Finally.

So today I was finally able to actually go through with another run of the rhythmic napping. I didn't have another lucid dream, but I'm really happy that I had the will power to force myself into trying to have another LD. I felt the same startling rush of tingling throughout my whole body that I talked about earlier (which may or may not be a good sign), but I think its a plus. Nothing new or different really happened, but I'm glad I found my will power again.

What Am I Going to Present?

WHO KNOWS?! 30 minutes seems so long, but I feel like I can talk my way through. Its just the thought of organizing it into a coherent and easy to follow presentation without being too confusing and ambiguous because lucid dreaming terms can be confusing. Also, I'm worried that I will speed through my presentation and then not have anything left to talk about with 10+ minutes left on the clock. These things have me nervous. I know inside of me somewhere, it'll work out fine because I have a lot of material, but making it presentable is hard. Hopefully I can spread out my time wisely over finals week to write my narrative and create my presentation so that it doesn't turn out horribly.

Now that I've had a lucid dream..

So now that I've actually experienced a lucid dream, waking up in the morning seems so much more pointless. I still wake up, stay awake for a little bit, then realize "I've already had one, what am I doing? I really need to sleep, I'm so tired..." I convince myself to go back to bed and just rest up because I've already got one to bank on. I know this is the wrong mentality and I really want to have more, its just been so hard. Sometimes its even gone as far as staying awake the whole 50-60 minutes in the morning, setting up the timer, laying down and after the first timer goes off, the evil side of my conscience kicks in. "What am I doing..? This is so not worth it." And right then, I take off my headphones, turn my computer off and go back to sleep peacefully. Its bad, real bad.

Reflection on Sources

So throughout my whole project, I've had to do a lot of research to find out a lot of different things from techniques to various sleeping phenomena to other lucid dreamers experiences. Some sources that I've found really beneficial include http://www.dreamviews.com/community/index.php, Stephen LaBerge's book, Salt Cube's videos, Lucidology 101 video and http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com. All of them have provided valuable insights and information. The dreamviews forum was so helpful for when I had questions about specific lucid dreaming techniques or phenomenon because there are so many experienced people there willing to respond to your questions quickly and with all the knowledge they have. The videos taught me much more about sleep paralysis and a deeper look into some of the techniques. The world of lucid dreaming website got me started on finding information about lucid dreaming and also got me started on the binaural beats. These sources and more were fabulous tools to have and I'm really happy I was able to find them and use them effectively. But, I don't want to write my whole research commentary here, so I'll stop right about now.

Pulling Things Together

- What more or different could I or should I do in my project over the next two weeks to feel that I've accomplished something significant?

I could continue to practice the Wake-Back-to-Bed method regularly (which I do) to hopefully experience another lucid dream. Achieving one more would be ideal and give me a total and complete sense of satisfaction.

- What have I done in my project that I shouldn't have done or that I should have done differently?

I shouldn't have slacked off really badly during the month of April. I hardly put any effort into trying to actually lucid dream and practice the different techniques. I did a bunch of research, but I never implemented any of it. For example, I had started to practice MILD technique memory training (April 19 entry), however, I failed to do even one days worth of training. I tried, but I could never really focus. I sort of lost my interest in lucid dreaming a bit, but the research slowly got me back into the mood.

- What haven't I done that I should have?

I can't really think of anything that I haven't done that I should have. I tried all the techniques (maybe not to their full potential), but I really tried at least one or two days to use the techniques.

- What am I proud of? What am I disappointed in?

I'm really proud that I was able to get a lucid dream. It was probably the highlight of the month for me. I am/was super excited that I had a lucid dream and I couldn't wait to tell everyone I knew. I was disappointed that the lucid dream only lasted around 2 minutes, even though it was an incredible experience. I'm also a little disappointed that it took me so long to get a lucid dream, but that can be blamed on my for slacking hardcore during April.

Research:

I've done a lot that can be considered research. I've been surfing internet forums for new techniques/help with techniques and finding out new ways for old techniques. I've also been reading various websites and watching videos (the Salt Cube series etc) as well as reading the book by Stephen LaBerge. My research has mainly been focused on different how-to's to lucid dreaming and various techniques that have been successful and documented. I also did research on the different states of sleep and stages of entering a lucid dream as well as the terminology associated with lucid dreaming. I know a lot about sleep and how it works as well as the different stages when entering a lucid dream such as sleep paralysis and hypnagogic imagery. Most of the sources that have contributed to my knowledge have been online such as www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dreaming and www.dreamviews.com and www.lucidity.com and Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Dr. Stephen LaBerge.

