Dream 526

'P Diddy Goes on a Masked Rampage!'

Dream date:  7 December 2015 (Day 7 of Lucid December - Second Dream During Afternoon Nap)

This is Day 7 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: An Interior (City Hall/Train Station?), Unknown Urban Location - Day
This is the weirdest dream I have had in ages. It was so complex and I am not sure I can do it justice by putting it into writing.

I did not perceive all of the details of my dream scene location at one, but it makes sense to describe it all out at the outset rather than in chunks. I was in a large space which was populated by a number of dream characters. It was clearly a public space and felt like it was either a City Hall or a train station. It was light and airy. There was a marble floor and half the floor was raised (by about a metre or so), so there were some steps. On the wall above the grand entrance was a large, ornate clock). To the left of the grand entrance was a smaller exit, which led to a short corridor (filled with stacked furniture - orange plastic chairs) and then out onto street level. To the right of the grand entrance (still on the raised part of the floor), there was a red doorway which led to some corridors and curved metal staircases. Adjacent to this doorway were some orange lockers which were a much taller than me. There was some kind of object just at the bottom of the steps - square and tall (but nowhere near the height of the ceiling, which was incredibly high and domed). It may have been a photobooth or an information desk - I got this impression, but I did not look clearly at this object in the dream. I just knew it was dark in colour and if I stood behind it, I was totally concealed from the other side. 

I was with 2 male dream characters - white and young adults. I got the impression that they were almost like Batman and Robin characters, even though they were not dressed in superhero costumes. I cannot really remember much about their appearance. It was just the sense that we were on a mission to save the world or at least the members of public in this strange building. We were walking around the building amongst the people there. There was the sense that everyone was waiting for something to happen - a concert? a show? a public announcement? It was unclear. I was also not completely certain that I wasn't male.

Suddenly, my attention was drawn to the clock above the grand entrance. It turned into a face - a black male, who was a hip hop artist (although I did not know who). He was wearing a white bone-like mask over his jaw and jutting from it were two 'tusks' either side of his mouth - the ends of these tusks were shaped like the end of penises - so the mark looked like erect penises. The 2 males and I ran around the building. I then crouched down in the corner, between the orange lockers and the exit door on the raised level (so I had gone up the stairs) and started masturbating, while holding onto a massive beach ball. I thought I was about to come to orgasm, when one of my male companions came over and told me that we had to hurry because there was an emergency. I was relieved that the masturbation had proven to me that I was actually female (i.e. I had female genitals). 

We all went over to the object in the middle of the lower floor, and stood behind it. Members of the public were gathered around, waiting for something to happen. I got the sense that what was happening was a 'repeat' of what had happened when I saw the clock change; I thought: 'We are about to witness this from a different perspective'. Suddenly, the black male walked over with an entourage of other males, both black and white. They stood in the centre of the lower part of the floor (me and the 2 males were still behind the object', although I had the distinct memory of 'looking down' on the rapper and his entourage from a slight height). The rapper was wearing a bucket hat and a beige jumper with something red written on it. He had a long gold chain with 'WC' on it. I thought this meant 'West Coast' and I 'recognised' the rapper as Tupac. The rapper began to perform a short song - it wasn't a rap/hip hop track so much as a song which he sang, and I really enjoyed it. I then realised that this was in fact P Diddy, and was confused as to why I he was wearing a chain with 'WC' on it. 

Suddenly, a mask appeared on P Diddy's face - it was made of white bone and covered his jaw. Two tusks - shaped like penises, started rising slowly, protruding from either side of his mouth. This was the emergency and I felt a rush of adrenaline. The 2 males turned and ran up the stairs, and left through the exit to the left of the grand entrance, which led to the room with the stacked furniture stored in it. I thought we were going to run out of the building into the street (I could see another door at the end of this room which was opened out onto the street), but we turned right, and ran down a corridor, then up some spiral metal stairs (orange paint) - at the top of the stairs was an orange door. We pushed it open (it was stiff) and we came out of the 'exit' to the right of the grand entrance in the city hall building (this would have been impossible as we had gone out of an exit on this level and then up some stairs which seemed to take us to the first floor, re-entering on ground level). It seemed that this was a 'big entrance' - we were in the process of saving the day! We were to apprehend P Diddy and secure the building - he was an enemy and a threat to the public (although I wasn't sure what his motive or intentions were).

