The Dreamhacker Series | Hacking the Sleep Cycle (2)

Hi, welcome to the Dreamhacker Series! This tutorial provides 2 easy techniques for hacking the sleep cycle, to optimise your chances of (1) remembering a vivid dream; and (2) experiencing a lucid dream. 

Remember, every time you go to sleep, perform steps 2, 3 & 4 from the first tutorial - The Dreamhacker Series | Remembering Your Dreams (1). 

'Hacking the Sleep Cycle' basically means re-programming or adjusting your sleep cycle in order to optimise your best chance of experiencing a lucid dream. Dreams typically occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of the sleep cycle. This is the stage of the sleep cycle closest to a waking state, so it is characterised by significant brain activity as well as muscle atonia (sometimes referred to as 'sleep paralysis', which prevents us from acting out our dreams). The longest stage of REM sleep is just before we wake up. This is beneficial, as it means not only is this the most fruitful period of REM sleep in terms of the length of time spent in that stage, but also due to it being just prior to waking, we tend to awake directly from our last dream, making it easier to recall as it is fresh in our minds. 

The 2 techniques I will describe in this tutorial work on the basis that you will be aiming for remembering a dream from the final stage of REM sleep, and eventually, inducing a lucid dream during this stage of REM sleep. 

The tutorial will use the typical 8 hour sleep cycle as a reference point. This is because this is the 'average' number of hours recommended for an adult to sleep each night/day and therefore a healthy, balanced sleep cycle can be illustrated by diagram using 8 hours of sleep as a template. I will be using the hours of 0:00 - 08:00 am as reference points to explain these techniques. If you sleep for fewer or greater number of hours, then you may need to adjust the times employed in these techniques to suit your own individual sleep cycle, which may take some trial and error. 

Here is a diagram of the 8 hour sleep cycle:

You will see that I have marked the relevant stage in the sleep cycle - which here is shown taking place approximately between 07:00 - 08:00 hours. Some people experience a slightly longer stage of REM sleep in the early morning - perhaps up to 90 minutes (so from approximately 06:30 - 08:00 hours based on the above diagram).

The Wake-Back-to-Bed Method (WBTB)

The Wake-Back-to-Bed Method is a very popular way of hacking the sleep cycle. It works by encouraging you to stimulate your conscious brain at just the time you would normally be experiencing REM sleep. You temporarily delay the final period of REM sleep and then, when you return to sleep (the 'back to bed' aspect), you go straight from your conscious state into the longest, optimal stage of REM sleep in your sleep cycle, which can lead to the occurrence of multiple vivid - or even lucid - dreams

You can try this in 3 simple steps:

1. Go to bed (here, at 00:00 hours) with an alarm set for just prior to when you would experience the final stage of REM sleep. This should be approximately 6 hours into the 8 hour sleep cycle. The aim is to wake up after you have experienced all your stages of deep sleep. Based on the diagram above, your alarm should be set for 06:00 hours. 

2. Wake up after 6 hours of sleep at 06:00 am and stay awake for a short period of time. You must be fully awake, but able to go back to sleep for another short period, so the key here is finding balance. Use the bathroom, have a drink of water, check your phone - whatever will wake you up fully. Stay awake for any amount of time between 10 minutes and 1 hour (preferences vary here). Now set your alarm clock for 08:00 hours.

3. Go back to sleep until your alarm clock wakes you up from your brief sleep (which will be 1 - 2 hours long, depending on how long you stayed awake). Make sure you focus your mind on your intention to remember a dream while falling asleep. Later, when using lucid dream induction techniques, you can do these in conjunction with the Wake-Back-to-Bed Method. When your second alarm clock wakes you up (at 08:00 hours) you will wake up from either a vivid or lucid dream!

