EURIKA !!
If you read any of my previous posts, you will see that I havn’t been particularly successful in the realm of LD. But, I have spent the last 14 or so years, reading, reserching and experimenting. After a lot of painstaking nights and moments of giving up and then, going back, I have finally had a LD. Hoorah for me! In fact I’ve had 3 LD in the past 2 weeks. And I’ve accomplished it by developing my own system. I’m thinking that if this system works for me, then it must be good.
I’ve called it VILD. I’m still experimenting with this system, so I’m not sure of it’s success rate. But so far, its looking good. I’ve also developed a different way of logging my dreams instead of using a Dream Journal, which for me personally, have found it better. So, here I’m giving you my new developed system. Please try it out, and let me know how it works for you.
I’ll start with what I call the Dream Jotter, or just Jotter. Now, I’m not particularly a regular to this site, so I apolagise if anybody else has already had a similar idea. Now, I’ve always found that the Dream Journal requires way too much detail. Mainly to enable you to study it, so that you can spot your own personal dream signs. Well, by using my method of VILD, you don’t need to spot dream signs. So, really, a journal isn’t needed. The other function the journal helps you with, is dream recall. Now, this is of course is the most important rule of LD. This is the only reason for the Jotter. For dream recall.
Now, its the same principle. But there are rules on how to use the Jotter. First of all, keep it by your bed with a pen. The first rule, keep it BASIC and only use key words. Do not write descriptive sentences. You dont need to write your dream as if it were a novel.
The second rule, use Abbreviations (Abbs)
With these two rules, you will make jotting your dreams down much faster. Preventing you from waking up too much after waking from every dream. In the morning, just take 5 minutes reading through your Jotter for that night and you will see that the dreams come flooding back. Use a clean page for each dream and don’t worry about writing them up in best. It’s just not needed.
Ok, a note on Abbs. What do I mean? It means using abbreviations to represent words that would take too long to write down. So that its faster and prevents you from waking up too much. It would be good for you to learn them or at least the basics, and maybe you can come up with your own. Don’t worry too much about using abbs all the time, dont try and rewrite the whole dictionary in abbs form. I just want you to get the idea.
dif - Different
bt - Between
pl - People
l - Lots / Loads / Many
t - The
thr - There / Their
-
- And
o - Of / Off / Zero
2 - To / Too / Two
4 - For / Four
- And
To denote colours, use the beginning letter, plus a dot.
r. - Red
b. - Black
yg. - Yellow and Green
Sometimes emotions can play a big part in dreams. So to jot these, use the beginning letter, as with the colours, but add a afterwards.
h- - Happy
s- Sad
You can also use more complex abbs
l ungrd - London Underground.
You also need to keep in mind of the three areas. They will help you to reform the dream in your mind when rereading your jottings in the morning.
Location - Characters - Events
I think the three areas are fairly obvious and self explanatory. Just don’t go into too much detail (remember rule 1) Only note that, which stands out and which you feel is important.
Summary:
Basic key words, no sentences.
Abbs
Location, characters, events
It may take a little practice using this method, but it was extreamley beneficial to me. I didn’t have to spend time writing all my dreams up every morning. And most of the time, when I was writing my dreams down in the middle of the night, i couldn’t get back to sleep. I was getting very, very tired. So I developed these rules and abbs to jot down my dreams. Trust me, you don’t need the journal. Make your jots, and in the morning, when you read through them, you will remember your dream and in only a short time, your dream recall will improve.
I can jot down a dream which last roughly 15 - 20 mins in about 20 words. Just try to keep sentences to a minimum and use key words, and stick to the three area. Location - characters - events.
Ok, now the exciting bit. VILD.
Vibrating Induced Lucid Dreaming
The concept is easy really. I actually bought a nova dreamer years ago, which is a goggle based item. The problem is, I found that there were just too many variables to train my mind to look out for, because its visual. Where as the sense of touch really, only has one variable. Touch. Quite simple really. You will need to buy a watch that has a vibrating alarm. Now, there is a specific one you need. Its called a vibraLITE 3. It has to be that one, for a reason. Its designed for deaf people, hence a vibrating alarm.
You need to set the watch so that the vibrating alarm goes off every 42 minutes. I have found that with this timing, you have a better chance of it going off during your REM cycles. Now, the clever thing about this particular watch, is that after the alarm goes off, it resets itself, and then goes off again 42 minutes later, and then another 42 minutes later after that. Actually, it will do that forever until you tell it to stop.
Now, this needs to be worn all through out the day. Every time it goes off, do a reality check. I do the close your mouth and try to breath through it, one. Do this every time the vibrating alarm goes off. When you do a check, make sure that you really ask yourself, ‘Is this a dream’.
The idea, is of course, that it becomes such a habit, that in your dream, when you feel the vibration of the watch go off, you do a reality check and realise you’re dreaming.
Hoorah! Thats basically it. VILD. Try it out, and let me know your results. As I say, I’m still experimenting with this technique too. Please let me know, if anyone tries out the jotter as well, as I say, i found it better than the journal approach.
I am working on a way to improve dream recall and vividness. It’s with the use of magnetic therapy. I’m not 100 % sure if it will work but so far my research suggests that it will. I have yet to build the devices, but I need to find some plastic sewing needles to make them. Metal ones are no good, as I’m working with magnets and they’re too strong to use conventional needles. Once I’ve done it, and if it works. I will post the info here and tell you all how to make them.
Happy dreaming folks.
