Wednesday 30 December 2015

Dream 541

'The Perfect Lipliner Pencil'
Dream date:  29 December 2015 (Day 29 of Lucid December)

This is Day 29 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below. 

Scene 1: An Office Building - Morning

I was entering an office building - where I apparently worked. I went into the main foyer, which was all white, with some small tables and chairs - cafe style, on a white tiled floor. As I was about to climb the long winding staircase (which looked very 'corporate') up to the part of the office where I worked, I saw a male - someone I went to school with, who was either JJ or BH (white with blonde hair, not sure which or perhaps a composite of both?) seated at one of the tables at the bottom of the stairs. He said: 'I need to tell you about my dreams'. I said I would speak to him later, and planned to ask my work if I could take some time off that afternoon to 'interview' JJBH about his dreams. I then discovered that a brand new lipliner pencil was laying on the floor at the foot of the stairs. I picked it up - it was the perfect nude pink colour, which perfectly matched one of my favourite (real-life) lipsticks (which happens to be called 'Tallulah'!) I was very pleased with my find.

I then went into the actual part of the office where I worked - it seemed to be a Law Firm and the supervisor was a woman who used to be the head legal secretary in the first Law Firm I worked in after leaving university (I cannot recall her name - she was a mature woman with grey hair). I sat at a desk - the desks were arranged in an L-shape. I asked the supervisor if I could take some time off work that day to interview JJBH about his dreams. The supervisor said that I could. I assumed she meant an hour, but she clarified that I could take the whole afternoon off work as the rest of the company were going for a celebration party - which I had not been invited to. I wondered why I did not know about the celebration, and was annoyed that I was being left out, but happy that I was able to take time off work. 

I then sat facing another employee of the firm (a brown-haired white female, who may have been SW - a former colleague I used to work with in that real-life Law Firm). I was telling her about someone online who had made a fake Facebook profile in my name, using my photographs and personal information. I was frustrated and wanted to make an official complaint about it, but no-one would listen. I was looking at my lipliner pencil during this conversation, during which my colleague was saying she was unable to offer a solution to my problem.

TIME: 22:30 - 06:30 hours (I woke up from this dream)
LUCIDITY: NONE
SPECIAL NOTES: 
  • Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
  • Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 4 (very poor)
  • Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B performed
  • Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
  • No Vitamin B6 taken

Dream Information:

  • None of note

Dreamsigns:
  • None of note

Recurrent Dream Themes
  • Working in a Law Firm

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

  • The day of this dream I had to block an online Facebook friend because he was becoming abusive after I rejected his sexual advances. He then created a second profile - in a similar name to his own and tried to re-add me as a friend. I declined and received a message from him which was highly abusive (calling me a whore, referring to my body etc) which I screenshotted and posted on my own Facebook wall for my friends to see what he had said and how desperate he was. Later, at my house, DL told me he had received a random friend request from 'me' - but instead of having hundreds of mutual friends, it only had 10, all male and just one photo of me - my current profile picture. He checked and noted that my own Facebook - with the same profile picture I have been using for ages was active as normal. This meant the new one had been created by someone who had stolen my identity. I reported the 'new' Facebook profile which got removed almost immediately, and messaged the male friends it had added, telling them that it was not me and the profile I was messaging them from was the genuine one - which was obvious as it had all of my online content etc. My friends then said they thought it had been odd, but accepted the friend requests assuming it had been me - maybe I had a new Facebook because there was an issue with my old one etc. They were concerned and tried to delete the new one, but then realised it was removed. The weirdest thing was that in order to get my full friend's list, this man must have memorised or copied all of my male friends before I blocked him - which means he was planning to do this (I have over 1,100 friends, most of which are male). There was possibly only 15 minutes between him making the random unsolicited sexual advances, getting rejected and blocked for him to do this. After I blocked him, when he sent the new friend request under a similar name to his own - the one he used to send the abusive message - he would not see my friend's list, as my profile is set to private. This makes his act even more weird and creepy! I believe stole my identity to create a new profile under my name to communicate in some sexual way with my male friends as he was obsessed with me as a sexual object and it is the only motivation which could explain him going to so much effort

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
There were no specific waking thoughts or emotions linked to this dream.

Tuesday 29 December 2015

Dream 540

'I Think it's a Dream Within a Dream'
Dream date:  28 December 2015 (Day 28 of Lucid December)

This is Day 28 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below. 

