If I can get at least a few tags/keywords written down I am normally okay for a while.  But yeah if the day really gets rolling and the kids need things from me and life starts happening at warp-speed... gah!  Yeah, you know how that is.   :smiley:

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## Sibyline

Thanks, Paigeyemps. That's a really good tip. I have tried it a bit, trying to remember if I had seen my old car recently, but it would actually make more sense to just run down the list properly. Ooh, also my tag cloud - I just thought of that because of what you said.  :smiley: 

Today was a day off, which usually results in a morning LD, but my youngest daughter decided to command the attention of the entire neighbourhood at the crack of dawn, and ruined the attempt. But I did recall a nonLD, and recorded it on my phone. Fool me once...  :wink2: 

I have definitely revealed another dream sign now. This is the third time since joining DV that I have dreamed about having invited guests and more showing up than I bargained for, which makes me feel very stressed.

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## Sibyline

> Ah yes, SSILD!  That was actually the first tech that legitimately got me LDing with regularity.  Even though I do more MILD than anything these days, SSILD's always the "first love".    Now's an especially good time to find yourself a new technique now that your "Phlegm-Induced Lucid Dream" tech is slipping away from you.
> 
> CosmicIron (the guy who invented SSILD) published an updated version of the tech here that is worth checking out.  I think that this cycling strategy is an improvement over the original.  Feels very natural and seems to be well-suited for settling me into the rhythm.  Here it is: å®å®ã®é: Senses Initiated Lucid Dream (SSILD) Official Tutorial



Thanks! I found that a couple of days ago, and I'm trying to settle into the routine of doing it now. Turns out I have a wee bit of tinnitus that I never noticed before. Normally I'm a bit wary of "... and nobody knows why" claims, but there are so many people reporting above-average results with this tech that I'm going to give it a really serious try.

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## CanisLucidus

> Thanks! I found that a couple of days ago, and I'm trying to settle into the routine of doing it now. Turns out I have a wee bit of tinnitus that I never noticed before. Normally I'm a bit wary of "... and nobody knows why" claims, but there are so many people reporting above-average results with this tech that I'm going to give it a really serious try.



Heh, I've got a little bit of tinnitus going on as well and SSILD made it _really_ obvious.  Funny you noticed the same thing.

And yeah, I totally get you on the "and nobody knows why!!" thing.  That is the single thing that bothered me most about the tech, and still does.  The serious downside is that when things aren't going as well, it's more difficult to debug because it's harder to have that intuitive understanding of what might need adjusting.  I tended to just fiddle with WBTB duration and intent/awareness work rather than worrying too much about the "rituals" themselves.

I basically view it as SSILD priming the brain in a way enhances your already-existing intent and awareness.  Kind of like a Super-WBTB.  I have some theories on what might be going on but they're a bit half-baked and premature.   :tongue2: 

Good luck!

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## Sibyline

Yesterday I had a short DILD during an afternoon nap. I hadn't done any SSILD or any other preparations for it, it just happened. Note that I became lucid after dreaming that I could be lucid. Here is the link to the dream: Very short DILD - painter's loft - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

During that very short LD I tried to stabilize by touching something I couldn't yet see, and by touching it, I made it appear. Unfortunately I woke up, probably because there was light and sound around me IWL.

I'm liking the DILDs that are happening now. I haven't had too many of those in my life (WILD was always my thing), but there is something very cool about becoming lucid within a nonLD. This one did a strange reboot, like a FA but different. Please read and let me know what you think.  :smiley:

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## CanisLucidus

> Yesterday I had a short DILD during an afternoon nap. I hadn't done any SSILD or any other preparations for it, it just happened. Note that I became lucid after dreaming that I could be lucid. Here is the link to the dream: Very short DILD - painter's loft - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views
> 
> During that very short LD I tried to stabilize by touching something I couldn't yet see, and by touching it, I made it appear. Unfortunately I woke up, probably because there was light and sound around me IWL.
> 
> I'm liking the DILDs that are happening now. I haven't had too many of those in my life (WILD was always my thing), but there is something very cool about becoming lucid within a nonLD. This one did a strange reboot, like a FA but different. Please read and let me know what you think.



Sweet, congratulations on the lucid!   ::goodjob::   I agree with you about DILDs.  Having that moment of realization inside of an already-constructed dream reality is a great moment.  Likewise, WILDs let you experience the journey from wakefulness all the way through the construction of a dream to lucidity.  They're both amazing in their own right and I'd never want to go without either one.

