Lucid Dream Tutorials - Tholey's Combined Technique (LUCID DREAMING FOR BEGINNERS TUTORIAL SERIES)

Tutorial Aims: 

• Experience Level: Beginner (Level 1)
• Explain the basics of Paul Tholey's Combined Technique for Lucid Dreaming (a form of DILD)
• Give an explanation of the separate elements of Critical Reflection, Intention & Auto-suggestion
• Provide a simple 4 Step programme teaching the 3 key elements of Tholey's Combined Technique, which can be used separately (Steps 1 - 3) or together (Step 4)

The Combined Technique for Lucid Dreaming
Paul Tholey (1937 - 1998) was a German Gestalt Psychologist who conducted significant research into lucid dreaming. His Combined Technique includes the core components of Critical Reflection, Intention and Auto-suggestion, which can be used individually - or combined - as this tutorial recommends. When all 3 main elements of Tholey's lucid dream induction techniques are used as part of the Combined Technique, lucid dreams can be induced in beginners within a month, although there is individual variation.

The Combined Technique is often cited as one of the most effective methods of lucid dream induction. It shares some key principles with the MILD (Mnemonic/Memory Initiated/Induced Lucid Dream) Technique, developed by Stephen LaBerge. Although Tholey's Combined Technique is cited frequently within lucid dream literature, it appears that it is less well-known than LaBerge's MILD Technique amongst amateur or beginner lucid dreamers.

The idea behind Tholey's Combined Technique is that the dreamer creates a strong mindset for lucid dreaming. It is a form of mental entrainment.

Tholey emphasises the need to critically reflect on waking reality and compare the waking world with the dream world through systematic observation. He saw the objective (or 'inter-subjective') physical, perceptual waking world as distinct from the phenomenal dream world. In the dream world, events - which are less dependent on sensory perception and physical reality - become possible. These unusual events make it possible for the observant and critically reflecting dreamer to become consciously aware that they are dreaming (i.e. achieve lucid dreaming).

Tholey's method - like the MILD Technique - is a lucid dream induction method designed for DILDs (Dream Initiated/Induced Lucid Dreams). 

Tholey's Combined Technique centres around the concept of reality checking (critical reflection) and the development of cognitive skills which allow the dreamer's mind to become more active whilst asleep. The dreamer combined critical reflection with other mental entrainment methods, such as intention and auto-suggestion to trigger lucidity.

Steps 1 - 3 can be used individually, but Step 4 instructs a beginner lucid dreamer on how to combine them effectively as part of Tholey's Combined Technique.

• Step 1: Critical Reflection

Tholey's reflective methods are a form of sophisticated reality check. Reflection is a waking state method and establishes a pattern of thinking which will continue into the dream state after daily practice. Critical reflection allows the dreamer to become aware of their state of consciousness, sensory perceptions and the reality of their environment. It helps establish cognitive skills for differentiating between waking reality and the dream world.

Tholey recommends choosing a physical or mental activity which will be performed throughout the waking day. He suggests a mental activity may be more easy to perform regularly (because it can be done easily and discreetly, anywhere at any time, without drawing attention). This action, which forms a habit and will be carried over into the dream state make it possible for the dreamer to spontaneously become aware that they are dreaming. Like reality checks, critical reflection requires the dreamer to choose an activity which will have a different result when performed awake or in the dream state. Tholey's examples include:

• Physical - Turn 180 degrees and then attempt to stand still (in the dream, the dreamer's body will continue to turn in the same direction, while the environment/scenery revolves in the opposite direction)
• Mental - Try and remember what just happened in the immediate past i.e. just moments before. Bizarre events or a lapse of memory may occur in the dream state

You can select your own reflection method - the physical/mental activity you favour is the means by which you critically analyse and reflect upon your consciousness. Some people like to mark their hand with a symbol or word which can be used for critical reflection. For example, if you wrote the word 'lucid' on your hand, you could use this as a prompt for performing the critical reflection.

The result of the activity and the period of reflection should indicate if you are perceiving waking reality or a dream. 

The dreamer should ask themselves: Am I dreaming? and then How do I know? The aim is to encourage yourself to become more sensitive to your state of consciousness and perception of reality.

• Step 2: Intention

Intention is a mental state in which a person makes a commitment to performing a specific act in the future. It has elements of planning and forethought. Under Tholey's Combined Technique, intention is another waking state method for lucid dream induction.

The dreamer sets an intention (when awake) to become lucid in a particular dream situation. This 'dream situation' will usually be a specific activity which frequently recurs in the dreamer's dreams - and can act as a form of 'dreamsign' to trigger lucidity. For example, if you often dream of visiting a lake, you may set the intention to become lucid when you next dream of being at the lake. 

In order to set the intention, the dreamer (when awake) should visualise the dream event - as if they were actually seeing it happen in a dream state. This should be done as frequently as possible - at least several times a day. Once you are able to visualise the dream scenario (i.e. visiting the lake), start to include a realisation that you are dreaming - so, visualise the dream scene, and imagine at the same time that you become aware you are dreaming. You are therefore not just mentally visualising the sensory parts of the dream experience, but also creating a mental impression that you know its a dream. 

A variation of this approach is for the dreamer to set an intention to carry out a specific activity in a dream. Using the visualisation method to 'practice' carrying out the specific activity will be useful. Imagine/visualise yourself performing the specific activity in typical dream situations. One way of doing this might be to practice the visualisation of the activity each morning when you wake up and remember your dream from the night before. Therefore, although the specific activity you visualise yourself performing will remain identical, the dream scene in which you visualise yourself performing it will change daily. 

It is up to the dreamer to choose which activity he will perform when using intention as part of Tholey's Combined Technique. The activity may be something you reserve specifically for the dream (i.e. an act which you do not typically do in your waking reality) or an activity which has different results when performed awake or in a dream (i.e. a 'reality check' type action, such as looking at your hands or trying to put the fingers of one hand through the palm of another). 

Intention - like critical reflection - involves a shift of interests/desires (i.e. the performance of the intended activity) from one state of consciousness (waking) to another (dream). Continual practice allows a strong habit to form, which facilitates this shift.

• Stage 3 - Auto-suggestion

Auto-suggestion is another waking state method. It involves planting the idea that that you will achieve lucidity into your subconscious mind. Auto-suggestion is different from intention, as it does not rely on consciously willing something to happen in the future. It works on the basis that any idea which occupies the mind will become reality, as long as it falls within the realms of possibility. 

For Tholey's Combined Technique, it is suggested that you use auto-suggestion for lucid dreaming every day. In particular, auto-suggestion should be used just before falling asleep when it is most effective. 

