Thread: Post your LD goal(s) for the summer!

My goal would probably be to at least have my first LD. I'm not any less confident that I'll have one than I was when I first joined a few weeks ago. So, I should be able to get this done! I just need a better place to sleep seeing as I wake up to a lot of commotion and it throws off my recall.

8 lucids a week?!?!?! How?

Originally Posted by Caretaker

My goal would probably be to at least have my first LD. I'm not any less confident that I'll have one than I was when I first joined a few weeks ago. So, I should be able to get this done! I just need a better place to sleep seeing as I wake up to a lot of commotion and it throws off my recall.

It's good you've maintained your confidence; that's very important for lucid dreaming! If you get woken up a lot, try a quick WBTB if you haven't yet, and in this time do some mental math and describe your surroundings, explaining to yourself why (or why not) you could be dreaming at that particular moment.

Originally Posted by Codename

8 lucids a week?!?!?! How?

Dedication and commitment. I was aware and observative of my surroundings and actions all the time. I'd been here for a year so I had a lot of knowledge under my belt in terms of the DILD technique. ^_^ Anyone can do it if they have a game plan, daydream about what they want to do in their next lucid, and are genuinely questioning if they're dreaming. Reality and dreams aren't all that different because both feel real if we don't question them. Questioning if you could be dreaming in waking life is a great way to induce an LD.

Now that I've been lucid once, I got to get flying down. I am really into the subject, and want to try lots of different flight ideas. (Notably summoning a Nimbus from DBZ, utilizes flying and summoning.) But for the most part, I am just hoping for vivid, fun dreams, and trying out new ideas I see on the forum. After flying, I'll probably give 1000 things to do in a LD another glance for inspiration.

I have real trouble with WBTBs. It's because when I wake up, my mind goes into overdrive and focuses on every single thing that is going on around me and my thoughts are racing. I've often wished that I'd never have to sleep because it cut down on things I could actually be doing but now I have a reason to dream and I find it hard to do so for long. I only get about 6 hours of sleep a night.

Originally Posted by Snorlax

Now that I've been lucid once, I got to get flying down. I am really into the subject, and want to try lots of different flight ideas. (Notably summoning a Nimbus from DBZ, utilizes flying and summoning.) But for the most part, I am just hoping for vivid, fun dreams, and trying out new ideas I see on the forum. After flying, I'll probably give 1000 things to do in a LD another glance for inspiration.

Awesome, flying can be a really fun lucid activity.

I've pulled ideas from the "1,000 Things to do in a Lucid Dream" thread too!

Originally Posted by Caretaker

I have real trouble with WBTBs. It's because when I wake up, my mind goes into overdrive and focuses on every single thing that is going on around me and my thoughts are racing. I've often wished that I'd never have to sleep because it cut down on things I could actually be doing but now I have a reason to dream and I find it hard to do so for long. I only get about 6 hours of sleep a night.

Getting less than enough sleep is definitely not good for recall and lucid dreaming in general. Have you tried simply walking around the room with the lights off? Sometimes just keeping the lights off can prevent you from waking up too much, and prevent your mind from becoming too active. Or, maybe you're just staying up for too long? Sometimes even just keeping a pen and paper at your bedside, and writing down dreams you had in the dark can be like a mini-WBTB - coupling that with a reality check can help, too.

Originally Posted by Puffin

Getting less than enough sleep is definitely not good for recall and lucid dreaming in general. Have you tried simply walking around the room with the lights off? Sometimes just keeping the lights off can prevent you from waking up too much, and prevent your mind from becoming too active. Or, maybe you're just staying up for too long? Sometimes even just keeping a pen and paper at your bedside, and writing down dreams you had in the dark can be like a mini-WBTB - coupling that with a reality check can help, too.

Unfortunately, that's where the "better place to sleep" part comes in. My grandma gets up at 4AM and cleans the kitchen.. it's been like this for the last 5 years of my life. She turns on the light to see which lights up where I'm sleeping. Plus my mom and brother both get up earlier for work and school. Either way, I can't go to sleep without knowing that, unless I fell asleep around 4PM (which would probably be bad for focusing on recall) then I'm sure to wake up with a light on or someone else up.