Scene 1: An Interior - Time Unknown

I was in a room - I do not know where, but I was standing in front of a long table. Stood on the other side of the table were 3 young white male dream characters. My mum was also present, and it seemed that she was 'supervising' the males - or checking on them in some way. The males all had tall plastic containers of fruit smoothies, which they had made. The male who was standing closest to me then said that he had forgotten a vital ingredient for his smoothie - a mobile phone sim card. He drank the smoothie down quickly. My mum then said she had to go and collect 'a little girl' and left the room via a door to the left of the long table. I was to await her return. 

Scene 2: A Large Tent at a Festival - Day
I was sitting just outside a large tent (the kind that you can use for mobile stores/shops - so are more like small marquees) on a plastic chair. It was a sunny day and I was aware that we were at a festival ground, although I am not sure what kind. Sitting on chairs nearby were a number of people known to me, including my mum, DL, CMC and RZW. My mum started laughing at something and she had the weirdest laugh I have ever heard, which was making the others (all males) laugh. I wondered if my mum was putting on the laugh for the benefit of my friends. I stood up and wandered away.

Scene 3: A Downstairs Room in 'Treelands', Sheringham - Day
I had walked into a large nicely decorated (in beige and white) room - a kind of reception room or lounge, which I recognised to be a dream scene location called 'Treelands' (see Dream Information section below). I was excited to find myself in 'Treelands', and went over to a chest of drawers, hoping to be able to look through them (I am not sure why). I have to add that although I realised this was 'Treelands' and 'Treelands' only exists in my dreams, I was not aware I was dreaming - lucidity was not triggered. I accepted that this was 'reality'. I could hear DL in the background talking about WL and ice cream. I shouted back (to where he was still sitting at the tent - although I could not see this area from the room I was in): 'Why don't you just fuck her then?' to which DL said: 'I can't her father is the CEO of the company'. 

Scene 4: A Kitchen - Time Unknown
I was then in a kitchen with my mum, SF and RW. We were all baking. I was making 3 cakes - pineapple flavour, 1 big and 2 small. I put my cakes in the oven. I felt disconnected from SF and RW, who were working together, whereas I was working alone. I tried to make some decorations for my cakes (I think we were entering some kind of baking competition) - from a red rag which was on the table and some white paper, on which I was trying to sketch some shapes to cut out with scissors, but failing. I was frustrated. SF and RW were taking their (perfect) cakes out of the oven and I was jealous that they would be better than mine. My mum was praising them. 

Scene 5: The Crown Public House, Sheringham - Afternoon
I was standing just inside the entrance of the pub with my aunt, VF. I was asking her if she wanted to come back later for a drink when it got more busy and fun. VF was unsure and said that maybe we should come out at either 11:00 pm or midnight (this would be impossible as the pub closes before midnight). I told her that we should go out earlier than that. A male (I cannot recall who) joined us and started trying to convince VF that she should come out for a drink later. There was something to do with eating meat (?)

Scene 6: A Kitchen - Time Unknown
I then returned to the kitchen, worried that my cakes had been in the oven too long and would be burnt. I got them out of the oven and they were fine, but I wished I could decorate them. I saw SF and RW having fun together and felt alienated again and wondered why I had bothered making the cakes.

Scene 7: A School Gym/Hall - Time Unknown
I was then in a school/university gym/hall. There were a number of people in this room, although I do not know why we were there. Sitting on a bench against one wall of the hall were a young male and female - I recognised them as being characters from Coronation Street (I am not sure that either of them were actual characters. although the female may have been 'Rosie Webster' as formerly played by Helen Flanagan). The male was the 'boyfriend'. Both characters were crying and covered in sweat and dirt. I was aware that they had committed some kind of grave crime and were worried about the consequences. I just stood staring at them, not communicating or interacting with them. Although the actual gym/hall was well-lit, the surrounding area around these two characters was very dark. It reminded me of a prison cell and I wondered if an imminent disaster was about to happen as the characters were so terrified - clinging to each other and crying. 

