Hey guys! I’m starting to teach classes on LD at my local prison. My first class will be coming up this Monday, so I wanted to make a post here and keep everyone informed on how things go!
So I’ll make a longer post tomorrow about this topic but wanted to ask a quick question. Does anyone know of quick and easy print outs that give a one to two page breakdown on LD? I just found out I can give them handouts and wanted to give them something that can explain the whole process after I’ve talked through it.
Also on that same nerve, is there a good book recommendation that does this? Other than “Exploring the world of LD?”
So my current plan is to go through the basics of how to remember more ND but also include information on how to LD. Since I will only be seeing each group once a month to talk about this topic I’d like to try and give them something to work on during month long visits. With the eventual goal of creating a LD group where we all just talk about where we are in the process of learning how to LD and how well each of them/us are doing in this journey.
Here is the outline of what I’ll be talking about and feel free to make suggestions on what I should add or could improve on! I’ve never done taught anyone how to LD before, let alone a group of people. If anyone has taught a group of people how to LD I would appreciate your feedback! I’ll keep this topic open to inform you all how this goes! I can take in papers for me and I can bring them handouts. I won’t have access to a projector so a lot of what I’ll talk about will be off the cuff with how they are responding to the class.
Lucid Dreaming: Lucid dreaming is the state of being aware that you are dreaming while you are still within the dream itself. Achieving lucid dreams involves training your mind to recognize when you’re dreaming so you can take control and direct the dream’s content.
Dream Recall
Dream Journal: Write down your dreams as soon as you wake up. Think of every detail.
What did you do?
What senses did you have? Sight, touch, smell, taste, sound
What was your emotional state?
Did you have a short, medium, or long dream?
How vivid was the dream?
Dream Signs
Inner awareness - “Am i supposed to feel/think like this?”
Action - “Would it be possible to do this in RL? Am I supposed to do this?”
Form - "Do I have extra fingers? Is this place like it is in RL? "
Context - “Have I been in this place before and is it the same? "
Reality Checks
Throughout the day, perform reality checks to test whether you are in a dream or reality. Getting into the habit of using reality checks regularly, will carry over into your dreams, increasing the chances of realizing you’re dreaming.
Nose - plug your nose and try to breath through it
Finger Through Palm - If your finger goes through then you’re dreaming!
Hand Check - Look at your hand, do you have more or less fingers?
Changing Text/Time
Do them every time you wake up, thinking about dreaming, feel something is strange or out of place, and whenever do see a dreamsign.
Set Intentions
Before you go to sleep, set a clear intention to become aware within your dreams. Tell yourself that you will recognize when you’re dreaming and that you’ll stay calm once you do.
Dream Stabilize
When you realize you’re dreaming, stay calm to prevent waking up. Engage your senses by touching objects, looking closely at your surroundings, or even trying to fly or manipulate the dream environment. Remember, you’re in control of your dream world.
Meditation
Meditating is one of the main roads to getting aware in a dream. Choose a preferred method and position. There are so many guides and topics on the matter, just choose one that appeals to you; and practice it daily.
Learn to silence your mind, by starting to listen instead. Open yourself to your surroundings, to your feelings, to your body sensations, to your thoughts (the important part is acknowledging them), and relax. Learn to be aware and conscious, as it will be much easier to carry this state in your dreams. To briefly put it, you are in control of your dreams as much as you are in control of your thoughts, and meditation teaches you to do that.
Main Techniques to get your first Lucid Dream!
MILD: Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams
WILD: Wake-Initiated Lucid Dream
RCILD: Reality-Check-Initiated Lucid Dream
WBTB: Wake-Back-To-Bed
CALD: Character Assisted Lucid Dreaming
Levels of Lucidity
Level 1: (Short Lucidity) Realizing that you’re in a dream, but immediately feel the dream fading away. You either wake up or go into a Normal Dream.
Level 2: (Partially Lucid) Realizing that you’re dreaming, but can not control any aspect of the dream
Level 3: (Lucid) You know that you’re dreaming. You can control yourself and some aspects of the dream. You do not have all of your senses.
Level 4: (Completely lucid) You’re completely aware that you’re dreaming. You have full control over everything. It is just as vivid as real life. You have all 5 senses.