I'm not sure how much summoning you've done (you mention that you've dabbled in it) but the way you did it is great.  No need to look at what you're summoning -- just _know_ it's there, then reach out and grab it!

I'll check out that DJ entry too...

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## Sibyline

Thank you again!

I'm not at the top level of lucidity in my LDs, but I do remember certain dream goals and intentions, even without the use of mnemonics. Touching something "invisible" was a definite intention, and although I didn't think of it as summoning (because I had no plans for what exactly it would be), of course you are correct that it is the exact same mechanism.

It is always interesting to see what my dreaming mind comes up with when I don't give it specific instructions. In my first DJ entry here on DV, I think I used something similar to Waggoner's  things to ask yourself, "Show me something interesting!" - in that case simply because I couldn't think of anything, and I had recently read that list. I think that if you're lost for ideas, it's better to just let the dream come up with something for you, rather than struggling to think of something specific. I would be interested to hear about your experiences in this area? Do you ever let the dream take over because you run out of ideas? And can you keep your lucidity if you just observe (I suppose that means even less involvement than the above-mentioned "open" summoning), or do you have to interact in some way?

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## CanisLucidus

> Thank you again!
> 
> I'm not at the top level of lucidity in my LDs, but I do remember certain dream goals and intentions, even without the use of mnemonics. Touching something "invisible" was a definite intention, and although I didn't think of it as summoning (because I had no plans for what exactly it would be), of course you are correct that it is the exact same mechanism.
> 
> It is always interesting to see what my dreaming mind comes up with when I don't give it specific instructions. In my first DJ entry here on DV, I think I used something similar to Waggoner's  things to ask yourself, "Show me something interesting!" - in that case simply because I couldn't think of anything, and I had recently read that list. I think that if you're lost for ideas, it's better to just let the dream come up with something for you, rather than struggling to think of something specific. I would be interested to hear about your experiences in this area? Do you ever let the dream take over because you run out of ideas? And can you keep your lucidity if you just observe (I suppose that means even less involvement than the above-mentioned "open" summoning), or do you have to interact in some way?



Yes, I completely agree!  In fact, my all-time favorite Tasks of the Month are the ones that require your subconscious to come up with something.  The ones that have that element of "...and see what happens" built in.  One of my favorites was one that required you to visit the Aurora Borealis and report what was generating it.  It's surprisingly easy to suspend your scientific reasoning about what's generating the aurora and let your mind just come up with something amazing.  (For me, it was an enormous fleet of alien starships that spewed purple energy for exhaust, all coming off of a gigantic mother ship.  I got to fly my son up there to see it!   ::smitten:: )  Allowing your subconscious to just paint whatever it likes on some blank canvas... that's where you get the best set of cool, memorable surprises, I think!

I have had moments where I can't remember what I was supposed to be doing, and then I just fly, explore, etc.  There's always tons to do, I've found.  What I haven't really tried is seeing whether I can just passively observe a dream somehow while staying lucid.  It's a little strange that I haven't because one of my good friends IWL lucid dreams, and he primarily does so passively.  He mines his dreams for ideas and gets lucid mostly for the enhanced recall.

I'm different though.  I'm all playground all the time.   ::D:   Maybe I'll grow up... someday.

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## Sibyline

LOL, I hope not! If we ever grow up, we will forget about this childish nonsense and just do some serious sleeping.

That aurora borealis dream sounds fantastic! And great that you thought of taking your son with your. My DD is fascinated by this phenomenon, and I have promised that one day we will go and see it. It is actually possible - under the best of conditions - to see it without leaving the country, so one day we will go to the northernmost tip during a sunstorm - or take a trip to Norway for even better odds. But before then, lucid northern lights will do fine as well.  :smiley: 

I'm interested in passively observing, but... the list of fun stuff I want to do is so long. I theorize that if you consistently forget to do something in LD, it's probably because you either don't really want to do it, or it is too far down on the list.

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## OpheliaBlue

> I theorize that if you consistently forget to do something in LD, it's probably because you either don't really want to do it, or it is too far down on the list.



