Dream 423

'Bad Waitressing Service'

Dream date: 27 April 2015

Day 6 of 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment - The 'Dream Town' Dream

This is Day 6 of my 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment. Click on the red link to access the article which explains the experiment.

I was in a room which was not one I know from real-life, but felt familiar in some way (see diagram below). It was either a classroom or a workshop. It was filled with dream characters, who I seemed to know in the dream. I walked to the rear of the room where there were some shelving units. Other dream characters were in this location as well, working on some kind of project (unrecalled). I was looking at something - either a piece of paper, or a digital screen. It had an image (a photographic image) of a cartoon-like red devil on it. This devil was very stereotypical - it looked exactly how you would imagine an image of a 'devil', 'demon' or 'Satan' might look if you try and visualise it in your mind's eye. The paper/digital screen was about the size of an A4 piece of paper and thin (which is why I thought it might be a piece of paper). At the bottom was a number - it increased incrementally as you touched this part of the image (like a touchscreen, which is why I thought it might be a digital screen - like a large mobile phone or a tablet). I realised that this  object was some kind of 'app' or game, which involved scoring points. Once you scored enough points you would get a free quantity of cannabis. However, it was difficult to get enough points, as after a short while of playing (it seemed to involve 'clicking' the image of the devil), it timed-out and you had to wait for the 'game' to re-load. This was intentional - to keep the player clicking and to ensure they didn't score large quantities of cannabis at one time. I was keen to keep scoring points by clicking. I took the 'app' over to a wooden bench, where I sat, hoping to be able to concentrate on the game.

Someone approached me. I am not sure who it was, but in the dream it was someone I worked with. They handed me a scrap of paper, on which something was handwritten in pencil. It was a note from a student (in the context of my job in student welfare). It explained that a Chinese female student had 'peed herself at a music festival' and needed me to go and speak to her. I wondered why I needed to speak to her about this incident and how I would approach the subject in a non-embarassing way. My 'colleague' suggested I say: 'I have come to speak to you about an incident at a music festival'. I felt annoyed that I would have to leave my cannabis-devil app to deal with this student over such a stupid matter. 

The scene changed and I found myself in my former job as a waitress in the Two Lifeboats Hotel in Sheringham. We were in the Augusta Bar and it was daytime. My mum was also working there again, as the manager. I was standing on the customer side of the bar waiting for the barman (a dream character - older than myself, with dark hair and a moody expression on his face) to pour a coffee which I was supposed to serve to a female customer sitting alone at a table a short distance away. The coffee cup was small, narrow and made of a tan-brown pottery material. The barman poured a very thick layer of steamed milk on top and then started to draw a design in it (the way barristas commonly do) with some kind of dark liquid and powders. It looked messy and unprofessional. He moved the cup slightly, and spilled some of the coffe. He then mopped up the spilled coffee with a cloth and used a spoon to lift off the steamed milk, which came up in a perfect solid disk. It looked a bit like a slice of goat's cheese. He then topped up the coffee with some more steamed milk, but this time did not bother to put a design in it with the liquids/powders. I went to pick up the coffee, but someone - a male character - to my right side said something, which distracted me, and I spilled the coffee everywhere. The barman looked annoyed and frustrated at me. I wondered why he was reacting this way when he had spilled it himself first! He re-made the coffee. I asked: 'Is it a latte?' and he replied: 'No, stupid, it's a cappuccino!' I realised that it was obviously a cappuccino and felt stupid for not recognising this myself. I took the coffee over to the solitary female customer, who was reading a newspaper. I splashed some of the coffee onto the saucer as I placed it on the table, and apologised, but the customer did not seem to care.

I went back to the bar. My mum was standing there, with the barman. I asked why I wasn't earning more money. My mum said: 'It's because you can't get up in time for opening at 11:00 am!' I wondered why this mattered, as I should be getting paid by the hour, regardless of what time I started my shift. I said: 'But I do the afternoon shifts!' My mum didn't seem to accept my logic. I realised I was useless at my job and felt depressed.

TIME: 11:30 - 15:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: None

SPECIAL NOTES:  14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment:

1. MILD Technique 
2. Dream Incubation methods
3. Dream Visualisation methods
4. Afternoon nap

Dreamsigns:

• The cannabis-devil app which was on paper/digital screen was an impossible dream object (A - Action/F - Form/C - Context)
• My mum and I stopped working at the Two Lifeboats Hotel over 10 years ago
• The steamed milk was a solid disk (A - Action/F - Form)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• Cannabis
• Sheringham as a dream scene location

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• Two days before this dream I had been at a music show and a man had given me some free cannabis.
• The day before this dream I had read an article which was called: '37 Things People Who Always Have to Pee Understand' - and referred to the struggle of attending a music festival when you have a frequent need to pee. 
• The day before this dream I had expressed how annoying it is that my sleep cycle is so messed up - I am awake all night and sleep for part of the day which makes it hard to function in normal society. I am able to live with this kind of schedule as I am a student, who works part-time, but it isn't ideal and I am not happy to be sleeping during the 'best' part of the day (the morning).