LUCID DREAM!!!!!

Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. I finally did it! I had my first lucid dream last night! It was amazing. Thrilling. Extraordinary. Breathtaking. And more. I went to bed at around 12 and got up at 6. At first, I just sat up in my bed thinking out a dream that I want to have in the future which I read on a forum online which goes a little like this:

"I thought about 'RC' written on the wall. And then, I had a cell phone, and someone text messaged me saying 'Come to the RC competition.' And then I went to the competition, not knowing what 'RC' meant, then the announcer announced, 'welcome to the reality check competition!' Then, when it was my turn to do it, I did my reality check and found out I was dreaming."

After about 5-10 minutes of dozing off / thinking about a situation similar to the one described previously, I got out of bed and started reading the aforementioned forum (http://www.dreamviews.com/community/index.php). After about an 50 minutes of this I was deciding between listening to some binaural beats or the rhythmic timer and decided for the latter. I changed things up by having the timer go off after 6, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 15, 4.5 minutes instead of my regular 8, 4, 8 timer. I also used headphones this time instead of just using my computers speakers. As I went to sleep, I felt like I wasn't going to be able to sleep and I was still awake when the first 6 minute timer went off. I was about to give up, but I decided not to move (probably because I was in sleep paralysis). I went to sleep and I remember waking up after the 3 minute timer feeling a jolt of tingle suddenly through my body (as mentioned in a previous post). I drifted back to sleep and started dreaming. The dream can be read in my dream journal, so I'll skip to where I became lucid! I found myself above my body and feeling really, really excited. I kept telling myself, "I'm LUCID DREAMING! I'm LUCID DREAMING!" My heart was beating fast and I was flying around my room. My image of my body was me laying flat on my back with my arms at my side and so when I became lucid, my dream body was exactly like that. I was flying around like that and I remember feeling an incredible tingling sensation throughout my body during my flying. Also, I was breathing in my dream and I remember hearing a breath immediately after my dream body's breath and I said to myself "It must be my physical body's breath. As long as I keep breathing here my physical body will keep breathing too!" So, with my heart rate accelerated, I kept breathing and flying around the room really excited to be lucid. I then thought to myself "let me try to go through the wall," as this is also a common sensation people try when they become lucid. I first started going headfirst through my ceiling but I thought to myself "I probably shouldn't go headfirst." When the slightest bit of my head penetrated the wall, there was this large rumbling noise as if rocks in an avalanche were crumbling and I brought myself to my feet. I then decided to try to walk through the door (without opening it (stupid, I know)). I told myself, "I believe I can walk through it, I believe I can walk through it." But, unfortunately, I didn't go through the door. I tried again through the wall and not through the door this time, but to no avail. Almost immediately after that I woke up. I started smiling as I knew I had lucid dreamt (obviously!) and immediately went and wrote down my dream. I LOVE IT! Lucid dreaming was an exhilarating and fulfilling experience. I can't wait to have more.

Reflection of the Techniques

There are hundreds of different techniques out there (I've only scraped the tip of the ice berg) and I'm sure all of them are pretty effective, but of the ones that I used, I think the Wake-Back-to-Bed (WBTB) technique was the best, especially when coupled with the rhythm timer. Not only did the idea of waking up during the night to stimulate the brain to help gain consciousness make sense, but it was also practical because 3 days a week I was able to come to school at noon, which gave me time to really try this technique. When trying the WILD (Wake-Induced Lucid Dream) technique, I didn't really realize that it went hand-in-hand with the WBTB method, but in retrospect I see that I used the WILD technique without noticing. The WILD technique uses the hypnagogic imagery as a transition from the waking state to the dreaming state. This is a hard technique to master, but it is easily done subconsciously when focusing on WBTB with the rhythm timer. Next comes the binaural beats. Even though I've only used the beats a few times, the results were pretty astonishing. When I awoke in the morning after listening to the beats as I went to sleep, I remembered 3 or 4 dreams from that night. It improved my dream recall phenomenally. I was really astonished. I never tried using them in the morning when I woke up for the WBTB technique, but I feel it would be really effective if used then. Next on my list was the MILD (mnemonic induction of lucid dreams), which I thought was pretty effective, but grossly inefficient. I liked the idea of the finger counting as a reality check, however, having to do it every hour on the hour for many, many days isn't exactly the best way. It did pop up in my dream once (as mentioned before), but then my watch broke and that went down hill... Last and certainly least is the CAT (cycle adjustment technique). It required a lot of effort (minimum 1 week preparation) and could only be done every other day after the 1 week preparation. On top of that, you lost 90 minutes of sleep every other day and couldn't go back to sleep. I didn't find this technique very useful at all really...