The dreamer should choose a clear, simple phrase which can be repeated mentally, in a passive way (for example: 'I will become lucid in my next dream'). While mentally repeating this phrase, the mind and body should be relaxed. There is no need to use 'willpower' when performing auto-suggestion - the idea is that you do not need to do anything which requires conscious effort or will, the mere act of passively repeating the phrase will make it materialise. It has been noted that other methods which increase a dreamer's suggestibility, such as (self) hypnosis or autogenic training may lead to more effective auto-suggestion. 

• Stage 4 - The Combined Technique

Perform critical reflection at least 10 times during the waking day. On each occasion perform the 'reality check' type activity which you are using as part of your critical reflection. A mental activity is usually the most convenient - for example, trying to remember what happened immediately prior to the critical reflection activity. Then ask yourself: 'Am I dreaming?' and then 'How do I know?' Make sure you actually critically reflect on the question and answers - becoming more sensitive to your consciousness and sensory perceptions means engaging with them properly, rather than doing perfunctory, ineffective or thoughtless critical reflections (or 'reality checks') just because you are trying to fulfil your daily quota. 

Perform critical reflections spontaneously throughout the waking day, but also when you feel strong emotions or unusual events occur. If you see anything in your waking reality which reminds you of a dream (for example, you have recurrent dreams about pink roses), then perform critical reflection when you see this dream symbol or experience a dream-like event, in your waking reality.

Consider your dreams when awake - and note your recurrent dream events or symbols. Recognising dreamsign-type events (i.e. events which happen in your dreams which are impossible in waking reality) is helpful. Visualise yourself in your dream - either a specifically selected dream (such as a flying dream) or using the dream you had the previous night. Use your mind's eye to position yourself in the dream and imagine how your senses would respond to being in this dream (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, temperature, touch and textures etc). Once you have visualised yourself in the dream, imagine performing critical reflection as if you are really dreaming. Think about how you know you are in a (visualised) dream - i.e. the bizarreness of the situation and any dreamsigns which indicate you are dreaming. Tell yourself that you must be dreaming. 

Choose one activity which you will use as your intention, for example, looking at your hands. This activity is best when it requires a physical action. If you have chosen a simple physical action to perform as part of the critical reflection method you could use this for the intention method also. You will need to use a different (physical) action for intention if you are performing a mental activity for critical reflection. Set the clear intention to perform this activity (i.e. looking at your hands) next time you are in a dream. You can use visualisation as a tool to help you set the intention - imagine yourself in a dream, imagine yourself using critical reflection to become aware you are dreaming and then imagine yourself performing the intended action. If you have performed this action in a previous dream and seen odd or unexpected results (such as seeing your hands distorted or with extra fingers etc), also visualise this happening again. Perform the intention exercise frequently during the waking day.

Select a simple phrase to use for auto-suggestion - a single sentence such as: 'I will become lucid in my next dream' will suffice. Relax and passively repeat the auto-suggestion phrase over and over, not using mental will-power or any form of controlled thought. The essence of auto-suggestion here is to simple drill the phrase into your subconscious mind without thinking too deeply about it. Perform auto-suggestion for short periods (1 - 2 minutes each time is fine) as often as possible, but in particular, just before you fall asleep or if you awaken during the night.


Additional points to remember:

• Like the MILD Technique, Tholey's Combined Technique is not a 'quick fix' lucid dream induction method and needs to be practiced frequently throughout the waking day to (a) create the lucid mindset and (b) encourage the waking activities (critical reflection and intentions) to become strong habits which then shift into the dream state. 

Linked posts: 

Lucid Dream Tutorials - The MILD Technique (Lucid Dreaming for Beginners Tutorial Series)

Lucid Dream Tutorials - Dream Journals, Dreamsigns & Reality Checks (Lucid Dreaming for Beginners Tutorial Series)

Lucid Dream Tutorials - Common Lucid Dreaming Mistakes (Lucid Dreaming for Beginners Tutorial Series)

Tallulah La Ghash Lucid Dreaming for Beginners Tutorial Series Homepage 

Dream 449

'Avocados & Queues'

Dream date: 30 May 2015

I was in a supermarket, reaching up to a shelf which was slightly above my head. I was choosing avocados, trying to find the ripest ones. The skin on some of the avocados was removed and the flesh was getting all over my hands, but this was not strange to me in the dream. The avocados were quite a lot bigger than the typical ones we buy in UK supermarkets.

There was a scene with my cousin HM, and my mum's friend, CC. I cannot recall what was happening, but I was jealous of my cousin, HM for some reason. There was a small white object involved.

I was then in a school or some other learning environment. The class was made up of various people known to me - some of them from high school, some from university etc, as well as random dream characters. I walked out of the school and found myself in a rainy environment at night. It looked like a parking lot or some other industrial area in a city, and was near a concrete subway/underpass. I saw some people walk into the underpass and wondered where I had seen this before (so my dream mind seemed to be searching for a real-life waking memory perhaps). I stood outside for a moment, thinking, and then thought I had better go back inside. As I entered the school/learning establishment again, it felt like the location - which was a school hall - was a composite of my primary school hall (the doorway to the left of the 'stage') and Congregation Hall in my university - which is used for examinations and also graduation ceremonies, and has a main room with a stage in it also. The stage was carved out of dark brown wood in my dream. 

The other students were all assembled in lines - according to the colour of uniforms they were wearing. All the uniforms were the same - a baseball cap, a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of trousers, but the colours were: black, blue, red, green. I realised I had gone outside to decide what colour my uniform was (although, when outside I hadn't actually even been aware I was wearing a uniform; never thought about colours or decisions about colours; and wasn't even aware we were going to be lining up according to the colour of our uniforms anyway. The reason for me going outside was therefore not only given to me in retrospect, but was also inaccurate. I couldn't quite tell if my uniform was black or blue (the blue was a slightly grey shade), but I then realised it was black and I joined the queue of people in the black uniforms. We were handed a form to complete. Everyone started to leave the hall, but I decided that I should fill the form in while there, and then submit it. I went to a windowsill to lean on, and started to fill out the form, but there was a section I did not understand. 

I walked out of the hall and went past the male toilets, which were just opposite, across the corridor. In the doorway of the toilets was PR, a boy I went to school with, and some who is incredibly unattractive to me. He was the first boy who ever kissed me (when I was 13 years old) and I did not enjoy the experience. It happened in a dark cupboard during a game at my friend's birthday party. PR said something to me and I realised I did not want to stop and speak to him. 