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I had few specific thoughts/emotions about the particular action in this dream, although I recalled the above scenes very vividly and found that the visual images and narrative of the dream was very clear in my mind when I woke up. The one thought that stood out was related to my poor performance as a waitress. I felt that this scene was signficant for some reason. I felt like I had failed and this left me feeling a bit empty. I woke up from this dream feeling slightly depressed and low in mood, although I cannot say it was as a result of the dream, or just hormones.

* I may have forgotten some (early) aspects of this dream, so if I recall them, I will record them below.

Interpretation/Analysis:

Like many of my dreams during my dream incubation experiment, this dream took place in Sheringham. However, other than this fact, it does not seem to be related in any way to my intended dream theme.

Dream 422

'New Puppy!'

Dream date: 26 April 2015

Day 5 of 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment - The 'Dream Town' Dream

This is Day 5 of my 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment. Click on the red link to access the article which explains the experiment.

I was in a room which looked like my own bedroom in my house in Norwich, but had a tall shelving unit where my desk would normally be. I was trying to get my mum's attention, but she said she had to be at a meeting and left in a hurry. I was aware that she was going to join my stepdad somewhere. It was night-time.

While I was sat on my bed, my mobile phone rang. It was my mum. She told me that she had bought me a new puppy - it was a white Staffordshire Bull Terrier which had pink and lilac spots. I was so overjoyed and excited!

I walked over to the shlving unit, which had a TV/computer screen built into it. On the shelf was a puppy - it turned out I already had a dog. The dog had a normal sized head (it looked like a Staffy), but no body - only rear legs and a tail joined to the head. It had orangy-brown fur. The puppy was walking (quite normally) along the shelf. I felt sad for it, in case it thought I was replacing it with a better, fully-formed puppy, but vowed that I would love both of them the same.

TIME: 03:00 - 12:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place, but assume that it was towards the end of my sleep, as I think I woke up from it)

LUCIDITY: None

SPECIAL NOTES:  14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment:

1. MILD Technique 
2. Dream Incubation methods
3. Dream Visualisation methods

Dreamsigns:

• My bedroom looked different (IA - Inner Awareness/F - Form)
• It is not natural for a dog  to have pink/lilac fur (F - Form)
• The dog without a body was an impossibility, as was the fact it could walk normally (A - Action/F - Form)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• Dogs

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• A short while before this dream I had seen a video of a dog which had been fitted with artificial limbs (because it's feet had been amputated due to frostbite) - which enabled it to walk normally again.
• The day of this dream DL and I had a conversation about how animals reject their young if they are the 'runt of the litter' so as not to waste vital resources on caring for them. We then discussed whether human parents prefer their stronger, more able children or whether they tend to prioritise their weaker offspring to increase their opportunities and quality of life.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I felt sorry for the disabled dog, but it was very positive to have a dream about getting a puppy!

* I have remembered the majority of this dream.

Interpretation/Analysis:
This dream seems to have been heavily influenced by day residue (see above) and my general love of Staffordshire Bull Terriers! It does not seem to be connected to my incubated dream theme in any way.

Dream 421

'The 79-Flights of Stairs Accident'

Dream date: 25 April 2015

Day 4 of 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment - The 'Dream Town' Dream

This is Day 4 of my 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment. Click on the red link to access the article which explains the experiment.

I was aware that there had been a terrible accident - a young woman had falled down 79 flights of stairs and was in hospital. I wondered if she had tried to commit suicide, but then realised that she had not. I think I saw a news report about the incident. I then wondered how it was possible to fall down 79 flights of stairs, as this would mean the building was higher than most skyscrapers. I also wondered how she had survived the incident. I considered that she might have fallen from a window, onto the exterior ground outside the building, but then realised that she had fallen down the stairs inside the building. The whole event really confused me. 