Advantages of the Wake-Back-to-Bed Method include:

Perfect for beginners

It has immediate and dramatic effects on improving recall of vivid dreams

You can pause and resume your use of this method, for example, reserving it for convenient times in the week when you have the ability to disrupt (or hack) your sleep cycle without interrupting your daily routine

It can be effective, even without use of other lucid dream induction techniques

You don't need a rigid time for going to sleep - as long as you can get a full cycle of sleep, this can be done at any time

You get your full 8 hours of sleep

Disadvantages of the Wake-Back-to-Bed Method include:

You are disrupting your sleep cycle which may interfere with your daily routine

It can be disruptive to anyone sharing a sleeping space

The Cycle Adjustment Technique (CAT)

The Cycle Adjustment Technique was developed by Oneironaut, Daniel Love, author of Are You Dreaming? Exploring Lucid Dreams: A Comprehensive Guide (2013). This method works by adjusting the sleep cycle and subtly influencing the body's chemistry in order to increase conscious awareness at the end of the sleep cycle - during the final stage of REM sleep. Again, this method can - and indeed should - be combined with your dream recall steps and also your lucid dream induction techniques when you begin to incorporate them into your dreamwork.

You can try this in 2 simple steps:

1. Reset/adjust your 'body clock' - set your alarm clock 90 minutes earlier than you usually would. Based on the 8 hour sleep cycle and times in the diagram above, if you go to bed at 00:00 hours and wake at 08:00 hours, set your alarm for 06:30 hours. Wake up at this earlier time every day for 7 days (week 1).

2. Alternate between normal/early wake up times - for week 2, you will alternate between waking up at the earlier time (06:30 hours) and your usual time (08:00 hours), so day 1 (06:30 hours); day 2 (08:00 hours); day 3 (06:30 hours); day 4 (08:00 hours); day 5 (06:30 hours); day 6 (08:00 hours) and day 7 (06:30 hours).

On normal days, when you wake up at 08:00 hours, your body will expect you to wake up earlier (at 06:30 hours), due to your 're-programming' during week 1. Your mind will be more stimulated than usual, and more likely to become conscious - i.e. lucid - while you are dreaming during that final stage of REM sleep between 06:30/07:00 - 08:00 hours. 

It is recommended that you 'refresh' your sleep cycle re-adjustment, by returning to step 1 (week of waking 90 minutes early) every few months.

Advantages of the Cycle Adjustment Technique include:

Perfect for beginners

This method works without needing to learn any other techniques (although, like the Wake-Back-to-Bed Method, it can - and should - be combined with lucid dream induction techniques to optimise your chances of success

Disadvantages of the Cycle Adjustment Technique:

You are disrupting your sleep cycle which may interfere with your daily routine

It can be disruptive to anyone sharing a sleeping space

This method requires 2 weeks of consistent practice, so can be onerous (certainly more so than the Wake-Back-to-Bed Method)

You spend 1 week waking up earlier than usual, then do the same on alternative days on week 2, which can be exhausting until you get used to your adjusted sleep cycle

You should go to bed at the same time each night, which can be rigid


Here are 2 additional techniques/methods you may wish to try:

The Afternoon Nap Method
You can also try afternoon naps - if you are 'caught up' (i.e. you've had a sufficient amount of) deep sleep on the previous nights (and therefore are well-rested and restored), an afternoon nap of about 1 - 2 hours is the perfect time for some REM sleep and dreaming! Remember to use your dream recall and/or preferred lucid dream induction techniques before your nap, while you are preparing to fall asleep! Almost everyone enjoys the luxury of a nap; the main disadvantage of this technique is the fact you need to be sleepy enough to fall asleep outside of your normal sleep routine, and the fact that incorporating a nap into your waking day might disrupt your nightly sleep cycle.