In summary, from the best techniques to the worst:

WBTB Technique

--- WILD / Rhythm Timer*

MILD Technique

Binaural Beats

CAT

Those two are most effective when coupled with the WBTB technique (as previously stated) and so they go in the WBTB subgroup.

Experience on Rhythmic Napping

I woke up this morning at 6 A.M. and watched the first part of the Salt Cube video (37 minutes) to get into the lucid dreaming mood. After focusing on the rhythmic napping section, I went on to try it. It really takes a toll on you.. Especially during school days when all you get is those 6 hours of sleep before hand. The timer wakes you up almost every time and therefore the next 1.5 - 2 hours of sleep is not very restful and relaxing. When you finally finish with the rhythm timer, you're brain and body are pretty tired. Its taxing, but on the weekends it a little better because you can finish your sleep after the cycle of rhythm napping. Its really a killer.

Another interesting feeling/phenomenon that occurred when I used the rhythmic timer was a rush of tingling feeling throughout my whole body starting from my neck-ish area and flowing down through my body. This would occur when the timer would startle me awake and an instantaneous tingling feeling/rush would pass through my body. It would happen really quickly, but the feeling would linger in my extremities for a few more seconds. I wonder if this is part of sleep paralysis to keep the body still. It can be analogous to a wave of adrenaline sent through your body (if you've ever experienced that), but much more amplified. I wonder if its a wave of "sleep paralysis hormone" to keep your body paralyzed or something. Its a really crazy feeling, and almost like a cold feeling through your whole body. Crazy stuff.

Rhythmic Napping

After watching the Salt Cube video (the one about lucid dreaming, I posted a clip about it earlier), I learned about rhythmic napping. Rhythmic napping deals with waking up in the morning after about 5 or 6 hours of sleep, staying awake and then going back to bed. However, while going back to bed I start a timer which is set to go off after 8, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 20, and 6 minutes. Each time the timer is supposed to wake you up, but you aren't supposed to move any part. The timer is supposed to help you hover on the awake/sleep threshold (where your mind is awake and your body isn't). The timer can be found here: http://www.lucidology.com/timer/

IC - Complacency

I can't afford to be complacent about only seeing dream signals and experiencing sleep paralysis. I need to focus on trying to achieve lucidity. I can't settle for anything less. Also, I can't be satisfied with my loose adherence of my lucid dreaming technique schedule.

Taylor Mali has a good point about the lack of inarticulateness in our generation. It's so common that no one even takes time out to notice it. However, it does happen to the best of us. For example, when I get nervous or really excited about something, I start talking really fast and slurring my speech. My words don't form fully and I'm already on to the next word. I've noticed this happen to me and I've made a conscious effort to try and stop it, but I often forget.

Lucid Dreaming Video

I forgot to apply for WISE funding (even though I've had my proposal typed out for a month, at the very least) , but I ordered the lucid dreaming video anyways. I also ordered the binaural beats from the Unexplainable Store! They're instant downloads, but I don't have time right now to sample them. When I do, I'll definitely update you.

Lucid Dreaming Video - http://saltcube.com/#nextStep

Unexplainable Store - http://www.store.unexplainable.net/products/lucid.php

AP Exams.. Why?!

So my life has been taken over by the AP exams I had this week and the one that I have next Monday (which is going to hurt, badly). I've been focusing on studying that I completely forgot about my project. Time to catch up though...

