Lucid dream stabilisation (1)

One of the most common problems faced by beginner (or even moderately experienced) lucid dreamers is learning how to stabilise their lucid dreams. Often, the experience of suddenly becoming lucid in a normal (non-lucid) dream is so overwhelming and exciting, that the dreamer wakes themselves up and their dream gradually fades before their eyes. 

It is essential that you use lucid dream stabilisation techniques before you attempt dream control techniques. There are various methods of lucid dream stabilisation which can help to prolong the lucid dream experience and prevent premature awakening. Before embarking on your lucid dreaming adventure, it is advantageous to incorporate mental processes such as mindfulness and concentration into your everyday waking reality. Fix yourself in the moment and meditate upon it, not allowing yourself to be distracted by intrusive thoughts or external stimuli. Building meditative and focusing behaviours will prepare you for the experience of lucid dreaming and increase your ability to utilise them in your dreams.

Initial stabilisation & dream anchoring

There are two primary techniques which can be used to anchor yourself within the lucid dream, assisting the dreamer in connecting with the dream. These are the initial steps which help to remain within the lucid dream experience:

1. Hand examination

This method has been described by Carlos Castaneda and discussed by G Scott Sparrow, a clinical psychologist, in Lucid Dreaming: Dawning of the Clear Light (1976). The techniques works because, in the dream state, where the dreamer's identity is weakened and in flux, the physical body remains one of the most stable reference points upon which the dreamer is able to focus and anchor themselves. Focus your attention solely on your hands. Look at them closely and do not pay attention to anything else which is occurring around you in the dream or you may get distracted and begin to awaken. Examine your hands for as long as it takes for you to adjust to the lucid dream experience. Move your hands and meditate upon what you see. This should help to calm you down from the elation of becoming lucid. 

One of the earliest lucid dream stabilisation techniques to be published was that developed by German physician, Harold von Moers-Messmer in 1938. He suggested that staring at the ground was an effective method of stabilisation, so this may be something you wish to try as an alternative to hand examination. 

2. Verbal commands

Tell yourself to focus by saying (out loud in the dream) a short, assertive phrase such as: 'Focus on the dream' or 'Stabilise' - you can basically use whatever command feels right for you. Then imagine yourself anchored firmly in the lucid dream - actually visualise and feel yourself being anchored. Once you feel firmly within the dream, you should be able to look up, notice the dreamworld around you and see experience everything in clarity.

Re-stabilisation

Sometimes, even in an anchored dream, you may find that everything becomes blurry and begins to literally fade. At this point, you need to stop and re-stabilise. Repeat the above hand examination and verbal command techniques. Do not panic, as this will increase your chances of premature awakening. You should conduct the re-stabilisation techniques as many times as necessary and as frequently as necessary until you are able to 'see' the dreamworld with clarity and focus. 

Stabilisation techniques for preventing premature awakening

1. Hand rubbing/shaking

This method involves physical sensations and touch as a way of preventing yourself from waking during the lucid dream. You may find that some methods under this category are more effective than others, or that over time and use, you become immune to them, so it is best to experiment with as many as possible and find out what works best for you. Rubbing my hands together or shaking my hands seems to work well for me, but there are countless other variations of this technique which may produce practical benefits for other lucid dreamers. You might find that grabbing hold of. or touching an object in the dream is effective. I have tried stroking the walls of the dream room in which I find myself, and this helped me prolong one lucid dream experience where I found myself prematurely waking. Combine this technique with the hand examination/verbal commands to re-anchor and focus yourself. 

You may want to try head shaking as well. I have found that this technique is also effective when I have a false awakening accompanied by sleep paralysis. More often than not, when I have a false awakening, I am able to quickly become aware that I am still asleep and dreaming, but unable to fully move my body or use my voice. As I am often only able to move my head, head shaking has proven to be useful in easing the sleep paralysis and allowing me to move the rest of my body. Once my body has become 'unfrozen' and can move as normal, I am able to get out of bed and enter my lucid dream properly. 

Because visual senses are the first to dissolve in a dream (with the visual imagery either losing colour or realism and often becoming cartoonish or washed-out in appearance), visual stabilisation techniques may be less effective than those which involve touch, which is the sense which persists the longest. 

2. Spinning

This technique is best used when the dream has started to fade and you find yourself in the void between the dream and wakefulness. Use this method is the hand examination/verbal commands are not working. Spin around on the spot in a controlled manner - if you spin too wildly then it may lead to waking up, or a false awakening. Sometimes, the spinning technique can lead to dreamers entering a new dreamscape or create significant changes in the existing lucid dream. This technique is advocated by lucid dreaming guru, Stephen LaBerge, and has been proven to be very effective. He asserts that there may be a scientific explanation for why spinning has been shown to work in empirical studies. When engaging in physical movement in a dream, the sensation is as vivid as these movements being made in waking reality and therefore it is likely that our brains are being activated in a similar way in both cases. By stimulating the brain system which integrates vestibular activity detected in the middle ear, spinning movements may facilitate activity in the nearby components of the REM-sleep systems, Neuroscientists have linked activity in the vestibular system to production of the rapid eye movement bursts in REM sleep. Another possibility is that when you imagine perceiving something with one sense, sensitivity to external stimulation of that sense decreases. If the brain is engaged in producing the vivid, internally-generated sensory experience of spinning, it will be more difficult to construct contradictory sensations (such as lying motionless in bed) which are based on external sensory input. When confronted with two contradictory interpretations of the state of the body or our physical environment, our consciousness is only able to perceive one model, not both. This assumption is what also underlies other techniques involving physical sensations, such as hand rubbing or alternative forms of movement. 

3. Falling backwards

Let yourself fall backwards, while thinking about your dreamscape. Reports of false awakening are very common from dreamers who rely on the spinning or falling backwards methods, so always remember to conduct a reality check to ascertain that you are still dreaming.

4. Linear acceleration

This is another great method for when a dreamer finds themselves in 'the void' between the lucid dream and wakefulness. Try and propel.accelerate yourself as quickly as possible through the blackness of the void or the blurred visuals you experience as your dream starts to fade. You should find yourself in a completely new dreamscape, but if you lose focus on the dream, it is likely that you may wake up, so keep a destination in mind as you accelerate forwards through the blackness. 

5. Reality checks

Conduct a reality check after each re-stabilisation method - even if you find yourself in a false awakening, a reality check (and the realisation that you are still asleep and dreaming), you may be able to transform the false awakening into another lucid dream. 