Level 5: (Beyond Lucid) Astral Projection
Example of a Dream Journal
LD - Short -RC
Awareness: 6/10, Vividity: 8/10, Lucid Level: 3
I was fighting in a jet. My aircraft got hit so I jumped out of it as it exploded. As I’m falling to the earth I look at the fireball that almost took my life and pull the cord to activate my parachute. Wait… I don’t have a parachute! The earth is getting closer and closer. I realize these are my last moments of life and start to reflect on all the things I’ve done so far but something doesn’t seem right to me. There’s no air resistance! I do the nose RC and yep I’m dreaming! As I’m about to hit the earth I draw a portal in front of me, not thinking about where I want to go. I fall through the portal and there, in the distance, is mars! The beautiful red planet! As I’m looking at this planet that’s full of detail, I hear loud music playing and realize it’s my alarm clock. But the music fits quite well so I stayed as long as I could in my dream. The music was RuneScape’s old theme music.
Summery
Dream Recall
Reality Checks
Intentions
Dream Stabilize
Meditation
Lucid Techniques
Levels of Lucidity
Read: Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaDerge, Ph.D. & Howard Rheingold
Not a bad introduction to LDs! You cover what I would consider to be the basics.
If I were to adjust anything, based on my experience and philosophy, I find the best RC to be consider the question “how did I get here?”
In a dream I can’t remember back very far or come up with a good explanation to answer that question.
I would also probably sort discussion of induction techniques into DILDs vs WILDs (which are the two main categories most induction methods fall under, with WBTB kinda being something you can nicely add to either kind of LD), but that’s just how I think about it.
This also may be a bit of a unpopular take and I genuinely mean no offense, but I often find the concept of “lucid levels” to be a bit…silly? And…unhelpful?
It kinda feels like assigning delineations based on dream control instead of what may actually be more accurately represented as a gradient of awareness. Dream control and awareness are often correlated, but not always. I’ve found this to be somewhat of an unhelpful metric, as lucidity is really about awareness and not control.
If I were teaching the subject, I would probably have a section on why my audience might want to try LDing. If you’re teaching to inmates I can imagine there might be a few specific implications to highlight (maybe exploring what you haven’t been able to do while in prison, or exploring what you may do after being released, etc.)
Of course all this is just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt; I would encourage you to teach in whatever way best shows your passion for the subject, because that can leave a lasting impression and impact.
And now if I can humor you with a question, can I ask what led you to teaching LDing in a prison? Is that just something you can sign up for as a community service type thing? Or is it part of your job?
Best of luck! Hope you and the inmates enjoy the corse
So. The real way to go about this would be to send your pamphelts individually to each participating member.
You find out who participates by trying a few dozen or if youre enabled by AI maybe hundreds reliably and so on.
haha yeah well its a bad place to start let me tell you. But that is the only reliable and ultimately fully legal method to “just do it now without any implications or special treatment goverment ticket”
Those are generally unreadable and aquiring them requires you to register with human magistrate.
Thanks for your feedback Splash! You are right in the RC department. They examples I list are the ones that work for me, but I need to make sure to talk about as many examples as I can for a way ranging group of people. I’m definitely no expert in LDing and need to be open to other ways to do RC’s that might work as well. The nose pinch is the only one that I have found as I struggle with any logic and questions before I’m lucid. Doesn’t mean I should give up on those or not talk about them to others.
No offense taken on the lucid levels! Lucid levels are silly, I still like them as a marker on how well I’ve brought realism into the dream. How aware am I, how much control do I have, and do I have all my senses? But you’re right, just asking those questions is a much better way to track than assigning a arbitrary leveling system to it all. I probably won’t bring up Lucid Levels then! Just asking those three questions gets the job done. I did grow up playing video games with leveling systems so that’s probably why I still like the idea tho. Honestly I don’t even remember where I read the 5 levels anyway. Maybe at the Lucid Cross Roads? Still never been to the Cross Roads BTW!
Yeah addressing the WHY is a big part in everyone’s journey into LDing. I didn’t write it down but my plan was to talk about that at the beginning with explaining LDing.
And the why am I doing this part?! I’ve wanted to volunteer at a prison for like 10 years, but have never reached out to see what I can help with. Do to nervousness at what volunteering would even look like. I’m doing this because I don’t agree with how the US handles its prisons. We imprison our population at a alarming rate with extremely long prison sentences. Especially if you’re not white. Plus when you get out, most people get looked down on by society. So yeah I’m signing up as a community volunteer. They asked me what I could do (by myself) that might help inmates and the only thing I could think of was LDing! In my mind it’s freeing, a journey of self acceptance, a chance to explore new realities. Plus it’s not hard to learn the basics and start practicing.
