Dream 385

'Vice Want My Uterus on Show'

Dream date: 16 March 2015

I was in a large brightly-lit room which had what looked like surgical equipment in it. It was actually a photographic studio and I was putting makeup on the face of a brown-haired white female dream character, ready for a photo-shoot - I think she was a model. However, I could not get the (too-dark/orangey) foundation to blend properly and the makeup looked badly applied and obvious/caked on. I saw a close-up of the model's face and realised I needed to work more to make the makeup look better, so I asked her to sit back down in the chair (which looked like a dentist's chair) and tried to use a makeup brush to blend the foundation in more.

The scene changed and I was in a school corridor - not a school I have attended in real-life. I was aware that Vice was making a documentary about me. I was supposed to show my uterus to a random man (a white male dream character). This involved me cutting my uterus out and placing it in a bucket, while being filmed. I was unsure about this - but mainly because I did not like the male who I was supposed to show my uterus to. We were together in the corridor and I got the impression that he was either smug or arrogant. I went into a nearby classroom - I realised that this was a classroom from my actual real-life primary school. There was another white male dream character there, who I thought might be a better person to 'see my uterus' in my Vice documentary. I cannot recall much about this male dream character, other than the fact I preferred him to the initial one. I started hugging the new male dream character, wondering how I could arrange it for him to be in the Vice documentary with me.

I then left the classroom, and walked out into the corridor. It was indeed the corridor of my old primary school. I could see the initial male dream character (the one I didn't like) walking away from me. He was wearing really hideous black baggy trousers which had tight ankle cuffs; and really weird pointy black shoes which looked too long for his feet. I was happy that he was to be replaced in the Vice documentary as I knew he definitely wasn't the right person to show my uterus to.

The dream scene then changed and I was looking at Lindsay Lohan. Although I could see her in the third-person, I was thinking as 'her' as if I was now her, but seeing her from the outside. She was wearing an emerald green dress and leaning against a low wall in an outside daytime environment. A group of very posh, white male dream characters approached her. As Lindsay Lohan, I thought: 'I wonder if I can attract these upper-class guys?' I thought that if I could get these rich men to fancy me, I might be able to live a life of wealth and culture. 

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I had a conversation with my friend about a man (unknown to me) who has a strange fetish for ejaculation directly onto a woman's uterus. I had told my friend this was impossible as the uterus is internal and cannot be accessed from via a woman's vagina. This was several days before this dream took place.
• I commented on an article published online by Cosmopolitan magazine after reading an earlier comment about female anatomy. In my response, I had referred to the uterus. This was the day before I had this dream.
• Several days before I had this dream I saw an image of Lindsay Lohan, re-published from her Instagram account by the Daily Mail online newspaper. The image had been badly and very obviously photoshopped by Lohan herself, to make herself appear thinner and more curvier.
• I am an avid fan of Youtube makeup tutorials.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:

I thought this was a funny dream and when I woke up my initial thoughts and feelings were about how weird and vivid this dream was, and I could instantly see the humour in it.

Dream 384

'Exposing Bad Grandfathers'

Dream date: 14/15 March 2015

I was with a female dream character - a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair who was a similar height and build to myself. We were both working as au pair for a family which consisted of grandparents, parents and children. The parents and children were not seen in the dream. The girl and I were to stay on a grassy cliff which was in the middle of the ocean. We lived in a little nook carved out from the cliff and would go to the top of the cliff and look out at the sea.

The grandfather was a white male dream character with grey hair and a beard. The girl and I became aware that he was having a sexual relationship with a 14-year old girl (unseen and I am not sure how we became aware of this). We disapproved of this and thought the grandfather was a sex offender who needed to be confronted. 

We organised a meeting with the grandfather and grandmother in a dark room (in their family home). This room was filled with furniture and boxes - as if it had been packed up for removal or had been moved in, but not yet unpacked. The boxes were stacked high to the ceiling - and were mainly positioned in the centre of the room, which created a kind of partition. There was a large curtain (I think it was white) also - separating one room from another to the left of where we were standing. The girl and I had a clipboard - with questions for the grandfather written on a piece of paper - a survey. We wanted to question him about his inappropriate relationship with the underage girl. We referred to the confrontation as 'a game'. However, the grandparents were unwilling to take part. The grandmother was telling us that we had work to do and should not be playing games like this. The grandfather said he was 'too busy' and could not answer our questions. He was refusing to listen to our concerns about his statutory rape of the 14 year old. The grandparents left the dark room. The girl and I then  went to The Two Lifeboats Hotel in Sheringham (the pub which my mum used to manage and where I worked as a teenager). We walked into the 'Augusta Bar' (which has a sea-view) and stood in the middle of the space (which was filled with customers) and shouted out that the grandfather was a child abuser. We were very frantic and excitable, but no-one paid any attention to us. This part of the dream made me aware that the location for all of it was Sheringham - it was obvious, since the family we worked for lived by the sea, and when we were on top of the cliffs, we were looking out at the sea off the coast of Sheringham (there are grass-topped cliffs in Sheringham, and I have stood on top of them and looked out at this view, although in this dream, the cliff we lived on was not connected to the mainland, but just standing alone in the middle of the sea).

The girl and I were then on top of a huge scaffolding, in the middle of the ocean. It was hundreds of feet high, above sea level. I felt scared (I am afraid of heights in real-life). To get down from the scaffolding, you had to stand on a small square platform, then somersault down onto a slide or ladder. My mum was at the top of the scaffolding with me. She was telling me not to do this, because it was too dangerous, and I agreed with her, but had no idea how I could get down without doing the somersault. The girl demonstrated it. As she somersaulted in the air above the platform, I saw she was wearing bright yellow trousers. I saw this from a position of standing behind her. It was a very vivid image which seemed to last longer than was physically possible.

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• In my previous dream (Dream 383) I had dreamed of a character from Stephen King's IT (novel, 1986; movie 1990). In the movie adaptation there is a scene where Pennywise the Clown somersaults into a drain opening - wearing bright yellow trousers). The 'somersault' scene involving the girl wearing yellow trousers in my dream was based on this image from the movie. The girl's movement was exactly the same as Pennywise's. I have provided a screenshot of the scene from the movie to illustrate what I mean.
• I had a conversation with an old school-friend the day before I had this dream. He lives a short distance from Sheringham. I told him that I sometimes visit my family in Sheringham (which is 25 miles away from where I now live), but I usually end up in my nan's house, or down the local pub with my parents, which might have inspired notions of grandparents and pubs in Sheringham - especially one in which my mum and I used to work.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:

I felt happy and in a positive mood when I woke from this dream.

Dream 383

'Laundry in the Middle of a Weird Dinner Party'
Dream date: 13/14 March 2015

I was sitting on the floor of a room, but I did not see much, only the floor, which was covered with pale blue bathroom mats, all covered in small amounts of shit. My nan entered the room, wearing slippers, but I could only see her feet/legs.