6. Basic maths

One way in which you may stabilise your dream is to do some basic mental arithmetic - such as simple addition, multiplication or subtraction. This engages your conscious mind with the dreamscape and requires concentration. If maths isn't your first choice of activity, try reciting a short poem, rhyme or song, as this will have the same effect. 

7. Grounding yourself and gathering 'chi'

Stand or sit completely still, with your arms spread in front of you and meditate. Imagine that energy is gathering in your chest and forehead and travelling down to the palms of your outstretched hands. You might imagine that this energy as a form of glowing heat and even 'see' it as a form of gas or vapour emanating from your hands. Imagine that the energy travels through your body into the ground beneath you - this may well help to ground you into the dreamscape.

8. Asking dream characters to help you

This is a more advanced method of lucid dream stabilisation and may involve some practice before you attain success. Dream characters are a projection of your subconscious mind. Interact with your dream characters and ask them to help you to remain lucid - you may also wish to inform your dream characters that they too are dreaming and instruct them to become lucid with you.

Dream 296

'Pretending to be a Lesbian'

I was in a domestic-style room which was quite dimly lit and had lot of shelves mounted on a kitchen-style work surface. I am not sure what room or building we were in as it did not resemble a real-life space. The shelving unit had square pigeonholes - it looked like the kind of wooden structure used for mail in offices. I was with some others - two people - who I did not recognise, but whom I knew in the dream as either family or close friends. We were sitting on stools in front of the wooden shelving. I had written something or produced something creative. I think it was poetry, but I am not sure. I had been receiving some praise for my creative efforts. Another person entered the room - I think it was a female. The lights in the room were now more bright - yellow in colour. The female dream character was holding an envelope which she informed me had been left on the door step for me. She opened the envelope - which was a brown padded one. It was apparently from a husband and wife, who wanted to let me know how well I had done at the creative output [poetry?]. Inside the envelope was a letter congratulating me, and a blank cheque, which I was being allowed to fill in as a prize for impressing them so much. They informed me that I was the best poet alive and would 'win'.

There was some kind of journey - me leaving the house/building I had been in and going somewhere. I cannot recall this part of the dream. There may have been further conversation with a person/people.

I was then outside on the street in a typical British-looking suburban neighbourhood. It was dark and I was standing beside a low stone wall and some hedges, looking down the road at a radio show which was being broadcast in an open space, under a small white canopy. I realised that the radio broadcast was being organised by BBC 1Xtra and was starring a female who also wrote poetry. I wondered how she was getting this kind of recognition, bearing in mind my recent successes and the fact I had been sent a blank cheque. I thought that I deserved to be regarded as the best in this field, or at least be promoted in this way. I turned and saw DL sat on the small wall behind me. I asked him what he thought of my [poetry] and he said: 'Paloma Faith is better at it than you' which I accepted, but then he said: 'and so is Eve White'. This was the name of the female performing her poetry for the 1Xtra broadcast. I asked him if he honestly thought that she was better than me and he said: 'Of course, she's the best ever!' which made me feel jealous and under-appreciated. DL acted as if I should just accept this fact and move on, but hearing his words made me want to stop writing poetry forever. I did not want to continue if I wasn't regarded as the best or if another female was regarded more highly-skilled than I when I knew in reality that she was mediocre and basic. It seemed like DL was mocking me - he had a smug look on his face. The jealousy and envy that rose up in me was overwhelming. I took the blank cheque, which I appeared to still be holding (although I hadn't noticed it until this time), ripped it up and threw it into his face as hard as I could, hoping that it would make him feel bad for belittling me in this way and not praising my own talents. I also felt annoyed at this point, because I had wasted the opportunity of having unlimited money to spend and had surrendered my prize which had been awarded to me by my greatest fans and advocates (the husband and wife who sent the cheque).

I was then in a room which was brightly lit. There were two females in there - one whom I did not recognise and cannot recall much about, and another who is a composite between RT and a postgraduate student who attends some of the same classes and workshops as I do in real-life (both her and RT wear glasses, have brunette hair and dress in loose, floaty gothic-style clothing). It was Halloween night and RT was in a bath, which was positioned in the centre of the room. The other female (who was kneeling behind RT) was soaping her back and pouring water on her. She encouraged me to do the same to RT and to also stroke and caress her in a sensual/sexual way. I knelt in front of RT and started to do this, although I did not really want to do it. I felt awkward and obliged to do it to make RT feel good about herself and to act as expected of me by the other female who seemed to be enjoying herself. This continued for a while, but I was soon bored of touching RT and rubbing soap on her legs, splashing her with water, making small talk etc. I said that I wanted to stop. RT asked me why I had touched her in a sexual way while she was in the bath and I told her it was because the other female had instructed me to and I had wanted to make RT happy (RT had enjoyed the experience throughout). RT got angry and told me that she only wanted me to touch her in that way if I enjoyed it myself and she was upset that I had only been doing it to keep her happy. She wanted to be in some sort of relationship with me and was acting very hostile because she knew (without asking me) that I didn't feel the same way about her. I felt confused as I didn't know what I had done wrong. RT was now out of the bath and was clothed, although I did not see her get dressed. 

We walked across the room a short distance and found that it was a T-shaped room with white walls. Most of the room was empty, other than the bath being in the main area, and a central supporting column being positioned nearby. At one point I know that I looked out of the window and saw that it was very dark outside and the weather was bad - rainy and windy. Inside, the lights made the white room look yellow in the fluorescent glow. In the T-shaped section of the room was a (somewhat makeshift) coffee shop/cafe with a counter on which was a coffee machine and then some small, round yellow plastic tables and plastic chairs in front of it. RT started to make coffee for us both. I sat at one of the tables. RT said: 'My boyfriend is Italian and he invented coffee'. I told her that this wasn't true and said that someone from an Arabic country probably invented coffee long ago. We started disputing this, with RT standing over me, almost shouting. I invented an Arab man named 'Hassad' and said that 'Hassad was the first man to ever make coffee' just so I had a point of reference with which to argue with RT who was maintaining that her Italian boyfriend was the inventor, when I knew this was wrong, but didn't have precise facts to correct or counteract her untruths. I then realised that RT was in fact 'Eve White' and I felt angry towards her and tricked into engaging with her and touching her in a sexual way, when in fact she was my enemy and rival. I felt somewhat dirty for kneeling down and washing her feet when I considered myself to be superior to her (intellectually - because she seemed to be a liar and quite dull - and physically - because she was frumpy and plain-looking), but also felt inferiority as a result of her getting more recognition and praise for poetry, especially from DL and the radio show.

