Second LD and some more questions

[Dennis]

Hey all,

I’m happy to say I had my second LD last night, when I tried the SunEye Method. Now, the thing is, I really don’t think it was because of the method that I had a LD. It did have to do with some of the steps included in the SunEye Method though…

I think this Method helped me discover that MILD+WBTB is probably the most effective method for me. I tried WILD for a month now, and there haven’t been any big improvements, except for tonight (I saw the HI again, at last). When I think of the two LDs I had, I think the most important things to realize is that I became aware I was dreaming during the dream, because of MILD. Also, I had those LDs when going to bed after approximately 6 hours of sleep. So, I’m really going to practice MILD in combination with WBTB.

Last night, I put my digital watch under my pillow to wake me up after 6 hours of sleep. It worked, and when I went back to bed, I had a normal dream. At one point I was standing in a toilet, I was shaving. And suddenly, I said: “I could be dreaming now…let’s do some RCs!” And I did. However, only one worked: When I looked at my watch I noticed it didn’t show anything that looked like numbers. When I tried the light switch, it worked. When I tried to fly, it didn’t work. When I tried to put my hand through the mirror, it didn’t work. This could be a matter of really believing it is possible of course, but the problem was I wasn’t sure whether it was a dream. Anyway, I decided to go outside to check some other things out, and now there were some things that told me I was definately dreaming: 1. Suddenly I was wearing my analogue watch instead of my digital I was wearing in the bathroom, 2. I was walking around the street in my underwear, and I said to myself: “Ha! It could be I’m crazy, but I’m not someone who would walk around the street in his underwear as if it were normal.” And I continued my dream.

Anyway, the best thing about this second LD is not the LD itself; it really brought my motivation to a higher level, cause I’d never expected to have a LD so soon after the first. I must confess I didn’t really pay much attention to my Dream Journal and my RCs when awake, but I’m going to work on it.

Some questions:

• If you remember 1/2 dreams a night is it a good thing to keep writing down your dreams anyway? Or do you just have to take some brief notes about your dreams you know, dreamsigns and such? And what are the advantages when you do this?
• Is there a particular position that encourages Lucid Dreaming? You know, like lying on your back, on your side, etc. If yes, why? Or should you just choose a position which is best for you?
• I find it difficult to go back to bed after staying awake for a long time, yet WBTB+MILD seems like the perfect technique for me. How long should I stay awake with WBTB? Or should I just set my alarm clock, stay awake in my bed for a couple of minutes and go back to sleep again?
• It takes a long time to fall asleep for me. And I just love coffee! Is it a good idea to drink coffee before going to bed or is it going to last even longer before I’ll go to sleep?

Excuse me for my long post, I’ll make sure to post my dreams in the Dream Journal section of the forum next time

Cheers!

Dennis

[Xetrov]

@Dennis

If you remember 1/2 dreams a night is it a good thing to keep writing down your dreams anyway? Or do you just have to take some brief notes about your dreams you know, dreamsigns and such? And what are the advantages when you do this?

Keeping a DJ is always a good thing. It keeps your DR and your motivation high. Besides this you can use it to find DS’s, and another cool thing is just browsing through your old dreams at a later time.

Is there a particular position that encourages Lucid Dreaming? You know, like lying on your back, on your side, etc. If yes, why? Or should you just choose a position which is best for you?

You should discover what fits best for you for the given technique. Some WILD on their back, some don’t.

I find it difficult to go back to bed after staying awake for a long time, yet WBTB+MILD seems like the perfect technique for me. How long should I stay awake with WBTB? Or should I just set my alarm clock, stay awake in my bed for a couple of minutes and go back to sleep again?

What you described last is what I do. Here also counts, you have to try what works best for you! Try 10 minutes, if that doesn’t work 5, etc. The trick is to be awake enough to focus a bit on your MILD / intention.

It takes a long time to fall asleep for me. And I just love coffee! Is it a good idea to drink coffee before going to bed or is it going to last even longer before I’ll go to sleep?

Again this would depend on the situation. I would not recommend coffee during WBTB . Perhaps you are used to it and it doesn’t influence you that much. You really have to experiment yourself for the answers!

Good luck .

[Dennis]

Ok, I’ll check those things out

Thanks very much!

Dennis

[stranger]

@Dennis

• If you remember 1/2 dreams a night is it a good thing to keep writing down your dreams anyway? Or do you just have to take some brief notes about your dreams you know, dreamsigns and such? And what are the advantages when you do this?

Yes its always good to write down your dreams. Brief notes is ok. If dream signs and dreams in general (not particularly lucid ones) interest you, you may like to take up dream interpretation. You can start to learn what dream signs mean, what dreams mean in general, why they occur, what they represent.

@Dennis

• Is there a particular position that encourages Lucid Dreaming? You know, like lying on your back, on your side, etc. If yes, why? Or should you just choose a position which is best for you?

I think its what is best for you however lying on your back usually is the most common and advised, but its not so important IMHO, whatever you are comfortable with.

@Dennis

• I find it difficult to go back to bed after staying awake for a long time, yet WBTB+MILD seems like the perfect technique for me. How long should I stay awake with WBTB? Or should I just set my alarm clock, stay awake in my bed for a couple of minutes and go back to sleep again?

The longer you stay awake the better, as long as its not too long, and as long as you can fall back asleep. Try getting up 5 hours after sleep instead of 6, and staying awake for up to an hour or so. Get up, have a small snack, drink some water, do something physically active (not too much) like brush your teeth. Keep in mind your intention to become “awake”, while you are physically awake for this hour or so.
Then when you go back to bed… Tell yourself your intention, “I will realise im dreaming…im awake”, etc.
Its not wrong to just wake up for a short little while, but it just increases your chances of becoming awake, if you were awake physically, for longer. This is because your body is more used to being awake, and thus it becomes awake easier in your dreams.
A report done on the WBTB method proved that staying awake for longer increases the chance of becoming lucid. Staying awake for up to 2 hours or so is even better, however its just more difficult, usually, to go to sleep this way. Thats why I recommend 45 - 60 minutes usually.

@Dennis

• It takes a long time to fall asleep for me. And I just love coffee! Is it a good idea to drink coffee before going to bed or is it going to last even longer before I’ll go to sleep?

Better if you don’t drink coffee before going to bed. Try drinking chocolate milk or something. Or just milk.

Ciao:)
-stranger

[Dennis]

Thanks stranger! I’ll just combine your and Xetrov’s advices and see what’s best for me

I think I’m going to start all over again, just to do it right. I might have had 2 LDs but I think I rushed it a bit. So, I’m going to start a new Dream Journal and I’ll catch up on my RCs. Then, I’ll focus on MILD+WBTB, which I think would be best for me. I’ll let you guys know when I make some progress.