There were a group of astronauts also in the room, sitting elsewhere, in a line, and talking about something (I am not sure what). This scene seemed to last for a long time - although I think I have forgotten some details about it which I had originally been aware of during the dream. I thought to myself: 'This is their dream within a dream' and then wondered if I was part of their dream, within my dream (again, I did not become lucid, although this is what I would describe as pre or semi-lucidity as I am questioning whether there is a dream taking place although I am not fully conscious of the fact). I then started worrying if I could remember all the details of the 'dream within a dream' in order to record it (in this Dream Journal!), so I started trying to remember what was happening around me for the purposes of committing it to memory and recording it when I woke up (again, I would not say I was lucid at this stage). 

Scene 8: A 'Law Firm'- Time Unknown
I was then working in a Law Firm - with a former colleague who left my previous employment under bad circumstances - a female, 'SPW'. SPW was working at a very messy and cluttered desk, whereas my part of the desk was clean and tidy. We were working on a case. I saw a 'video' (well I saw a cut-away scene/re-enactment of a nightclub) of the case we were working on. In this scene, a crowd of people were in a nightclub. In the middle of the crowd was a large blonde woman, being hugged by a 'chav' looking man (her partner) from behind - they were staring directly at me (or the 'viewer'/camera lens etc).A bracelet had been stolen while these people were queuing outside the club - so the legal case was one of theft. SPW said: 'I've confused the whores with retards'. I did not know what she meant - I could not see anyone who looked like a 'whore' or a 'retard' - not that I would ever refer to someone with mental disability as a 'retard' as it is hateful, ignorant and discriminatory. 

SPW then left her seat and asked me to cover her work. I wondered who made her my boss and why she was able to give me orders. I did not want to work at her desk as it was very messy, so I refused to sit there. I found that I had my notebook (my actual notebook in which I record my dreams upon waking) with me and was pleased that I had something of my own to write in. I then discovered that my 'desk' in this office was actually my bed (with the same purple and white duvet as in real-life currently) and I was pleased to find I could work in this casual way. SPW then came back into the office (she had walked out when handing the work over to me). She said: 'I know how you feel about my dog'. I wondered what this meant, as I love dogs and she seemed to be indicating that I disliked hers. She asked me to feed her dog. I went into the kitchen - which was my nan's kitchen in Sheringham. SPW had been doing the washing-up (this is why she had left me to do the legal work), and she had placed a joint of beef (raw) in a sink of water (to defrost?). There was another joint of beef on the top of the washing machine (which is next to the sink in real-life). I thought that this beef was to be fed to the dog. I started scoring and stabbing it with a sharp knife, leaving marks in the fat. I went through to the 'back room' (the second lounge) where I knew SPW was - to ask her how to serve the beef to the dog. The room was very dark. SPW said: ' I'm going to cook that in your house, but the dogs have to eat yoghurts and biscuits. My partner will feed them some meat later'. She then handed me a massive bag of dog biscuits. I noticed that where the sideboard is in real-life, there was an artist's easel and SPW was about to start painting. I thought it was wrong of her to pass all the legal work onto me so that she could do washing up and artwork instead. I went back to the kitchen. I was worried that my scoring/stabbing the meat had ruined it. I used my hands to smooth the fat of the beef and was pleased to see that the fat melded together and hid the marks I had left in it with the knife. It felt really nice to touch.

TIME: 02:30 - 09:30 hours (I woke up from this dream)
LUCIDITY: Pre-Lucid or Semi-Lucid - recognising a dream was taking place and that I needed to recall it
SPECIAL NOTES: 
  • Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
  • Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 4 (very poor)
  • Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B performed
  • Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
  • 100g of Vitamin B6 taken just before sleep

Dream Information:


Dreamsigns:
  • See all yellow text - there were many dreamsigns in this dream!

Recurrent Dream Themes
  • Space travel
  • My nan's home in Sheringham as a dream scene location

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

  • Just before bed I read an email from the leader of a course I have been taking at university - the teaching in higher education course. I was also watching modern/contemporary art documentaries. In the teaching class, there is a male who is a postgraduate student and teacher of History of Art (I have also done a degree in History of Art) - he always brings 2 large plastic containers of smoothies to class 
  • Before I went to sleep I had been playing Sims 3 
  • DL had been talking about WL recently
  • SF and RW are school friends of mine who I have lost contact with (they are not on social media) - but I had been thinking about them recently and wondering what they are currently doing
  • The day before this dream RBA and I were chatting on Facebook person message and we were trading joke insults - RBA mentioned making me kneel on a rag to worship him as a god
  • The day of this dream I saw references to both Coronation Street and Inception (2010) online
  • The day of this dream - in one of the art documentaries I watched, there was a scene in a prison (HMP Pentonville) where an artist (I cannot recall who) had made a video installation of time passing in an empty prison cell
  • I watched a space documentary and some scenes from Interstellar (2014) before I went to sleep
  • I had stabbed some meat with a knife (a duck for roasting) a few days before this dream
  • The day of this dream I saw people discussing how to get a dog to eat dry food on a dog page I follow on Facebook