There was some scene or reference to N the dog, but I cannot recall what happened.

I was then in a hospital ward, looking at some of the patients laying in their beds. The room was bright because sunshine was coming in through the windows. Everything in the room was clean and bright. There were two in particular - a middle-aged male dream character with a severe skin condition all over his face, and a middle-aged female dream character with a severe skin condition all over her scalp and neck. The skin conditions were bright red, peeling and scabby - like severe dermatitis, eczema - or perhaps burns. A second female entered the room - she was a mature white woman, with a very petite build, and highly glamorous. She was a composite between Barbara Windsor, Joan Collins and Dolly Parton. Although, she did not seem to be a doctor or a nurse, she knew how to cure the skin conditions of the patients. She rubbed some sliced limes on the skin of the male patient and some sliced apple on the skin of the female patient, and they were miraculously cured of their diseases. 

I was then in a dark room with my mum and my nan, looking at huge piles of clothing. I could see a pair of trousers which were white, with large panels cut out from the sides of the legs - I then saw what they would look like when worn. I had no idea what we were going to do with the huge piles of clothing. 

I found myself in another domestic environment, which appeared to be a larger version of my former home in Pine Grove, Sheringham. I was with a male, who I thought was PS (my ex-boyfriend), but seemed to be a composite of PS, EB and Henry Bowers, from Stephen King's IT - novel (1986) & movie (1990). We went into the box-room bedroom at the front of the house, although in the dream, this room was bigger as a bed could fit width-ways across the room. PS laid down on the bed. He had some strange black tattoos - one which was a 'handwritten' one in a messy script across his neck. I saw it in close-up detail, but could not read what it said. We were aware that we were in some kind of danger from a gang, but the precise details of why was not clear - I think it involved drugs or a debt. PS laid down on the bed. He said that there was a group of bikers (Hells Angels), including three particularly violent members, downstairs, who would protect us, because they were friends of his family and bodyguards for him. I felt more safe and secure knowing this.

I then found myself at a dinner party, hosted by the glamorous older woman who had healed the skin conditions. We were in a dining-room which had a wooden counter along one side, on which drinks - mainly bottled alco-pops were displayed. The rest of the room was filled with dark brown, polished wooden tables at which the guests were seated, Everyone seemed to be drinking alco-pops and I noted that there were no placemats or tablecloths to protect the varnished wood of the table. I was sitting with my back to the wall, at the end of one table, furthest away from the door. The glamorous female dream character entered and started to serve the guests with food. Everyone seemed to be given a different dish. The person opposite me (not recognised - just a dream character) had something which looked more appetising than what I was given, which seemed to be a dish of many beige and brown elements, mostly square in shape. I had less food on my plate than this guest. As I looked around the dining-room I thought that the decor made it look 'unclassy' and slightly dated - almost 1980s in style. I then realised I was seated next to my nan. She said that we had to go and do some laundry and would return afterwards and then eat. I thought that if we went to do laundry now, not only would our food be cold and inedible on our return, but the dinner party might be over. I think I articulated this thought, because my nan said that would not be true. We left, and went outside. It was a hot sunny day and we were in a suburban or countryside location which I do not recognise. I am not sure that I even recognised it within the dream. We walked to a bus stop and soon the bus came. We boarded. We ended up back in the dark room which was filled with clothes, and I saw the white trousers, with the panels cut out from the sides of the legs, once again. I put these trousers on and found that they fit me. 

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• The day before this dream I had seen the Facebook profile of a user named 'Henry Bowers' who used the photograph of the actor playing Henry Bowers in Stephen King's IT. The novel by King is one my favourite books, and I first read it as a child (I always had mature reading tastes and a love of horror - I think I was about 12 years old when I found my mum's copy and started to read it). I haven't re-read the novel again in many years (my cousin borrowed my own copy and never returned it), and recently decided to listen to the novel in audiobook form, since it is an epic (over 1,000 pages) and I had not been able to find a cheap copy in a second-hand book store or my university library. I finished listening to the audiobook version (on Youtube) last week.
• I was drinking limeade shortly before I fell asleep and had this dream.
• PS had text me the day before this dream and we had discussed N the dog and an injury he had suffered to one of his legs (a muscular injury), which had caused me to worry about him.
• The day before this dream, I had made a lentil and vegetable bake (from a mix sold in the 'vegan section' of my local shop), which looked beige and square - and had not been appetising.
• I have outstanding laundry which needs to be done.

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:

I am going to start recording my feelings upon waking, if they seem to be influenced by my dreams. 

This dream left me feeling very empty and melancholy when I woke up, although I am not sure why. I had a sense that this was a significant dream because of it's length and complexity. The scene which seemed to create the greatest impression - and was the one on which my mind was most focused on after getting out of bed, was the dinner party. I kept seeing the image of the alco-pops on the table in my mind's eye, and recalling the notion that the decor was outdated and 'unclassy'. Also, the memory of the walk to the bus-stop seemed to linger in my waking mind.

* There were more parts to this dream which I cannot recall, as when I was laying in bed thinking about the dream before writing it down, I found that the dream memory was so long that in remembering the most vivid scenes and events (those recorded here), I forgot the less memorable aspects. It was as if the act of remembering (what seemed to the the most important parts) allowed the more vague or hazy scenes to be forgotten, or that there was simply too much material/content for my brain to process in a short space of time. If I do remember further parts of this dream, I will record them below.

Dream 382

'Bleeding Statutes, Massive Two Pence Pieces & Infidelity'

My university friend and colleague, JL, proposed to me. We were in a large room which seemed to be a composite of a domestic lounge and a restaurant/cafe. JL was sitting at one end of the room, which was filled with unknown dream characters, seated at small round tables at the edges of the space. I accepted the large diamond ring JL gave me as an engagement ring. I immediately went to each table and propositioned the male dream characters seated there - with the intent to be unfaithful. JL was watching this happen, but did not intervene or say anything.

I was then in another room, which seemed to be a domestic room - or some kind of waiting room, decorated to look like a lounge. My mum, nan and some other persons who I think may have been family members were there. Also present was a small male child (aged approximately 2 -3 years old). He had thick black hair (like my own in texture) and was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt. We had lots of shopping bags and gift bags at our feet, while we sat at some sofas, which were positioned to face one another. I was sitting next to my mum. Adjacent to the sofas was a window, with a piggy bank or some kind of money box on the window sill. The small child approached me, to tell me something. He seemed restless and in need of being occupied (the way small children are when they are bored or over-tired). I said: 'Sit with me and let me give you a cuddle'. The little boy refused and said: 'Why do adults want to cuddle children all the time?' I replied: 'Because you are cute and also you are my son'. The little boy reached into one of the bags and pulled out a two pence piece - it was massive - about the circumference of a tennis ball. He asked: 'Why is it so big?' and my nan said: 'They used to be that big until they made them smaller' and showed him a regular sized coin. The little boy put the massive 2p in the piggy bank/money box on the window sill. 