I then found myself entering my nan's house in Sheringham. I was pushing a small blonde child in a pink pushchair. The child was approximately 2 - 3 years old and I was caring for her, because she was in some way linked to the woman who had fallen down 79 flights of stairs. At first I thought she was the woman (even though she was a small child), then I thought maybe she was actually her daughter or sister. I wasn't sure how I had come to be the carer of this child, or her relationship to the victim. I stood, with the pushchair, in the kitchen, but the backdoor which leads to the porch. My aunt came in - at first I thought it was CJ, but as soon as she spoke, I realised it was her younger sister, my aunt VF. VF bent down to the child and touched her blonde hair. She said: 'I don't know how she had this fine blonde hair when we are all half Korean'. I found this statement strange for several reasons: (a) it seemed that the child was actually part of my family; (b) none of us are half-Korean. I am the only mixed-race member of my family, who are either fully Caucasian or Asian. My aunt still had her reddish-blonde hair, but she seemed to be suggesting that our family all had jet-black hair from our 'Korean' heritage.

I then heard another news report come on the TV in the living-room. It turned out that a man had been arrested for pushing the female victim down the 79 flights of stairs. He was going to prison for ABH. I thought this was ridiculous, as surely this was GBH with intent or attempted murder?!

I then saw the female victim laying on a hospital bed - it was being wheeled down a corridor. She was covered by a white sheet, and I could only see the top of her head (blonde hair), as I was standing behind the hospital bed. I realised that the victim had awoken from her coma and was going to take a very long time to recover. Despite the fact I could not see her face, I could sense that she was in a positive mood, despite the fact I knew she was now a quadriplegic. 

TIME: 07:00 - 10:30 hours (during WBTB, initial sleep, 03:30 - 07:00 hours - woke briefly, then went back to sleep)

LUCIDITY: None

SPECIAL NOTES:  14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment:

1. MILD Technique 
2. Dream Incubation methods
3. Dream Visualisation methods
4. Wake-Back-To-Bed method
5. I had smoked some cannabis and drank a large quantity of alcohol the night before this dream.

Dreamsigns:

• It is impossible to imagine anyone falling down 79 flights of stairs and surviving (A - Action)
• I was confused about the identity of dream characters - both dream-created and actual persons - the identities seemed transient and changing and I misook one of my aunts for another (IA - Inner Awareness/C - Context)
• My family is not half-Korean (IA - Inner Awareness)
• Making someone quadrilplegic is far more severe than ABH - actual bodily harm (IA - Inner Awarness)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• My nan's house in Sheringham as a dream scene location

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I had been informed that a student at my university had tried to commit suicide by jumping out of a window three-floors up. He ended up injured in hospital. I had thought how terrible it would be if he had ended up paralysed from this event.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream was just confusing - for the reasons outlined above.

* I think I have recalled the majority of details from this dream. 

Interpretation/Analysis:
Again, this is another dream which was set in my nan's house in Sheringham. It seems that the majority of my dreams during this dream incubation experiment are set in my home town - although this may just be following the general pattern of my dreaming (a large number of my dreams are set in my nan's house/Sheringham). 

Dream 420

'Christmas, Vomit & Snakes'

Dream date: 24 April 2015

Day 3 of 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment - The 'Dream Town' Dream

This is Day 3 of my 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment. Click on the red link to access the article which explains the experiment.

I cannot quite remember how the dream started. There was someone (unrecalled) who had a polythene carrier bag. They reached in and pulled out a severed head (male, older, quite rugged-looking) which was bright blue and had the dripping texture of wet paint. I kept seeing structures in powder blue - like the shell of a house in which the walls have not yet been fully built. I thought to myself: 'This is influenced by that 1960s kitchen I saw on Back in Time for Dinner (a TV social history show in which a family spend a summer going back in time - home decor, fashion, lifestyle and food - from the 1950s up to the 1990s). I also thought: 'I have invented a new shade of blue in this dream' - although I was not actually lucid, only pre-lucid. 

It was Christmas and I was in my nan's living-room in Sheringham. It was daytime. The house was decorated with Christmas decorations and we (my mum, nan and I) were in the process of preparing the Christmas dinner. PS was with me, but EB had also tagged along and we did not want him there. He was talking about cannabis, and we just wanted him to leave, so we could celebrate in peace. I then noticed that EB's mum was also present - she was sitting in the armchair near the window and started a conversation with me - although I cannot recall what she was saying. I asked her if she could take EB away and they eventually left. PS and I were happy.

I then saw the back garden. It was filled with stray (feral) cats - which do live in my nan's garden in real-life, although a lot of them are deformed or weak. The cats had all been sick on the grass - there were massive puddles of vomit all over the garden. Out of the puddles of vomit, huge snakes were emerging, which made me feel threatened. I was in fear that they might enter the house. My nan has a terrible phobia of snakes (she cannot even look at a drawing of one, or a toy). RBA was there and I asked him to get rid of the vomit/snakes. He started using a garden rake to do this task.