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:

I woke up confused from this dream as it was so weird and complicated and it took me ages to get the memories straight in my mind. It was odd that within the dream itself, I seemed aware that there was a dream involved, but did not become fully lucid!

* I may have possibly forgotten some aspects of this dream (although I am not sure) - if I recall them later I will record them below.


Monday 28 December 2015

Dream 539

'A Photograph of my Grandfather'
Dream date:  27 December 2015 (Day 27 of Lucid December)

This is Day 27 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below. 

Scene 1: An Interior - Time Unknown

I was showing someone a photograph of my grandfather when he younger - the photograph didn't really look much like I remember him to look (I lost the majority of contact with him following his acrimonious divorce from my nan - she used to take me to visit him in his bedsit at weekends for a period of time during my childhood, but due to his behaviour and mental health issues, it was hard to maintain contact with him and now he is dead). In the photograph he had piercing blue eyes (which he had in reality, despite having olive skin and black hair). There was another male in the photograph - a young boy. In the dream I was sure that this unknown boy must be a male relative of my grandfather, but I was confused as to who this was. 

The photograph held my attention for a long period of time in this dream - it seemed significant in some way. 

I was then with a dream character - I think it was a male, but I am not sure who it was. This person was telling me that they had to go on a mission - I think it was a space mission, although I am not sure. There was a lot of discussion about when this dream character would leave for this mission. They left the room we were in - and then re-entered because it wasn't time to go yet. All my memories of this scene are hazy and unclear.


TIME: 19:00 - 22:00 hours (I woke up from this dream)
LUCIDITY: NONE
SPECIAL NOTES: 
  • Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
  • Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 2 (extremely poor)
  • Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B performed
  • Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
  • 100g of Vitamin B6 taken just before sleep

Dream Information:

  • None of note

Dreamsigns:
  • None of note

Recurrent Dream Themes
  • Space travel

Potential Day/Dream Residue:
  • I was discussing my grandfather a few days before this dream - the fact that although he had black hair, all of my nan's children inherited her light hair (she was a natural blonde)

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I woke up confused from this dream as my memories were quite confused.

* I have forgotten some aspects of this dream - if I recall them later I will record them below.

Sunday 27 December 2015

Dream 538

'Planets'
Dream date:  26 December 2015 (Day 26 of Lucid December)

This is Day 26 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below. This was the first proper sleep I had after 2 days of sleep deprivation, so my dreaming and dream recall have been significantly affected.

Scene 1: An Interior - Time Unknown

I was in a room, although I am not sure where this was. I was with a male dream character who was partially a robot (some parts of him were made of metal - so I guess he was an android or a cyborg or suchlike). He had white skin and dark brown hair - and was normal height and build, with no distinctive looks other than the metal which was on his cheeks and hands. He was telling me about planets - he had been on a mission to Venus and was describing it as if it was a nice holiday destination, although in my mind I was questioning this (because of the atmosphere and heat of the planet), and felt he was lying to me. He started to show me a big diagram, which was many outlines of black squares on a large white background. I cannot recall what he said to me, but I found the diagram interesting and significant in some way.

Scene 1: My Nan's House in Sheringham - Time Unknown
I was in the livingroom of my nan's house in Sheringham and various members of my family were present. We were going to go out somewhere - I cannot remember where or anything else about this scene.

TIME: 19:00 - 05:30 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place - no WB2B)
LUCIDITY: NONE
SPECIAL NOTES: 
  • Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
  • Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 3 (extremely poor)
  • Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B performed
  • Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
  • No Vitamin B6 taken

Dream Information:

  • None of note

Dreamsigns:
  • The robot (android/cyborg) dream character
  • Venus was a nice holiday destination

Recurrent Dream Themes
  • None of note

Potential Day/Dream Residue:
  • Just before I went to sleep I had been watching a documentary about the inner planets (Mercury and Venus)

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I did not have any particular waking thoughts or emotions about this dream, although I do think that I remembered more upon waking than I did when recording the dream. This was my first proper sleep after a long period (2 days - so more than 48 hours) of sleep deprivation which may have had an impact on my dreaming and ability to recall this dream.