The Periodic Waking Method
Another technique you might try is one which I have referred to as the 'Periodic Waking Method'. This is where you experiment with periodic waking throughout the sleep cycle. As you can see from the diagram above, REM sleep occurs at regular intervals throughout the sleep cycle, typically in 90 minute intervals. Some oneironauts (dream explorers) utilise the sleep cycle for dreaming/lucid dreaming by calculating roughly when those REM stages will occur during their sleep cycle, then wake themselves up just before their predicted REM sleep stage will occur. Using the diagram above, you will see that the first period of REM sleep occurs approximately 90 minutes - 3 hours into the 8 hour sleep cycle. Using the Periodic Waking Method means setting an alarm to wake you up just before this first period of REM sleep (so sometime between 90 minutes and 3 hours after you have fallen asleep), performing your dream recall/preferred lucid dreaming induction techniques as you fall back asleep. Unlike with the Wake-Back-to-Bed Method, there is no need to fully wake up, or stay awake for any period of time - in fact, this is discouraged, as you are already significantly and dramatically disrupting your sleep cycle by using this technique. After your first periodic waking, you will set subsequent alarms at 90 minute intervals to coincide with when you will next experience REM sleep. This technique requires a lot of guesswork and trial and error in addition to the disruption of your sleep cycle, as sleep cycles are not nearly as rigid as the above diagram would suggest, and are dependent on many variables. This means that this technique will not be suitable for everyone and might be best practiced on occasions when it is convenient to disrupt the sleep cycle and lose some of your sleep time.

Here is the accompanying Dreamhacker Series | Hacking the Sleep Cycle (2) video which provides this tutorial in audio-visual form:

Here is the previous video in the Dreamhacker Series | Remembering Your Dreams (1):

Here is the accompanying Blog post - The Dreamhacker Series | Remembering Your Dreams (1)

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The Dreamhacker Series | Remembering Your Dreams (1)

Hi, and welcome to the all-new, relaunched Dreamhacker Series, a beginner-level, back-to-basics, foundational course of tutorials, teaching you everything you need to know about dreamwork - from dream recall and dream incubation to lucid dreaming induction techniques and methods. 

The first tutorial in the Dreamhacker Series concentrates on improving your dream recall.

Good dream recall is essential for anyone hoping to induce a lucid dream - if you cannot recall your dreams, you may experience lucidity in a dream, and simply forget it ever happened!

Many people state that they 'never' or 'rarely' ever experience a dream - this is simply not true - the problem is, they just do not have decent dream recall!

The following steps will help you immediately and dramatically improve your dream recall, so that you can better remember your dreams!


1. Prioritise the best time in your sleep cycle for experiencing and remembering a dream - I have produced a separate Dreamhacker tutorial for this -  'The Dreamhacker Series | Hacking the Sleep Cycle (2)'. The Wake-Back-to-Bed Method is a means of hacking the sleep cycle so that you wake up just prior to the longest period of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep which takes place right at the end of the sleep cycle. The REM stage of the sleep cycle is characterised by rapid eye movement, high brain activity and muscle atonia - it is the stage in the sleep cycle when you are most likely to experience vivid dreams. If you wake yourself just prior to this period of REM sleep, and then go back to sleep for 1 - 2 hours, you are likely to recall a vivid dream, because you are forcing yourself to go straight from waking into REM sleep. When you wake up for the second time, you are waking up directly from your dream, so hopefully it will be fresh in your memory. Be aware that certain foods, vitamins, supplements, medications and substances (notably, cannabis and alcohol) may have an impact on the quality of your REM sleep. For example, cannabis is known to inhibit REM sleep, which is why many recreational users rarely remember any dreams. Cutting down or quitting cannabis leads to the REM Rebound Effect, where you 'catch up' on the lost periods of REM sleep, leading to bizarre, intense, vivid dreams (I will cover the REM Rebound Effect in detail in a subsequent video and post).


2. Set an intention to remember your dreams - this simply means concentrating your mind on the fact you will remember your dreams! Each night, as you are relaxing and preparing to fall asleep, use a mantra such as 'I will remember my dreams when I wake up' which you silently meditate upon (just run through your mantra in your mind as you are falling asleep, repeating it until you eventually fall asleep). Remember to do this every time you are going to sleep. Good advice is to try and fall asleep in as dark a room as possible - any light emission can affect your melatonin levels, and consequently, the quality of your sleep and dreaming. 