Then, one of my male companions decided that we should back down because confronting P Diddy would not be a wise idea. Instead, he indicated that we should try to escape. The only way to do this would be to break through the wall behind the lockers, or climb on top of the lockers, where there was an escape hatch. I started trying to pull the lockers off the wall so that I could attempt to break through the wall behind them. However, one of my male companions had managed to climb on top of the lockers already and he reached his hand down to me to help me climb on top. I thought that this would be impossible and I was aware of my real-life fear of heights and poor climbing ability. There was a lot of orange dust floating about. I became aware of screaming, panic and chaos behind me; P Diddy was obviously doing something which was causing public mayhem and terror. 

Suddenly, P Diddy rushed over and captured my male companions and I. He had us under his arms, while he was running. As we were about to go through the exit which led to the furniture storage and the door out to the city, P Diddy said that he was going to take hostages. We told him that this was a good idea (there was the sense that we had a plan to overthrow him, but wanted to pretend to be on his side to lull him into a false sense of security). He said that he needed a female, but it was 'OK because he has one now' (meaning me). One of my male companions said; 'No, you don't want a Persian-looking woman as a hostage, you want a sexy blonde, or no-one will take you seriously'. I thought this was an ingenious thing to say as it would mean he might free me and we might be able to execute our plan against him. We ran out onto street level - and continued running down to pavement, either side of P Diddy, who somehow had hold of us. There was a ticket vendor on the street. It was a typical city - like London or New York and we were in the business district. It was a sunny day. 

I woke up.

TIME: 17:00 - 19:30 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: NO

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 6 (poor)
• Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B used on this occasion - afternoon nap works on the same principles
• Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
• 100 mg of 'lucid dream supplement' Vitamin B6 (2 x 50 mg pills, taken at midday and just before sleep)

Dream Information:

• None of note

Dreamsigns:

• The entire dream was a dreamsign

Recurrent Dream Themes

• Running through corridors

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• None of note

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This was a very exciting dream! There was definitely a nightmarish element to it and I did feel a sense of threat, but it was more action than horror. Watching the mask appear on P Diddy's face and the tusks emerge from it was the scariest aspect of this dream. I cannot think of anything from my waking life which inspired or influenced this dream - it was so bizarre and vivid.

Dream 525

'Disgusting Hot Chocolate'

Dream date:  7 December 2015 (Day 7 of Lucid December)

This is Day 7 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: My Former Childhood Home, Pine Grove, Sheringham - Day
I was in my former childhood home in Pine Grove, Sheringham. The house looked as it did in real-life (when I lived there) and I could tell that it day because I could see through the windows. SA was at my house and I wanted to introduce him to my mum, who was in the kitchen. SA was laying on the sofa in the livingroom. We walked through to the kitchen. For a number of months (probably it was actually years), we had a partially knocked through wall as we were opening the dining-room and the kitchen up into one room (both rooms were quite small - the kitchen used to be the size of a large cupboard before my step-dad knocked the partition wall down!) - this was the state of the dining-room/kitchen in the dream, so the house was as it appeared in the mid to late 1990s before the DIY was completed. 

I introduced SA to my mum and she said: 'Oh, you're Muslim? to which SA said: 'My family is, yes'. My mum asked him if it was against his beliefs to drink hot chocolate as she wanted to make some for him (my mum would know this fact, as my late father, her ex-husband, was a Muslim!) SA said: 'It's OK, I actually drink alcohol too'. My mum then told him he should join my stepdad who was down the pub drinking with some friends, but SA said he would prefer to stay in the house with us. My mum said she needed to get ingredients for the hot chocolate. At this point, we were standing in between the two rooms - so in the gap where the wall was knocked through, next to the back door which led to the garden. I saw an image of the hot chocolate my mum was planning on making - it had a sandwich floating on top instead of whipped cream. I thought it looked disgusting.

