SCPantera's Dream Journal

Despite starting my foray into the world of lucid dreaming in the late second week of August, it's already felt like a long road--though I'm already looking forward to a lifetime of practice. There have been some early encouraging successful results, but they are tempered by rocky outcomes towards the end of the month.

General Dream Content (This Month)
Number of new dream journal entries: 17
Number of documented dream sequences/fragments: 23
Number of lucid realizations: 3 (13%)
Number of significant lucid dreams: 1 (4.3%)

General Dream Content (Total)
Total documented dream sequences/fragments: 23
Total lucid dreams: 1 (4.3%)

Dream Signs (This Month)
Total identified dream signs: 37
Action: 7 (18.9%)
Context: 16 (43.2%)
Form: 8 (21.6%)
Awareness: 6 (16.2%)

Code:

0810-0811: Aw+1
0814: C+1, F+2
0813-0814: Ac+1, C+2, Aw+1
0815: Ac+1, C+2, Aw+1
0818-0819: Ac+1, C+2, F+2
0819-0820: Ac+1, C+1, F+1, Aw+1
0821-0822: Ac+1, C+1
0822-0823: Ac+1, C+1, F+1
0824-0825: Aw+1
0827: C+1, F+1
0828-0829: C+1, F+1, Aw+1
0829: C+1
0829-0830: C+1
0831: Ac+1
0831-0901: C+2, Aw+1

Dream Signs (Total)
Total identified dream signs: 37
Action: 7 (18.9%)
Context: 16 (43.2%)
Form: 8 (21.6%)
Awareness: 6 (16.2%)

Dream Sign Associated Lucid Triggers
Number of lucid realizations: 3
Action: 2 (66.7%)
Context: 1 (33.3%)

Code:

0821-0822: Ac+1
0829: C+1
0831-0901: Ac+1

Analysis: It's no surprise that the most common dream sign is unusual contexts. These often manifest as unusual situations, but also include a reasonable setting but an unusual sequence events therein. This highlights a definite need to be able to identify unusual situations for reality checking. It is, however, notable that Action-type dream signs seem to have more reliably triggered lucid dreams (if 2 out of 3 can be considered reliable); it's interesting that 2 out of the 3 lucid realizations involved my wife saying or doing something that I thought was highly unusual.

Other notes: I've been playing with different sleep mantras, trying to find a combination that helps. The initial one (which I'll list here shortly, it'll be the first one) helped a lot with dream recall, so I'm a little reluctant to drop it over concerns that it might dampen my recall; I'm also concerned that switching them every few nights might be dampening their effectiveness. I've been having trouble finding one for other aspects of dreaming that have the same subconscious impact. Here are some that I've tried:
"I will wake from my dreams and completely remember them."
"I will remember to realize that I'm dreaming."
"Tonight in my sleep I will dream."
In recent nights I've tried to combine them into one, long chain mantra (tried #3>#1>2 at first, but later found that #3>#2>#1 makes more sense), but it's been difficult and hasn't brought on noticeable differences. I would try to fall back on the first one when I got deep enough into sleep to not be able to concentrate on stringing three sentences together.
Last night I tried something new (and got a partial lucid to show for it):
"AM I DREAMING? REALITY CHECK!"
Short and to the point, and I suspect it'll be easier to impact into my subconscious.

I'd like to end by commenting on some observations I'd had with regards to the last few lucid realizations. I've noticed in dreams that during a nose pinch reality check, the sensation is such that I'm still able to breath but it feels as though my nose is a little bit stuffy/congested. During my second lucid realization I attempted to hold focus by keeping my nose pinched and breathing; as it dissolved back into reality I noticed that the sensation of breathing from the lucid dream matched up with the sensations of natural breathing in reality. So I wonder if the success of this reality check is related to or contingent upon clear, breathable nasal passages.