3. Consolidate your dream memory upon waking - when you wake up, remain in the position you find yourself in, and try not to move around or open your eyes. Dream memories are very transient and fleeting, and any distraction (thoughts, sights, sounds etc) can cause the dream memory to instantly fade. Our brains are not supposed to store dream memories, so you are essentially 'hacking' your brain, by training it to hold on to these dream memories. While laying in the position you woke up in, with your eyes closed, run through what you can recall about your dream in as much detail as possible, in an attempt to consolidate your dream memory. You might find it useful to speak your dream out loud. 


4. Record your dreams in a Dream Journal - this is fundamentally important, not just for improving dream recall, but also so that you can analyse your dreams and enhance and enrich your dreamwork generally. Keep your Dream Journal within easy reach by your bedside - this in itself is a good way of reinforcing that intention to remember your dreams, as the Dream Journal symbolises this. Record your dream in your Dream Journal as soon as possible in as much detail as possible. You might give your dream a date and a title. If you cannot recall your dream in sufficient detail to describe the narrative/plot, just note down whatever you do remember - any sights, sounds, smells, sensations, colours, emotions, dream characters etc. You might illustrate your dream memory if this is easier than describing it in words. A Dream Journal can be a dedicated notebook, or simply a piece of paper you leave beside your bed. Some people might prefer to use modern technology, such as voice recording apps on their mobile phone to verbally record their dreams - choose whatever works best for you. The key is to use your Dream Journal on a daily basis. Reading your Dream Journal before bed is another effective way of concentrating your mind on dreamwork, and focusing your intention on better remembering your dreams. I will be providing a tutorial which teaches you to use your Dream Journal to analyse Day/Dream Residue and Dreamsigns!


5. Focus your mind and concentrate on dreams in your waking reality - using your mantra and Dream Journal are key here! The idea is to think about dreaming as much as possible during your waking hours - setting the intention and focusing on it will greatly assist you in hacking your brain/mind for dreaming - think of it as a form of constant mental re-programming! One way you can do this is to talk about dreams more - find like-minded people or fellow oneironauts to discuss your dreamwork with. Perhaps find a local dream workshop or participate in some online dreaming communities; read books or watch movies/documentaries about dreaming - the key is to incorporate dreaming into your waking reality! A modern technique for focusing the mind on dreaming/lucid dreaming during the waking day is to incorporate technology - this could involve using a lucid dreaming app (I will be reviewing lucid dreaming apps on this Blog) or simply setting yourself reminders (such as alarm cues or a customised screensaver) to remember your dreams.

Here is the accompanying Dreamhacker Series | Remembering Your Dreams (1) video which provides this tutorial in audio-visual form:

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14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment - Art Star!

I am going to conduct a new Dream Incubation Experiment! In this experiment I am going to take a very broad subject for inspiration - being a famous artist (an 'Art Star'). This is because Art (especially modern and contemporary art and conceptual art) is my passion, and recently I have been making some visual art. 

Here is a Youtube video explaining my Dream Incubation Experiment:

I have had some successful and unsuccessful previous dream incubation experiments, which you may like to read:

• The 14 Day Dream Incubation Experiment - Kurt Cobain Dream - varying success
• The 14-Day Dream Incubation Experiment - The 'Dream Town' Dream - which was successful on Day 14 and involved a lucid dream - Dream 430
• The Marilyn Monroe Dream Incubation Experiment (this link takes you to an Index Page for this Dream Incubation Experiment which I also summarised in Youtube videos) - which was initially intended to be a 7 day experiment, but was extended to 14 days and was successful on Day 13 following a lucid false awakening - Dream 325
• The Freudian Therapy Session Dream Incubation Experiment - which was unsuccessful, but was outlined in another Youtube video