I was then in an outside environment, but it was as if I wasn't really there as an active participant in the dream scene - I was just a passive observer. It was daylight and quite cold as there was a strong wind blowing. However, there was also sunshine which indicated it was Spring or Summer. There was an older male cream character - white, with grey hair (in his 50s) wearing a brown and grey tweed outfit which made me think he was a History Professor. We were on a large grass verge which trailed down to a large flat grassy bank. Beyond this bank (in view) was a cliff edge. On the top of the verge were two graves/tombs which were beautiful - they were illuminated with pastel lights which were set in the stone, which was ornately carved. The dream character (Historian) informed me - but not by words, more like his thoughts - that these graves were that of a husband and wife. He ran down the verge and I was following him. On the grassy bank, about 50m away was another grave. This belonged to the dead couple's maid. I wondered why this grave was so far away from the others with so much open, available space. We approached the maid's grave. It was a figurative sculpture of either a mermaid or a sea nymph, curled into a crouching position, making her look round. This was carved in some kind of grey stone, and the sculpture was quite rounded and difficult to decipher at first, because the head/limbs and other body parts were folded under the main body. The Historian pulled the sculpture a little - the way you might move a living flesh-and-blood body to rouse it. He pointed out that she had been killed by a huge gash which had been slashed into her underarm. I saw that this massive sound was pouring with fresh blood. 

I was then in an office, which was very dark. It had lots of cubicles for the office staff to work in, but there were all positioned in a messy way in the centre of the room, which was very dark and poorly lit. Around the outside of the room were glass-walled offices, for the senior workers/managers. I was seated in a cubicle on the outside of the messy cluster - with my back to one of the glass-walled offices. I was aware I did not actually work in the office, but was visiting or there for another reason. A male dream character - a middle-aged white man in a black business suit, came out of one of the glass offices. He said to me: 'You've been posting naked pictures on your Facebook'. I could hear the other office workers all talking negatively about me and insulting me from inside their cubicles and felt annoyed. I said that it was 'my right' to do so, and took off all of my clothes. The male dream character manager did the same, and we walked around the edge of the cubicles. I felt justified in doing this, and liberated in my nakedness. I was happy to expose myself to prove I was entitled to present myself in this way.

I then found myself in a basement with the manager and Chris Morris (one of my favourite TV/radio broadcasters, possibly my actual favourite). The basement looked quite industrial, as there was lots of machinary stored down there and it was completely dark, with only the people/things I looked at illuminated enough for me to see them clearly. It also seemed to be very damp/wet down there. The manager was telling Chris that a journalist had been unable to write an article to the standard he expected and he was annoyed by the delay in publishing the work. Chris said that he would write the article himself, and the manager was disputing Chris' journalistic abilities. There was a moment when I was not looking at either Chris or the manager - I think I was exploring the immediate area of the basement. When I came back to the table at which we had been sitting, Chris' head was large (about 4 times bigger than a normal human head) and almost completely featureless, although it was lumpy and not smooth (almost like someone had been trying to sculpt a human head from beige-pink clay and then stopped after getting the basic shape in place). Chris had started to write the article on an old-fashioned typewriter. The manager was standing at the edge of the desk, holding a cigarette packet which was huge - about the size of a suitcase. He said that he had made Chris' head out of old cigarette packets. After Chris finished the article, we started walking around the basement together.

I was then in a room with my family again - my mum and nan were there. We were sitting on sofas again, but this time, in the middle of a room, the details of which I cannot recall. My mum said that we were 'going out for lunch'. I asked her where we were going and she was in a bad mood with me and deliberately evasive, not answering my question. I was getting annoyed and said that I would not be going anywhere unless I knew where in advance. My nan asked: 'Are you coming to my house?' to which my mum said: 'No we are going to lunch with RC and his girlfriend' [she said the name of the woman, but I could not recall it, as it was a dream character name, not RC's real-life girlfriend - as a background to this detail in the dream, RC is an older male who I met in Sheringham when he was an adult and I was 14 years old. He used to drink and gamble a lot and had a reputation of being a 'waster' despite the fact he is kind-hearted and harmless. He had unfortunate family circumstances. While it sounds improper that a (platonic and functioning) friendship might occur between a teenage girl and a man in his 20s, I am still very good friends with RC to this day, and have always seen the best in him. On one occasion, I even saved his life in an emergency! RC never - or very rarely in my knowledge - has had a stable relationship since I have known him] I asked why we were going to lunch with RC and his girlfriend (my mum and nan know and like RC, but I could see this was an unlikely event, even in the dream). My mum said it was because 'they were grateful we supported their prawn company'. I had the vague idea that my mum was still manager and chef in a local hotel and had been ordering their prawns for the business, so I accepted her explanation. I then realised - without us actually going to meet them for lunch - that RC could not make it, so it would just be his girlfriend. However, the girlfriend was now a young male dream character. I went and took a bath (the bath/bathroom was a composite between PS's bathroom in London and my own bathroom in Norwich). I had my laptop with me and it was not working - it just turned off. I realised that it was because I had dropped the laptop in the bath water (this not being actually seen/experienced in the dream). The male dream character (standing in for RC's girlfriend) entered the bathroom to help fix my laptop. I was shocked that he just walked in, and tried to object, but my mum followed him in saying: 'it's fine, you're together now' which indicated that I had entered into some kind of relationship with this dream character, without realising it until my mum said. 

There was a scene where my mum, the male dream character in the previous scene, and I were driving in a car.

* This dream happened during a 14-hour sleep (I have NO idea how I managed to sleep this long, as I laid down in bed at 4:00 pm for a nap and woke up at 6:00 am!) I know that there were parts of the dream which I cannot fully remember, but have a vague memory of taking place. If I do remember them, I will write them below.

Lucid Dream Tutorials - The MILD Technique (LUCID DREAMING FOR BEGINNERS TUTORIAL SERIES)

Tutorial Aims: 

• Experience Level: Beginner (Level 1)
• Explain the basic difference between Dream and Wake Induced Lucid Dreams
• Introduce the basics of the MILD Technique (a form of DILD)
• Provide a 6 Step programme teaching the key elements of the MILD Technique
• Produce an effective and practical programme of lucid dream induction for ongoing practice
• Give information on potential problems or barriers to a successful MILD Technique attempt

What is a Lucid Dream?

A lucid dream is a dream in which the dreamer is consciously aware that they are dreaming. Although it is commonly thought that a lucid dream is a dream in which the dreamer has control over the content or events of the dream, dream control is only one aspect of lucid dreaming. Some lucid dreams involve no control at all. Indeed, many oneironauts (dream explorers) have to work very hard at learning how to control their lucid dreams. Therefore, when we refer to lucid dreams, all we really mean is that the dreamer knows they are dreaming during the dream. Dream control methods will be discussed in a later tutorial.