* There are other elements of this dream which I cannot recall, but I will add them underneath if they come back to me.

Experiments in Lucid Dreaming

A series of experiments published in Nightlight (1992) were conducted in order to enhance understanding of the elusive process of lucid dreaming. 

Inducing Lucid Dreaming

The primary experiment was designed to test the effectiveness of a range of lucid dream induction techniques, diving subjects into 4 categories of condition: (1) no induction techniques; (2) auto-suggestion, by writing out an intention to lucid dream before sleep (a condition which was assumed to be ineffective as inducing lucidity and therefore was considered to be a form of 'control' condition); (3) reality checks - asking 'am I dreaming?' throughout the day and visualising what it would feel like to be gaining lucidity within a dream state; and (4) use of the MILD technique - mnemonic induction of lucid dreaming, developed by Stephen LaBerge.

The researchers hypothesised that reality checks (or 'reality testing') and MILD technique would be more effective than no induction or auto-suggestion, and indeed the results of the experiment revealed that this was partially correct, although it was difficult to assess the effectiveness of reality checks as there were too few subjects using this form of induction for solid determinations. Each of the subjects used one form of induction for a week.

Reality checks resulted in 29% of the subjects experiencing at least one lucid dream. MILD techniques resulted in 26% of the subjects having lucid dreams. Only 20% of the subjects in the control groups (no induction method or auto-suggestion) reported lucid dreams. Further, reality checks proved to be more effective in inducing lucid dreams when they were conducted more often during the day. Half of the reality check group subjects carried out 5 or more reality checks during the day and experienced twice as many lucid dreams per dreams recalled (0.64) than the half of the group who carried out 2 or fewer reality checks per day.

Discovering Dreamsigns

The concept of 'dreamsigns' was developed in LaBerge & Rheingold, Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming (1990) in order to describe the presence and character of anomalous events, common in dreams, which tend to stimulate the realisation that the dreamer is in fact dreaming. The definition of a dreamsign is 'a peculiar event or object in a dream that can be used as an indicator that you are dreaming'. The first study into dreamsigns was used to categorise and classify which peculiarities were most common and which were most effective in leading to the increased reflectiveness necessary to cause lucidity. A large number of dream reports were analysed and events were selected on the basis that they were likely to precede or precipitate lucidity. The myriad of dream peculiarities were grouped into 20 preliminary categories. Subjects were then asked to record their own dreamsigns and group the peculiarities and then rate them on a scale based on how much the dreamer had wondered about, or questioned, the dreamsign when dreaming. They also recorded any incidences of lucidity. 227 dreams were collected from 44 subjects and 964 dreamsigns were recorded. 

Table of dreamsigns

Watching for Dreamsigns

This experiment used the data collected in the 'Discovering Dreamsigns' experiment and examined the relationship between dreamsign occurrence and lucidity in dreams. This enabled condensation of the larger categorisation of 20 dreamsign types down to a more concise list of 4, focusing on the characteristics of those most relevant for stimulating lucidity:

(1) Inner awareness - peculiar thoughts, strange emotions, unusual perceptions or strange sensations

(2) Actions - dreamer, dream character or object does something peculiar or impossible

(3) Form - dreamer. dream character or object has an odd form or the form changes in an unusual way

(4) Context - the setting or situation in the dream is anomalous 

The subjects were asked to alternate between induction techniques of visualisation of lucidity in a remembered dream (because of noticing a dreamsign) and visualisation of lucidity in a dream without focusing on a dreamsign. There was no initial indication that either of these techniques was likely to be more effective than the other and the results bore this out. A larger sample size is necessary to improve on this experiment. 

On result that was found was that subjects were more likely to become lucid in a dream which contained a large number of dreamsigns. There was a high correlation between lucidity and Inner Awareness and Action type dreamsigns occurring in the dream. This suggests that increasing our knowledge and awareness of dreamsigns might enhance the ability to notice them in dreams and therefore the ability to achieve lucidity. 

Prolonging Lucid Dreams

One of the most typical obstacles to the achievement of goals in lucid dreams tends to be the brevity of the lucid dreaming experience. Therefore, it would be beneficial to develop a reliable technique for prolonging lucid dreams. The experiments which were conducted were based on the assumption that the dreamer is usually aware that they are awakening and can predict the end of the lucid dream because the dream begins to 'fade'. This 'fading' of the dream is characterised by a loss of visual image clarity, brightness, dimensionality. However, the universality and reliability of this phenomenon is unproven as there had not been a systematic empirical investigation of dream fading. 

The following methods of prolonging lucid dreaming were used:

(1) Spinning: twirling. LaBerge discovered and refined this method during his doctoral thesis and found that it could be effective in postponing awakening

(2) Going with the flow - continuing with the action taking place in the dream. This was intended to be a neutral control and assumed to be an ineffective method of prolonging the lucid dream state

(3) Singular visual focus - focusing attention on a single point. This was developed by Dr Paul Tholey as a method for causing awakening from a lucid dream

14 subjects participated in this study and it was found that spinning and going with the flow were more effective (70%) at prolonging lucidity than singular visual focus techniques (29%). Spinning was found to be the most successful method of prolonging a lucid dream. The results from the study were found to be inconclusive, because too few of the subjects submitted usable data and therefore it would be necessary to repeat the study with a larger sample of subjects.

Time of Sleep

This experiment investigated the effect of timing of sleep on lucid dreaming. Both laboratory and home studies have indicated that lucid dreams are not evenly distributed throughout sleep. In a full  night of sleep, lucid dreams are shown to cluster towards the end of the period of sleep, becoming more likely with each successive REM stage of the night. LaBerge found that lucid dreams were more likely to occur during afternoon naps. 

The experiment intended to discover why afternoon naps might increase the chance of lucid dreaming. One theory was that a period of wakefulness preceding the dream and attempts at lucidity may stimulate attention on the goal. It may also be that during afternoon naps, brain and bodily conditions are optimal for attaining lucidity.