TIME: 03:00 - 10:30 hours (I am not sure when this dream took place)

LUCIDITY: NO 

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 11 (moderate-good)
• Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - no WB2B used on this occasion
• Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked recently
• 100 mg of 'lucid dream supplement' Vitamin B6 (2 x 50 mg pills, taken at midday and just before sleep)

Dream Information:

• SA is a friend of mine who works in the Student Union at my university

Dreamsigns:

• I was in my former childhood home

Recurrent Dream Themes

• None of note

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I saw my friend CC refer to vegan hot chocolate on a Facebook status shortly before this dream took place - CC's husband is a Muslim

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This wasn't a particularly exciting dream and was quite a disappointment following the excitement of other dreams I have experienced so far during Lucid December. It may be that I did not get a good night's sleep as I felt very tired before sleep and I woke up feeling unrefreshed. I did not attempt WB2B as I knew that it would be better for me to have one longer sleep given I had to wake up and do some important work.

Dream 524 (LUCID DREAM)

'Playing With Guns'

Dream date:  6 December 2015 (Day 6 of Lucid December - Lucid Dream Success!)

This is Day 6 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below. This is the first LUCID DREAM that I have managed to induce during the Lucid December Challenge!

Scene 1: A Bus Stop, Location Unknown - Evening
I was at a bus stop. It was evening and the light was dim. There were a number of people at the bus stop, which was not in a location I recognise from real-life, but it seemed to be in a suburban areas. There was a low wall next to the bus stop, with some green hedges/bushes on the other side. We (the people waiting for the bus) were standing on the pavement. There were a number of First buses (the buses which operate in my local area) and I became aware that I was waiting for the Number 25 bus, which indicated that I thought I might be in Norwich. 

I then saw some yellow buses, and became confused, as it seemed that the yellow buses were now operating on the route I was trying to travel, but the information on the top of the bus didn't have my destination or the correct number. Everyone else at the bus stop also seemed confused. There was a young white female dream character, with a baby's pram (white). I - and other dream characters attempted to flag down one of the yellow buses, which were gathered at the end of the road, blocking traffic. One of the yellow buses approached, and drove straight into the baby's pram. I felt guilty as I wondered if me trying to flag the bus down had caused this accident. However, it seemed the female and her baby were unharmed by the incident. We started to board the bus. 

Scene 2: On a Bus, Location Unknown - Evening
On the bus, I paid my fare, and the bus driver gave me a piece of paper with a mobile phone number written on it. I was told by the bus driver (a mature, white male dream character) that I had to call this number to make the bus work. I was the last passenger to board the bus and sat down at the front. I took out my mobile phone, but then decided that it was odd that I should be required to make a call for the bus to operate, and chose to not do so. The bus drove off anyway. 

My friend, RD, was seated in the seat behind me. He got my attention. I showed him the mobile phone number and he said I should throw it away, which I did. I then realised that I was holding a gun. Th gun was a semi-automatic combat pistol - like a glock or a Smith and Wesson (I am no gun expert, so bear with me on this). I thought to myself: 'At least it's not that useless .22 self defence gun this time!' This triggered me to instantly become lucid - there was no need for me to perform a reality check as I was certain. I put the gun on my lap and started to rub my hands together to stabilise the lucid dream. RD said: 'Why are you rubbing your hands?' to which I responded: 'This is a lucid dream!' I expected him to deny this or argue that it wasn't a lucid dream (as dream characters sometimes tend to do when confronted with this), but he said: 'That means we can get away with anything!' This made me realise RD was the best friend of mine to have in the lucid experience. 