This is not a bad statement. For years, I only ever did one thing in LDs. Because it was the only one thing I wanted to do at the time. But then I got tired of it, so then  I was like, "Now what..." But it turns out that having lucid goals really turned things around for me. And not just because I needed new goals, which I did. But forcing myself to remember a set of goals, and more specifically, a new set of goals that's ever changing, has sharpened the relationship between waking Ophelia and lucid dreaming Ophelia. Even if the goal is silly like picking a flower, or finding a mirror, or smacking a DC in the face.. the point is, you can do ANYthing in a lucid dream. And this can be overwhelming on the onset of lucidity. So why not have a bag of lame tasks to reach into for starters, until you DO find the thing that you _really_ want to do? Then, when you find that one thing you so desire to complete in a lucid dream, you'll already have that ability to remember it because you practiced it on the lamer goals.

Anyway, that's my take on the whole thing  :smiley:

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## Sibyline

Just one single thing for years, eh?  ::hump:: 

I do think that having goals is a really good idea, and the TOTM/TOTY are great for inspiration, but I have noticed that there are certain things on my to-do list that I never remember, and I suspect it's because they have to do with either personal development or psychologial stuff that I'm not really ready for, and right now I enjoy doing things that are either fun or experimental.

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## bemistaken

Hi Sibyline,





> I'm liking the DILDs that are happening now. I haven't had too many of those in my life (WILD was always my thing), but there is something very cool about becoming lucid within a nonLD. This one did a strange reboot, like a FA but different. Please read and let me know what you think.



I have been there (becoming lucid in non-lucid dream) and yes, the feeling is unmistakable!  What a rush!  After the first one, you want to do it again and again, and you want more and more  :Cheeky: !

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## Sibyline

I like dream experiments, and lurking on Xanous' DJ, I found a card experiment and decided to give it a try. I have picked a random and unseen card from my DD's deck of Beatles cards. This gives the experiment an extra aspect: I gave her that deck of cards the Christmas before last, and obviously looked at them then, but they have been hidden away from her destructive little sister for at least a year now, and I don't remember what the cards look like. So it will be interesting to see what I find when I go looking for the card in a LD. I have only seen the Beatles logo on the back, but I don't remember what kind of design the face side of the card has. Group pictures, single members, b/w or colour? Regular card suit symbols or something different? No idea. The card is hidden upside-down underneath a rarely-used salad set in a kitchen drawer.

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## Sibyline

> Yeah, I could see false awakenings being downright disturbing if they're not something you'd prepared yourself for.  My first LD was actually a false awakening but I didn't really put it together until later.  By the time I had my next one, I'd read enough LD material to be ready for something like that to come.  I still wasn't prepared for how realistic it would be.



I had absolutely no idea what was going on. This was long before the internet, and I had never heard of lucid dreaming. I'm still not entirely sure if what I experienced were false awakenings or SP with hallucinations, but I would be aware of my surroundings but unable to wake up for a long time. I was really terrified. But searching for that phenomenon once it was possible on the internet was what led me to learn about all the terminology and science regarding lucid dreaming, so that took away the fear. Later - once it became more popular as a "hobby" of sorts - I realized that I had only explored a fraction of the opportunities available.

Did you LD before or after hearing about it?





> How does your dad react to the fact that lucid dreaming has been proven in a laboratory setting via prearranged eye movements (by LaBerge and others)?  This, it seems, is the piece of evidence that makes the existence of lucid dreaming an undeniable fact.  I've gotten the occasional mildly negative reaction to mention of LD, but those LaBerge experiments seem to quiet down any true "doubters".



I think he might have gotten into it when he was younger, if I had known what it was and we could have explored it together. He was very open-minded back then. But he is in his late sixties now and set in his ways. I'm as amused by his stubbornness as he is by mine.  :smiley: 






> _Inception_ takes a lot of artistic license with what LD is, but they got a lot of the big, important stuff right.  Most importantly to me, it has been an awesome vehicle for mainstreaming the idea of conscious dreaming.  I find that it's so helpful being able to reference a great movie that pretty much everyone has seen.  I love that this movie is out there.



Me too! I was so happy when I heard that a mainstream movie was going to tackle this subject. I don't care about the inaccuracies, because all movies take artistic liberties, but just the fact that the movie is out there and the word is out that it is based on something real - that is a wonderful thing. Eventually some kid who saw this is going to grow up and invent the device, technique or drug that makes lucid dreaming easily available to everyone. Just imagine the possibilities once that happens!