Subjects maintained the same amount of nightly sleep, but shifted the last 2 hours of sleep to a later stage - this final 2 hours of sleep was taken either 2 or 4 hours after waking. Therefore in the 2 hour condition, the subjects returned to sleep at their normal time of waking and in the 4 hour condition, the subjects returned to sleep for a 2 hour nap 2 hours after their normal waking time. This can be illustrated as follows:

Group A and Group B usually sleep for 8 hours from 12:00 am until 8:00 am

Group A is the 2 hour condition group and Group B is the 4 hour condition group

Group A goes to sleep at 12:00 am and wakes at 6:00 am. They return to sleep at 8:00 am and wake again at 10:00 am

Group B goes to sleep at 12:00 am and wakes at 6:00 am. They return to sleep at 10:00 am and wake up again at 12:00 pm

The experiment revealed that lucid dreams were 10 times more likely to occur during nap periods than at night.One factor may be because dreams are more likely to occur at the tail end of sleep. The experiment found that the number of dreams per hour of sleep was 4 times higher during the naps than at night. However, the ration of lucid dreams to number of dreams recalled was 3 times higher during the naps than at night. This meant that 3 out of 10 dreams during naps were lucid dreams, while only 1 out of 10 dreams during the night were lucid dreams. It was also found that the 2 hour condition was better for lucid dreaming than the 4 hour condition, but the sample size of subjects was too small for these findings to be conclusive. 

A second study on napping was conducted, in which the time at which the subjects took their final 90 minutes of sleep was manipulated and these results were compared to a group of subjects who spent an extra 90 minutes asleep. The study was designed to test whether the time of day when sleep took place was relevant, or whether lucid dreaming was more likely when a gap between waking and the final period of sleep was inserted. There were 3 test conditions:

(1) Wake up 90 minutes early, stay awake for 90 minutes then return to sleep for 90 minutes

(2) Sleep for the usual amount of time, but wake up 90 minutes early, use the MILD technique for 5 minutes, then return to sleep for 90 minutes

(3) Sleep for the usual amount of time, wake up at the normal time, use the MILD technique for 5 minutes, then sleep for an additional 90 minutes

The study found that almost 90% of the lucid dreams reported occurred in the final 90 minutes of sleep, with most of these occurring in the delayed nap condition. Twice the number of subjects experienced lucid dreams in the delayed nap condition than did in the no delayed nap condition/additional 90 minutes sleep condition - this group of subjects had 3 times more lucid dreams. Further, an analysis of the number of lucid dreams per dreams recalled showed that the delayed nap condition frequency was 6 times higher, showing that the delay contributes significantly to lucidity. It also ruled out the notion that prolonging sleep by 90 minutes is sufficient for causing lucidity - in fact, this turned out to the the worst period for lucid dreaming and was characterised by low dream recall also.

15 Minutes to Lucid Dreaming

This experiment tested whether lucid dreaming could be induced by short periods of intense focus. The idea was to ascertain whether these intense periods of concentrated attention for a circumscribed period of time could provide the same (or increased) benefit as periods of lesser attention scattered throughout the day. The results of this experiment were limited because only 20 subjects participated. However, the study did find that intense focus for 15 minutes in the evening was more likely to cause lucid dreaming the following night than if the intense focus occurred in the morning. 

The Dream Clock

During this experiment, subjects were asked to note the times at which they awoke during the night and whether they had awakened from a normal dream or a lucid dream. The aim of the experiment was to determine the relationship between lucid dreaming and the biological clock cycles. 64 subjects participated, recording a data set of thousands of awakenings. In 79%, the subjects woke from normal dreams. 7.6% of awakenings (90 in total) were from lucid dreams. This leads to the conclusion that simply setting the intention to lucid dream is enough to induce a lucid dreaming state in some people. At least 60% of the subjects had at least one lucid dream during the period of the study. On average, the lucid dreams happened later in the night than normal dreams and normal dreams happened later than awakenings where no dreams were recalled. These findings correspond to previous findings which suggest that the probability of lucid dreaming increases with later periods of sleep. In this study 90% of lucid dreams happened after 4 hours of sleep, with 50% of this number occurring after 6.5 hours of sleep. This is significant - if we assume that lucid dreaming induction techniques work best when applied closest to the time in which we hope to stimulate lucidity, then we should utilise the lucidity induction methods after around 6 - 7 hours of sleep, as close to the optimal time for lucid dreaming as possible. Therefore, the Wake-Back-to-Bed technique of back to nap method should be used after 6 -7 hours of sleep for the best results. 

Biological Rhythms and Nasal Cycles
When studying the relationship between lucid dreaming and the daily cycle of sleeping and waking, it is essential to consider biological rhythms. In addition to the 24 hour circadian rhythms, there are other, shorter cycles, known as ultradian cycles. One of these appears in the shifting dilation of the nasal passage. If you hold one nostril closed and breathe through the other, and then switch sides, it is typical to find that one side of the nose is easier to breathe through than the other. The switch from left to right seems to follow an approximate 90 minute cycle. Research has found that the nasal cycles is related to brain activity and cognitive abilities. Further, a shift in nostril dilation can be caused by applying pressure to a reflex point on the side, beneath the armpit. Technically, this means that one could elicit a change in cognitive activity by deliberately applying pressure to this point on the body. 

In the oldest known accounts of lucid dreaming, a thousand year old text on Dream Yoga in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, advises that in order to induce lucid dreaming, one should sleep on their right side, presumably to encourage the correct brain activity conducive to the lucid state. 

An experiment was conducted to test sleep postures on stimulation of lucid dreaming and assess if nostril laterality was related to posture and had any measurable effect on lucidity. The results were complex and difficult to interpret and would be best replicated in a sleep laboratory under controlled conditions. The subjects were asked to record their awakenings during the night, whether they had been dreaming or lucid dreaming and which nostril was open. They had to rate their dreams on several scales. The results revealed that the subjects had 3 times more lucid dreams when sleeping on their right side than when sleeping on their left side. 

Dream Re-entry
There are two main types of lucid dream - DILD (dream induced lucid dreaming, where the dreamer becomes lucid during an established dream) and WILD (wake initiated lucid dreaming, where the dreamer enters REM sleep and the dream lucid, directly from a wakeful state, with continued consciousness). The latter type of lucid dream shares many common features with the phenomenon known as out-of-body-experiences (OBEs). Both WILD lucid dreams and OBEs are thought to occur during the transition from wakefulness into sleep. In the former, the dreamer is aware that they are asleep and dreaming, while in the latter, the dreamer believes themselves to be awake. 

Some of the phenomenological characteristics shared by WILDS and OBEs are vibrations, strange noises and electrical sensations; feelings of a weight on the chest, difficulty breathing and experience of floating - sometimes with the feeling of peeling out of the body. An experiment was designed to see if these sensations could be induced by attempting to initiate WILDs, and also determine the frequency of their occurrence. Another intention was to compare different methods of WILD induction. The procedure was carried out in the context of attempts to re-enter a previous dream state, under the assumption that the best time to try to enter the REM state is directly after one has awakened from it. 