* I think I may have forgotten some of this dream as it seemed that I remembered much more detail immediately upon waking If I recall anything else about this dream, I will record it below.

* Recalled Dream Scene (27 December 2015, 16:30 hours)
In Scene 2 (my nan's house in Sheringham), my phone had a smashed screen - it was all jagged and sharp where the glass was sticking up/out, but I could still use the touch screen function and thought that this was odd. I was really annoyed by the smashed phone screen and also worried as I did not want to pay for a new phone. My mum was telling me that we could get the screen fixed, but I was concerned about the cost as it would be expensive. I could not remember how it got smashed and was asking everyone if they saw it happen and what caused it.
Memory Trigger: I was using my phone while sitting on the doorstep of my house.

Day 25 of Lucid December

Dream date:  25 December 2015 (Day 25 of Lucid December)

This is Day 25 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

I did not have a dream on Day 25 of Lucid December as I did not get any sleep on this night (Christmas Day).

Lucid Dream Induction Techniques: 

Day 24 of Lucid December

Dream date:  24 December 2015 (Day 24 of Lucid December)

This is Day 24 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

I did not have a dream on Day 24 of Lucid December as I did not get any sleep on this night (Christmas Eve).

Lucid Dream Induction Techniques: 

Dream 537

'My Bad Calculator'
Dream date:  23 December 2015 (Day 23 of Lucid December)

This is Day 23 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: An Interior - Time Unknown

I was in an interior scene, although I am not sure where this was. I was sitting at a wooden desk, trying to do sums on a calculator, but the calculator would not work properly. I am not sure how I knew this (as my mathematical ability is very poor in real-life due to me having dyscalculia). It was really frustrating me. I could not even read the numbers on the screen and then I realised that the actual number pad was arranged in the wrong order

TIME: 00:30 - 0700 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place - no WB2B)
LUCIDITY: NONE
SPECIAL NOTES: 
  • Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
  • Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 4 (extremely poor)
  • Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B performed
  • Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
  • No Vitamin B6 taken

Dream Information:

  • None of note

Dreamsigns:
  • The layout of the calculator number pad

Recurrent Dream Themes
  • None of note

Potential Day/Dream Residue:
  • The day of this dream I had been discussing the problems my dyscalculia causes me

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I did not have any particular waking thoughts or emotions about this dream, although I do think that I remembered more upon waking than I did when recording the dream.

* I think I may have forgotten some of this dream as it seemed that I remembered much more detail immediately upon waking If I recall anything else about this dream, I will record it below.

Day 22 of Lucid December

Dream date:  22 December 2015 (Day 22 of Lucid December)

This is Day 22 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

I did not have a dream on Day 22 of Lucid December as I did not sleep on this night.

Lucid Dream Induction Techniques: 

Wednesday 23 December 2015

Dream 536

'Snake Man'
Dream date:  21 December 2015 (Day 21 of Lucid December)

This is Day 21 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: An Interior - Time Unknown

I was in an interior scene, although I am not sure where this was. I was with a male dream character who was half-man and half-snake. The snake parts of him were yellow and scaly, but he walked upright on 2 legs, like a normal human. I was supposed to do something with him - I think it was in relation to some business. However, I had double-booked my plans and now could now longer help him, which made him sad and me feel guilty about this. 

The other plans that I had (preventing me from helping SnakeMan) involved counting large numbers. In the dream I had dyscalculia (number dyslexia) (so like in real-life) and I could not do this task at all. I kept making mistakes and it was frustrating me. The numbers were written on white pieces of paper and they were all scattered over the desk I was sitting at. Someone (I cannot recall who) was trying to help me, but they were also confused and frustrated by the task.