Some people are able to naturally become lucid in a dream. This means that they do not need to 'train' themselves how to achieve lucidity or induce it using a lucid dream induction technique. - it just happens without any effort. However, due to the increasing attention paid to lucid dreaming (within popular culture and also the academic community) and it's growing recognition, as a result of movies such as Inception (2010), many people are keen to learn techniques to induce lucid dreams. I have therefore decided to create a step-by-step programme of lessons, tutorials, tips and advice for those who wish to embark upon their own lucid dream adventure, starting from the very basics, which makes this series of articles and accompanying videos ideal for beginners. This tutorial focuses on an introduction to the MILD Technique, which is arguably the easiest and most effective method of lucid dream induction. 

Firstly, let's think about types of lucid dream induction and get acquainted with some terminology. 

The Difference Between DILDs & WILDs

There are two main types of lucid dream induction:

• DILD (Dream induced/initiated lucid dream) - where the dreamer spontaneously becomes lucid  in a normal non-lucid dream. Often, the realisation that something bizarre or impossible is happening in the dream is sufficient to spark instant lucidity in the dreamer. Therefore the dreamer falls asleep, enters a normal dream state and then 'wakes up' (becomes consciously aware) within that dream.
• WILD (Wake induced/initiated lucid dream) - where the dreamer transitions directly from a state of wakefulness into a lucid dream without a lapse in consciousness. This is a technique sometimes referred to as the 'holy grail of lucid dreaming' because it involves entering a deep meditative state which enables the dreamer to achieve 'lucidity on demand'. 

DILDs are more common that WILDs - perhaps because DILDs can happen naturally to many people, without the need to learn and practice induction methods, whereas WILDs involve time, effort and understanding how to create a paradoxical state of mind awake/body asleep. WILDs also rely on the dreamer entering a waking state of sleep paralysis (which can feel uncomfortable or disconcerting for some); immersing the self in hypnagogia (the hallucinations which are experienced when on the brink of sleep); and dream visualisation. 

This all sounds fairly complex and full of jargon, but we will return to these topics in a later tutorial, when we will start learning the WILD technique in full. The idea for now is to simply familiarise ourselves with some of the common terms associated with lucid dreaming. 

One laboratory study suggests that suggests that up to 75% of lucid dreams are DILDs. Dr Stephen LaBerge of the Lucidity Institute states that WILDs are more commonly experienced in sleep laboratories than  at home. DILDs often occur spontaneously in 'natural' or proficient lucid dreamers without the need to purposefully and intentionally induce/incubate them.

The MILD Technique (Mnemonic/Memory Induced Lucid Dream)
There are a number of DILD Techniques, all of which will be covered in future tutorials. However, this tutorial focuses specifically on the MILD Technique, which was developed by LaBerge in the 1970s, during his doctoral studies into lucid dreaming.

The MILD Technique (mnemonic/memory induced lucid dreaming) is an ideal method for lucid dream beginners. The MILD technique is a form of DILD because - as explained above - you enter the lucid dream from a normal non-lucid dream state. However, the methods for learning this technique are performed throughout the waking day and just before falling asleep. 

Essentially, the MILD Technique teaches the dreamer to become more self-aware. This increases the chances that the dreamer will recognise that they are dreaming. Not only does the dreamer enhance their self-awareness, but they incubate a dream with affirmations, and programme their dreams to contain triggers/cues (pre-determined) to prompt lucidity. The technique therefore involves the memory, hence the name.

• Step 1: Understanding the Sleep Cycle

Firstly, make sure you are getting enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is one of the main reasons some people experience less dream recall than others. The REM (rapid eye movement) stages of the sleep cycle are the times when dreaming - and potentially lucid dreaming - occur. These REM stages happen at least once every 90 minutes. The early REM stages are fairly short - around 10 minutes long. Towards the end of an average period of sleep (8 hours), the REM periods are closer together and longer - sometimes up to 45 - 60 minutes in length, giving ample time to experience a lucid dream. See the diagram which shows the stages of the sleep cycle, based on an average duration of sleep (8 hours):

As you can see, the best (optimal) time for lucid dreaming is the last period of REM sleep before waking. We will learn how to utilise this knowledge later (see below). If you have a shorter cycle of sleep (for example, 5 - 6 hours), you may be missing the best opportunities to experience a lucid dream. If you are unable to sleep for 8 or more hours during the week, try to set aside extra time at the weekends and catch up on your sleep. Deep/delta wave sleep (Stages 3 & 4 on the above diagram) is restful and restorative sleep, so if you are sleep deprived, or sleep for fewer than 8 hours, your brain will be prioritising your body's need for deep sleep over REM sleep. During the weekend when you are able to spend longer periods sleeping, you can (and hopefully will) experience the REM rebound effect. Because you may have missed out on the 'average' and healthy amount of REM sleep during the week when you have less sleep, you will experience more REM sleep when you finally get a full 8 hours or more. This is because your brain tries to 'balance' deep sleep and REM sleep and will try to 'make up' for lost REM sleep once all the required deep sleep has been accommodated. 

If you have had enough sleep during the night, an afternoon nap is an excellent way to experience vivid dreams and hopefully, a lucid dream. Research has shown that lucid dreams often occur during a 1 - 2 hour afternoon nap in persons with an average sleep cycle (so therefore, someone getting sufficient deep sleep each night). This is because, in non-sleep deprived persons, the afternoon nap will be mostly spent in the REM stage of the sleep cycle.

• Step 2: Dream Recall

The most important step to any lucid dream practice is learning dream recall - basically, remembering your dreams when you wake up. If you cannot remember your dreams, you will not know if you have become lucid or not! If you don't take care to recall your dreams then you will have no idea what you are experiencing in them, but thankfully, learning to recall at least one dream per night is simple and can be achieved in a very short time.

2.1 Strategic Waking for Dream Recall
LaBerge found that periods of wakefulness interjected during sleep i.e. planned interruptions to the sleep cycle greatly increases the chances of having a lucid dream. During these strategic awakenings, the dreamer should bring themselves to full consciousness for a short period of time (i.e. 10 minutes) and ideally spend that time performing the various steps of the MILD Technique or immersing themselves in a lucid dream-related activity, such as reading about it or meditating with affirmations.

Some oneironauts like to set alarms throughout the night - based on the stages of the sleep cycle shown in the diagram above. It is common practice for avid lucid dreamers to wake up throughout the night, at approximately the time the REM stage ends - for example, if the dreamer goes to sleep at 10:00 pm, they might wake at 1:00 am; 3:00 am; 4:00 am; and 6:00 am. This is because you are most likely to recall a dream if you wake up straight after the REM stage in which it occurs, rather than going into another (deeper) stage of sleep. This method may be unsuitable or undesirable for many people - and risks sleep disturbance or exhaustion the next day. Instead, we will be learning an easier method for utilising the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming (see below).