The first method was to continue sleep. The subjects were asked to sleep with the intention of noticing when they awoke from a dream. Upon awakening, the subject was asked to count '1 I'm dreaming, 2 I'm dreaming, 3 I'm dreaming...' etc until they returned to sleep. The second method was a body-orientated method of passing attention around various points of the body in an orderly sequence. Both techniques were based on the principle of maintaining physical vigilance while the body's physiological systems transitioned from a waking state into the REM sleep state. 

The most surprising result from this experiment was that 1 in 5 attempts to re-enter the dream state resulted in a lucid dream. In total, there were 191 attempts of re-entering the dream state from the 30 subjects who took part. 61% of these attempts were successful and a third of re-entered dreams was lucid. Two thirds of the subjects reported lucid dreams as a direct result of the dream re-entry procedure. 62% of the subjects experienced at least 1 of the physical sensations on their questionnaire. These were paralysis, vibrations, weight on chest, buzzing or other noises, floating or sinking. These feelings are not weird or anomalous and can happen to anyone - therefore, sleep paralysis and OBE-type experiences are normal and not linked to mental illness as previously conjectured. 

Creativity in Dreams and Waking Life 
Dreams are usually weird and bizarre - but are they more unusual than other mental processes such as fantasizing, remembering or imagining? This has been debated by many dream researchers who suggest that the consciousness and insight involved in lucid dreaming may be the same as that which occurs during many waking activities. An experiment was conducted to test this theory, using creative output in various waking mental activities and in normal and lucid dreams. The 5 types of mental activities analysed were:

1. Lucid dreaming
2. Normal dreaming (non-lucid dreaming)
3. Fantasizing (daydreams)
4. Storytelling
5. Remembering

Subjects were asked to write a report of each activity. One of the problems experienced during the study was misunderstanding by the subjects - for example, some of them deliberately constructed a fantasy, rather than capturing a spontaneous daydream. The memory task was also confounded because the subjects were not asked to first remember an event and then report the memory, which would have been parallel to the other tasks. Memory is an inadvertent process and therefore considering the remembering activity as a separate task and not a spontaneous event which occurs at random was erroneous. The clearest result came from the frequency of bizarre elements. The reports were studied without it being revealed to the researchers which group of activity the report related to. They then assessed discontinuities (such as sudden scene or topic shift) and inconsistencies (anomalous combinations of events, places or things). Normal and lucid dreams contained more bizarre elements than memories and fantasies/daydreams, as was expected. The stories collected were stories made up about dreams - they were found to contain as many inconsistencies as dreams, but this is likely to be because the subjects, when making up stories about dreams, expect dreams to be bizarre and inconsistent and therefore consciously contained these elements to make them appear more dreamlike in quality. The experiment proved that dreams are certainly more bizarre than the other forms of consciousness and mental activity analysed in the experiment.

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My Dreamboard (1)

A while ago I started to upload and track my dreams on Dreamboard, a website which collates all your dream information and presents patterns and trends visually. I am unable to link directly to my Dreamboard profile, as the app seems to be a private one which can only be viewed by the owner. However, I am able to attach some of the data in posts on my Blog for you to see. The dreams which are included on my Dreamboard are all dreams which are recorded on this Blog, so I will not include the dream narratives as that would be pointless.

I began my Dreamboard in May 2014 and for reasons of ease I decided to begin by monitoring my dreams from the point at which I started giving them titles (12 May 2014). The first dream I entered was Dream 238, 'Working for Google'. I will post the Dreamboard results for every 10 dreams I upload onto the app, so it is possible to observe how the visual displays change over time as new dreams are added.

Dreams 238 - 247 (12 May 2014 - 27 May 2014)

Note that 'Dream types' is blank - this is because the only option are 'recurrent', 'nightmare' and 'lucid' and none of the 10 dreams I had uploaded by this point fit into any of these categories. 

Interpreting popular dream themes (8) - Falling

Falling dreams are of the most common universal dream themes and can be classified as a form of nightmare as they are often terrifying and very vivid. Some dream researchers suggest that the average person will dream of falling to their death at least 5 times in their lifetime. In the beginning of Alice's dream in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), Alice experiences a long fall down the rabbit hole.

Contrary to popular belief, the dreamer will not die if they don't wake up before they hit the ground.

Physiological causes of falling dreams
Falling dreams usually occur in the first stages of sleep and are commonly accompanied by strong muscle spasms and jerks which wake the dreamer, leaving them with a sense of having actually experienced a trauma. The dreamer who wakes from a falling dream in this way may notice their heart racing, sweating and quickened breathing. It is assumed that these spasms are part of the body's arousal mechanism, allowing the dreamer to wake extremely fast so as to avoid dangers in their environment. They are sometimes referred to as 'panic reflex dreams' or 'hypnic/hypnagogic jerks' and may only last for a moment. They are characterised as an involuntary twitch causing the dreamer to startle and wake. These types of dreams are reported more as being more frequent in persons who have irregular sleep patterns and children. Aside from being caused by stress, sleep researchers have suggested that strenuous physical activity and caffeine may be influential factors in their occurrence. 

Some research has claimed that falling dreams and hypnic jerks have evolutionary origins - they are vestigial reflexes which developed when humans used to sleep in trees and evolved as for the purpose of making the sleeper readjust their position to prevent themselves from actually falling whilst asleep. Other dream researchers suggest that falling dreams are rooted in our experiences as a baby learning to walk. The physical sensation of tripping and falling are linked intrinsically to fear and calamity, so as adults, when we face such emotions, our brains may reactivate these memories of physical sensations. Some more obscure theories as to how dreams of falling can be interpreted claim that such dreams may relate to (suppressed) memories of the dreamer's own birth or falling from a parent's arms during infancy, both of which may left the dreamer with a form of subconscious trauma.

When the falling dream occurs just after the dreamer has fallen asleep, it may be because there is a physiological glitch - during REM sleep, the body goes into sleep paralysis, so that the dreamer is unable to 'act out' their dreams and put themselves in physical danger while asleep. However, if the body has not fully relaxed and become 'paralysed' but the mind is halfway between a waking and sleep state, the dreamer may physically react to dream imagery or narratives while feeling as if they were awake the whole time. It may be that falling dreams which give rise to hypnic jerks are a warning mechanism which keeps the dreamer alert. They may symbolise a real fear of the risk of falling out of the bed.