I do keep the pen and paper near where I sleep. I have trouble writing down dreams because I mostly don't remember them (because of the rude awakening every day) but also because my OCD kicks in while I'm writing and my handwriting drives me crazy. I'm usually stuck writing a paragraph for an hour. D:

My main goal isn't LD related but it is to transition to polyphasic sleep.

As for lucid goals: I'm already content with the amount of LDs I'm getting but I'd like to increase vividness and awareness of those dreams. I still have poor dream control so I would like to practice summoning objects and creating scenes.

Originally Posted by Caretaker

Unfortunately, that's where the "better place to sleep" part comes in. My grandma gets up at 4AM and cleans the kitchen.. it's been like this for the last 5 years of my life. She turns on the light to see which lights up where I'm sleeping. Plus my mom and brother both get up earlier for work and school. Either way, I can't go to sleep without knowing that, unless I fell asleep around 4PM (which would probably be bad for focusing on recall) then I'm sure to wake up with a light on or someone else up.

I do keep the pen and paper near where I sleep. I have trouble writing down dreams because I mostly don't remember them (because of the rude awakening every day) but also because my OCD kicks in while I'm writing and my handwriting drives me crazy. I'm usually stuck writing a paragraph for an hour. D:

Have you tried earplugs and a sleep mask? I have a set of earplugs that cut noise by 30 decibles, which prevents my dad from waking me up in the morning when he gets up for work. He makes a bunch of noise at around 7:00, but I stay asleep until 11:00... Today, I woke up at 1:00 in the afternoon! There's some really nice sleep masks that sell for cheap, too. Some are completely opaque so absolutely no light gets in. As for the dream journalling, I know what you mean by completely OCDing over recording my dreams. If you wake up in the middle of the night, try recording them at that time, when they're still fresh in your mind. Even just scribble down a few key sentences, such as "mom went on a rollercoaster ride" or "was in a bar and sat down next to a guy all dressed in black". You don't have to record everything, just a few things, even though you should probably quickly go over the dream in your head. That way, it'll allow your mind to recall the rest of it in the morning.

Originally Posted by ilovefrootloops

My main goal isn't LD related but it is to transition to polyphasic sleep.

As for lucid goals: I'm already content with the amount of LDs I'm getting but I'd like to increase vividness and awareness of those dreams. I still have poor dream control so I would like to practice summoning objects and creating scenes.

Ah, polyphasic sleep... I've always wanted to try that. Maybe when I'm done school. :3
Dream control's all about confidence (knowing nothing in the dream is real and anything can happen), expectation (believing 100% that something will happen), and visualization (you know exactly what the result of what you're trying to do will be). Use all three and you should be a master at dream control in no time!

My main goal is to create a dream world that I travel to every time I sleep, so that when I metaphorically wake up there, I'll know that I'm dreaming and instantly become lucid. Picture it like the Sanctuary pause menu from Fable 3 :3

Originally Posted by NonConformist

My main goal is to create a dream world that I travel to every time I sleep, so that when I metaphorically wake up there, I'll know that I'm dreaming and instantly become lucid. Picture it like the Sanctuary pause menu from Fable 3 :3

Cool - remember to visualize it a lot before you fall asleep, so you have a better chance of ending up there in your dream!

Definitely! Thanks for the words of encouragement!

Originally Posted by NonConformist

Definitely! Thanks for the words of encouragement!

No problem; good luck!

10 lucids at least 40% WILD.

Originally Posted by mooseantlers

10 lucids at least 40% WILD.

Have you had a WILD before? When you hit SP and possibly even start to experience hypagogic imagery or hallucinations, visualize a dream sequence forming around you and imagine the sense of sight, touch, and smell. Imagine hearing birds in the distance, or the feeling of your feet resting in the sand of a beach. Completely forget about the hallucinations happening around you, and keep relaxing until the dream encapsulated you.

Speaking of WILDs, I should try to have some more, too... It's been a long time since I even managed to stay in SP.

Originally Posted by mooseantlers

10 lucids at least 40% WILD.