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).
• Incorporate elements of Tholey's Combined Technique for lucid dreaming, which has been reviewed as the most successful (cognitive) method for lucid dream induction. I will adapt the key steps of critical reflection, intention and auto-suggestion so that I not only encourage myself to become lucid, but use these as a way of incubating my desired dream theme.
• Use visual aids - such as photographs relating to my dream incubation theme - as well as immersing myself in material relevant to my dream incubation during my waking hours. I will also keep the written prompt for my dream incubation under my pillow and make sure I read it before going to sleep each night.
• Where possible, I will perform the Wake-Back-to-Bed method.
• Incorporate my chosen dream theme in both my daily reality checks (15 - 20 per day) by thinking clearly and positively about my incubated dream theme after each reality check.
• Train myself to spot dreamsigns when reflecting on my Dream Journal entries each day following a dream - then hopefully, if my dream incubation is successful, recognising the dreamsigns within the dream (i.e. meeting a dead celebrity would be a dreamsign in the context of this experiment) and reality checking will trigger me to become lucid.
• Meditate on my incubated dream theme for at least 10 minutes before sleep and perform specific affirmations alongside the normal MILD Technique/Tholey's Combined Technique ones ('I will lucid dream about [incubated dream theme] tonight, and I will remember it') - this should also encourage successful dream recall.
• Use Dream Visualisation before sleep - using my previous dreams based on the incubated dream theme as inspiration.
• 100 - 150 mg of 'lucid dream supplement' Vitamin B6 (2/3 x 50 mg pills)

Here is my Dream Incubation Experiment prompt:

Dream 542

'Herding Cyborgs'

Dream date:  31 December 2015 (Day 31 of Lucid December)

This is Day 31 (last day!) of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below. 

Scene 1: A Forest, Location Unknown - Day
I was in a forest with a female dream character (known to me in the dream) - she was white, average height and build, with brown hair. This female (I cannot recall her name) and I were on a mission - to collect some cyborgs from a spaceship (we had guns and other weapons with us, as this was dangerous) and tell them that they were cyborgs. I was carrying a big gun. 

I was aware that I was pregnant - I was wearing baggy army camouflage trousers and a cropped top - and could see I was getting fatter. I did not want a baby and thought that being pregnant might hinder me in the cyborg mission. I kept wishing that I was not pregnant. I am not sure who the father of the baby was supposed to be. The female dream character was telling me to forget about the issue and just focus on the mission - we started running through the forest.

Scene 2: A Pub, Location Unknown - Day
I was then standing in a pub/bar - the cyborg mission had taken place, although I did not experience this happening in the dream, as time skipped forward to after the event. I wondered if I was still pregnant and looked down at my belly. I discovered I was - although not obviously so to anyone else but me. 

I cannot remember what happened, but something made me cry - I was hysterical. At the same time, I thought: 'In real-life I haven't cried like this in years!'

TIME: 02:30 - 10:30 hours (I woke up from this dream)

LUCIDITY: PRE-LUCID - I recognised that the events of the dream were different from 'real-life', although I did not become consciously aware that I was dreaming

SPECIAL NOTES: 

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

Dream Information:

• None of note

Dreamsigns:

• Cyborg mission
• I was pregnant

Recurrent Dream Themes

• Cyborgs/androids/space
• An unwanted baby/surprise to be pregnant

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• None of note

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

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

Day 30 of Lucid December

Dream date:  30 December 2015 (Day 30 of Lucid December)

This is Day 30 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

I did not have/did not recall a dream on Day 30 of Lucid December as I did not get any sleep on this night.

Lucid Dream Induction Techniques: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); 2 (extremely poor)
• Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
• No Vitamin B6 taken

Dream 541

'The Perfect Lipliner Pencil'

Dream date:  29 December 2015 (Day 29 of Lucid December)

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

Scene 1: An Office Building - Morning
I was entering an office building - where I apparently worked. I went into the main foyer, which was all white, with some small tables and chairs - cafe style, on a white tiled floor. As I was about to climb the long winding staircase (which looked very 'corporate') up to the part of the office where I worked, I saw a male - someone I went to school with, who was either JJ or BH (white with blonde hair, not sure which or perhaps a composite of both?) seated at one of the tables at the bottom of the stairs. He said: 'I need to tell you about my dreams'. I said I would speak to him later, and planned to ask my work if I could take some time off that afternoon to 'interview' JJBH about his dreams. I then discovered that a brand new lipliner pencil was laying on the floor at the foot of the stairs. I picked it up - it was the perfect nude pink colour, which perfectly matched one of my favourite (real-life) lipsticks (which happens to be called 'Tallulah'!) I was very pleased with my find.