Well the pamphlet thing is a good idea, but I’ll be there in-person. Talking to them face to face. I was thinking about providing a one page printout with the basics. And maybe next month I might donate a small journal for them to record their dreams. I haven’t been inside the prison yet and don’t know what they have access to, or what their living conditions are.
I found myself trying to get people into LDing by starting with an explanation like this (usually after the conversation in the group steered towards dreams). But it’s not super helpful if you want to motivate them to give it a try. Maybe starting with an anecdote of your own experience could break the ice better? There are also a couple of TED and TEDx talks on lucid dreaming. Have a look at them and see how they get rolling.
Splash also outlined this already:
Or as Simon Sinek would say: „Start with why“ (and not how or what).
I also remember something Splash once said that stuck with me: „Learning about lucid dreams is like finding out that Magic is real.“ I think you want this level of excitement.
I really like this list. I think that’s exactly what they should pay attention to.
This might be a good place to also instruct them to set an intention for what they want to do in their dream. Or if you want some interaction with them during the talk then this is maybe the first time that they could participate by answering that question (if their ambition isn’t too private).
Scratch this topic or at least rewrite it. Lucid dreaming (and actually dreaming in general) is all about believe. You don’t want to instill in them the believe that what they are going to do could go wrong or only be of sub optimal performance. Have a look at this topic for more text on what I mean. I think the suggestion to touch things and take in all the senses is a good one and can stay. Also what I found useful and reassuring is to remember my waking body lying in my bed or my waking life in general.
When reading the this list I had exactly the same idea as Splash. Give them DILD and WILD as the general categories and give examples for each category. And WBTB is a booster technique to go with either. Maybe you want to describe one technique in more detail and give it as a recommendation for starters. I’d choose MILD.
Again same wave as Splash. Just scratch it. If you come back in a month and some inmates actually had success and give reports of their dreams, then going a bit into the spectrum of awareness is a possible follow up topic.
I also really like this one. I think the grading is very optional, but giving examples is definitely not.
Overall your introduction was well research and touched all key points without being too bogged up in the details! If I ever get into the situation that I want to teach to a group, I may steal get inspired by you work.
We share the sentiment I’m glad you’re finding a way to get involved and I hope it goes well!
You know what they say @Marvin : great minds think alike…but fools rarely differ
We shared this thought too:
Good work @LucidWilliam ! I hope that you will report back with how things are going and how the class goes so that Marvin and I can adjust our curriculum
Sadly they do not have such marvelous technology in a prison. As it turned out they really didn’t even have the projector. So I handed out paper instead.
Update:
My prison visit went good! I was only able to get into one of the three Blocks. Each block is its own prison compound specializing in a thing. The Main, East, and South blocks. The Main is a reception area for Florida, where inmates are held until they are placed in another prison where they will serve their time. East and South blocks have longer term inmates.
I got to go to the South block, and had about 5 people show up. One of them has been LDing for years but never new there were techniques to increase the amount and how vivid they could be. I’ll go back again this month and see if any of them have started a DJ like we talked about. I enjoyed the experience even tho I was a little scare/off-put at first.
You are mistaken. Prisons do have aggreements in terms of ROOM. ITs not much but I tell you something. a 100mb Model AI would be enough. And any old … … … text in dreams is weird <3. Check these paws. See bottle of fluid! Great drink time. As we sit here in total freedom,
hihi
dont fret. youre not alone it seems, there is 100 mb more
and
the whatever literally 1$smartphone.Jahrmarkts/Flohmarkt … Linux is all you need, android 4.4.4 would offer that. If anyone is EVER interessed in converting any of it backwards but the ai itself. If you dont wanna hear about that you might inspect a grounded approach.
Its a cruel and unnessecary place , creating more suffering , after all is said. But if really the freedoms price is the aquirement of a box of phones
Some of you might throw them around, thinking 5$ ai linux system, what could go wrong, doesnt even need gms tbf, wifi ok
I can take in papers for me and I can bring them handouts. I won’t have access to a projector so a lot of what I’ll talk about will be off the cuff with how they are responding to the class.
I’m glad you’re finding a way to get involved and I hope it goes well!