I cannot recall anything else about this dream.

TIME: 05:00 - 11:00 hours

LUCIDITY: Pre-lucid

SPECIAL NOTES:  14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment:

1. MILD Technique 
2. Dream Incubation methods
3. Dream Visualisation methods

Dreamsigns:

• Blue severed head in a bag (A - Action/F - Form)
• Realising a dream symbol was influenced by a real-life memory/day residue - this should have triggered lucidity (IA - Inner Awareness)
• Snakes coming out of cat vomit in the garden (A - Action/F- Form/C - Context)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• My nan's house in Sheringham as a dream scene
• PS as a dream character
• Cannabis
• Snakes

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I had been watching Back in Time for Dinner in the days before this dream.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream was strange and I woke up feeling slightly intrigued by it - especially the thoughts about inventing the new shade of blue and seeing the severed head. The image of the snakes emerging from the cat vomit also left an impression. Although this dream involved some aspects which were quite disgusting and threatening, it did not seem like a nightmare at the time, just a bizarre dream. I used to have childhood nightmares about the feral cats that lived in my nan's garden, even though I enjoyed trying to 'befriend' them. One of my childhood nightmares (which involved some natural lucidity) about these cats really stands out in my memory, even though I think I was younger than 10 years when it occurred (I had the dream before my mum and I moved out of this house which is how I can date it). I might write up this dream in due course, out of interest. 

* If I recall anything further about this dream, I will record it below.

Interpretation/Analysis:
Again, this dream involved Sheringham as a dream scene location and PS as a dream character. This dream is quite hard to interpret and analyse. I think I was aware that other male characters were interfering with my relationship with PS - which was something he had told me when we were together. In this dream, I wanted to get rid of their influence and just be with PS at a happy time.

Dream 419

'Suicidal Brother'

Dream date: 23 April 2015

Day 2 of 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment - The 'Dream Town' Dream

This is Day 2 of my 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment. Click on the red link to access the article which explains the experiment.

In this dream - which consisted of one short dream scene - I was the 'brother' dream character (as in, I witnessed some of the dream from his perspective), but also an observer in the third-person perspective and from the perspective of a participant in the action (the 'sister'). I am not sure how my perspective shifted from myself, to the third person and then to the 'brother' character.

The dream started with me as a female - with a mother, two sisters and two brothers. We lived in a very old, gothic-looking castle, which resembled something out of Game of Thrones. Everything was dark, lit only by candlelight. My family and I were in one room, which was a living-area, resembling the images I have found on the internet (see below) - of course, the layout of the room and the decor was slightly different, but I cannot recall specific details, so I am able to just present a basic idea. I cannot recall what my family member dream characters looked like, but we were dressed in medieval-style clothes and all the females had long, flowing hair. I was aware that my brother was about to commit suicide, and this was something which could not be stopped. 

My female relatives and I were trying to persuade him not to, without avail. We followed him (hurriedly, anxiously) into a bedroom chamber, which was adjacent to the living-area. This room was similarly dark and candle-lit. As you entered the room, in front of the door was a huge bed. To the right was an open doorway, with a long stone passage visible. To the left was furniture and a window. My brother was intending to kill humself by falling on a sword, but my sisters and I were trying to tell him to use some poison. This poison was in the form of a number of large pink sugar-cube objects which were laid out in a square formation on the bed. I told him that this was his intended method of suicide. 

The perspective then switched to third-person (passive observer) and I could see myself pleading with my brother to swallow the pink sugar-cubes instead of using the sword. 

My perspective then switched to that of my suicidal brother. I felt harassed by my female family members. Then, my older brother entered the chamber via the open doorway. I had seen him walk down the stone hallway. He was carrying a large object which looked like a blender/juicer or some other kitchen appliance. I realised that this older brother was BDO - a friend of DL, who is also a Facebook friend of mine. He was a large man with a big beard. He had a joking expression on his face and seemed to be unemotional and ruthless about my suicide/death. The 'kitchen appliance' object was a tool to help me kill myself, but it became apparent that my brother was going to use it to kill me himself - so murder me. He shook the appliance and then turned it on, and I could see liquid churning and splashing away inside the clear glass/plastic part. I woke up.