I decided to get help in completing my form, and saw the teacher of the class was standing at a desk in the middle of the hall I had just left. I went back in and approached her. She was eating a large sandwich in what looked like a massive burger bun - the bread was covered in sesame seeds and there was salad inside, which I saw when she put the sandwich down on the desk, which was covered in paperwork. I realised it was Mary Berry, the television presenter and baking expert. I asked her how to fill out the remaining section on the form. She took the form off me, bent it slightly (it was several pages long and white, black and orange in colour - I saw this now). The question was on page 2 of the form, and looked like a question with a box for an answer. However, as soon as Mary Berry started to explain what I needed to do, it looked like a very fuzzy, grainy printed black and white image. She pointed at the image and said: 'When you get home, take a fine tooth comb and try and find the hidden message'. She demonstrated this, by running her finger slowly and methodically over the image - as if checking it carefully bit-by-bit. 

I took the form from her and walked away, feeling the burden of having to complete it. I wondered if I should go out that night, or go home and sort out the form. I wondered if I could be bothered to get dressed up for a night out. I also wondered if there would be anything to do on a Thursday night (I knew at this point of the dream that I was actually in Sheringham).

There was a scene in my nan's house with my mum (evening/night still) - it may have involved the form being completed, but I cannot remember any details about this dream scene.

TIME: 01:00 - 10:00 hours (I do not know when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: No

SPECIAL NOTES: I smoked some cannabis shortly before I went to sleep

Dreamsigns:

• The school hall was a composite of two halls in a previous and a current learning establishment (IA - Inner Awareness/F - Form)
• Mary Berry was my teacher (C - Context)
• The realisation I was in Sheringham was contradicted by the fact that I saw a subway/underpass in the dream scene - there are none in Sheringham. The subway/underpass reminded me of one that is in Norwich on St Stephen's Street (IA - Inner Awareness/F - Form)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• Classroom or learning institution

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• The day of this dream I mentioned avocados, and the day after this dream, I bought avocados as the dream left me with a craving for some.
• The day before this dream I had thought that I very rarely ever dream of rain or bad weather - mostly my dreams are sunny daylight or dark - with some daylight dreams where the sky is grey and overcast. I cannot recall the last dream I had where there was heavy rain. The day of this dream I also asked DL if he had ever had a dream in which it was raining - he said he had. 
• The friend (NN) whose birthday party I went to - where PR kissed me in the cupboard - came up in conversation between me and my mum the day before this dream.
• The day before this dream I was watching television and heard the voiceover announce that Mary Berry would be a guest star on a forthcoming TV show.
• The day before this dream DL and I had been discussing what you could use for a burger bun in a no-carb challenge - inspired by a task set on Masterchef Australia.
• Shortly before I went to sleep and had this dream, my friend LD2 called me and tried to persuade me to go out clubbing in a gay bar he and my other friends were drinking in. I was far too tired to go out and it was already very late.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I did not have any strong waking thoughts or emotions, other than a sense that the dream scenes involving the school were weird because my memory and reasoning seemed quite weird - instead of there being much action in this dream (there was very little), the overwhelming feeling was that I spent a lot of the dream in thought or trying to remember something (I woke up 'remembering' that I was trying to access my waking memory in the dream, but I am not sure how this would have been experienced in the actual dream). 

The only way I can describe this is the (imagined, rather than scientifically accurate) concept of having two memory systems (one in waking life, one in dreams) which act independently of one another, but can be accessed in either state (so when awake, I can remember my dreams, and when in a dream, I can access my waking memories - particularly as a lucid dreamer). However, in this situation it feels like information was flowing between both memory systems while in the dream state - and after waking - making me confused as to where each memory came from (my waking reality, or the dream reality) and whether it was a 'real' or 'dream' memory. I think this is the result of being a lucid dreamer and training myself to question the reality of dreams by enhancing my cognitive and 'fact-checking' skills whilst in the dream state (an important part of learning how to do DILDS - dream initiated/induced lucid dreams). 

The phrase: 'When you get home, take a fine tooth comb and try and find the hidden message' really stands out from this dream. I wonder if it is a message from the subconscious linked specifically to dreaming? I had a discussion about dream interpretation a few days before this dream and had outlined the approach I take, which is Freudian and based on subjective subconscious associations between waking memories, thoughts, feelings and experiences which are symbolised within the dream narrative.

* I have forgotten various parts of this dream. If I recall them, I will record them below.

Dream 448

'Building Society Suicides & Dusty Clarinets'

Dream date: 28 May 2015

I was looking at a series of images - or perhaps in the actual dream scene, but as a passive observer, this was unclear. In every instance, I was positioned in front of - or looking at - a window. From the view outside the window, it was obvious I was in - or looking at an image of - the interior (a sort of hallway) in a very tall building. In every image - or location - I was looking at a photograph of/standing a few metres away from the window, which had different views in each instance. The window was at the end of a corridor/hallway, which was quite narrow and plain - with no decoration. The window was smallish (i.e. not floor-to-ceiling) and in some cases had an arch at the top and white frames.

To the right of the window, was a door (closed) next to which a man in a business suit and a couple of dream characters (a male and female) were standing. I think there were other doors leading off from this corridor/hallway. The building I was looking at (or standing in) was always a building society and I was aware that there had been a number of 'building society suicides' - where customers/clients of the building society (the dream character couple) had jumped from the window of the building and fallen from a great height. This was a phenomenon which was under investigation. The final image I saw (I saw about 5 or 6 different versions of the same scene, with little differentiation other than the clothes of the dream characters, the colour of the carpet in the building society and the shape of/view from the window) looked like a drawing - the kind you get in leaflets or textbooks, so devoid of stylistic detail and drawn simply, yet realistically. The male in the business suit was standing as usual, to the left of the window, which was a short distance away from my perspective of events. The dream character couple were dressed smartly - the woman was wearing a white blouse and a long yellow skirt. The interior of the building society had a very 1970s institutional feel - the carpet was beige. Out of the window, I could see other tall buildings, which were white stone and derelict - crumbling and falling into disrepair. I was aware that I was looking at an image - or present in - my 'Dream Town'. I then saw the outside of the building, which was also very institutional-looking and situated in a street in a 'rough part' of the 'Dream Town' city area. I wondered why the town planners would put a building society in such a run-down part of the city.