Hpynagogic Imagery Technique

While reading Stephen LaBerge's Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, I came across another technique called hypnagogic imagery. One of the keys to this technique is to relax completely. Once relaxed, one must observe the visual images that slowly appear in front of ones eyes while they're closed. The key is to observe the images as delicately as possible and allowing them pass by without any attachment. One must take the stance of a detached observer as much as possible. Slowly these images will start to make scenes and become more complex over time. Once the scenes are playing, one must allow himself/herself to be drawn into the dream world. This is probably the hardest part to master because it is easy to get very involved and pay too little attention.

I think I'll try this technique as it seems to require minimal effort (not that I'm lazy or anything, but it's AP time... I've got to study).

Sleep Paralysis..Again!

So, last night I achieved some sleep paralysis once again. It was still an unusual experience and felt quite weird, but I don't mind. Its some form of progress (I think...). I also recognized in one of my dreams that my computer wasn't working (a dream signal). I'm pretty happy with that, I can almost see the end..

IC - Barn Song

1) What does this suggest about what a WISE project can be?

It suggests that a WISE project can be anything you want it to be, particularly whatever you make it out to be. It can be a learning experience that is thoroughly fulfilling or it can be a drag and something you are forced to do. Personally, it is the former and I love researching lucid dreaming.

2) What new ideas do you have?

As of yet, none. But I'll keep you posted. :)

Whoa.. I'm Slacking

So, its late April and I still haven't had a lucid dream. I'm getting frustrated with this. I don't want to give up, but its so hard to dedicate so much time to it. Sure, I get to sleep every night, but its not just about sleeping. I need at least 6 hours, if not more, and there isn't really anything I can do about all the school work and fitting in time to lose an extra hour of sleep on top of the measly 5-6 hours I already get. Life's tough. I need to buckle down and really focus on doing these techniques and getting lucid in my dream.

Incongruity in Dreams

When we dream, we often have odd, even outrageous, things happen. For example, the laws of time and space are broken or things that could never happen in the real world pass as acceptable. We conjure these fantasies up in our mind and therefore these incongruities in our dreams make sense to us. We can be out on a beach one moment and then instantly transported to a past event without a link between the two scenes. These oddities are the keys to discovering lucidity. The only trick is to realize that these are simply dream signals and that you must be dreaming if this occurs. A good way to realizing that something is a dream is through association. After discovering a few dream signs, associate that dream signal with dreaming during your everyday life. For example, if you often dream of driving a car that you don't own anymore or have never owned, you can associate that with dreaming during your waking hours. After enough time and association, when you dream about this once again, you will magically realize that you are dreaming and consequently you will be lucid. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Right?

IC - WISE

How have you stepped away from you with your project since last class?

I have stopped being the enthusiastic, interested person in lucid dreaming that I once was. I have given up on a few things, but hopefully I'll get them back. For example, I haven't been going to bed at a regular time and I haven't been waking up regularly for the WBTB method.

Daily Targets: Sunday

I had mentioned before Stephen LaBerge's memory training techniques. I've slowly started to work on them but today was the first day I really tried to stick to it. I looked for the following targets during the day and tried to think about if I was awake or dreaming:

1) When I see a pet or animal

2) When I look at my face in a mirror

3)When I turn on a light

4) When I see a flower

I remembered to check for consciousness when I looked in a mirror, but I failed at every other target. Hopefully, practicing these techniques will increase my reliability in carrying out future intentions.

Those Goals That I Previously Set...

I have been keeping up with my goal of doing the WBTB method at least twice a week. I still haven't had a lucid dream though. Its pretty tough, but I know I can do it. All it takes is some patience and a lot of practice. In time, young padawan. In time...

Mentor Meetings

I haven't had mentor meeting in a while. I've been slacking pretty badly on my part, especially with communication. Hopefully, I'll meet with him sometime this week and we can really buckle down.

MIlD Technique - Memory Training

I'm not sure if I've said this before, but I broke my watch (yes, the same one that I was using to remind me every hour on the hour to count my fingers). I was deeply saddened as it has greatly hindered my ability to use the MILD technique (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams, for those who forgot) + reality checks. However, reading Stephen LaBerge's book, I stumbled upon his description of the MILD technique (which he developed!). He talked about the prerequisites for the MILD techniques which include being able to carry out future intentions reliably while you are awake. I thought about it a while and realized, I'm not very good at that. However, he does give and exercise to increase memory training and I'm going to give it a try. I'll keep you posted.

