Mixing Things Up To Help In Getting Lucid
Have you ever noticed how the first time you try something in trying to become lucid or having better dream recall that it often works better the first time than it does after that first time.
This has happened to me several times with several different techniques I have tried, and I believe I have finally discovered why this happens.
In a recent book I read on the brain, Keep Your Brain Alive - 83 Neurobic Exercises, I learned a little bit about how the brain works, which I think explains why this happens.
When a persons brain recognizes something as a new experience, it pays attention to it and tries to learn from it, even growing new nerve connections to the brain in the process.
However, once the brain has seen something once, it tends to go on autopilot on subsequent occurrences of the same type of event, since it has already processed this event.
To keep the brain from growing smaller and deteriorating, especially as a person grows older, the above book mentions several exercises that a person can do to keep their brain learning and growing, things such as getting dressed with your eyes closed in the morning, walking around your house with your eyes closed, eating or writing with your non-dominant hand, etc.
How does all of this pertain to lucid dreaming?
Simply, in order to keep the brain alert, and cause it to pay attention to whatever technique you are using, without going on autopilot and ignoring what it happens to be experiencing, it might be helpful to mix things up a bit.
For example, the other night I decided to try having some strobe lights that I have rigged in my room go off during my expected rem cycles.
Since I had not used these lights in quite some time, they got into my dream in no time as I had a dream that I got pulled over by a police car whose lights where flashing so brightly I could not even see.
However, three nights later, since I had not taken any time off from using the lights, I can now sleep right through these same lights for hours without even being bothered by them or having them enter my dreams, as my brain now simply ignores them.
I have also found this same principle to hold true when using supplements like galantamine and choline.
If I use the supplements about every fourth day, they work fantastic, however if I try to use them more often than that, they become almost totally ineffective.
I am wondering what kind of ideas or varying techniques that others might have that could be used once a week or about every fourth day in helping to become lucid.
So far, I have come up with the following for myself:
Day 1 - Supplements
Day 2 - Strobe Lights
Day 3 - Pulses or Binaural Beats
Day 4 - Supplements
Day 5 - ???
Day 6 - ???
Day 7 - Supplements
In addition, for those who listen to mp3 files or music while sleeping, it might prove helpful to have different variations of files that you listen to each night in order to keep the brain off guard and keep it from going on autopilot and ignoring what it is hearing, which could be done as easily as changing the voice on the file you are listening to.
There are of course certain things that are better if done regularly, which things can be used to condition the mind to react a certain way.
Such things as reality checks, which can be performed in order to condition the mind to react a certain way to something that happens during a dream, or certain meditation techniques, which can be used to condition the mind to enter a certain level.
Comments, suggestions?