2.2 Dream Journal
The first thing you must do is start a dream journal. Even if you remember your dream immediately after waking, you will find that dream memories fade very quickly and therefore it is essential that you record them in writing. This will also help you recognise dreamsigns - the bizarre or impossible elements of a dream which indicate that you are dreaming, not experiencing waking reality. We will learn how to use dreamsigns and reality checks below. 

Immediately upon waking, write down your dream - you should be keeping your dream journal and a pen beside your bed in easy reach. Sometimes, you have to clarify and consolidate the dream memory in your mind before you can write it down. As soon as you wake, turn your mind to your dream. Do not move - remain in the same position you awoke in, because even physical movements can distract you from recalling your dream. While laying in the position you woke in, ask yourself if you have been dreaming. You might find it useful to speak the dream aloud. As soon as you have the dream mapped out in your mind, write it down in as much detail as possible. If you cannot remember much, don't worry - just note down what you can recall - even if it is simply colours, thoughts, emotions, sensations, words etc. You may find the dream memory is triggered and surfaces at some point throughout the waking day. In a later tutorial, we will be learning how free association/stream of consciousness techniques can aid dream recall. 

When writing in your dream journal, give a name to your dream. Mark your dreamsigns (bizarre, odd or impossible features of the dream, including dream characters, events, objects, themes etc). Read through previous dream journal entries before sleep.

2.3 Affirmations for Dream Recall
We will consider affirmations below, but it is worth noting that affirmations can really aid dream recall. Before you go to sleep each night, remind yourself that you 'will remember your dreams when you wake'. Repeat this affirmation/mantra in your mind as you fall asleep, setting an intention to recall your dreams in a form of 'mental programming' or entrainment. 

2.4 Dream Supplements for Dream Recall
Some oneironauts use lucid dream supplements to boost their REM sleep and increase the vividness and recollection of their dreams. For instance, 'lucid dream supplements' such as Calea Zacatechichi; Vitamin B6 (and foods containing high levels of trytophan); Galantamine; 5-HTP etc are reported to intensify dreams and boost dream recall significantly, which can assist in lucid dreaming, as can nicotine replacement patches worn during sleep. There will be a separate tutorial on lucid dream supplements. However, it is worth noting that certain medications, recreational drugs (notably cannabis) and alcohol can inhibit dreaming - either by suppressing REM sleep stages or affecting dream recall. While some of these substances can produce the REM Rebound Effect described above (the dreamer 'catches up' on lost REM sleep once the substance has metabolised or its effects are over), it is not worth using them for this purpose. It is not recommended that anyone experiment with any substances - whether recreational, pharmaceutical or natural (such as over-the-counter/without prescription supplements) without first seeking professional medical advice. 

• Stage 3 - Reality Checks

There will be a separate tutorial on reality checks & dreamsigns, but it is essential that you understand the principles of reality checking in order to fully master the MILD Technique. 

The key is training yourself to be more self-aware. Throughout the waking day, ask yourself: 'Am I dreaming?' When you ask yourself this, you 'perform the reality check'. 

A reality check is an action which confirms whether you are asleep or awake. 

Common reality checks are: 

• Trying to push the fingers of one hand through the palm of another 
• Just look closely at your hands and notice anything odd (extra fingers)
• Looking in a mirror and noting unusual changes in your reflection
• Holding your nostrils closed and trying to breathe normally through your nose
• Trying to read text/the time/a mobile phone screen - letters, numbers and words often appear different

My preferred reality check is trying to push my fingers through the palm of my hand. It usually works effectively for me, but on one occasion when I tried to perform a reality check when already lucid (to prove to my dream characters that we were in my dream state), the reality check did produced no bizarre effects - i.e. it produced the effect that I would expect in waking reality - my fingers could not pass through the palm of my hand. 

If you are awake, these actions will produce a 'normal' result - you will find it is impossible to push your fingers through your palm; you will see your normal reflection in the mirror; you will be unable to breathe through your nose while pinching your nostrils; you can read text/numbers. In a dream, you are likely to find that your fingers are able to be pushed straight through the palm of your hand; your mirror reflection appears different to your waking reality - you may be a different ethnicity, gender, age, shape or size; you can breathe easily despite the fact your air supply is limited; and text/numbers appear to be radically different, sometimes illegible or in a different language/composition. 

In the dream state, the reality check should 'fail'. The main aim is to choose a reality check action which produces a different result when awake than the result you get when you perform it during a dream. You might like to experiment with a few different ones before settling on your favourite/most effective, although the fingers/palm action tends to be a very popular one. 

Question whether you are awake or dreaming and perform your accompanying reality check action as many times as you can, and develop a habit - one which will eventually become programmed into your dreams. Some oneironauts set alarms to remind them to perform a reality check - others might perform a reality check every time they do a routine act such as use the bathroom or enter a room.

Reality checks are a simple way of prompting a moment of introspection and self-awareness, which primes you for becoming conscious - i.e. lucid - within a dream state. It is recommended that at least 10 - 20 reality checks (which are simple, momentary and can be done discretely when in public) are performed throughout the waking day.

In your dream, seeing a dreamsign (which you will learn to recognise from noting them in your dream journal and finding recurrent themes, signs or symbols) should prompt you to perform a reality check. If the reality check 'fails' i.e. produces a different result to that you would expect when awake, then you should become lucid - aware you are dreaming!

• Step 4 - Lucid Dream Affirmations

Affirmations can be done at any point during the waking day, but are necessary just before you fall asleep. Totally relax yourself as you lay in bed, and completely clear your mind. Enter a meditative state: your muscles should all be loose as you lay in the most comfortable position to fall asleep. Now, focus on an affirmation/mantra which you will repeat to yourself in your mind, as if chanting it in your thoughts. This is a form of brain entrainment or mental programming, which will set an intention to dream. Perform the affirmations until you feel yourself falling asleep. If you become distracted at any point, just start this step again.

Try one of the following (lucid) dream affirmations:

• Tonight I will have a dream and remember it when I wake up
• I will remember my dreams
• I will be aware I am dreaming
• I can lucid dream
• I will have a lucid dream tonight
• My next dream will be a lucid dream
• I am dreaming now
• This is a lucid dream

My personal affirmation is: 'Awareness, Control, Recall' which sets my intention to become lucid (aware); exercise control over my dream (control); and remember my dream when I wake up (recall). Note that I include 'control' in my affirmation because I am not a beginner lucid dreamer and have learnt dream control techniques. For beginners, it is best to wait until you have some experience of lucid dreaming and lucid dream stabilisation before you attempt control - or include it in your MILD Technique affirmations, as this is a more advanced step in learning how to lucid dream. 

• Step 5 - Dream Visualisation

This step should be performed when you are fully relaxed and on the brink of falling asleep. It is perhaps the most difficult step in the MILD Technique, but don't worry if you can't quite master it to start off with - it isn't the most essential step in the process and you can keep trying this while you learn and put into practice the other steps which are much more important. 