I was then in a room which resembled (only slightly) my primary school  cafeteria. An orchestra was practicing. I was sitting at the side of the orchestra, holding a clarinet. I was supposed to be standing in for one of the clarinet players who was unable to perform that evening. However, I had no idea how to play the clarinet or where to place my fingers to make notes. I realised that my right hand was on the first set of air holes, but there were two more sets, and I was not sure whether to use my right or left hand for these. I blew into the clarinet and made a tuneless noise. I kept trying different combinations of fingers on air holes, trying to make tuneful noises, but I could not work out how to play and I was losing interest in trying. There was an unrecalled dream character (a friend in the dream sitting next to me) and I was complaining about being expected to play the clarinet. This dream character told me: 'This isn't an orchestra, because anyone is allowed to buy tickets to come and watch.' I asked what this meant and (s)he said: 'A concert is open to everyone, but an orchestra is only for the elite'. This seemed to make sense to me. I looked at an older male clarinet player who was sitting with the rest of the orchestra. His clarinet was really dusty. My mum - who I saw sitting at a long table a short distance away, watching the rehearsal came over to speak to me. I said: 'I don't want to play the clarinet!' She told me that if I didn't want to, then no-one could force me. I then also said (pointing at the male clarinet player): 'His clarinet is too dusty for him to be a professional!' I wondered where the conductor of the orchestra was - and then saw him in my mind's eye - the conductor was a pink carrot-shaped object, wrapped in plasters (band aids). I felt relieved to know there was a conductor present.

TIME: 22:30 - 03:00 hours (I woke up from this dream)

LUCIDITY: None

SPECIAL NOTES: I smoked cannabis several hours before I went to sleep

Dreamsigns:

• I seemed to be present in the dream scene or looking at photographs/drawings - my perspective and participation was unclear. The fact I also saw 5 - 6 images or scenes which were all similar and depicted the strange phenomenon of 'building society suicide' was also a clue that I was dreaming (IA - Inner Awareness/F - Form)
• I was in/saw my 'Dream Town' (IA - Inner Awareness/C - Context)
• I cannot read music or play musical instruments (IA - Inner Awareness)
• The 'conductor' of the orchestra was an impossible object (A - Action/F - Form/C - Context)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• Looking out of a window of a building and realising from the view that I am actually in my 'Dream Town'!

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• The day before this dream, DL and I had discussed building societies.
• The day before this dream DL and I had discussed a contestant on a cookery contest (Masterchef Australia, season 2) who was a professional musician in an orchestra.
• The day of this dream I saw a photograph of an injured dog with  pink plasters (band aids) on it's front leg.
• The day before this dream I had been walking (or running!) through the city with DL (see *Recalled Dream Scene, below). To briefly explain the context, I had gone into the city before I was due to start work (from home) because I needed to meet my friend, JD. DL had previously left me with some cash which was owed to JD because it was likely I would see JD before DL would. JD had told me he would try and get a lift to my house, but was unable to do so, so I agreed to go into the city quickly before my shift, as I also wanted to retrieve an item JD had on his person and I had asked him to let me have. I saw JD and as I was running for the ATM (as I didn't have enough money on me to pay for my bus ride home), I rang DL to tell him that I had paid JD the owed money. DL asked where I was and I said I was in a rush and couldn't stop to wait for him to leave work and meet me - at that point, I then saw DL a very short distance from me, walking through the city. We were in the location which appeared in the dream scene - Gentleman's Walk/market area of the city. DL said he would join me and come on the bus to my house, so I asked him if he could pay for my bus fare (which he did) as I had only taken the enough money for a one-way ticket and to pay what was owed to JD. 'Food' is an old form of street-slang for cannabis. DL and I had discussed wanting to buy some cannabis prior to attending a forthcoming festival. This conversation took place while we were waiting for the bus.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream was short and weird, but did not inspire any particular waking thoughts or emotions, other than a recognition that I had seen another part of my 'Dream Town' which is always a positive dream experience.

* I'm not sure if I have recalled everything about this dream, but if I remember anything else, I will record it below.

* Recalled Dream Scene (31 May 2015, 19:10 hours)
I was with DL - we were somewhere in Norwich city - I think it was on Gentleman's Walk, near the market, walking. It was daylight and sunny. He said to me: 'You still owe me money for buying food' and I agreed that I did and would pay him back.
Memory Trigger: It wasn't that I 'forgot' this dream scene, it was more like it seemed so natural and realistic that the memory of it happening seemed to be a 'real-life' waking memory rather than a dream one, and I forgot to include it in the dream report because it did not seem to be part of a dream. However, I was in my room, about to run a bath and I 'remembered' the conversation about owed money with DL and how I needed to pay him back when I received some cash from my family during the week. The 'memory' of the conversation seemed to be from a weekend day, and at weekends I eat dinner with DL, so the reference to food was also 'realistic' (even though DL would never ask me to pay him back for food he has bought/cooked for us and vice versa, since we take it in turns to make dinner for one another a couple of times a week). I then questioned why I would actually owe DL money for food - and this led me to realise that the 'memory' was from the dream, not reality! I was also able to determine that it definitely didn't happen in real-life as I had seen him in the city the day before when I had gone to meet my friend JD and we had engaged in a completely different conversation about money and also cannabis (the street-slang for this being 'food' - although we do not personally use this phrase in relation to cannabis) - see Potential Day/Dream Residue, above.

Dream 447

'Gas Attacks for Kidnap & Blue Wardrobes'

Dream date: 27 May 2015

I was in an interior environment. It was a domestic house, which was brightly lit (see diagram). The main room was a kitchen/lounge area with a counter in the middle of the room. I am not sure what the other furniture in the room was, but to the left of the room was a doorway which led to a long, narrow hallway. Coming off this hallway was a number of doors to other (unexplored) rooms, and at the far end, the front door to the house. Standing in the middle of the floor, halfway down the hall was a blue decorative wardrobe. I looked in the wardrobe and saw it was filled with my possessions. I went into the kitchen, where my mum was sitting at the kitchen counter. We had a conversation where it was indicated that there was a man who intended to hurt us in some way by a 'gas attack'. He was driving up and down a road looking for us, because apparently we had 'kidnapped' his baby daughter to save her from his neglect and ill-treatment (like child protective services) and he was seeking revenge. I then left the house and found it was daylight outside. I found myself on a long, straight, sandy coloured road, with grass and pavement on either side. The sun was shining. There was nothing else apart from the road, the pavement and the grass. I started walking down the road, realising that the revengeful father was driving around looking for me. Suddenly, I saw a pale blue car approach me. The driver leaned out of the window of the car and held out a balloon, which was how he planned to 'attack me with gas'. I cannot recall what this male dream character looked like, other than he was white, middle-aged and was smiling at me in a creepy way. I then found myself back in the house from the earlier dream scene. 

Back at the house, I noticed that the blue wardrobe had disappeared. I found out that my mum had got rid of it, but she told me that she had taken my possessions out of it first. I was annoyed that she had got rid of my wardrobe without asking me first. She said that it was her who had given me the wardrobe in the first place. I said: 'But if it was a lipstick, or a dress or a book you gave me, you wouldn't have the right to take it back and get rid of it. A wardrobe is no different - it is still an object which belongs to me!' I then thought (in the dream): 'Wow, that argument sounded really convincing, that sounds like something I would say in waking reality. I must have access to my waking mind in the dream!' I woke up before I could become fully lucid.