TIME: 09:00 - 12;00 hours, then WBTB: 12:15 - 13:15 hours

LUCIDITY: None

SPECIAL NOTES:  14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment:

1. MILD Technique 
2. Dream Incubation methods
3. Dream Visualisation methods
4. Wake-Back-To-Bed method - this dream took place in the hour-long WBTB period

Dreamsigns:

• I was part of a different family (IA - Inner Awareness/C - Context)
• Shifting perspective (IA - Inner Awareness/A - Action/C - Context)
• The whole dream was very much a dreamsign (IA - Inner Awareness/A - Action'F - Form/C - Context)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• Having a different family - including sister(s)

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• Game of Thrones, Season 5 is currently being aired and there is a lot of discussion and promotion of it on the internet.
• I read about suicide in relation to Kurt Cobain and the forthcoming Montage of Heck (2015) shortly before this dream took place.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream was very negative in content, but did not leave me with any specific waking thoughts or emotions, other than disappointment that the content did not seem in any way connetced to my intended dream incubation.

* I have recalled most aspects of this dream.

Interpretation/Analysis:
This dream was obviously far-removed from my intended dream incubation theme and did not seem to share any links at all. I interpret the suicide as being an alternative between an aggressive act (falling on a sword) and a passive-aggressive act (consuming a pink sugar-cube). In the days leading up to this dream I had (on a number of occasions) expressed my desire - as a woman - to be treated in a raw, lustful, sexualised manner as opposed to a sensitive and  sweet romantic one by my partners in relationships. Therefore, it is possible to read the act of falling on a sword as a form of brutal and violent penetration, in contrast to the sweeter method of consuming a sugar-cube. I feel that my dream ego was experiencing both my feminine and masculine identities in this dream. 

A couple of days before this dream, DL and I had discussed the fact that I have a number of obvious masculine qualities which are more predominant in my personality than my female ones. I had been discussing gender roles and sex/relationships with a male friend - who had been put-off by my frank disclosure than I hate romance and sensitivity from a male partner, and like to be sexually objectifed in my physical relationships with boyfriends because I enjoy that more than sweetness and affection (which does not turn me on, but instead makes me feel uncomfortable).

Dream 418

'Nail Glue'

Dream date: 22 April 2015 

Day 1 of 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment - The 'Dream Town' Dream

This is Day 1 of my 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment. Click on the red link to access the article which explains the experiment.

I had a false awakening, but I did not realise this at the time (only after when I was fully awake). This should have been a lucidity trigger, because the experience was not only recurrent (see Dream 412), but it was also odd enough to have made me question whether I was dreaming. However, I did not. The false awakening started with me waking up in my bed, tangled in my duvet, which was completely enclosing me. Through a gap to the left side, I could see my hand(s), but instead of just two, there were many mirror images of the palms of my hands, like a kaleidoscope image. I have tried to include some similar images below. Looking at your hands and noticing they look strange or deformed is a perfect way of triggering a realisation that you are dreaming, but I missed the opportunity. I heard my cleaner Tony come into my house. He may have actually come into my house during this dream, but I am aware (post-factum) that the actions described were from my dream. not his real-life actions. I could also hear Rachel, my former cleaner, in the house next-door (this was not true in real-life, as the cleaners work singularly and Rachel has been promoted to an administrative role). Rachel was conversing (in a shouting voice) with Tony through the walls separating the houses. I am not sure what they were talking about. I then heard Tony shouting my name, which he continued to do for ages, with no response from me. He asked me (from outside my bedroom door): 'I wanted to see if the pillow I left you was OK' and then said: 'It's an intimiate pillow' (neither of which remarks made real-life sense to me on reflection). Tony then left and I fell into a normal dream state again.

I was with PS and we were in an outside environment, supposedly going somewhere together, but I got the distinct impression that PS did not want me there with him. I am not sure where we were, but it wasn't my 'Dream Town' - it may have been Sheringham or a part of Norwich/London, as we both seemed familiar with the area. PS was really angry and during this part of the dream, his face was in a deep frown and he had an aggressive tone to his voice. We turned down a road and found ourselves on Handford Drive, Sheringham, which is a cut-though which joins adjacent roads - the one my nan lives on, and Pine Grove, where I used to live for part of my childhood. I used to walk this route many times a week (see Google Maps image, below). It was a bright sunny day and there were some random dream characters in the general vicinity - local people. PS was telling me that LRB (a friend of his with whom I am acquainted) had been saying bad things about me, judging me and telling PS that I was no good for him and he should leave me alone. It appeared that PS was somewhat persuaded by LRB, despite me reassuring him that I was no longer the same person with whom he had had a long-term and chaotic relationship and had changed for the better. PS did not seem convinced by what I was saying, and we continued our argument as we walked down the road, with PS seeming to be more and more set on going somewhere without me. 