Cathleen O'Connor suggest that the physiological falling dream occurs because the dreamer's nervous system is relaxing, blood pressure is lowering and their heart rate is dropping. The physiological sensation of 'falling asleep' triggers a falling dream. She suggests that it is possible to induce falling dreams, by setting an intention to experience such a dream while laying in bed, before falling asleep. Other physiological reasons for falling dreams in the earliest stages of sleep are movement of fluid in the middle air (affecting sensations of balance) or limbs hanging off the edge of the bed (creating sensations of a lack of support beneath the body). The unconscious mind creates visual images, narratives and dream symbols to 'illustrate' the physical feelings or physiological changes experienced by the dreamer.

Psychological causes of falling dreams

The second type of falling dream occurs during a normal dream state - and it is these forms of falling dream to which the following interpretations relate, as there seems to be more psychological reasons for why they occur, as opposed to the physical reasons for the panic reflex/hypnic jerk dreams.

Falling dreams are often a sign that the dreamer has lost control of something in their waking life which needs their attention. Therefore falling dreams can be interpreted as a communication or message by the unconscious, telling the dreamer that they need to address the cause of their anxiety. Therefore, falling dreams are linked to uncertainty, instability and insecurity. The dreamer is feeling completely overwhelmed in some way and has lost their foothold. Falling dreams may also represent a sense of inferiority or failure and a lack of self-esteem; the dreamer has either lost - or fears the loss - of sources of security and safety. Further, the dreamer is unable to maintain the status quo and fears that they do not measure up in some way.

Standing on the edge of a high precipice, mountain, cliff etc, is interpreted as a sign that dreamer is 'on edge' and aware that they are 'living dangerously'. It can also be interpreted as the dreamer having a view of such risks - they are seeing the situation with some form of clarity. 

A soft landing may be a reminder that the dreamer should not fear the outcome of a waking life situation and must face their fears. If the dreamer sees themselves dead on the ground, this can be interpreted as a sign that they have evolved or transformed in some way, and thus, it can be interpreted as a positive, affirmative dream symbol. Interpretations of falling dreams suggest that if the dreamer falls on flat ground they are in the process of achieving their desires and therefore, this is a positive dream symbol. This should be contrasted with interpretations of falling into ditches or mud/dirt, which can symbolise loss of reputation or power or the fact that someone in the dreamer's waking life has been spreading malicious gossip of badmouthing them.

Typically, the loss of control may involve work, study, home or relationships and internal or external in nature - so existing in the dreamer's thoughts about their life, or an actual events which are happening in their real-life. Recalling the location from where the dreamer fell in the falling dream is important - for example, if they fall from the roof of their house, it is likely that the source of anxiety is within their home. Remembering how the dreamer fell is also of significance. Falling on your back is a sign that the dreamer requires some support, while falling on your hands is representative of needing 'a hand'. Falling into water is symbolic of an emotional breakdown and an urgent matter which requires immediate attention so that the dreamer does not let themselves 'go under' and 'drown' in their problem. The dream characters who appear in the dream may be of great importance - they may be the cause of the anxiety or problems, or - if they are helping the dreamer - the persons who can offer help and support in waking life.

Falling from a high altitude can be interpreted as a fear of loss of reputation or status. The dreamer may be anxious that others are losing respect for him. Often falling dreams involve falling 'into the void' or into blackness - this demonstrates concerns of the dreamer as to the direction they are headed and the fact that they cannot see a way out of a waking situation. They are vulnerable and helpless and therefore in a 'black hole'. The dreamer fears the unknown.

Dreaming of an object falling represents loss of what that object symbolises - for example, dreaming of a house falling down can mean anxiety about the crumbling of domestic relations or loss of security the home offers. The dreamer fears losing possession of the object or letting it slip from their grasp.

Losing balance:

Loss of balance suggests that the source of anxiety lies within the dreamer and their perception, thoughts of emotions regarding a certain situation. It is a sign that the dreamer feels unstable and needs to be grounded. There is a loss of balance in the dreamer's life or a lack of mental equilibrium. The dreamer needs to gain confidence in their ability to handle the situation.

Being pushed:

Being pushed and falling to one's death is a sign that the dreamer is being pushed overboard mentally by someone in their waking life. It may be that expectations of the dreamer are too high and they are being overworked or overburdened by others. Additionally. the dreamer may be pushing themselves to exhaustion in order to meet the expectations or demands of others.

Loss of grip:

Losing grip and falling represents the dreamer's lack of confidence in themselves and their abilities. There may be issues within the dreamer's relationship with another person or others in their waking life which need to be addressed. Some interpretations suggest that these type of falling dreams happen when the dreamer feels that a partner has an upper-hand in a relationship and is manipulating or controlling the dreamer in some way.

Holding on:

If the dreamer is holding on, it is a symbol of them desperately trying to fix a situation in their waking life. If the dream is scary or negative, then the dreamer may fear letting go of something in their waking life - such as a situation, relationship or attitude. If the dream has positive overtones, the dreamer may have already let go of whatever was holding them back and they are symbolically 'taking the plunge'. It may be that the dreamer has relinquished or released fear, anxiety or worry in their waking life

Slipping:

Slipping on a very high surface suggests the dreamer is - or will soon - slip up in a waking life scenario. It is a warning that they need to re-evaluate what is happening in their waking lives and either take precautions or refrain from dangerous actions of behaviours to avoid emotional distress. The dreamer needs to get 'back on track' and reach a more stable state.

Freudian theory suggests that falling dreams are a symbol that the dreamer is contemplating giving in to sexual urges, impulses and desires or is lacking discretion in such situations. It may be that the dreamer's libido has decreased or they have abstained from sexual intercourse. In The Interpretation of Dreams (1900), Freud categorises falling dreams as 'typical dreams' which happen to all dreamers and have similar meanings.

Jungian theory suggests that dreams of falling from a height may suggest that the dreamer has unrealistic expectations of themselves, which is not matched by their actual capabilities. The dreamer is suffering from a lack of judgement and awareness in their waking life.

Dream 295

'John Wilkinson's Party'
Dream date: 2 November 2014

I was at my nan's house in Sheringham. CD2 was there, sitting in the armchair in the corner of the living-room, between the door and the window. She was slumped down. I realised that there was some sort of party being planned for CD2's boyfriend, who was (in my mind) a composite between SH (her actual boyfriend) and NH (a friend of mine from my teenage years). SH/NH have a similar-sounding last name which may explain why this dream character was a composite. However, in the dream, SH/NH was called 'John Wilkinson'.