> What's funny about _Inception_ is that some of the pieces that seemed very fanciful to me when I saw it (such as the idea of a dream within a dream) are now things I've actually experienced.



Have you experienced actual nested dreams, i.e. not just waking up from one dream into another (FA), but going to sleep in one dream, waking up in another, and then going back afterwards? Because that would be awesome!

What do you think of the idea of time dilation in the way it's discussed either here on DV or in Inception (where it is a law of dreaming, which we know is not true outside of the movie)? I have never experienced it, and I tend to think it comes down to "skipping the boring parts", but there are people on here who swear they have experienced the real thing. It would be an amazing thing to try.

BTW, I had some unusual circumstances surrounding a DILD last night. I think it will be of interest to you inquisitive mind  :Shades wink: . I will post it as soon as I'm done typing it up.

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## CanisLucidus

> I had absolutely no idea what was going on. This was long before the internet, and I had never heard of lucid dreaming. I'm still not entirely sure if what I experienced were false awakenings or SP with hallucinations, but I would be aware of my surroundings but unable to wake up for a long time. I was really terrified. But searching for that phenomenon once it was possible on the internet was what led me to learn about all the terminology and science regarding lucid dreaming, so that took away the fear. Later - once it became more popular as a "hobby" of sorts - I realized that I had only explored a fraction of the opportunities available.
> 
> Did you LD before or after hearing about it?



I can only imagine what I would have thought if I'd had these experiences before reading up on it or at least hearing of the concept.  I barely recalled any dreams before having my first lucid, and it was in response to hearing a podcast where they talked about LD.  The idea was really exciting to me and I kept thinking about it.  Then one night, I had a dream (probably a false awakening) where I was going downstairs and was suddenly filled with fear that I was going to set off our house alarm.  When I looked around, stuff was out of place, it all hit me, and I was hooked forever.   ::D: 





> Me too! I was so happy when I heard that a mainstream movie was going to tackle this subject. I don't care about the inaccuracies, because all movies take artistic liberties, but just the fact that the movie is out there and the word is out that it is based on something real - that is a wonderful thing. Eventually some kid who saw this is going to grow up and invent the device, technique or drug that makes lucid dreaming easily available to everyone. Just imagine the possibilities once that happens!



No kidding!  What mattered most to me is what they got right and all of the ways that they brought dream vividness, lucidity, and control into the public consciousness.  And to just generally break the ice in terms of talking about dreams, something people are at times oddly reluctant to do.

And the idea of someone cracking the neurochemical puzzle that makes lucid dreaming (more or less) universally available... it's an incredible possibility to think about!  No doubt it'll come with downsides -- controversy, resistance, risk of psychological addiction, etc.  But what an amazing thing 





> Have you experienced actual nested dreams, i.e. not just waking up from one dream into another (FA), but going to sleep in one dream, waking up in another, and then going back afterwards? Because that would be awesome!



Yes!  It was amazing.  I already think that standard false awakenings are pretty incredible, but this was crazy.

Basically, this was an NLD in my house where I started thinking about lucid dreaming, so I laid down to WILD.  Instantly went into a new dream, fully lucid, and did a bunch of stuff.  Eventually I woke up back into the original scene again with lucidity lost.  Here's the DJ entry for it: http://www.dreamviews.com/blogs/cani.../fooled-44125/





> What do you think of the idea of time dilation in the way it's discussed either here on DV or in Inception (where it is a law of dreaming, which we know is not true outside of the movie)? I have never experienced it, and I tend to think it comes down to "skipping the boring parts", but there are people on here who swear they have experienced the real thing. It would be an amazing thing to try.
> 
> BTW, I had some unusual circumstances surrounding a DILD last night. I think it will be of interest to you inquisitive mind . I will post it as soon as I'm done typing it up.



I'm keeping my mind open on time dilation.  Once we're moving to the world inside of the skull, there's so much that's possible.  _Perception of time_ strikes me as something that could become quite skewed in the right situations.

My guess is that this effect is achieved by a combination of, as you say, skipping the boring parts and the mind creating false memories on the fly.  It's difficult to prove that, say, the previous month of my life isn't based on the same effect.  All we have to rely on is our memory of the experience, and I've found the dreaming brain to be very adept at filling in the gaps.

But in addition, who's to say that it also doesn't sometimes kick into a higher gear and generate dream content in far greater than real-time?  It's an amazing question to contemplate.