Imagine yourself in a previous dream and visualise it in as much detail and clarity as possible. When you encounter a dreamsign, tell yourself 'I am dreaming!' This is not a lucid dream - merely a daydream which is preparing you for a lucid experience. Imagine a lucid dream experience and just let your imagination guide the way you explore the dream scene you are mentally visualising. During this step, you are likely (if tired enough) to fall asleep. Don't try to fight sleep - let yourself naturally enter the sleep state. The purpose of the MILD Technique is that you are mentally programming yourself for a lucid dream, so it is necessary that the last thing on your mind before falling asleep is the subject of lucid dreaming. On occasion, the imagined/visualised dream scene might seamlessly merge into a real lucid dream (if you experience something like this, perform a reality check!) - this is how the MILD Technique attempt transforms into a WILD! This is certainly something to celebrate and is likely to aid you in your future lucid dream adventures!

• Step 6 - Wake-Back-To-Bed Method

Wake-back-to-bed (also known as WBTB or WB2B) is a method which LaBerge has indicated produces increased success in lucid dreaming. It is a way of exploiting the optimal time in the sleep cycle to have a lucid dream. See the diagram above. If we assume that this average 8 hour sleep cycle begins at 10:00 pm, you will note that the last period of REM sleep (the longest one, lasting approximately an hour) takes place after about 6 hours of sleep (so approximately 4:00 am). LaBerge suggests that the best time for a lucid dream (in a non-sleep deprived person) is after 5 - 6 hours of sleep, during this last REM period. Because it is likely that the dreamer will wake soon after the last period of REM sleep in an average cycle, there is also more chance that they will remember the dream in greater detail. 

It is very common for oneironauts to wake up after 6 hours of sleep, by setting an alarm. This is something a beginner lucid dreamer should try whenever possible, because attempting MILD after having sufficient deep sleep (so having had your restful, restorative sleep), but waking yourself fully first, creates the best circumstances to become lucid. This is the ethos behind the afternoon nap method as well. 

Go to bed at your usual time, after performing the MILD Technique (Steps 2 - 5). Set an alarm for 6 hours time. Wake up after 6 hours of sleep and make sure you are fully conscious - have a drink, use the toilet, read your dream journal etc, to ensure your mind is fully awake. It is worthwhile performing a reality check at this stage (Step 3) - because every time you find yourself 'awake' you want to be checking whether or not you are dreaming and making this a habit, for the reasons outlined above. After 10 - 30 minutes, you are ready to go back to sleep. Make yourself relaxed and comfortable and perform the MILD Technique Steps 3 - 5 (reality check, affirmations, dream visualisation). Do this until you fall asleep again and hopefully, you will have a lucid dream! If you are trying the MILD Technique during an afternoon nap, use Steps 3 - 5, the same way you would during the WBTB method. 

Additional points to remember:

• Always make sure you turn off all digital, light-emitting or noise-producing electronic devices in the room you are sleeping in just before you go to sleep. Going to bed in a completely dark room makes it much more likely that you will dream, and potentially, experience a lucid dream.
• Research - and accounts of Tibetan Dream Yoga practice - suggest that laying on your right side may increase the likelihood of lucid dreaming. It is worth trying, but only if you feel comfortable and able to fall asleep in this position.
• Eating a snack which is high in tryptophan shortly before you go to bed may increase your chances of (lucid) dreaming. Healthy high-tryptophan foods suitable for late night snacks include: seeds and nuts (pumpkin, flax, sesame and sunflower seeds, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, almonds); cheese  and other dairy products (cheddar cheese, milk); and fruit (apples, bananas). There are many other high tryptophan food sources which may assist in boosting dreams, and these will be covered in a separate tutorial.
• While meditating, performing affirmations and dream visualisations (Steps 4 & 5), you may feel strange physical sensations, such as vibrations, floating, shaking, sinking, falling etc. This is the beginnings of sleep paralysis (which will be explained in a later tutorial). Everyone experiences muscle atonia during REM sleep so that we do not act out our dreams and put ourselves in physical danger. Sometimes, when attempting to induce lucid dreams - or just when we are very tired and about to fall asleep - we experience sleep paralysis starting before we are fully in the sleep state. It can be a terrifying experience if you do not know what it is. This is a paradoxical state of mind awake/body asleep which is encouraged when attempting the WILD Technique, but we do not need to consider how this works at present. Just be aware that it may happen. Also note that sometimes we experience what is know as a false awakening, where we 'wake up' (usually in the place we fell asleep) and feel like we are fully awake, but actually - are still asleep and dreaming. This is often accompanied by feelings of sleep paralysis and also visual/audio and physical hallucinations (hypnagogia - a phenomenon which occurs when we are halfway between sleep and wakefulness). False awakenings happen naturally to many people (myself included) and are common in childhood (often referred to as 'night terrors' if accompanied by the hypnagogia or nightmarish dream imagery). False awakenings can be transformed into lucid dreams once you know how. I will produce a separate tutorial on this theme, but remember, the best thing to do as soon as you wake up is to perform a reality check! This will confirm if you are actually awake, or in the false awakening limbo state. Try not to panic - it feels very real and experiencing paralysis and hallucinations/dream imagery during a false awakening can make you feel like you are trapped in a nightmare, but it is one step closer to experiencing a lucid dream as recognising a false awakening involves the same cognitive processes as becoming lucid in a dream state. If you know you are in a false awakening, you are basically lucid dreaming!

Dream 381

'Bad Tattoos'

I was in a well-lit domestic room which had a table in it. My uncle, GC, was with me - my mum was somewhere in the same house, but not participating in this scene. My uncle tattooed my left wrist with two large tattoos. One was of a pair of men's (cowboy's?) trousers - without a body or feet; the other was a desert island with a palm tree. When I looked at the tattoos (the trousers were on the inside of my wrist, the desert island on the outside), my wrist looked extra-large to accommodate the large tattoos, which were simply a black outline, filled in white (so, lighter than my actual skin tone). I thought the palm tree did not look like a palm tree and the trousers were random and unattractive. I instantly regretted the tattoos. 

My mum was carrying a plate with a roast dinner on it. She said she was taking it to my stepdad, who was ill in bed and would not be joining us downstairs.

There was a disconnected scene where someone (an unseen, or forgotten) male dream character was leaving, making everyone sad. I cannot recall anyone else who was present in this dream scene - I seemed to be concerned with myself only and was not speaking, just thinking. I was looking at perfect rows of silver-blue square objects laid out in front of me which represented the departure of the male dream character in some way.

I was then in my nan's 'front room' in her house in Sheringham. My uncle had left an electric guitar in there. It was black and the neck was like a snake - long and slithery and difficult to control. I picked up the guitar and started playing very simple rock melodies. I saw HP - a girl who I went to school with, who I wasn't particularly close to (she was one of those people I knew and neither liked a lot nor disliked). She was sitting on the sofa. It seemed normal to me that she was there. She said to me: 'I've heard those songs before'.