There was another scene which I cannot recall, other than it involved white objects and me having to select something.

I was then in my nan's living-room in Sheringham. It was evening. My mum was in the kitchen, doing something. I was sitting on the sofa, giving myself a manicure. I was putting on fake nails. The sofa was not the usual brown one, but a white leather one. I realised that I had got nail glue on the white leather arm of the sofa. I was worried as I knew this was a new sofa and my mum would be angry that I had ruined it. I wondered how to remove the nail glue without her noticing. She was speaking to me from the kitchen (I could see her through the open doorway). I then saw there were black shapes on the sofa, which I perceived to be ink spills. I felt relieved, as if the sofa had already been stained and ruined from ink then I would not be blamed for spilling glue on it. I then realised the black 'ink spills' were part of the sofa design, not stains and felt worried again. I know these black patterns had not been there the first time I looked (just after noticing I had spilled the nail glue). I woke up. 

TIME: 09:00 - 13:00 hours

LUCIDITY: None

SPECIAL NOTES:  14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment:

1. MILD Technique 
2. Dream Incubation methods
3. Dream Visualisation methods

Dreamsigns:

• My hands looked like a kaleidoscope image (A - Action/F - Form)
• The recurrent dream scene of Tony/Rachel in my house should have been a dreamsign (IA - Inner Awareness/A - Action/C - Context)
• The blank 'ink spill' patterns suddenly appeared on the sofa (A - Action/F - Form)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• False awakening involving my cleaners Tony and Rachel (see Dream 412)
• PS as a dream character
• My nan's liing-room as a dream scene

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I had seen LBR post on Facebook and I also mentioned him in a conversation very recent to ths dream. He has expressed misogynistic views regarding women, appearance and rape culture which I strongly disagree with.
• I had a few conversations with a friend very shortly before this dream, which related to respect for women's lifestyle choices (I was being implicitly judged by a male friend because I rejected his romantic advances and prioritise sexual chemistry and excitement over early emotional attachment and 'love' when forming new relationships. I find it hard to become emotionally attached and empathetic and am not an affectionate person - traits which were being viewed as 'negative' by this male friend who was interested in me, but dejected by my strong sexual identity and lack of interest in romance/relationships. I also discussed this conversation with other friends, to seek their opinion. 
• A couple of days before this dream I had given myself a manicure, which involved putting on fake nails.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream left me feeling slightly uneasy as PS had seemed so rejecting and hostile towards me and I could not work out what might have given him this ill-feeling towards me. This dream had negative emotions attached to it, which remained with me when I first awoke. I was also frustrated by the fact I seem to have lost my ability to recognise a false awakening and turn it into a lucid dream.

* I have forgotten a scene in the middle of this dream. If I recall anything further, I will record it below.

Interpretation/Analysis:
I cannot analyse the false awakening aspect of this dream, other than to suggest that the sight of the 'hand kaleidoscope' was a missed opportunity to perform a reality check and realised I was dreaming. 

The dream incubation experiment involves me visiting my 'Dream Town', but the main parts of this dream took place in my childhood (and occasional adult) hometown of Sheringham. This (my nan's house) was the place I returned to after breaking up with PS and moving away from London. One of my main issues with LRB was that I always felt he might be badmouthing me to PS behind my back and I thought he had a slightly misogynistic and embittered view of women - particularly because when PS and I had relationship problems, he had probably been made aware of them and voiced an opinion on me and my value as a girlfriend. PS has since indicated to me that LRB can be argumentative and wrong in his strong opinions. I know my 'Dream Town' isn't Sheringham (which is a very small town and completely unlike the my 'Dream Town', which is larger and more urban. However, the fact ths dream involved Sheringham most likely relates to the fact I see this location as a safe haven and the place where my family reside - so it is my most fixed home address (considering I have been quite a transient person, living in temporary accommodation for most of my adult life). Handford Drive, in Sheringham, is the cut-through road which links my nan's house and my former childhood home on Pine Grove. 

This dream had many negative emotions attached to it - the feelings of being rejected by PS and judged by LRB; and the fear that I would be in trouble for staining the new sofa with nail glue through my carelessness. 

14 Day Dream Incubation Experiment - The 'Dream Town' Dream

I have previously undertaken Dream Incubation Experiments and recorded them on this Blog. I have also written a couple of articles on how to perform Dream Incubation (click HERE and HERE for the Dream Incubation Technique articles). You may also find my article on Dream Visualisation helpful - access this information by clicking HERE.