TIME: 22:00 - 04:00 hours (I woke up from this dream)

LUCIDITY: Pre-lucid or semi-lucid - Starting to question the fact I am in a dream without becoming fully aware/conscious of the fact I definitely am dreaming. I still accepted the dream as 'reality'.

SPECIAL NOTES: I smoked cannabis several hours before I went to sleep. Dream recall not as clear as usual.

Dreamsigns:

• The 'gas attack' was an attack involving a balloon (A - Action/F - Form)
• My mum and I had rescued a neglected baby (C - Context)
• I moved between dream scenes without travelling (A - Action)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• The colour blue

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• The day of this dream I had read an online news article which referred to child protective services in America.
• The day of this dream I watched a space documentary about the 'gas giant' planets in our solar system (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I enjoyed this dream despite the fact that nothing positive happened in it - because I woke up in a good mood after experiencing it. There were no specific waking thoughts or emotions associated directly with the dream contents or symbolism, however. The dream did not feel scary or threatening in any way, despite the knowledge that a dream character was seeking revenge and planned to harm me with the 'gas attack'. It seemed futile on his part and I managed to escape easily. The fact I was pre/semi lucid in this dream is interesting - clearly I was using my waking cognition in some way - and able to recognise this in the dream (i.e. feeling proud that I formulated an argument which would be logical and persuasive in my waking reality) but I was unable to become fully lucid before waking up.

* I may have forgotten some aspects of this dream, but if I recall anything else, I will record it below.

Dream 446

'Photographing Annoying Twins'

Dream date: 26 May 2015

I was in an interior environment, which was not my own home or one which looked familiar to me. It was a darkish room with white walls on three sides, and one of which looked like the windows of a conservatory, facing a garden or some other outside location (as seen through the window). There were items of furniture in the room, but none that I can recall. I was using my mobile phone to speak to my nan. At first, she was chatting normally to me, asking me how I was and telling me about her day and then she became silent and I could sense she was in a bad mood, suddenly and inexplicably. I kept asking her what was wrong and she wouldn't tell me, she was just grunting or mumbling, which was making me annoyed and frustrated. I eventually said to her: 'Just tell me what's wrong!' and she said: '[Name not heard] has been diagnosed with cancer'. I asked her who, but every time she said the name, the phone line crackled or cut out a bit and I could not hear, which made me feel anxious. 

The dream scene changed and I was with my ex-boyfriend from many years ago, SL. He was showing me a photograph of his mum (who I have met) and his maternal grandmother (who may not even be alive in real-life, but in any event lived in Sri Lanka) - his mum and grandmother both looked very young - in fact younger than the age SL and I are both now. The looked like sisters, and his mum had long hair (she has short hair in real-life) and lots of makeup on (she does not wear any/much makeup at all). I then realised I was with PS (my more recent ex-boyfriend, who is half-Indian, whereas SL is full British Sri Lankan) and the photograph was actually showing two members of his family. CJS then entered the dream scene, although I cannot recall what happened.

There was then a vague scene which was outside - it was dark and wet and confusing as to what was going on. I had some kind of task, which involved travelling/moving, but it seemed like a lot of hassle and effort. 

I was then in a bedroom with two identical twin girls. It was dark in the room. They looked exactly like young versions of 'Jimmy Krankie' (Janette Tough) and were dressed in the same white outfits. I had to (as part of an assignment) take photographs of the twins, holding a teddy bear. However Twin 1 was really difficult and refused to pose for the photographs or cooperate. I decided to take photographs of Twin 2 who was more compliant and friendly. She sat on the bed, held the teddy bear and posed for the photographs (smiling). As soon as I was finished, Twin 1 decided to be more cooperative and begged me to take her photograph now, as she wanted to take part now her sister had done so. I refused to take her photograph as she had annoyed me by wasting time. 

I cannot recall what else happened.

TIME: 05:00 - 13:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: No

SPECIAL NOTES: None of note

Dreamsigns:

• The photograph showing SL's family was then a photograph showing PS's family (IA - Inner Awareness/C - Context)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• My nan, PS & CJS as dream characters

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

None of note

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I did not have any specific waking thoughts or emotions from this dream.

* I have forgotten various elements of this dream, but if I recall them, I will record them below.

Dream 445

'RBA Visits my Lucid Dream' - Lucid Dream

Dream date: 24 May 2015 (Afternoon Nap)

I woke up. This was a false awakening, but at first I was not aware and thought I was really awake. My room appeared to be normal - as it should be in real-life. I was then aware that there was a scratching noise under my bed. I looked towards the bottom of the wall opposite my bed (the part of the wall visible from under my desk) and saw the shadow of a mouse/rat on the wall - about double the size of an actual rat. It was also dark in my room, although I did not notice that this should have been a dreamsign to indicate I was still asleep - I had set an alarm clock in real-life to wake me up at 19:00 hours, which would still be daylight as it is summer. My alarm had not yet awoken me, so in real-life, it was before 19:00 hours and therefore should have been perfectly light in my room. I was annoyed as I thought that my room might be infested with vermin and I would have to call out the university maintenance team to deal with this, which would be a disruption. I saw myself (in my mind's eye) having to move the furniture in my room around. I then fell back into a normal sleep again, and woke up - this time I think I was really awake, as I looked towards my laptop and saw that the same TV show I had been watching online (and paused halfway through) before I took a nap was still showing on the screen. It was also daylight, as I expected it to be. 

I must have fallen asleep and then woken up again - this time in another false awakening. I could tell it was probably a false awakening as I had visual hallucinations, indicating that I was in the hypnagogic state. I could see white cartoon stars being fired from a white cartoon gun (a revolver) in front of my face - as if this was happening in my room. It was also dark again - which alerted me to the fact I was dreaming. I was not suffering from sleep paralysis and could move quite easily at this point. I performed a reality check (trying to push fingers of one hand through the palm of the other) - however, the palm of my left hand was actually located on my left shoulder - indicating that I was dreaming! My fingers went straight through the flesh of my shoulder. I was now fully lucid and decided to get out of bed and leave my room - to explore the lucid dream. However, although I could move all parts of my body, I could not get out of bed. The duvet was tangled around me, restricting me and my legs would not move in the direction I wanted them to, so I found myself balanced precariously on the edge of the bed, wobbling and teetering, not able to put my feet on the floor.