This dream seemed to continue for a long time, but I am not sure exactly what happened, as it all seemed to take place in the living-room and I have forgotten some of the details. Other guests were expected to attend the party. I was looking at a range of pink cakes which my mum had baked for the party. They were flat and triangular in shape. I thought she had done them wrong. The anticipation for John Wilkinson's arrival seemed to be building. I felt alienated and isolated from what was going on around me. There was some conversation between CD2, myself and my mum, who was now in the room, sitting on the armrest of CD2's chair. I noticed that on the table was an envelope with my nan's handwriting on it. It was addressed to me, and underneath my name was written 'John Wilkinson International Cancer'. It seemed to me that John Wilkinson was a very important person. I was still in a really bad mood, which would not change. I had some thoughts about John Wilkinson, which I cannot pin down. It was if I were remembering some memories, but they weren't my actual real-life memories, just ones created in the dream. 

At some point I looked in the mirror and noticed that my hair was cut into layers (instead of being practically all one length) and the top part was grey, while the main body of my hair had bright pink streaks. I washed my hair and the grey went away, but I was shocked to find that the pink streaks were still there, as I had assumed they would wash out. I looked into my mouth and saw my teeth up close. They looked perfectly square, but had gaps between them, through which blood was running, and pooling inside my inner lip. I felt annoyed about the pink in my hair and the bleeding teeth. When looking in the mirror, I am sure that other than my hair and teeth I looked the same as I do in real-life.

I then went over to my mum, who was talking to CD2. I was angry at her and starting swearing and slapping her on the leg. It turned into a big fight and I was making allegations at my mum, which I cannot recall. I looked up and saw John Wilkinson staring through the living-room window at us.

Dream 294

'Katie Price's Accident'
Dream date: 1 November 2014

I was in a classroom - not at my actual university or any classroom I recognise from real-life. There were other students present, none of whom I recognise from real-life. By the window was a very muscular young male, who had his shirt off. He had a fake tan and was flexing his muscles. I thought he was a show-off and we had a brief conversation, which I cannot recall. 

I sat back at my desk. I had three notebooks and was studying three separate (but linked) subjects, making notes in each of the notebooks. I was writing in a different coloured ink in each - one pale green, one yellow, and one pink. I did not see what the notes actually said. I was getting the coloured pens from three separate pen pots. I noticed that in the pot holding the pale green pens, all of the pens had transformed into different shades of green nail varnish. I started selecting the best green nail varnishes and taking them out of the pot.

I was then outside in the sunshine. There was a trail of blood on the concrete, leading to an ambulance. I knew that Katie Price aka Jordan had suffered some sort of accident. She had also just given birth to her sixth child. The ambulance drove away, presumably with Katie Price in the back of it.

I was then in a vehicle, being driven (with other passengers who I did not see, but was in conversation with) through a very busy city in blazing hot sun. The traffic was not obeying the normal rules of the road, and all the vehicles were swerving and crashing into one another. I felt alarmed and thought that we might end up in a car crash. The road was literally crowded with cars, vans, lorries and buses, all driving erratically and dangerously. I saw a gap open up in the traffic between some of the vehicles, but it was only a couple of inches wide. Somehow the person driving our vehicle was able to slip through the gap and into safety. I cannot recall anything else about this dream.

Dream 293

'Living with Jay-Z'

Dream date: 1 November 2014 (afternoon nap)

I woke up in bed at DL's flat. I am not sure if this classifies as a false awakening, as I did  not realise that I was in a dream or that I wasn't really awake. The bed was horizontal and opposite to the door of the bathroom (it is usually vertical and opposite). There was a royal-blue Dachshund ('sausage dog') in the bed with me. This was my pet. I went back to sleep. I woke up again, this time finding myself sitting in the bed, with my laptop. I was trying to close some tabs (internet tabs) but I couldn't because they kept shrinking and moving around the screen, so I was unable to click on them. I fell asleep again. I woke up, hearing DL say (from another room): 'Tallulah [he used my real first name] is asleep in there, don't wake her up'. I noticed that now the bed was back in it's real-life position, with the foot of the bed near the entrance to the bathroom, the door of which was open. The blue Dachshund was next to the bed, lying near to the pillows. 

Jay-Z (this was whom DL was speaking to) entered the bedroom and stopped in the open doorway of the bathroom. He was carrying Blue Ivy, who was a small baby instead of her actual age (toddler). Blue Ivy was wearing a royal-blue party dress, the same shade as my dog. I realised that Jay-Z had separated from Beyonce, had custody of Blue Ivy and was now living with DL. Jay-Z put Blue Ivy on the bathroom floor and began to change her nappy/diaper. He was talking softly to her while he did so. I thought to myself that I could sell a story to the media about how boring Jay-Z was to know, but decided not to, because it would be a betrayal.

Dream 292

'Jurassic Park Space Nightmare'

Dream date: 31 October 2014

I was in a shiny silver metal space craft with a group of astronauts. We weren't wearing space suits, just beige overalls, and we were floating in zero-gravity conditions. The room that we were in had exits either side, which were basically metal tunnels/crawl spaces in the wall. I realised - with fear - that we were in a Jurassic Park- scenario and there were dinosaurs (velociraptors) loose on the craft, seeking to prey on us. I saw that on a table (stainless steel), there were two man-eating Venus Fly Traps, with male human faces (reminiscent of the one in Little Shop of Horrors (1986), but morphed with men). They were quite small and in flowerpots. I perceived these to be a form of dinosaur. The other astronauts were also scared and keen to leave this room. 

I could hear the velociraptors scratching on a door (I am not sure why this door was not an exit that we could use - we had to use the narrow crawl-spaced which were a little like rubbish/trash chutes). I was aware that the raptors would soon learn how to open the door as they do in the kitchen scene in Jurassic Park (1993).  I was then even more anxious to discover that we definitely could not leave through the door (because the raptors were on the other side) but would have to crawl through the narrow chutes which were barely big enough. I knew it would be claustrophobic and there would be the risk that we would get stuck. We all entered the chutes, on our bellies and crawled through. We came out into a big open space in daylight. It seemed as if we were in a wilderness, which was partially desert and partially scrubland, with nothing else in sight. The land was flat and sandy-beige in colour. It seemed desolate. One of the astronauts (a male) said that he would go and get the vehicles for us so that we could leave. I then realised that we were not on Earth, but on a different planet altogether. I wanted to go home.