Congratulations!  Looking forward to checking out this DILD!   ::goodjob2::

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## Sibyline

And here it is: DILD right after going to sleep - the Viking Wagon constellation - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

TL;DR: I listened to one of Ninja9578's subliminal audio files before going to sleep. Went straight into REM (probably due to messed-up sleep schedule) and became lucid almost immediately. Fumbled a bit with various things, failed TOTM attempt. Learned (alas, too late) that I can see in the dark and shouldn't worry about lightswitches.

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## Sibyline

> No kidding!  What mattered most to me is what they got right and all of the ways that they brought dream vividness, lucidity, and control into the public consciousness.  And to just generally break the ice in terms of talking about dreams, something people are at times oddly reluctant to do.



True. I remember as a child my friends and I were always telling each other our dreams, to see if we had shared dreams, but it's just not polite conversation among grownups, is it?

I loved the architecture in Inception, because a lot of my nonLDs are like that. And I thought the way they illustrated dream instability was very clever. Also the slow realization of being in a dream, first by Ariadne, then Fisher. Even though they were told by Dom that they were dreaming, it took them a while to really believe it.





> Basically, this was an NLD in my house where I started thinking about lucid dreaming, so I laid down to WILD.  Instantly went into a new dream, fully lucid, and did a bunch of stuff.  Eventually I woke up back into the original scene again with lucidity lost.  Here's the DJ entry for it: Fooled - Dream Journals - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views



That is amazing! I really want to try that. But I was running around like a headless chicken last night, wanting to do one thing, then another. I'd better file these ideas for later and concentrate on more basic stuff. BTW, I got a bit of a laugh out of you picking popcorn hulls out of your teeth with a box cutter. Very Chuck Norris.  ::D: 





> I'm keeping my mind open on time dilation.  Once we're moving to the world inside of the skull, there's so much that's possible.  _Perception of time_ strikes me as something that could become quite skewed in the right situations.
> 
> My guess is that this effect is achieved by a combination of, as you say, skipping the boring parts and the mind creating false memories on the fly.  It's difficult to prove that, say, the previous month of my life isn't based on the same effect.  All we have to rely on is our memory of the experience, and I've found the dreaming brain to be very adept at filling in the gaps.
> 
> But in addition, who's to say that it also doesn't sometimes kick into a higher gear and generate dream content in far greater than real-time?  It's an amazing question to contemplate.



Yes, I thought about the false memories too. I have noticed that in nonLDs I sometimes invent previous dreams, but when I wake up, I can feel that the memory wasn't real. But like you, I'm keeping my mind open to the possibility of time dilation, OBEs and such thing. Because why not? Placing limitations on possibilities is probably the worst thing you can do as a lucid dreamer.

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## CanisLucidus

> True. I remember as a child my friends and I were always telling each other our dreams, to see if we had shared dreams, but it's just not polite conversation among grownups, is it?
> 
> I loved the architecture in Inception, because a lot of my nonLDs are like that. And I thought the way they illustrated dream instability was very clever. Also the slow realization of being in a dream, first by Ariadne, then Fisher. Even though they were told by Dom that they were dreaming, it took them a while to really believe it.



Yes!  I particularly loved that Cobb's instruction to Fisher was to "try to remember how you got here."  Perfect.  Still the one reality check that's never let me down!





> That is amazing! I really want to try that. But I was running around like a headless chicken last night, wanting to do one thing, then another. I'd better file these ideas for later and concentrate on more basic stuff. BTW, I got a bit of a laugh out of you picking popcorn hulls out of your teeth with a box cutter. Very Chuck Norris.



In-dream WILD is pretty sweet!  I've done a couple of these, but only one created that Inception-like structure.  I've not had the guts to try it during a lucid, but part of me thinks that it'll make a good tech for teleport.

And LOL, thanks on the box cutter.  Does this help add back just a fraction of the machismo that I lost when I confessed to drinking peppermint tea through a straw?   ::lol:: 





> Yes, I thought about the false memories too. I have noticed that in nonLDs I sometimes invent previous dreams, but when I wake up, I can feel that the memory wasn't real. But like you, I'm keeping my mind open to the possibility of time dilation, OBEs and such thing. Because why not? Placing limitations on possibilities is probably the worst thing you can do as a lucid dreamer.