I was then aware that there was someone outside the door to my bedroom, waiting to come in. I decided to bring a friend (who I have not seen in person for ages in real-life) into my dream so I could chat to him 'in person' (i.e. in dream character form). I started to call out his name ('RBA') and was really pleased to see him enter my room - indicating I had good dream control! RBA came over to where I was sitting at the top end of my bed, standing next to me. At first, when I looked, he disappeared, but when I said his name again, I could see him clearly, as if he were a 3-dimensional person. He appeared as he does in real-life and was wearing a white T-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms. I said to him: 'Say something in your accent' (he has a Scottish accent) and he replied: 'You want me to talk dirty to you?' He then got his penis out - it was massive (I have no idea what size his actual penis is in real-life). He had a condom in his hand and said: 'The production line doesn't make them big enough'. I thought he was about to try and have sex with me, but instead, he took me by the hand (I assume he pulled his trousers back up, as he was now fully dressed again) and led me out of my room. I found that we were in a hallway - now brightly lit, and clearly in a residential building - it looked like the upstairs of a house, with a blue carpet, white walls and a staircase going down to our left. To the right were several doors leading to bedrooms. 

I noticed that this lucid dream was incredibly clear, vivid and stable. There was no sign that I was close to waking and I felt in complete  control of the lucid dream, which is odd because often at this point I start to lose lucidity or wake prematurely. I felt anchored in the dream and thought that it would continue uninterrupted, although just to be sure, I decided to perform a lucid dream stabilisation technique (rubbing my hands together). RBA led me into the closest bedroom. Just as we entered, a female dream character came to the doorway - this was her room. However, she just stood there looking at us and then said: 'I'm going to go now'. I realised at this point that the room was the same bedroom as in a previous dream from March 2015 - Dream 391 - 'Treelands'). In this previous dream, this bedroom had belonged to Melanie Sykes' (dream) daughter. The bedroom looked exactly the same as I remembered it from the 'Treelands' dream, except I noticed that there was a window opposite the doorway and in front of the window was a wide ledge (like an extra-wide windowsill or window-seat) and a sofa. RBA was leaning on the windowsill/seat. I came next to him and knelt on the sofa to see what he was doing. He was rolling two cannabis joints - one with a red paper and one with a blue. He said: 'One for the lady, one for the man' (meaning me and him). He was also holding some items of makeup, which included a blue eyeliner pencil and a white eyeliner pencil. He was using the white eyeliner pencil to draw small marks on the joints. I looked out of the window and saw it was night-time and completely dark. I could see the moon, but nothing of the outside environment as everything was black, The window was square, but leaded - made up of lots of smaller sections, like many old-fashioned windows are.

RBA then walked across the room and summonsed for me to join him. We walked back out into the hallway and RBA said we should smoke the joints here. I said: 'No, we can't smoke inside, we should walk to the lake' (I meant the lake at my university, although I previously assumed 'Treelands' was based in Sheringham, not Norwich). I then realised how stupid this comment was, because theoretically, this was my dream and I could control it in a way which meant we were allowed to smoke inside the house. However, I thought that walking to the lake might make the lucid dream more interesting and a change of scenery would be positive as so far this was quite a realistic and uneventful lucid dream considering I has full awareness, stability and control. RBA refused to walk to the lake in the dark and said he wanted to smoke indoors, but I was still trying to persuade him to go outside with me.

My alarm clock woke me up.

TIME: 17:30 - 19:00 hours (I woke up from this dream)

LUCIDITY: YES - full lucidity - lasting for 10 - 15 minutes

SPECIAL NOTES: Possible REM rebound effect from cannabis withdrawal

Dreamsigns:

• There is no way the shadow of a mouse/rat or anything else could superimpose itself on my wall in the way it did - there was no light source to create such a shadow (IA - Inner Awareness/A - Action/F - Form/C - Context)
• It was dark in my room at various points in my false awakenings, which should have indicated that I was dreaming because from the point at which I took my nap to the time at which my alarm clock was set to wake me up properly, it would still be broad daylight (IA - Inner Awareness/F - Form)
• Visual hallucinations in the hypnagogic state (IA - Inner Awareness/A - Action/F - Form/C - Context)
• My left palm of my hand was located on my left shoulder when performing a reality check (A - Action/F - Form)
• I could not move my body the way I wanted to (A - Action)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• The 'Treelands' Building
• Cannabis

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I accidentally kicked a hole in my wall (while waking up!) just above where I saw the shadow of the mouse/rat. The reason my bed and desk were moved around - i.e. the locations swapped - was because I did not want to make the hole worse by sleeping next to it. I moved the furniture in preparation for the maintenance worker(s) to be able to access it easily when they come to repair it, as it is easier to move the desk away from the wall than having to move my bed. 
• I spoke to RBA a few days before this dream which probably influenced my decision to bring him into this lucid dream. I also wanted to see if he looked as I know him to appear in real-life (i.e. test how accurate my 'dream character' version of him was!)
• The day before this dream I had used a white eyeliner pencil on my lower waterline to brighten and accentuate my eyes.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I really loved this dream because I had full lucidity, good dream control and the dream was perfectly stabilised with no effort from myself. In fact, it felt like the perfect lucid dream scenario. However, I feel I wasted it by not trying to control it more or make it a more interesting experience - nothing exciting took place in the dream narrative after I successfully brought RBA into my dream and we left my bedroom, although finding ourselves in the 'Treelands' building was amazing and I wish we would have taken time to explore this, rather than having a pointless debate about smoking inside or walking to the lake. Next time I find myself in a fuly-lucid, controllable dream I won't act in such a boring, real-life way and will attempt to make the dream more fantastical or imaginative!

Dream 444

'GJ's Visit'

Dream date: 24 May 2015

I was in a classroom and was working on a project with SF - a friend from my former high school. There were other students (dream characters or former classmates - I did not pay much attention to them) sitting around the desk with us. SF was explaining the project to me and it appeared that she knew more than I did as I could not grasp the basics of what we had to do. SF was sketching out a diagram in pencil - which involved an image of a female child. I felt bored and could not understand the relevance of the diagram. SF was getting frustrated with me because I was not helping her and she was doing all the work. 

I was then aware that GJ (a friend I met through PS, my ex-boyfriend) was coming to visit me (this would not happen in real-life). GJ came into the classroom and I asked the teacher (a female) if it was OK for him to sit in and wait for the class to end. She said that he would stay for a few minutes. SF was still trying to involve me in the project - and was still drawing pencil diagrams. I did not feel that my input was helpful and I could see that GJ was leaning back in his chair and drawing attention to himself, so may well get thrown out of the classroom for outstaying his welcome. Rather than annoy the teacher or my classmates, I decided to leave the class early with GJ. I told SF that she was better off doing the project without me and she agreed.