Lubrongo

Originally Posted by Puffin

Ah, polyphasic sleep... I've always wanted to try that. Maybe when I'm done school. :3
Dream control's all about confidence (knowing nothing in the dream is real and anything can happen), expectation (believing 100% that something will happen), and visualization (you know exactly what the result of what you're trying to do will be). Use all three and you should be a master at dream control in no time!

Haha thanks for the advice. My biggest problem is the lack of dream clarity often leads to poor decisions, improper stabalization, and a high percentage (70%) of FAs. Especially "spin in circles to change your scene" tactic always results in a FA for me.

Maybe you just need to try a new technique. If you're inside a building, teleporting can be as simple as walking through a door - imagine the location of your choice to be on the other side! Or, fly there, "knowing" fully that the location you want to go to is very close by. Dream spinning (doing it slowly and not fast) is great for stabilization, because you can take in your surroundings which helps your mind work to create more of the dream. I'd recommend it for this, and not teleporting if you keep waking up or getting FAs...

Although, false awakenings are usually nice and stable, so they're a good place to start a new dream from. I think of false awakenings like a block of clay - they're generic and life-like until you use dream control to change them into something awesome.

Thanks I'll definetly try the door thing, I think that might be easiest. In the past I've had the most success "summoning" objects by reaching for them in an area hidden from my vision, such as on the top of my head or in a box.
PS I notice you're from Manitoba so congrats on getting the WPG Jets back

Originally Posted by Puffin

Have you tried earplugs and a sleep mask? I have a set of earplugs that cut noise by 30 decibles, which prevents my dad from waking me up in the morning when he gets up for work. He makes a bunch of noise at around 7:00, but I stay asleep until 11:00... Today, I woke up at 1:00 in the afternoon! There's some really nice sleep masks that sell for cheap, too. Some are completely opaque so absolutely no light gets in. As for the dream journalling, I know what you mean by completely OCDing over recording my dreams. If you wake up in the middle of the night, try recording them at that time, when they're still fresh in your mind. Even just scribble down a few key sentences, such as "mom went on a rollercoaster ride" or "was in a bar and sat down next to a guy all dressed in black". You don't have to record everything, just a few things, even though you should probably quickly go over the dream in your head. That way, it'll allow your mind to recall the rest of it in the morning.

Sorry for the last response. I went to sleep around 10PM.... and woke up 4 hours later. Prefect time for a WBTB + WILD right? Not if I can't make myself stop thinking. Also, I seem to have random twitches or jerks when trying to WILD that I can't stop. It's probably all the sugar.

I did get some earplugs but it seems like I need 100 decible reduction to have effect. I've been using Subliminal Audio for the time being but for some reason, my mind goes on auto pilot in the middle of the night and I take them out without noticing. It's like my brain is hotwired to be "ON" all the time. Maybe I need Ritalin, haha. I'll check in to sleep masks because I woke up so early due to my sister being on Facebook at 3AM. The computer light shines right on my face. I do recall my dream in various sections and have noticed that WBTBs are extremely effective. I wrote down some notes but it was using the blue LED light from my speakers which whited out the page. I don't know how well the notes look but since I can't fall back asleep, I remember the dream anyways. I'll write it down when I can get some more light. I've been looking into some kind of alarm I can use that won't wake up everyone else. I think doing these things in general is harder for me than most because I live in a house with 8 people, don't have my own room, and sleep in a big open area with 3 other people. I need a vacation. D:

Man, I'd be happy just to get my recall back up to where it usually is.

Lucid dry-spells I can deal with, since all it takes to break those is a WILD, but recall dry-spells are the worst.

Seriously, I had about 5 awesome dreams the last two times I slept, but can only remember fragments and flashes of them and one from last night has completely slipped my mind.

After that, getting my monthly average back into the mid twenties would be wonderful. Then I could actually get some interesting stuff done.

Just like to get my first LD. With the effort and practice I'm putting in it probably will be sooner but I'm ready to give it as much time as it takes

My goal is to have a couple WILDs, get the feel for it.

I wanna up my lucid average, and I want to go to Jupiter and see what's waiting for me there..

My goals will be catching up my DV Dream Journal and finally breaking the 30 lucid dreams in a month mark.