Thread: lcdmado's Workbook

hi i really like dreams and my lucid dreaming is pretty rusty so i'm here to get better!



Reality Checks:
-Ask self if dreaming whenever I remember (every hour if possible)
-Look at surroundings for anything strange
-Count fingers
-Pinch nose

Dream Signs:
-People I used to know
-Small spaces, being trapped (I have bad claustrophobia so this discourages dreaming sometimes)
-Darkness


Short-Term Goals:
-Have a good, consistent sleep schedule
-Become lucid more often/have better dream recall
-Have good control in one dream

Long-Term Goals:
-Consistent, vivid lucid dreaming
-Further exploration of dream world
-Shared dreaming

Lucid/Dream Recall History:
-I first got interested in lucid dreaming in middle school after learning about it and remembering that I had lucid dreams as a kid. I tried very hard for a while to lucid dream, but only achieved it once or twice. A few years later I tried to lucid dream again, but I was not nearly as strict. I only kept a dream journal and went to sleep/woke up at the same time every night, and I had multiple lucid dreams and could also remember my dreams most of the time. I only had control in two or three of them, but I could usually wake myself up from any lucid dream I had or make slight changes to how the dream progressed. My DCs started trying to convince me I was awake and that my dreams were reality whenever I dreamed, so I stopped keeping my dream journal and got less and less sleep.

Current Technique:
-DILD
-MILD

note: Lately, I've been having trouble sleeping. Last night I fell asleep around midnight. The nights before had been the same, with me falling asleep from 11:00 pm - 2:00 am.

Also, to add on to what I meant by my DCs trying to convince me I wasn't dreaming. I would explore the dream world, or at least a place in the dream world. I can get their by exploring deep into my dreams, and either finding a way in or finding someone from there to help me in. The DCs really didn't like me being there. Every time I had to keep my identity a secret and try to blend in with crowd, but they could usually spot me quickly. They would chase me out of the dream and I would wake up. Then, whenever I had dreams that weren't about me going to that place, and I would start to become lucid, my DCs would tell me "No, you're awake. This is reality." even when odd, horrible things were happening to me. I think they were trying to scare me, and it worked. I have issues with questioning my reality irl, so this made me not want to dream. I then stopped remembering my dreams.

Does anyone have any thoughts on that? I'd appreciate some input. My DCs seem to be trying to keep me from exploring the dream world and that place in it.

Hello lcdmado! Welcome to DV and Intro class!

I have heard some accounts from other members that their DCs seem to become upset or deny that they are in a dream (or that you are in a dream). Personally, this doesn't happen in my dreams probably because I don't have that expectation. What your DCs will do will depend a lot on your expectations/schema. With a bit of practice you can learn to control these things and DCs reactions will change accordingly.

So, two things come to mind - if faced with DCs try not to think about them behaving this way. The other alternative which I would also try is to ignore them - ignore what they are saying or ignore their existence. If you stop paying attention they should disappear.

Thank you! I think because of what you said, my DCs didn't do that when I said I was asleep. One of them responded by saying something like "Hm, well do you think you're asleep?" That actually helped me become more lucid.

Sorry for this other question, but how do you know if you've met a dream guide and not another DC? The person who asked if I thought I was asleep, I was very lucid and asked them if they were my dream guide. I think they either said yes or maybe. I don't remember what we talked about, but they changed into an owl. The dream started to fade twice and I almost woke up both times, but I managed to keep the dream going. The person was still there both times when the dream came back into focus. Could they have been my dream guide, or another DC?

That's great! Congrats on the ld!

It might be too early to tell whether this DC was your dream guide. At any rate his reappearance sounds intriguing, perhaps in the future his behavior will make this more clear.