GJ and I went outside and I found that we were in my 'Dream Town' (a town which creates a sense of dream deja vu even though I cannot recall it being an actual place I have visited in real-life - it is a recurrent dream scene location). We were in the city part of the Dream Town - standing outside some tall, derelict-looking buildings. The windows looked like brightly-lit white squares and there were some posters and signs fly-posted on the brick exterior of the building. It was daylight, but the sky was grey and stormy-looking. GJ and I were trying to get hold of some cannabis - GJ was texting someone from his mobile phone. He showed me the screen and on it was a black and white sketchy-looking diagram. I am not sure what it was - but in the dream it was a text asking someone to sell us some cannabis. GJ and I were also making plans to travel to my nan's house in Sheringham, where we were staying during his visit. 

TIME: 01:00 - 09:00 hours (I woke up from this dream)

LUCIDITY: None

SPECIAL NOTES: Possible REM rebound effect from cannabis smoking prior to this dream

Dreamsigns:

• A text message appeared as a strange diagram on the phone screen (F - Form)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• Being in a classroom/learning environment
• My Dream Town
• Cannabis

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• The day of this dream a friend of a Facebook friend sent me a friend request. From his profile picture he looked a lot like GJ (both have Italian family roots also) - who also looks a little like a younger Dave Grohl from Nirvana/Foo Fighters. Foo Fighters were on the line-up for the BBC Radio One Big Weekend, which took place over the weekend this dream occurred - on my university campus (next to my Law School).

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream was neither positive nor negative, but I did enjoy it.

* I may have forgotten some elements of this dream, but if I recall them, I will record them below.

Dream 443

'Will the Real Mrs Slim Shady Please Stand Up?!'

Dream date: 23 May 2015

I was married to Eminem (Marshall Mathers) and our relationship was a very happy one. I am not sure where we were living, but I assume that it was in the UK - and perhaps in Norfolk, as my family appeared in the dream. We had two (newborn) children - both sons. One of them (the 'favourite') was named 'Cobain' and he was healthy and thriving. The other son - who I assume was a twin - was badly deformed. We decided to call him 'The Child' instead of giving him a proper name. However 'Child' was spelled 'Khild'. He had a normal mouth, but inside that mouth was another smaller one, with strange teeth which protruded at an outward angle. This was reminiscent of the appearance of the aliens from the Alien movie franchise (1979 - onwards).  'The Khild' was sickly and Eminem was ashamed of him. I didn't really like him much either, although I had sympathy for him and felt guilty about favouring Cobain. 

Eminem was on tour, so I was left with our sons in a house which was quite dark and not familiar - although in the dream it was our family home. It was quite modest - a normal house. We were in the kitchen. My mum and my nan were there with me, helping me to look after the children, who were now a little older (pre-school age). Cobain was sitting at the table, with a book. 'The Khild' was sitting on top of the table, and my nan was trying to feed him, which was difficult, given he had a mouth within a mouth. He kept biting the spoon with the second mouth rather than eating the food. He then picked up a copy of his father's (Eminem's) latest album (in CD format - this was just an album in the dream, not an actual album released by the real-life Eminem). He was really proud to be the son of a famous hip hop artist and he was trying to rap along to the tracks as they played on a stereo, but due to his deformity, he also had a severe speech disorder and the words were all a big jumbled mess which did not make any sense. I felt very sorry for him. I got the sense that he was seeking acceptance and love from his distant father and that it was pointless because in Eminem's eyes he would never be the 'perfect son'.

I went out of the house - leaving the children with my family. I was going to meet Eminem as he arrived back home from tour. I walked down a surburban street lined with normal houses - it looked like an area of Norwich (see image - this may in fact be the dream scene location, as it was incredibly similar as I recall it). The sun was shining brightly. There was a bus (tour bus) at the end of the street and many people (dream characters) crowded around, to get a glimpse of a major celebrity (Eminem). I looked at the front of a house (not anything out of the ordinary - just a normal house in the row of similar ones - although I recall looking at it intently) and wondered if Eminem ever missed being married to Kim (his ex-wife with whom he has a daughter, Hailie).

Eminem started walking towards me, wearing a white hoodie. I was aware that his mental health might suffer if he had to go home to 'The Khild' and therefore wanted to keep him away from the house for a bit so he could relax and enjoy himself. He came up to me, carrying a huge kebab as a gift - I thought this was sweet and romantic. We hugged and kissed.

TIME: 04:00 - 09:30 hours (I woke up from this dream)

LUCIDITY: None

SPECIAL NOTES: None of note

Dreamsigns:

• I was married to Eminem and we had two sons (C - Context)
• The 'deformed' son could not be born with the physical characteristics (a mouth within a mouth) (F - Form/C - Context)
• The children aged without any time seeming to pass (IA - Inner Awareness/A - Action/C- Context)

Recurrent Dream Themes:
None of note

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• The day of this dream I had seen many hip hop fans commenting on an online poll which had declared that Eminem was rated as the 'best MC' in a contest which paired him against some older, more 'revered' hip hop artists (considered to be founders of the genre'). Many people voiced the opinion that Eminem is not a serious artist and was a populist choice.
• The day of this dream I had been dancing (twerking) to an Eminem track 'Ass Like That' from the album Encore (2004).
• Recently I had said on a number of occasions that I really like the name 'Cobain' for a boy - in honour of Kurt Cobain.
• The day of this dream I had explained a theory which suggests that 'dream speech' is similar to speech aphasias experienced by persons with schizophrenia. 

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I was soo happy in my marriage to Eminem - he was the perfect husband. However, this dream left me feeling guilty and ashamed of the way we treated (or viewed) our deformed son. I would never discriminate against the disabled and would like to think I would never treat a deformed/disabled child differently from an able-bodied one, or feel any negativity or shame towards them as a result of their condition. Therefore, while I enjoyed this dream (because Eminem was so sexy in it!) it did make me feel immoral and cruel to prioritise my husband over my child's needs.

Childhood Lucid Dream with Recurrent Dream Theme

In a previous post (Dream 420 - click on the title link) that I used to have recurrent nightmares about the feral cats in my nan's back garden in Sheringham, despite the fact that as a child I used to always wish I could make them my pets and wasn't scared of them in real-life. They still live in the garden, in the bushes at the top (my nan lives near a forest area) and my nan feeds them. Some of them are born deformed - they have ears or tails missing and many of them are quite weak or sickly. I think that the entire time my nan has lived in that house she has been pestered by her own children and grandchildren to keep some of the cats in the house as proper pets, even though this was out of the question. I know my nan has taken some of the cats brought into the house by various children of the family to a local 'cat woman' to care for, rather than putting them back out into the wild to fend for themselves.