Exactly.  I definitely have my beliefs on such subjects, but why let them constrain the range of possible experiences I can have with LD?

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## Sibyline

So frustrated! I woke up at 2:30 this morning and couldn't sleep for a couple of hours. When I was finally tired enough to sleep, I almost immediately went into WILD transition, but it was cut short because my throat closed up. So annoying! Finally I turned on my back (not a good position for me), but then I was so tired that I just fell asleep.

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## CanisLucidus

> So frustrated! I woke up at 2:30 this morning and couldn't sleep for a couple of hours. When I was finally tired enough to sleep, I almost immediately went into WILD transition, but it was cut short because my throat closed up. So annoying! Finally I turned on my back (not a good position for me), but then I was so tired that I just fell asleep.



Agh, sorry about that!  Hey, that's weird how your throat closed up.  Do you have any idea what this was in reaction to?  Did your tongue sort of... fall into a weird position?  Swallow a bit funny?

What position were you sleeping in when it did that?

Anyway, I feel your pain!  I had full insomnia after WBTB last night and stayed awake until my alarm was going off.  We'll have better luck tonight!   ::goodjob2::

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## Sibyline

I have no idea. It happens sometimes. It feels as if my throat collapses when the muscles relax. I was lying on my side, which is completely normal for me.

Still nothing here. I think midsummer is getting to me. It never gets really dark at night this time of year. I'll be going on vacation in a week's time, much further south in Europe, so that should take care of that particular problem.

Did you have any luck?

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## CanisLucidus

Hmm, if you were already lying on your side I don't have any sleeping position suggestions to add.  That's kind of my go-to when I need to fall asleep as fast as possible.

It sounds tough having all of that extra daylight.  You may want to think about a sleep mask!  I've been using mine for the past few days and it really, really keeps the light out.  The downside has been that it seems to have caused my WBTB to shift a bit later than normal, so I may just try wearing it post-WBTB.

But yeah, if you're dealing with a bunch of light you may want to give it a try!  I've got the kind where I can open my eyes underneath.  And when I do, it's black as a cave in there.

I didn't even finish a single SSILD cycle last night before falling asleep.   ::chuckle::   Guess I was tired!

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## Sibyline

My 4-year-old stole my sleep mask, and she can't won't tell me where it is.  :Sad: 

It hasn't been an issue for the past few days, so it was just really bad timing that it came in the middle of a WILD attempt.

I only rarely manage to finish SSILD properly without any distraction or even falling asleep.  ::D: 

Thanks for all your help and support!  :smiley:

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## CanisLucidus

> My 4-year-old stole my sleep mask, and she can't won't tell me where it is. 
> ...
> I only rarely manage to finish SSILD properly without any distraction or even falling asleep.



LOL.  What a familiar story that is around our house with so many of our possessions!  Thank goodness my kids don't know that I wear a sleep mask or they'd be stumbling around the house with it strapped to their faces.   ::chuckle:: 

I've been wondering whether I need to sit up a bit while I do my SSILD.  The hardest part for me is being self-aware enough to know whether I'm likely to fall asleep quickly or if I might be flirting with insomnia and then how I should perform my cycles.

And thank _you_ for your help and support as well!  I know we'll be hitting some lucids soon!   ::goodjob2::

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## Sibyline

Made some progress on my "hidden card" dream goal during a DILD this morning.

I'm still having big issues with stabilization. I wish I could keep my LDs going for longer. I noticed that my dream became stable and vivid once I began to examine an object up close, so I think I will use that to my advantage. I also got too excited again, and the dream ended because of this. I have to work on reminding myself to stay calm when I get close to my goals.

Oh, and my DD has graciously given back my sleep mask in return for a diving mask she couldn't reach.  ::D:

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## CanisLucidus

> Made some progress on my "hidden card" dream goal during a DILD this morning.
> 
> I'm still having big issues with stabilization. I wish I could keep my LDs going for longer. I noticed that my dream became stable and vivid once I began to examine an object up close, so I think I will use that to my advantage. I also got too excited again, and the dream ended because of this. I have to work on reminding myself to stay calm when I get close to my goals.
> 
> Oh, and my DD has graciously given back my sleep mask in return for a diving mask she couldn't reach.



Congratulations on the lucid, sibyline!  I'll be sure to check that out later.