IC (Continued) - Lists

Four ways that my project plans have changed thus far:

- I had planned on using lucid dreaming supplements, but after my interview with Professor Helene Porte, I changed my mind and decided to scrap the supplements. She told me that they were unsafe and had side-affects and that they weren't guaranteed to help increase my ability to lucid dream.

- I am spending more than 1.5 to 2 weeks per technique. I found that this isn't enough time to fully adapt and get the full potential out of a technique.

Four things I've done out of my comfort zone:

- I've woken up 90 minutes early for a week straight. This is really tough considering all the school work that I have and going to bed each night at a consistent time isn't easy.

- I woke up after 5-6 hours of sleep, stayed awake for an hour and then went back to bed. This is also tough because I lose an hours worth of sleep with this technique and as it is I only get 6-7 hours of sleep a night.

IC - Regret

Why did I take WISE? Well, honestly, I took it because I wanted to slack off and take it easy in my senior year English class. It was mostly what I had hoped for, however, it has been much more fun, enjoyable and rewarding than I thought. My project is really interesting and there's a lot of information about it. One thing I regret about my project is that there won't be a tangible end result. I wanted something that I could show and keep for years to come, but I am satisfied with only having the knowledge and ability to lucid dream.

Setting Goals - Stephen's Way

According to Stephen LaBerge's book, Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, a good way to evaluate your progress is through this 4 step technique:

1) Set explicit, specific, and numerical goals:

I plan on trying to have a lucid dream within the next month, and use the wake back to bed method at least twice a week.

2) Set difficult but realistic goals:

I think these are adequate and realistic goals.

3) Set short-term as well as long-range goals:

I have a goal for each week as well as over the next month or so.

4) Record and evaluate your progress:

I'll keep you updated!

Lucid Dreaming Books

I went to the Tompkins County Public Library today and picked up a book by Stephen LaBerge called Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming. I haven't had a chance to look through it, but Stephen LaBerge is the leading expert on lucid dreaming and I am confident that I will find new information and different techniques. More on his book later (when I get a chance)!

Sleep Paralysis!

So today was the first day I tried the WBTB method. It was pretty intense. I woke up at around 5:15 this morning and stayed awake until around 6:10. Along with stimulating the brain through reading, I preformed a few reality checks. Eventually, I attempted to go back to sleep. I started out at first only focusing on my breathing and pacing it as a form of meditation. I visualized my breathing and slowly I started repeating the phrase "Next time I dream, I will realize that I am dreaming." This is a form of autosuggestion and I am supplementing the WBTB method with autosuggestion as well as reality checks. I felt this heavy feeling start in my feet and slowly work its way up my body. It was as if someone was spreading out a lead blanket on my body starting with my feet. I recognized this sensation as sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is a natural "mechanism in the brain in order to prevent the movements which occur in the dream from causing the physical body to move." It was an incredibly odd feeling. My left leg was resting on top of my right leg (because I was lying on my right side) and it felt like my left leg was going to slide off because I wasn't using any muscle to hold it there (or so it seemed), but it never moved. I tried to get over the fact that I was paralyzed and kept repeating the aforementioned phrase. I probably slowly drifted in and out of consciousness but it was hard to tell. In addition, as the sleep paralysis was happening, I heard this buzzing sound in my head. I looked it up and it is often associated with the sleep paralysis phenomonon. This stuff is really exciting. I actually can't wait to try it again and possibly become lucid this time!

Wake-Back-To-Bed Technique (WBTB)

After little success with the Cycle Adjustment Technique (CAT), partly because of my lack of commitment to waking up 90 minutes early everyday to adjust my sleep cycle, I've moved on. I've read that the CAT is an effective way of inducing lucid dreams, however, one must go to sleep everyday at the same time and commit to it, but with school and other things it is hard to do that. Anyways, I'm moving on to a similar technique as the CAT called the Wake-Back-To-Bed. It involves waking up after 6 or so hours of sleep, in order to create awareness in the brain during peak REM cycle sleep. After performing many reality checks during this time to increase alertness, one goes back to sleep after 20-60 minutes. Then visualizing a lucid dream while relaxing and using some form of autosuggestion as you drift back asleep with ensure that one has the greatest chance to experience a lucid dream.