TIME: 06:30 - 10:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place - no WB2B)
LUCIDITY: NONE
SPECIAL NOTES: 
  • Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
  • Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 4 (extremely poor)
  • Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B performed
  • Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
  • 100 mg of 'lucid dream supplement' Vitamin B6 (2 x 50 mg pills, taken at midday and just before sleep)

Dream Information:

  • None of note

Dreamsigns:
  • The half-man/half-snake dream character

Recurrent Dream Themes
  • None of note

Potential Day/Dream Residue:
  • Every day I have been playing Mortal Kombat on my smartphone - one of the characters I have the most trouble defeating is 'Reptile'
  • I have seen many conspiracy theorists discussing reptilian people on social media
  • I had discussed my dyscalculia the day before this dream took place

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I did not have any particular waking thoughts or emotions about this dream, although I do think that I remembered more upon waking than I did when recording the dream.

* I think I may have forgotten some of this dream as it seemed that I remembered much more detail immediately upon waking If I recall anything else about this dream, I will record it below.

Dream 535

'Genetic Defects'
Dream date:  20 December 2015 (Day 20 of Lucid December)

This is Day 20 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: An Interior - Time Unknown

I was in an interior scene. I am not sure where it was, but it seemed like a small empty office and was quite dark inside. There was 2 females with me - one may have been my mum, the other was an unknown dream character who was a business investor. I was there to demonstrate a business plan which I wanted investment in, to take it to market. My idea seemed to be to sell makeup with sandwiches. I had some makeup and some pre-made sandwiches in a plastic box. I was telling the female businesswoman about Boots - the fact that they sold both makeup and sandwiches in the same store meant that this was a workable idea. In the dream Boots was only a small company - not the huge British brand it actually is. I kept repeating my business plan to reiterate my point to the businesswoman, but she seemed sceptical. I then realised that I had the wrong makeup brush to apply foundation with - I am not sure what kind of makeup brush it was, but I know I wanted a 'stippling brush' which would give a light, buffed-in finish. 

Scene 2: A University Classroom - Day
I was in a lecture theatre - I was at the front and someone (a dream character who I cannot recall) was standing next to me, telling me that I had to teach the class. It was a large class - they were sat at rows of desks facing the stage, on which I was standing. I felt that this class was too big for a beginner teacher like me to handle. I noticed that all the students were facing the back of the room, rather than looking at me. I could not get their attention.

Scene 3: Outside - Day
I then found myself outside - I am not sure where it was, but it was sunny. I was walking along a line of people, when I saw EB. I wanted to avoid him, but just as I tried to walk past him without him seeing me, he turned and saw me. He started to say something and I was hoping that he would not bring up the reasons why we are no longer friends (in real-life). However, he said something about 'Skeletor' from The Adventures of He-Man. I cannot recall exactly what he said, but it involved me 'remembering when' something happened, or 'not forgetting' something - it seemed to make sense in the dream. I agreed with EB so that I could make a sharp exit and not have to converse with him further.

Scene 4: A Family Home - Day
I then found myself in a family home - it was the house of a man, his partner and their 2 children. The mother was out and I was left with the father. He told me that the mother no longer lived in the house with him, she just came to drop the children off there so that he could look after them while she worked. The children were both very young - about 2 or 3 years of age. I could not see the children at this stage. The father (I am not sure of his age - he was an average looking young white male with brown hair) indicated that he was in love with me and wanted to start a relationship. I was hesitant because of his family situation. He was trying to convince me that it would be a good idea. We decided to go out to the back garden, which had a lush green lawn. I could tell at this stage, that the house was a 'new build' in a small estate in a countryside area, which felt like it was in Norfolk (my home county). It felt a lot like a house my uncle and aunt used to live in many many years ago before my cousins were born (in Briston, Norfolk). The father and I sat on the grass, quite close to the wall of the house. It was hot and sunny. Through the patio doors, his former partner (the mother) came, carrying his 2 children. She was young, blonde and very pretty. At first I felt anxious, but she didn't seem to mind me being there. She put the 2 children down on the rug me and the father were sitting on. She said something to her ex-partner and then left. I noticed that the 2 children were both boys. One of them had no limbs - only stumps (like a Thalidomide baby) and the other had no internal organs and was terminally ill, although he seemed to be able to sit up and move around a bit. The child with no internal organs was dressed in yellow and orange - this was all I can recall about how he looked. The father asked me if I wanted to have a baby with him. I said that I did not - I did not know him well enough. He said: 'I need to tell you that I have a genetic disorder so all my children are incomplete'. I felt worried and uneasy discussing this with him. I felt shame, because I was starting to really like him, but I did not want children with him because of his genetic disorder (which did not seem to affect him, only his offspring). 