I think that your stabilization approach is right on.  Bringing in as much dream detail as possible helps really shift your consciousness into the dream world.  The more attention you pay to the dream, the less you'll pay to your sleeping body or the environment it inhabits.  Plus, studying the level of detail possible in a dream is an amazing thing all by itself.

And I'm glad you got your mask back.   ::D:

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## Sibyline

Thanks! I hit the mead tonight, which is unusual for me, so I wonder what that will do to my sleep.  ::cheers::

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## Sibyline

I'm somewhat offline at the moment due to being abroad with very inconvenient sleeping arrangements. I will be lurking and so forth, but I'm not expecting anything big for the next couple of weeks. Just wanted to let you know why I have dropped off the radar.

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## CanisLucidus

> I'm somewhat offline at the moment due to being abroad with very inconvenient sleeping arrangements. I will be lurking and so forth, but I'm not expecting anything big for the next couple of weeks. Just wanted to let you know why I have dropped off the radar.



Enjoy your trip!  You never know when those lucids will strike, so you can tell us all about them when you get back.   ::goodjob2:: 

Safe travels!

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## bemistaken

> I'm somewhat offline at the moment due to being abroad with very inconvenient sleeping arrangements. I will be lurking and so forth, but I'm not expecting anything big for the next couple of weeks. Just wanted to let you know why I have dropped off the radar.



Get some rest and enjoy yourself!  If anything happens, I will call you! _Sibyliiiine!!!_  :Cheeky:

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## Sibyline

Thank you both! I will definitely be storing some fantastic imagery for later dream use.

Feel free to call me anytime... _missbehaven_!

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## Sibyline

Yay! I'm back from vacation and I had a huge epic LD this morning! I had been a good girl while I was away, and worked diligently on improving my dream recall by learning to lie still when I awake (was difficult to master, but it _really_ works!) and I really went for it this morning when I was back in my own bed, but I had never expected this. A long dream in multiple settings and with great control! I managed to:

consciously let (part of) a dream play out without asserting control over what happened - something I had been planning to do for a whiledeal with fear by remaining conscious of my lucid powerescape from a short bout of non-lucidity in the middle of the dreamstabilize a dream in a new waycomplete a TOTMbuild and destroy something through mind controlreunite with an original DC I was particularly fond of (not summoned consciously but still a win)remind myself of an earlier part of the dream without losing lucidityhave sex without waking up
I am so excited about this. I was hoping to have an LD longer than 5 minutes, but this was above and beyond expectations! I can't wait to have another dream like this, now that I know what is possible.

Dream part 1 and part 2.

 ::happyme::

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## OpheliaBlue

Congrats!

That second link is broken though, in your DJ too (the to be continued link). Where'd you want it to point to?

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## Sibyline

Oh, I still had it in draft mode. Thanks for letting me know. Does it work now?

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## CanisLucidus

Welcome home, Sibyline!  Sounds like a very successful vacation!  ::goodjob::  I'm looking forward to checking that DJ entry out.  I'll be looking for the part where you "stab your BFF".   ::chuckle:: 

BTW, both links seem to work for me now, so looks like it's fixed!

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## Sibyline

Thank you! Yes indeed. Although I had to go without a LD for a few weeks, working on recall and generally keeping my mind on dreaming paid off in a big way as soon as I got home.

Some BFF issues can only be resolved with a swift stabbing. IRL she's the nicest, gentlest person ever, though.  :smiley:

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## OpheliaBlue

> Oh, I still had it in draft mode. Thanks for letting me know. Does it work now?



Yep all fixed  :smiley:

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## Sibyline

I'm picking this up again because I need to work on my dream recall. It's terrible, and the current competition has really highlighted that fact. This morning after my regular WBTB I tried some CANWILD, mostly to see what I would be able to remember, and I got one dream (cut short by the alarm) and three fragments. I tried to re-enter one of the fragments, but lost it because I had spent too long (perhaps a minute) trying to recall the dream. By then I couldn't DEILD back in.

I think it's a difficult balance. One one hand, I feel that I could have more DILDs if I remembered my NLDs better, but on the other hand, thinking about the dream wakes me up.

I dreamed about a famous football coach who looked like a remote family member in this dream, about some LEGO bricks, playing around with a dentist's chair and a discussion about books. I feel that there is more, but I can't grasp it now because there are kids buzzing about and I have to get going. Damn WL responsibilities!  :wink2:

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