Revising my Project

I've been thinking. Since I've had the most success with using just the Mnemonic Inducution technique (MILD) and it isn't very laborious, I've decided to supplement the other techniques that I am going to use with MILD and a little bit of autosuggestion (tell myself I'm going to have a lucid dream each night and that I will perform a reality check). This seems like it will give me the greatest chance to induce a lucid dream because I will be performing a combination of techniques instead of isolating one at a time. I'm still nervous about not ever actually experiencing a lucid dream, and I also wonder if my setup or process is all wrong.

Alternating Wake Time

Today I woke up at 7:30 A.M. which kicked off the alternating part of my Cycle Adjustment Technique. Tomorrow I will wake at 9 with the intention of entering a lucid dream during that time because of increased awareness during the early morning hours (due to me adjusting my cycle). However, I'm afraid that I didn't fully adjust my sleep cycle to 7:30 as I have slacked off some days (recently that is). I may continue to wake up at 7:30 to get the full effect, but we will see. I'm nervous about actually getting a lucid dream because it seems to be a natural occurrence and trying to induce one is like messing with mother nature. And no one messes with mother nature...

Mentor Meeting

I met with Mr. Bowen this week and we had a long, thorough discussion about my project and its direction. He told me to contact Professor Maas (one of my potential interviewees) and to see if he could sit down with me and talk about how to quantify my progress or a way of setting this up as an experiment. I haven't contacted Professor Maas yet, but I intend to do so in the near future. In addition, Mr. Bowen asked me to prepare a list of sources and background information on lucid dreaming so he could get a better feel of my project.

WISE Update (IC)

1) 3 things you learned from reading previous WISE student's journals?
I learned from examining past WISE student's work what a journal entry should look like. I also learned how lengthy a good entry should be and what the different types of entries are.

2) 3 things you need to commit more energy to?
I must commit more energy to waking up early (7:30 A.M.), writing in my dream journal regularly and putting my project at the top of my list.

3) 3 things you would like to discuss with your mentor?
I should discuss the meaning of lucid dreaming, how to quantify my progress and my progress so far.

4) Any progress you are happy about?
Counting fingers in my dream and technology not working in my dream (it was a text message). Also, the discovery of binaural beats!

Sleep Cycle

My sleep cylce is completely different than it normally is. I went to bed at 3 A.M., woke up at 4 A.M., and went to sleep again at 5:30 A.M. I finally woke up around 12:30 P.M. today. Sleeping sucks. Just kidding, but I need to get on track...

Not Everyone Can Lucid Dream?

Mr. Bowen brought up and interesting point today. He said that it may be that not everyone is cut out to be able to lucid dream. I started thinking about it, recalling what Professor Helene Porte told me. She said that lucid dreaming rarely comes naturally to people and that it is definitely possible to train oneself to be able to lucid dream. This is proven by Stephen LaBerge, the leading researcher on lucid dreaming, whose subjects have taught themselves to lucid dream.

Not Remembering My Dreams...

I haven't been recalling my dreams very well recently. It is really unfortunate that I haven't been able to recall them. It's probably because of the amount of sleep I've been getting (not a lot..) and the way I've been waking up (my mom wakes me up and forces me into the shower). Life is tough.

Arg...Daylight Savings

Still haven't gotten around to waking up early. Damn you daylight savings! Give me my hour back!

CAT Anyone?

Not me... It is now Friday and I haven't started waking up early. Its a lot of work, especially because I haven't been getting nearly enough sleep this week. Plus, there is a strong correlation with dream recollection and amount of sleep one receives (its generally a direct relationship).

Cycle Adjustment Technique

This week I plan on starting the Cycle Adjustment Technique (CAT). It involves waking up around 90 minutes or so earlier than usual, until one's sleep cycle starts to adjust to the new timing. Then for the next week alternate waking up between the early time and your normal wake time. This is done to encourage dream awareness during the end stages of sleep (when REM cycles are prevalent and dreaming occurs). I'm not looking forward to using this technique as it requires a lot of effort, however, I know I will eventually make myself do it.

WISE Task Force Journal Review

1) The Physical Journal: How many entries are there?
There are 11 or 12 entries in my journal. Everything is typed, so legibility isn't a concern. Everything is neat and in order by date (most recent first).