TIME: 02:30 - 10:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place - no WB2B)
LUCIDITY: NONEThe fat
SPECIAL NOTES: 
  • Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
  • Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 7 (poor)
  • Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B performed
  • Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
  • 100 mg of 'lucid dream supplement' Vitamin B6 (2 x 50 mg pills, taken at midday and just before sleep)

Dream Information:

  • I fell out with my former best friend, EB, a year ago and have avoided speaking to him since - sometimes he tries to message me on Facebook

Dreamsigns:
  • Boots was a small company
  • The 2 children

Recurrent Dream Themes
  • Classrooms/teaching

Potential Day/Dream Residue:
  • I had been watching The Apprentice - business candidates competing for investment in their business plan
  • I had mentioned the contract law case of Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boots Cash Chemists (Southern) Ltd [1953] EWCA Civ 6 in a recent conversation with a friend online a day or so before this dream
  • I had been watching Pixiwoo (Samantha Chapman and Nic Haste) makeup tutorials on Youtube just before I went to sleep and had this dream
  • I recently attended a class as part of a teaching course I am undertaking - How to Give an Effective Lecture
  • I was in the city with my mum and nan when I saw MS - someone I had a brief relationship with - at the bus stop waiting for the same bus my mum and nan were getting. I tried to walk past him without him noticing me, but my nan called my name, drawing attention to me, MS - like EB - has ginger hair and they are a similar height and build
  • A couple of days before this dream I saw 2 (separate) references on Facebook - one about Skeletor and one about He-Man
  • The day before this dream I was listening to Karl Pilkington on XFM's The Ricky Gervais Show (from early 2000s) and Karl was inaccurately recounting a story of a baby born without a brain (a baby was in fact born without a brain, but Karl referred to him as a 'little man')

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I woke up thinking that this was a  strange and complex dream. I did feel guilty about the way the 'dream me' reacted to the idea of willingly having disabled children - in the dream it was something that I wanted to avoid at all costs and I was happy to sacrifice a relationship with the 'father' character (who I felt very positive about in the dream) so as to avoid having a deformed or unwell child with him. This is not a very good attitude - I cannot say that I feel any more confident or happy about the prospect of having a real-life baby with health complaints or disability, but it was the idea that in the dream it would be inevitable and a chosen act which made me feel reluctant to enter into the relationship. 

Sunday 20 December 2015

Dream 534

'Bus Prostitution'
Dream date:  19 December 2015 (Day 19 of Lucid December)

This is Day 19 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: An Interior - Time Unknown

I was in an interior scene and there was a dream character male with me. This dream character was about 18 years old and had blonde hair. He was a college student. He needed me to have sex with him - I am not sure what our relationship was, but he basically was telling me that he had to have sex with me, but this would mean he would miss college classes and therefore afterwards, it would be necessary for me to speak to his academic advisor/teacher to let them know why he was absent from class. I agreed that I would do this. I saw he had some textbooks with red covers, placed in a pile on a table. I bent over the desk and he had sex with me from behind - it wasn't particularly memorable or 'sexy' and didn't last long. 

Scene 2: A Bus - Day
I was in on a bus and was with a group of dream characters. One of them seemed to be a 'leader' - he was a short, thin white male with gingery-blonde dreadlocks and facial hair. He was dressed a bit like a hippy. It turned out the bus was a 'prostitution bus' which drove around offering sexual services to members of the public. I was now a prostitute on the bus and able to earn some money. I then became aware that the 'leader' (I cannot recall if he had a name - I guess he was our pimp) was interested in me (romantically or sexually, I guess). Someone (I cannot recall who) told me that I should be careful, because this guy's girlfriend was coming soon and she would not be happy that he was interested in me. The bus then stopped outside a big grand white building, with a vast green lawn. I realised that this was a school. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was a brilliant blue. Not only could I see the school, but through the bus window, I could also see a city street and an intersection where the traffic was stopped at some traffic lights. There was a glamorous blonde woman on a bike (static) in the midst of the traffic. When she saw our bus, she came over (riding the bike). She stopped beside my window and was able to talk to me through it without any difficulty. She said in a very bitchy manner: 'You need to cut your hair off because it smells eggy'. I was concerned (because I hate eggs) and thought I needed to get off the bus and wash my hair as soon as possible.