One of my previous dream incubation experiments (the '7 Day Dream Incubation Experiment - Marilyn Monroe Dream') was successful (and resulted in two lucid dreams involving Marilyn Monroe), whereas the 'Dream Incubation Experiment - Freudian Therapy Session Dream', was wholly unsuccessful. Since the successful Marilyn Monroe experiment, I have been able to bring Marilyn Monroe into my lucid dreams much more easily and have found that she generally appears as a recurrent dream symbol in my normal non-lucid dreams.

I had previously untaken even earlier dream incubation experiments. The first one was focused on my legal career (which was also an unsuccessful experiment) - which can be accessed by clicking HERE. The second one was focused on improving my social life (and was a little more successful) - which can be accessed by clicking HERE.

You can find the Index Page, which contains all links to the related articles on the '7 Day Dream Incubation Experiment - Marilyn Monroe Dream' by clicking HERE. You can access the 'Dream Incubation Experiment - Freudian Therapy Session Dream' by clicking HERE.

This new experiment will commence on Wednesday 22 April 2015 (today) and end on Wednesday 6 May 2015. I have selected 14 days as the period of the experiment because on my last successful Dream Incubation Experiment, I was able to achieve my incubated dream on Day 13. I therefore think 14 days is a suitable timeframe for the new experiment based on this fact. 

My dream aims are simple:

• Experience a lucid dream (preferable)
• Meet a dream character (real or fictional, the choice of my subconscious mind)
• Visit my 'Dream Town' with this dream character (and explore)
• Ask my dream character: 'What do I want in my life?' and 'What does this dream mean?'

Here is my dream incubation intention set out in writing:

I will do the following to incubate my chosen dream theme:

• Perform the MILD Technique for lucid dreaming on a daily basis. If this dream is a lucid dream, it will therefore be a DILD (Dream-Initiated/Induced Lucid Dream).
• Where possible I will perform the Wake-Back-to-Bed method.
• Incorporate my chosen dream theme in both my daily reality checks (10 - 15 per day) by thinking clearly and positively about my incubated dream theme after each reality check.
• Meditate on my incubated dream theme for at least 10 minutes before sleep and perform specific affirmations alongside the normal MILD Technique ones ('I will lucid dream about [incubated dream theme] tonight, and I will remember it').
• Use Dream Visualisation methods to picture my 'Dream Town' based on scenes I have experienced in previous dreams set in this location.

If I alter or add to any of the basic methods referred to above, I will record the changes.

I have chosen my 'Dream Town' because this is a place I have seen in so many of my previous lucid/non-lucid dreams and I have a sense of dream deja-vu, although I have no idea why the town seems to familiar and desireable to me as I cannot assimilate my dream experience with any real-life memories of actual places I have visited. I am always excited when I find myself in my Dream Town and I wish to incubate a dream where I am able to explore it further. 

Here is a list of my previous dreams in which my Dream Town was a location (there may be more recorded, but these are all I could find using a basic search of my Blog):

• Dream 287 ('Dream Town') - 26 October 2014
• Dream 84 - 20 Sepember 2012
• Dream 92 - 12 November 2012
• Dream 46 - 2 May 2012
• Dream 40 - 19 April 2012
• Dream 36 - 12 April 2012
• Dream 18 - 3 January 2012

Dream 417

'Slacktivism'

Dream date: 22 April 2015

I cannot recall the first part of this dream.

I found myself in an office environment and realised that this was my former workplace and I was now re-employed here, but doing a different job (i.e. not a criminal law paralegal). The office looked different (it reminded me of a former high school classroom I used to be taught in) and I was aware that the entire staff had changed and new people were now working here, but I did not know any of them. I wished I was still doing criminal law, but I think I was now an employment and immigration paralegal. I knew I did not find the work as stimulating. 

There was someone else (a dream character - not sure if they were male or female as I cannot recall, but they were my friend in the dream) seated at a desk a short distance away from me, but apart from that, the office was empty. I was aware that I had come into work as over-time to complete an urgent project by a short deadline. I am not sure what the project was. The telephone then rang and it was the wife of a client of the firm, wanting to leave a message for one of my lawyer colleagues. I cannot recall what the message was about, but I started making notes in a notebook, using a pencil. When I tried to read back the notes which I had written (while still on the phone to the client's wife), I realised I could not read my own writing. I asked the woman to repeat the message, but I could not write it down at all. My writing did not even resemble proper letters or words, just big, messy scribbles. The only word I could read was the first one, which read 'Miss'. I ended the call, knowing that the message was indecipherable and further, I had forgotten what I had been told anyway.