2) Entries: How many entries show evidence of research? What sources have been used?
Five difference entries show evidence of research in the post. The sources include Wikipedia and some other sites.

3) Reflection or Review?
Yes, there are reactions and reviews of what I have been doing and learning. I'd say it's about 50-50.

4) What I enjoyed most about this journal:
I loved every single word of my journal. After all, it is my writing!

5) Suggestions for improvement:
Nothing. It was perfect! :)

Fingers!

Through the MILD technique, I've been counting my fingers every hour on the hour and checking my watch to make sure it hasn't changed instantly to prove that I'm awake (as you probably know by now), but I did this in my dream and I kept counting 12 fingers but I didn't quite realize that I was dreaming. It's another improvement and I'm pretty excited for more finger counting and realizing that I'm dreaming.

Weird Dreams?

So after keeping a dream journal for some time now, my dreams have been really entertaining but at the same time really odd. Some of them are just really out there. I'm not sure if it's only because I didn't used to remember the random odd ones and now I do because I'm trying to remember them, or because now I'm just dreaming weirder dreams...

WISE Update

How has your project concept changed?
It hasn't really changed, I'm still planning on different techniques over 1.5/2 week periods. However, I plan on changing the use of supplements to binaural beats because a) supplements can be harmful and probably ineffective and b) because binaural beats are tight.

What has your process been like?
I recognized a dream sign and came closer to experiencing a lucid dream. I'm really exited because as soon as I woke up, I realized it was a dream sign and therefore I'm moving closer. I'm hoping to get at least one lucid dream through the MILD technique. I'm really enjoying researching sleep and lucid dreaming as it is really interesting and entertaining.

Keeping a log - is it consistent? informative? reflective?
I am keeping a log, especially one of my dreams. My blog has been pretty consistent as well. I try to keep the readers (if there are any.. which I doubt) informed about how I am feeling and different research I stumble upon. I have to say, there haven't been too many reflective entried, however, the ones I have had were really good and deep. I really liked them and was amazing that I even thought of something like that.

Binaural Beats

"Sine wave generators were used to create two separate frequency waves which were introduced to each ear independently. The brain reacted by creating a third tone which was the difference between the two. The brain instantly reacts to these frequencies causing a Shift In Consciousness.

Deep Sleep, Dreams, and Relaxation all depend on what frequency your brain is receiving and operating on. When you are relaxed and creative, you are in Alpha, When you are Dreaming, you are in Theta, and when you are in a deep sleep, you are in Delta.

Lets say that you start in the Deep Sleep Delta State. Once Delta is reached, your brain frequencies rise to the Theta Frequencies where Dreaming begins. If your brain frequencies continue to rise, you will progress to Alpha. When you reach Alpha, you will be awake, and that's not where you want to be for Lucid Dreaming.

The key to Lucid Dreaming is going through the Delta and Theta states like usual, but instead of reaching the full Alpha state, dip back into Theta before you awake. Your subconscious will awake, but your conscious mind will stay asleep as you go back into the dreaming state. Your subconscious will think you are awake, but then realize you are still dreaming.

This recording promotes lucid dreaming by guiding you into deep sleep frequencies, followed by dreaming Theta frequencies. The frequencies will rise, bordering on Alpha, than dip back down to Theta.

From our experience, the Lucid Dreaming Binaural Beat Recording works extremely well when a person wakes from a deep sleep early, then listens to the recording while returning back to sleep. The user should attempt to fall back to sleep with the intentions of of being aware when you start dreaming again."

Taken from http://www.store.unexplainable.net/products/lucid.php

I'm thinking of investing in a binaural beats CD to add on as another way of achieving lucidity, in addition to my other techniques. I've used a sample recording and it had an amazing effect.

Dream Sign / Lucid Dreaming CD

So, while writing my dreams down this morning, I came to a point where I recognized a dream signal (while I was awake, unfortunately). The signal was me trying to read a text message from a friend and I couldn't read the message because it was all jumbled up and incoherent. This is a positive sign that I am moving towards recognizing dream signals. I went to sleep telling myself that I was going to recognize that I was dreaming, however, that didn't work out. I'm rather exited and can't wait to try to recognize the signal tonight! Hooray for progress!