TIME: 01:30 - 11:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place - no WB2B)
LUCIDITY: NONE
SPECIAL NOTES: 
  • Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
  • Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 6 (poor)
  • Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B performed
  • Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
  • 100 mg of 'lucid dream supplement' Vitamin B6 (2 x 50 mg pills, taken at midday and just before sleep)

Dream Information:

  • I really hate eggs

Dreamsigns:
  • The situation involving the male dream character who required me to have sex with him and then inform his college teacher why he was absent from class
  • The 'prostitute bus'

Recurrent Dream Themes
  • My hair

Potential Day/Dream Residue:
  • The day before this dream I had watched a TV show about British television shows from the 1970s - and the sexist, racist and inappropriate themes. In one of the clips a 'college student' was telling a man (much older than she - her godfather I believe) that she required him to take her virginity so she could benefit from an experienced older lover
  • A couple of days before this dream, one of the students I am responsible for at university (in my student support role) asked (by text) if I could speak to his academic adviser regarding an extension for an assignment
  • In the last class I taught at university, we were discussing prostitution in relation to a question they had prepared for homework

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream felt really strange and I woke up feeling positive about having it, despite the strange sexual themes. I think I was happy because this was the first proper sleep and prolonged dream I have had in a number of days, which means that my dream practice is back on track - hopefully if I get enough sleep tonight, I will have another interesting dream to record.

* I think I may have forgotten some of this dream as it seemed that I remembered much more detail immediately upon waking - before I was disturbed from my 'dream recall exercise' (where I lay still in bed, in the same position I wake up in and concentrate solely on my dream memories, fully consolidating them in my mind before I attempt to record them) by my phone text alert. If I recall anything else about this dream, I will record it below.

Day 18 of Lucid December

Dream date:  18 December 2015 (Day 18 of Lucid December)

This is Day 18 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

I did not have a dream on Day 18 of Lucid December as I only had 3 hours sleep the previous day (no dream recorded then either) and then was awake all night, other than a 1 hour nap in the morning before being awoken because my mum and nan came to visit me. However, I did the following Lucid Dream Induction Techniques during my waking day. I was therefore very sleep deprived and may have gone straight into a deep (slow-wave) sleep on every opportunity I had to get some sleep.

Lucid Dream Induction Techniques: 

Day 17 of Lucid December

Dream date:  17 December 2015 (Day 17 of Lucid December)

This is Day 17 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

I did not have a dream on Day 17 of Lucid December as I didn't get any sleep - I was awake all night and only had 3 hours sleep the next day. However, I did the following Lucid Dream Induction Techniques during my waking day.

Lucid Dream Induction Techniques: 

Dream 533

'French Sailors & Wild Gorillas'
Dream date:  16 December 2015 (Day 16 of Lucid December)

This is Day 16 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: An Interior of  a House - Time Unknown

I was in a random house which was not one I recognised from real-life. There was a male dream character (I think it was someone I know from real-life, but I cannot recall who this was) laying on a sofa which was placed against the wall of the room, which appeared to be a lounge. On a table next to the sofa was a number of white cardboard boxes. I had to take these boxes to a ship and give them to some French sailors. 

Scene 2: A Ship Docked on a Beach - Day
I was then on a beach where there was a massive ship docked on the sand. It was a grey, dark day and the weather was bad - it seemed like it might become stormy. I started walking up the gangplank and I saw myself in third-person perspective. I saw that the top of my head was going bald and my hair was a light brown colour - you could see through the hair to my scalp. I could not see that I was carrying the boxes for the French sailors, who were standing aboard the ship, on the top deck. Someone (I cannot recall who this was) told me to be careful as there was a gorilla roaming around the ship and this was dangerous.

TIME: 03:00 - 11:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place - no WB2B)
LUCIDITY: NONE
SPECIAL NOTES: 
  • Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
  • Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 6 (poor)
  • Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B performed
  • Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
  • 100 mg of 'lucid dream supplement' Vitamin B6 (2 x 50 mg pills, taken at midday and just before sleep)

Dream Information:
  • None of note

Dreamsigns:
  • I had light brown hair and I was going bald
  • There was a gorilla on the ship

Recurrent Dream Themes
  • Wild animals posing a threat to my safety

Potential Day/Dream Residue:
  • None of note

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
No particular waking thoughts and emotions connected with this dream.