I had a dream - which I would describe as my first remembered 'natural' lucid dream when I was still living in my nan's house with my mum (I do still live in that house when not at university, but my mum moved out when I was 10 years old and I lived between her home with my stepdad and my nan's house for most of my childhood after that). I therefore can only state that this dream happened before I was 10 years old. I would also describe this dream as more of a 'nightmare' since the dream itself was terrifying and I woke up feeling very unsettled by it. I may have also been disturbed by the fact I became lucid in this dream and did not fully understand the experience. The impact this dream/nightmare had on me has been etched on my memory, making it a significant dream experience.

In the dream I was in my nan's garden and it was night - although I was able to see everything quite well - as if it were actually dusk. The garden was filled with feral cats - all prowling around the bushes and walking through the grass. 

I could see that there was a coat stand in the garden, with coats on it (in real-life my nan has a row of coat pegs in her hallway, not an actual coat stand - although one may have existed in the house when I was a small child). The coat stand was near the back of the brick shed. 

I felt really scared to be out in the garden at night with the cats - there was a sense of threat which I could not fully comprehend. The cats miaowing made me feel even more threatened and scared - I was trapped in the garden with them. 

I was then able to see over the (nearly 6 foot high) hedge into the next-door neighbour's garden - it seemed as if I was looking down on the scene, even though I was still standing on the ground. Instead of seeing their garden, I could see the interior of my nan's house - as if the walls had been cut away and I was able to look in, like through the front of a doll's house. The lights were on and the fire (an actual open fireplace) was blazing. It looked warm and cosy inside and I could see my mum, my nan and other family members sitting in the lounge talking to each other and continuing with normal life. I felt isolated from this domestic scene - as if I had been left out in the cold with the feral cats and forgotten about. I wasn't sure how I could get back inside the house - it seemed impossible. I then started questioning how I could see into the house in this way - from that angle and in that direction (the neighbour's garden) - I then realised I was dreaming - therefore the dream became a lucid dream, although I did not attempt to control it in any way - I woke up.

I have many childhood memories associated with cats. Apparently, when I was about 3 years old I was in the garden with my mum when I started crying. My mum assumed I had been stung by a bee, so tried to find out what had upset me so much. I pointed to 'Mickey' - a feral ginger tom cat who we regularly fed and played with and said: 'The cat's got a hole in his bum!' I didn't know all butts have buttholes - I was too young. My mum explained that everyone has a 'hole in their bum' and the cat wasn't hurt (I had thought the hole was a wound!) I was also given a grey kitten ('Tinky') when I was around the age of 5 years old - it was the most exciting thing in the world to be walking home from primary school with my mum, knowing there was a baby kitten waiting for me. However, my mum had to give Tinky away (to a local woman who wanted a cat) shortly afterwards because she discovered I was badly allergic to cats and they affected my childhood asthma (I no longer have asthma - it seems the coal dust from my nan's open fire aggravated the condition, as I 'grew out of' the symptoms as soon as the council switched the open fire for a gas heater - I also am no longer as allergic to cat fur as I was when a child). I never knew why Tinky had to leave until much later - and I think I actually blamed myself thinking he had left because of me. I also thought he might have run away and got lost. My mum told me that when I was at school, she found out Tinky's real (cat) mum was missing him so much that it was kinder for him to return to live with her and his kitten brothers and sisters. I was a child when I first learned that the word 'pussy' was a slang term for 'vagina' - and subconsciously, the dream symbol of cats - and the association with 'pussy' -  may be intrinsic to my identity as a female.

Of course, there are many interpretations which can be given to cat dreams - and I have written an article on interpreting cat dreams which you might like to read if you want to know about some possible ways of analysing these types of dreams. 

Dream 442

'I'm a Green Party Campaigner, a Home Removal Van Driver & a Real Estate Agent!'

Dream date: 19 May 2015

There was a scene which had Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love acting out the roles of a different (celebrity?) couple - my dream recall on this aspect of the dream is incredibly hazy and vague - but I recall that this scene reminded me of a speeded-up montage of them.

I was involved in a separate dream scene in which I was standing in a muddy field with PS - I was a Green Party campaigner and felt successful in whatever I was doing in relation to my campaign.

The scene changed and I was in a removal van, outside a large Victorian townhouse at night. My stepdad and a female dream character with were me. This was my new job as a home removals/delivery driver. My stepdad loaded some art canvases into the van. I was aware that I had not yet passed my driving test, but was somehow able to drive really well. I mentioned this fact to my stepdad (who is a truck driver in real-life) and he said I was a good driver and would soon pass my test.

There was a dream scene where I saw several illuminated boxes stacked on top of each other - there was some kind of choice involved.

I also saw a blue robot which was covered in dripping blue paint. I think the wet blue paint was part of him, rather than something that was on him. I am not sure what happened in this scene.

I then became aware that PS and I were real-estate agents, selling properties - we were looking through a portfolio of houses for sale.

TIME: 23:00 hours - 09:00 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: No

SPECIAL NOTES: Cannabis - general negative effect on dreaming and dream recall

Dreamsigns:

• I am not affiliated with any political party (IA - Inner Awareness/C - Context)
• I cannot drive, but in the dream I was able to work as a driver without a licence (IA - Inner Awareness/C - Context)
• Robot made of blue dripping paint (F - Form/C - Context)

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• The Green Party/political campaigning
• Driving - trying to obtain a licence
• Blue

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• The day of this dream I watched a video by Samantha Chapman of Pixiwoo, in which she said she would be taking her driving test for the second time later that day.
• The day of this dream I watched an episode of King of the Hill in which 'Peggy Hill' started selling real estate.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
Smoking cannabis undoubtedly affects dreaming in a negative way. For a couple of days I have not recalled my dreams at all, and even this one was very hazy and vague - more like a collection of short, fleeting dream scenes rather than a coherent dream narrative.

* I have forgotten a lot of this dream - I don't think I will be able to recall anymore, but if I do, I will record it below.

* Recalled Dream Scene (22 May 2015, 22:20 hours)
I was looking in the bottom of my handbag and I noticed some loose change had spilled out from my purse (which sometimes happens in real-life) - I could see a £2 coin and a 50p at least. I thought this was a good find as it meant I had more money than I thought and didn't need to withdraw money from an ATM.
Memory Trigger: In real-life I looked in my handbag for some money, expecting to see the loose change (of at least £2.50 in coins) in the bottom of my bag. I found there was no loose change there - and remembered that this commonplace, normal, banal event (the act of finding a small amount of loose change in the bottom of a handbag) had occurred in a dream. I do not know how this dream fit into the sequence of this dream.