My family (mum, nan, stepdad, cousin HM) all went to a diner - it was an 'all you can eat' and everything was decorated in shiny red. We were seated at a large table in the corner, and I was closest to the wall. The decor looked to be 1950s-style and very kitsch. The only food served was tomato sauce. 

Dream 380

'Swapping Shifts'

Dream date: 6 March 2015

In real life, I really needed to swap a shift (I was scheduled to be on duty which means I have to stay at home with an emergency mobile phone in case I get called out to help someone in my role in student welfare). I had agreed to cover for a colleague (the next evening), but got confused about the rota and had important plans elsewhere. I went to sleep feeling anxious because it was too late to contact a colleague to ask them to take my duty shift, and knew I needed to make this a priority when I woke up.

I dreamt I was in a house, which in the dream was my home. However, on reflection, it seemed to look like the parental home of my school friend, NN, which is near my nan's house in Sheringham. This house - which I visited many many times as a child and young adult, has a separate 'granny flat' extension across a narrow porch which runs between the extension and the kitchen of the main house. I was in the main house. I could hear loud voices coming from the kitchen. I thought: 'my housemate is awake...I can ask her to cover my shift' and went to speak to her. Instead of finding her, I saw that 'her friend' (a large, female dream character in her 20s, with blonde hair, wearing a blue dress) was lying on the floor, blocking the door leading from the kitchen to the porch. She was moaning in a loud, wailing way. I had a mental image of 'beached whale'. I then saw myself standing on the edge of what I would describe as 'a ruined beach' - full of trash and debris, the cliffs crumbling away onto the sand. I looked again and noticed that the cliffs were actually crumbling concrete buildings, falling onto the beach. I was then looking out towards the sea, which was extremely blue and rough. It was daylight, but quite dark and stormy. This scene looked EXACTLY like the 'Limbo City' scene in Inception (2010) - pictured below. 

I then saw myself crossing the porch to go to what would be the 'extension'. The extension was in fact my neighbour's house and I was planning to ask them to take my shift for me. I walked across, and found myself outside my actual house in Norwich. I could see the football team - my neighbour's house was now a locker room or a room to store their sports equipment in. The inside of this room was brightly lit with an orange light. It was night time. Up ahead of me, standing outside a different house in my row (which looked as I would expect it to appear in real-life, other than the position of the 'locker/sports equipment room'), was ED1 and various other team members. I thought that I should hurry, rather than greeting them, as I had urgent business to attend to.

 I walked down the passage way in front of my Norwich home. The scene changed and I was then at the back of the extension of my friend NN's family home in Sheringham. It was daylight again, and the back of the extension was my Norwich neighbour (and colleague's) back garden (in real-life we don't have gardens on campus - just a large grassy field). There was a large vegetable plot. I woke up. 

Dream 379

'Black Pudding & Bad Cannabis Deals'

I was in a strange room which seemed to be a composite of my own kitchen at home in Norwich; a classroom (unfamiliar) and a cafe, with round, red velvet booths. I was sitting at a breakfast bar area. I saw my friend from school, LD, wearing a white apron. He was serving two young males, seated in the booths. I went to speak to him and he told me that he was serving them black pudding. I asked if they liked black pudding and LD said: 'They don't know what they are eating, but they love it!'

I went back to my seat at the breakfast bar/counter, which now seemed to be much lower than it previously was. My male friend, DJ, came over and said that there had been some mistake with a cannabis deal he had arranged between me and his other female friend (a dream character). Apparently, the female had sold me £20 of cannabis, but had got her weights muddled and actually given me a 4g deal (that would cost £40, but it would be rare to get the stated quantity of 1g for £10 because people under-weigh on purpose). I said this could not be true because I had weighed the cannabis when I received it, and it weighed 2g. He demanded that I return 4g of cannabis to the female - via him - and she would give me back my money. I laughed at him and said that it was too late, I had smoked most of the cannabis I had received, He was adamant that his friend would be upset with him if he did not get the cannabis back from me, but I stood my ground. I then 'saw' the female dream character (the supplier of the cannabis). I am not sure if I saw her in person (whether she was actually in my environment) or whether she was simply a mental projection. She was a young white woman with longish, straight, gingery-brown hair wearing jeans and a casual top, carrying a backpack on her shoulders. 

Dream 378

'Disgusting See-saw Hotel'

I was with DT - my boss - and a group of people who were not my actual colleagues, but dream characters who were my colleagues in the dream. DT did not look anything like he does in real-life, but I knew that this dream character was him. We were going to New York. Going to New York involved climbing a staircase to get the the penthouse flat in a hotel. Climbing the stairs was like standing on one side of a see-saw which moved violently up and down depending on how the weight of those standing on it was distributed and shifted. The 'see-saw' was unsteady, going up and down dramatically, which had the effect of us reaching the top floor without actually experiencing the upwards direction. When we reached the top floor we went through a door, into a room which had a floor like astro-turf (fake 'inside' grass). The room was a small square with doors doing off on each side. Because the floor also moved like a see-saw, going up and down as people's weight distributed, I got the impression that the room had no edges, even though I could clearly see the walls. The unsteady sensation was quite scary. 

The door to my left opened and inside the room was a black male and female dream character. I could tell that there were other people inside the room. The male explained to me that they were on a college trip and I said that we were also (because my boss is my senior in an office based at my university - we are involved in student welfare, and all my colleagues, like me, are students enrolled at the university who work part-time). DT had opened the door in front of me (adjacent to the college party's room). He told me to hurry up, because standing around made the room see-saw more and nobody was enjoying it. I left with him, through the door to our 'hotel room'.

Our hotel room was just a massive landscape, which stretched as far as the eye could see. On the floor was rubble/shingle, and some grass. There were small hillocks, which my colleagues were starting to climb. To my left, I saw a massive pile of spilled ashtrays, spilled drinks, discarded chocolate and dirty laundry. I said to DT: 'They didn't clean up after the last guests' (I meant 'the hotel chambermaids' although in the dream I did not specify this). The area of rubbish looked vast - much bigger than I could estimate, since it went off into the distance, in the direction away from that my group was heading. DT started to climb the first hillock. I looked at the ground beneath my feet. In the small grey stones/rubble were many wraps of cellophane - transparent plastic wrapping which were heat sealed at one end. In my mind I thought they looked like they contained small ball-bearings or marbles, but at the same time, I thought they looked like wraps of drugs. I said: 'Look at these' and DT said: 'Don't look at them!' I joined him climbing over the hillock. The sky was a pale grey.

I was then walking down Cromer Road, Sheringham with my mum and some other people, who I cannot recall. We were approaching the Health Centre. A young boy who I did not recognise (he was a dream character) jumped out on us. I instinctively knew his name was 'Chris'. Chris pointed at my face and said: 'Your eyebrows are truff'. I knew that this meant 'too thick and need to be plucked'. Chris then quickly ran down a side street, which I actually know to be York Street, off Unthank Road in Norwich (a road I used to live on when I got my first bedsit living by myself), although in the dream it seemed to be located on Cromer Road at the entrance to the Health Centre car park. He entered a building on the corner of Unthank/York Street, known as 'Unthank Mansions; which is/was always inhabited by a group of hippies/squatters/ravers when I lived in that road. I knew (only in the dream, not real-life) that RBA, a rapper I know, lived in this house (in real-life RBA also used a nickname which includes the word 'Truff').