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

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

TIME: 22:30 - 06:30 hours (I woke up from this dream)

LUCIDITY: NONE

SPECIAL NOTES: 

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

Dream Information:

• None of note

Dreamsigns:

• None of note

Recurrent Dream Themes

• Working in a Law Firm

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

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

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

Dream 540

'I Think it's a Dream Within a Dream'

Dream date:  28 December 2015 (Day 28 of Lucid December)

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

Scene 1: An Interior - Time Unknown
I was in a room - I do not know where, but I was standing in front of a long table. Stood on the other side of the table were 3 young white male dream characters. My mum was also present, and it seemed that she was 'supervising' the males - or checking on them in some way. The males all had tall plastic containers of fruit smoothies, which they had made. The male who was standing closest to me then said that he had forgotten a vital ingredient for his smoothie - a mobile phone sim card. He drank the smoothie down quickly. My mum then said she had to go and collect 'a little girl' and left the room via a door to the left of the long table. I was to await her return. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TIME: 02:30 - 09:30 hours (I woke up from this dream)

LUCIDITY: Pre-Lucid or Semi-Lucid - recognising a dream was taking place and that I needed to recall it

SPECIAL NOTES: 

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

Dream Information:

• 'Treelands' is a dream scene location from one of my favourite dreams - Dream 391 'Treelands' (21 March 2015) - click on the title link to be taken to this Dream Journal entry

Dreamsigns:

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

Recurrent Dream Themes

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

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

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

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

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

Dream 539

'A Photograph of my Grandfather'

Dream date:  27 December 2015 (Day 27 of Lucid December)

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

Scene 1: An Interior - Time Unknown
I was showing someone a photograph of my grandfather when he younger - the photograph didn't really look much like I remember him to look (I lost the majority of contact with him following his acrimonious divorce from my nan - she used to take me to visit him in his bedsit at weekends for a period of time during my childhood, but due to his behaviour and mental health issues, it was hard to maintain contact with him and now he is dead). In the photograph he had piercing blue eyes (which he had in reality, despite having olive skin and black hair). There was another male in the photograph - a young boy. In the dream I was sure that this unknown boy must be a male relative of my grandfather, but I was confused as to who this was. 

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

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


TIME: 19:00 - 22:00 hours (I woke up from this dream)

LUCIDITY: NONE

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 2 (extremely poor)
• Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B performed
• Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
• 100g of Vitamin B6 taken just before sleep

Dream Information:

• None of note

Dreamsigns:

• None of note

Recurrent Dream Themes

• Space travel

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

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

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

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

Dream 538

'Planets'

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

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

Scene 1: An Interior - Time Unknown
I was in a room, although I am not sure where this was. I was with a male dream character who was partially a robot (some parts of him were made of metal - so I guess he was an android or a cyborg or suchlike). He had white skin and dark brown hair - and was normal height and build, with no distinctive looks other than the metal which was on his cheeks and hands. He was telling me about planets - he had been on a mission to Venus and was describing it as if it was a nice holiday destination, although in my mind I was questioning this (because of the atmosphere and heat of the planet), and felt he was lying to me. He started to show me a big diagram, which was many outlines of black squares on a large white background. I cannot recall what he said to me, but I found the diagram interesting and significant in some way.

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

TIME: 19:00 - 05:30 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place - no WB2B)

LUCIDITY: NONE

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 3 (extremely poor)
• Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B performed
• Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
• No Vitamin B6 taken

Dream Information:

• None of note

Dreamsigns:

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

Recurrent Dream Themes

• None of note

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• Just before I went to sleep I had been watching a documentary about the inner planets (Mercury and Venus)

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

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

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

Day 25 of Lucid December

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

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

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

Lucid Dream Induction Techniques: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); none (failure!)
• Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
• No Vitamin B6 taken

Day 24 of Lucid December

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

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

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

Lucid Dream Induction Techniques: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); none (failure!)
• Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
• No Vitamin B6 taken