Myself and one of the female astronauts (who was the only person who seemed familiar to me, although I cannot recall who she was or represented) decided that we would make our own way back to Earth, by jumping off the side of the planet and floating through space. I am not sure why we decided to do this, as I was very scared at the prospect and thought that we might die. We did in fact jump off the side of the planet and found ourselves floating through space, which was incredibly scary. The feeling was horrible - out of control and sickening. We passed the Antarctic or Arctic - it was a glacial wasteland of some sort and eventually found ourselves touching down on land. We were standing by a white gate, by which two young women were sitting, eating ice cream cones. I asked them (for some reason in French): 'Ou est la?' ['where is the?]. One of the women said: 'South London'  and I discovered that we were indeed in South London, feeling surprised that we managed to get to the UK so easily.

Dream 291

'Kidnapping and Drugs'
Dream date: 31 October 2014 (afternoon nap)

This was my most successful lucid dream to date because I managed to control the actions of my dream characters and also stabilise the dream really well, using standard techniques. I also entered the dream in a lucid state rather than becoming lucid during a normal dream, which is my usual experience. I wish I hadn't wasted this lucid dream doing stupid things which weren't as enjoyable or exciting as they could have been, but I see this as a good practice dream for next time I experience lucidity. 

I was in a normal dream, which I can hardly recall, other than the fact that I was in a big car park at night and I was standing in front of a big, square white building which did not have any windows or doors that I could see. I woke up. This was a false awakening, although I did not realise it at the time - my bedroom looked the same as it had when I went to sleep, except it was completely dark with no light and my laptop screen was not on - which it had been when I fell asleep. I later discovered this was a false awakening, as during this stage of the dream process, I looked at my mobile phone (on which an alarm was set for 5:00 pm as I needed to wake from my nap to get ready to go out in real-life). My alarm said 9:00 pm (which I accepted, but wondered why my alarm had not gone off). I fell back asleep. 

I am not sure if I had another normal dream during this period of sleep. I woke up again. This time I was really awake. I looked at my mobile phone and discovered it was 4:00 pm. It wasn't very dark - it was normal light outside for this time of the day. My laptop screen was on as expected. I decided that I should try and enter another dream for the final hour of my sleep (using my natural waking as a spontaneous Wake-Back-To-Bed method). As I drifted back to sleep, I thought about the dark car park and the big square white building, visualising them and telling myself that I would revisit this dream. I entered a dream state, lucid. I instantly knew I was in a dream. I was in the car park, standing at the corner of the white building. It was still night. I discovered that I was naked, with just a duvet wrapped around me. I found this annoying as it hindered my movement, so I told myself that I should get dressed properly - and discovered that I was wearing the black strapless sundress that I was wearing in real-life at this time. I walked around the building and saw a bench at the edge of the empty car park. There was a family of four adults and a small, dark-haired female child (aged approximately 2 - 3 years) being carried by a brunette female. I did not know or recognise any of the dream characters - they were all strangers to me. The adults were bending over the bench, packing some clothing into holdall bags (white and blue) I walked over to them and decided to be antagonise them in some way to see if I could start an argument. I said: 'You've kidnapped my daughter!' to the adults. The female adult carrying the child said: 'no, it's my daughter!' I stood my ground and said; 'No, I'm her mummy!' The child looked at me and then reached out her arms, crying and screaming: 'Mummy! Mummy!' I felt really pleased that I was able to convince the child that I was her real mother. I shouted: 'Kidnap!' A male adult, a middle-aged man with grey hair, wearing a navy blue jumper and brown trousers (the husband of the brunette woman carrying the child) said: 'We're sorry, we;re sorry, we're sorry!' He looked very anxious and scared - as if he was really being accused of kidnapping a child. I said: 'I want my daughter back!' to which he responded 'Yes, you can take her back!' The child was still reaching and calling out for me. The grey-haired male said: 'I will leave this lot and come with you and the child'. To further play with this family and antagonise them, I said: 'You better divorce your wife then!' He was nodding very fast. I walked away from the family, with the grey-haired male (I'll call him 'Dream Husband' for ease) following me. I left the child with the brunette 'Dream Wife' character and the other two adult dream characters. I went to the other side of the car park. I said to the Dream Husband: 'Give me some drugs' and he agreed that he would do whatever I wanted. I asked him to put a line of cocaine on the back of my hand. I do not use cocaine or any other Class A drugs, because I am worried about addiction, can't afford them and don't want to ruin my health - however, in my lucid state I realised that I could safely experiment with any substance I wanted to and wondered if I would experience a realistic altered state. The Dream Husband placed a bump of cocaine on the back of my outstretched hand. I sniffed it up, without the use of a banknote or other implement used to take drugs in this way. I felt a momentary buzzing sensation which was pleasant and intense. It quickly faded and I realised I did not much like the sensation of taking cocaine. I do know (from real-life) that I like smoking cannabis, so I asked him to roll me a spliff. He used his mouth (no hands) to roll me a blunt, using a cigar skin or blunt wrap. He took it from his mouth and passed it to me, already lit. I started smoking the blunt and felt the effects. I said: 'So you do whatever I tell you?' to which he agreed. I said I wanted to leave the car park and he would have to drive me. I asked him to get the holdalls which his family had been packing and my daughter. He asked if we could leave the child behind. I said: 'No, I want her now. You aren't my husband or boyfriend, you're just a servant'. He agreed that he would go and get the child (who was still across the other side of the car park with the rest of the family). I then told the Dream Husband that he looked like James Franco and he transformed halfway to looking like James Franco, but still middle-aged and much larger in height and weight. I then realised I was going to wake up. The Dream Husband/James Franco was blurring and distorting in front of my eyes as if my vision was going hazy. I tried to stabilise the dream, remain asleep and maintain my lucidity by shaking my hands very frantically. I felt some kind of air resistance as I shook my hands - it felt as if I was moving them in jelly. Gradually, my vision improved and the Dream Husband came back into clear view in front of me. I said: 'Take me to DL then' and the Dream Husband ran off to get my child, the bags and bring his car over to where I was standing. I waited for a moment, but then woke up.

This was a false awakening. I know this, because again, my room was pitch black and when I looked at my mobile phone to check the time it was 8:00 pm. I drifted back to sleep, but cannot recall any further dreams. I woke up properly at 5:00 pm when my alarm clock went off as planned.