* I cannot recall the last scene of this dream, but if I remember it, I will record this part below.

Dream 377

'Dressing Up a Child for an Event'

I was with my mum and two small children - female dream characters aged between 4 - 6 years approximately. We had to dress the children for some kind of social event they were to attend. I had been allocated one of the children. I think I dressed the child. I then realised that I was wearing some outfit which had been chosen for me by someone else (unseen, this part of the dream not experienced). I was wearing a white headband and lots of makeup, which I wanted to remove. My mum, the female children and I went somewhere (I am not sure where), but it was night and it was a residential area. I think we were attending a party or some other social function, but I cannot recall this part of the dream clearly. I then went home to my house in Norwich, by myself. I found myself in my bathroom, and used the sink (basin) to wash the makeup off my face. It was now daylight. I looked at the shelf at the back of the toilet cistern, on which my housemate and I keep some cleaning products/toiletries. I could see a black headband folded up there, and thought that it belonged to me, unless my housemate owned a similar one. 

* I am aware that I have forgotten some parts of this dream. If I recall them, I will record them below. When experiencing this dream, and immediately after waking I was aware that the dream was more interesting and complex than what it seems now that I am writing this Dream Diary entry. I did not manage to write notes in my notebook when I first woke up, so the memories faded over the course of the day.

Dream 376

'Cute Kittens!'

I was in a lounge, which was well-lighted and I knew it was evening. I was sitting on the floor, facing a brown fabric-covered sofa. Crawling all over the floor were the cutest kittens - all different colours. I kept picking them up to pet and stroke them and they were adorable. The mother cat (black and white) was also there, and someone (an unseen dream character) tried to hand me the adult cat, but I preferred to pla with the kittens. This dream scene felt like it continued for quite a while and it was really enjoyable. 

I was then with my mum in a location which seemed like an airport departure lounge. We were sitting on some communal seating, looking at a large book. My nan approached and asked what we were looking at. I said: 'It's a book about Andy Warhol's commercial art'. We were then looking at a large conveyor belt on which many different items - all made of dark fabric - were moving along. The conveyor belt stopped and we saw a particular item which was made of navy blue towelling material with a yellow emblem embroidered on it. My mum said: 'It's a masturbation machine'.

* I know I have forgotten some parts of this dream because in my recollection, it was a very long and complex dream. If I do remember the missing elements/scenes/events, I will record them below...

Dream 375

'Too Bootilicious'
Dream date: 27 February 2015

I was with Nicki Minaj and we were in a room sitting on a sofa. Nicki was telling me that I had a 'massive ass'. I was surprised, since my butt is nowhere as big as her own (enhanced) booty. However, in real-life before bed I had been doing squats and my gluteus maximum muscles (the 'glutes') had been aching, which might explain why my butt was the subject of this dream.

I was then in a classroom. SPW, a lecturer at my university (who holds some of the postgraduate personal and professional development training modules I attend) was lounging in a chair. He was handing out a sheaf of papers to each student, which had a science assignment on them. I leaned over his legs - possibly to reach something. He said: 'You aren't wearing an underwear'. I wondered how he knew this, since I was wearing a pair of black leggings. He then - as if reading my mind/thoughts - said: 'Your trousers are see-through'. I felt violated and left with the science assignment, wondering why I had to complete it since I don't study a science-based subject.

I was then with my family (mum, stepdad, nan, cousin HM) and DL in a pub/restaurant. It resembled The Crown, Sheringham. My mum told me to choose something on the menu. When I looked at the menu, it wasn't actually a menu, but rather a container holding salt and pepper and sachets of condiments. Chips (French fries) were superimposed on this container. This made me choose to order scampi and chips. 

Dream 374

'The French Language Chinese Play'

Dream date: 26 February 2015

I was in a large room which was filled with tables containing clothing, makeup and props for a theatre production. I had been cast in a lead role in a play which was being performed, yet I knew nothing about the role. RT - a colleague - was assisting the director, who was a middle-aged white female dream character, wearing long flowing robes. RT told me that I had to get into the role because we were rehearsing. I was handed a small, orange leather-bound book which contained the play/script. The play was set in China - I think it was set in the past. I could not really understand what the play was about because I had never heard of it before. 

The book was opened at the right page for the first scene of the play. My opening line was 'Enchanton Dan' (pronounced 'on-shont -on darn'), a phrase which was supposedly in French, and meant 'how are you?' I wondered why a Chinese play was in French language, and went to the corner of the room to look for my costume. I realised that this large room was in fact the gym of my former high school. I found a pair of royal blue sandals - known as 'Chinese Laundry-style' sandals (which were in style a few years ago - I owned a white pair which were similar to these in real-life, which I bought in an emergency when I broke the heel of my shoes in Camden, London). These were in a bag of clothing leaned against the climbing rails which were mounted against the wall. I noticed that the buckle of the sandals was ripped off (this happened to my actual real-life sandals after a lot of wear-and-tear). I was annoyed, because these sandals would have been perfect for my role in the play.

RT came over to me and told me I needed to get ready to go on stage. I panicked and asked her why, since I assumed that this was everyone's first rehearsal and no-one was familiar with the play, nor knew their lines. We hadn't practiced anything, other than the opening lines of the first scene. RT told me that it was the first performance in a couple of hours. However, she said that everyone would be able to read their lines from the script during the performance. I still felt panicked because I can't speak fluent French, nor do a passable French accent. The middle-aged director was getting impatient with me, telling me to hurry up and rehearse, and all the other actors - in full Chinese costume, were standing around waiting for me. I opened the book, trying to find the right page. However, the book was not paginated and had no contents page/index. It contained several plays - all of them by Anton Chekhov. No matter which page I turned to, I was always looking at a script for either The Cherry Orchard or Uncle Vanya - although Uncle Vanya seemed to be a Chekhovian re-write of Shakespeare's The Tempest, which further confused me in my stressed state. These 'Chekhov plays' were in English. I could not find any single page with French language on it to indicate the play I was supposed to be performing (I didn't even know the title of the French/Chinese play!) 

I soon became very aware that I was literally unable to find the French/Chinese play we were to perform and knew that I had no chance familiarising myself with it before we were due on stage.  It was if it had never been in the book at all, as I am sure that I checked every single page, with no avail. Further, I knew that I would not have a script to use on stage to enable me to just read the lines. I thought I might have to just make up the lines and improvise, but this would ruin the play and the other actors would not be able to perform around me. I had no conception or thought in my mind of asking anyone to help me out.