I then summonsed my friend over to my desk. I opened the drawer and saw a brochure or book which was very shiny and blue/yellow on the cover. This in some way related to the project I was trying to complete. I said: 'There's a political demonstration [about this issue], the protest starts in the morning'. It was assumed/intended that my friend and I would attend the protest as we were involved in it's organisation or had some kind of interest in it (I cannot recall what the protest was for). However, as soon as I started discussing how we would be attending the protest demonstration in a few hours, I realised I could not be bothered to go and I wanted to avoid it out of laziness and apathy.

TIME: 05:00 - 08:00 hours

LUCIDITY: None

SPECIAL NOTES: None of note

Dreamsigns:

• I had returned to my former job, but the office looked different and the staff had changed (IA - Inner Awareness/F - Form)
• I was unable to read or write a simple telephone message in the dream - it is common to find text does not appear as it should in real-life (A - Action/F - Form)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• Returning to my former workplace

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I had discussed my previous work/office with RBA in a recent conversation.
• Many of my criminal clients (especially those in custody) used to refer to me as 'Miss' as a mark of respect and several of my male friends use it also.
• Immigration and employment are topics debated fiercely in current affairs in the run-up to the 2015 General Election.
• I am not motivated to vote in the General Election, despite being involved in some forms of political activism.
• I had mentioned to PS that my secondary supervisor is a leading authority on civil rights, namely the right to protest and demonstrate.
• The day of this dream I had mentioned to my neighbour/colleague that I would be able to teach Discrimination Law if I re-learnt the topic, as my speciality and first preference is Criminal Law.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
None of note - this was a boring dream.

* I have forgotten some aspects of this dream. If I recall anything further, I will record it below.

Dream 416

'Marilyn Monroe Thesis'

Dream date: 21 April 2015

I was in a bookshop or some other dark environment which was filled with bookshelves. The atmosphere was crowded and dusty. There were several middle-aged male dream characters (unknown to me in real-life) who were all university professors. They were dressed very stereotypically - in tweeds and cords, wearing glasses etc. One of them was my PhD supervisor (not my real-life supervisor who is a much younger man). I told him I wanted to change my thesis topic and said I was now going to do a history-based topic, which he seemed to approve of. I then thought that since it was so easy to convince him that I should change my topic, that I should actually pick a subject which really interests me - Marilyn Monroe. I told my supervisor this. He asked me how I would find enough source material to do a thesis on Marilyn Monroe. I saw an image of my actual desk in my Norwich home, above which are shelves full of all the major books on Marilyn Monroe. I said: 'I have all of the Marilyn Monroe books'. My supervisor and the other professors seemed to agree that I would probably have enough knowledge/reference sources to do a thesis on Marilyn Monroe, but I was asked how I would sell the idea to the law school who provide my PhD funding. 

I then thought to myself: 'This dream is very fragmented'. I did not become fully lucid, but I did wonder why the dream was fragmented and kept featuring visions of my Marilyn Monroe books interspersed with the scene inside the bookstore.

I was then asked again how I would find enough information on Marilyn Monroe, and I replied (again): 'I have all of the Marilyn Monroe books'. 

I sat down at a desk and realised that there was no way to connect Marilyn Monroe with legal academia/law, which would present me with problems in justifying my new thesis topic.

TIME: 07:00 - 11:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: Semi-lucid (I recognised that this was a dream)

SPECIAL NOTES: None of note

Dreamsigns:

• My PhD supervisor was a different person to real-life (IA - Inner Awareness/F - Form)
• The idea that I can change my thesis topic at this stage of my PhD (A - Action/C - Context)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• Education & learning institutions as a dream scene location

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• Generally thinking about how dull my PhD thesis topic is for other people - a fact I mentioned to RBA during a conversation. I said words to the effect of: 'I am writing a 100,000 word thesis which no-one except my supervisor and examining panel will read'.
• I am always thinking about my icon, Marilyn Monroe.
• On the day of this dream, DL and I were looking at a market stall which sells second-hand books. I had previously bought a Marilyn Monroe book from this stall and I always check for new books in second-hand book places. DL had said to me: 'You already own all the Marilyn Monroe books!'
• I am planning a novel (with the theme of dreaming) and the day of this dream had wondered whether my main character should be writing a thesis on Marilyn Monroe (as she is also a postgraduate student, although I have yet to determine her discipline/subject).

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I note that I was semi-lucid in this dream, and it frustrates me that I did not become fully lucid. I recognised that this was a dream sequence, but was not fully conscious. However, this was still a beneficial experience as I did not try to induce lucidity, so any at all is a bonus. 

* I think I have recalled the entire dream.