Also, before I went to bed last night, I listened to a sample of a Lucid Dreaming CD that helps put your mind in the correct state by altering brain wave frequencies. Let me tell you, as soon as I started listening, I could feel myself melt away in the sounds and my spine felt like jello for a bit. I was amazed at how relaxing and worthwhile this 10 minute sample was. Also, after listening to that CD, I remembered four different dreams from last night (I only got to write three down as the fourth slipped away by the time I got to writing it down). It could just be a coincidence, but I am going to try again tonight and we'll see the results. Also, I felt as if I woke up between each dream, almost like going into a conscious state and then sleeping again. This waking up process between each dream is recommended and can help induce lucid dreams and this is another reason I am strongly considering buying the CD (which can be found here).

Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD)

Today I am starting on the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD) technique. It entails doing reality checks throughout the day so as to increase the chance of doing those in a dream, helping you realize that you are dreaming. A common one is counting your fingers, which I've started to do (however, not as frequently as I would like to). I've also pushed my fingers into my palm as this is another reality check that is recommended. Hopefully, I'll be able to induce a lucid dream through the MILD technique as it is used in other techniques such as the WBTB technique. Count those fingers... 1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9..10!

Thoughts on Lucid Dreaming

So, I've been thinking about what lucid dreaming will actually feel like. I've heard and read about these "out-of-body experiences" and I've been starting to think about it. It seems like an odd and eerie sensation that I'm not too exited to experience. It reminds me almost of a dead feeling, when one is about to pass away, and they can see themselves separated from their body. Every time I think of this, I think of Tim O'Brien's experience in Vietnam which he wrote about in his book The Things They Carried. He says he experienced it after being shot, in the butt, and was going into shock, about to die. That thought really won't get out of my head and its making me more and more anxious about it. I'm nervous about it, yet I can't wait to experience a lucid dream. It's kind of odd in a way. Basically, I'm confused.

Dream Journal

I haven't really been remembering my dreams, but thats probably because I've been slacking on writing them down. I need to start keeping the journal next to my bed so I can record it as soon as I wake up.

Dream Recollection So Far

So I've started writing down my dreams, the ones that I can remember at least, and it's been really interesting. They say that it's easier to remember your dream if you lay still as soon as you wake up and close your eyes to think about it and record it (found here under Dream recall), however, that isn't the case for me. I wake up having no recollection of any of my dreams and I slowly start to remember them as the day goes on. A lot of the times (from previous experiences, before the WISE project started) I remember the dream in the shower when I'm still half asleep. Other times (probably the other 50%), I generally remember the dream after something reminds me of what happened in the dream. For example, I remembered my dream this morning in the shower, but I ended up forgetting it before I got to write it down. Later today, someone pulled out and old Stats test of mine and I saw it and immediately remembered what my dream was about last night. It's pretty interesting how I can't remember dreams right after I wake up.

Week One Down

My focus has been a dream journal. I've slowly started to remember dreams and I've been writing htem down as well. I've remembered two dreams in the last week, they were really random and I don't remember every detail, just some facts.

Mentor Meeting (IC)

Well, our first meeting was fantastic. I asked Mr. Bowen to be my mentor and he accepted. We talked about what exactly lucid dreaming is and he seemed interested.

I think the relationship will be great because we're friends from before and we get along really well. I don't think there will be any concerns (except, maybe, discussing basketball a few too many times during our meetings) as he's a good guy and very knowledgeable.

Dear Reader

For my WISE project I plan on learning how to lucid dream. A lucid dream is where a person is conscious while they are dreaming and can actively change their dreams to do whatever the person likes. This caught my attention because I've had some sweet dreams before and I'd like to be able to manipulate my dreams to replicate those past dreams as well as create new, enjoyable dreams.

I have already started keeping a dream journal (as of 2/7/09) and I plan on just working on dream recollection for the first week and a half / two weeks.

I'm pretty unsure of whether or not I'll actually be able to have a lucid dream. I really want to have a lucid dream, and I hope everything works out. I was told by Professor Helene Porte, from Cornell University, that it isn't too difficult to teach yourself how to lucid dream, but I'm still a little bit anxious.

I am going to meet with Professor Helene Porte to learn about dreams and different brain functions and I plan on reading books by leading lucid dream researcher Stephen LeBarge. In addition, I'll keep a dream journal every day from now until the end of the project.