Scene 3: Beside a Canal, Location Unknown - Day
RD and I got off the bus - we were standing beside a canal, and now it looked much more like daylight. The banks of the canal were concrete and the vicinity was much like a normal rural environment, with some buildings and trees. I realised the gun had no external safety, and checked to see if it was loaded - there was a full clip. I was quite surprised that I knew how to handle a gun - I sort of remembered how to handle it based on watching movies, but it all came quite naturally to me and I felt confident. 

I wanted to put the gun somewhere until we got to a place where it would be OK to shoot it (I could see dream characters walking along the canal). RD said: 'Don't shoot here, let's go somewhere more private' and I agreed that this was the best plan. I put the gun in my waistband - I realised I was wearing grey tracksuit bottoms. I wondered if this was a good idea, given it was loaded and had no safety. I thought I might accidentally shoot myself in the thigh or vagina. I considered whether I could put the gun in my sock, but then saw that it would not fit as I was wearing high-top Nike trainers with short socks. I kept the gun in my waistband, but was walking carefully so as not to accidentally fire it. 

Scene 4: A Courtyard/Apartment Buildings, Location Unknown - Night
RD and I ended up in a grassy courtyard in the centre of some blocks of flats/apartments, which were arranged in a square. It was dark - night had fallen suddenly. I decided to bring some other friends into my dream - DL and RBA. DL could not be summonsed. RBA (whose name was spelled wrong on my mobile phone - Facebook Messenger app) told me that he was too busy to come and fire guns with us. I was aware that there was a resident of the flats watching us from a ground floor window. RD said: 'We could shoot him if you want?' but I saw that this was a father (there were two children visible at the window, which I noticed when I focused my attention on the man - a young girl and boy). I had to keep rubbing my hands together to stabilise the dream, in fear that I would wake up prematurely, but the dream seemed stable, with good clarity and a reasonable amount of control. I started to fire the gun into the grass (so that the bullets did not got stray and hit RD). This was so fun! I loved firing a semi-automatic gun! I woke up.

TIME: 03:00 - 10:00 hours (this dream took place just before I woke up)

LUCIDITY: YES!

• Spontaneous lucidity triggered by dreamsign (remembering a previous dream which made me aware I must be dreaming again) - DILD (Dream-Initiated/Induced Lucid Dream)
• No reality checks within the dream
• Lucidity seemed to last for approximately 50 - 60% of the overall dream (around 10 minutes out of a 20 minute dream)
• Good stability and clarity
• Reasonable control

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 13 (moderate-good)
• Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - this dream took place during my 'main sleep' of 7 bours, so no WB2B used here
• Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked the day before this dream
• 100 mg of 'lucid dream supplement' Vitamin B6 (2 x 50 mg pills, taken at midday and just before sleep)

Dream Information:

• None of note

Dreamsigns:

• The appearance of the bus and the action of the bus driving straight into the baby's pram, although no harm was caused
• I had possession of a gun
• Within this dream, I clearly remembered a previous dream and recognised that this was a dreamsign - lucidity was triggered! Note that the dream I actually 'remembered' within this dream was actually a false awakening/lucid dream! You can read this dream by clicking on this red link, which will open in a separate window - Dream 515 ('Useless Weapons')

Recurrent Dream Themes

• Guns

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• A couple of days before this dream, I had been discussing an incident which happened approximately 2 weeks ago (with some of the students I teach) - a Number 25 bus had run down a pedestrian on Castle Meadow, leading to a diversion of the route and massive police presence in the area - note that this bus stop (where the accident took place), is also a stop for the yellow buses which travel out of the city into the more rural areas, including Sheringham which is the final destination
• The day of this dream I had used a Number 25 First Bus and the driver (a mature white male) recognised me from the previous evening, when I used his bus
• In my previous Dream Journal Report, I had referred to RD, because there was some Day Residue involving him which had possibly influenced that dream
• The day before this dream I had been discussing armed police with the students I teach

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
I am so excited that I had a lucid dream early on in my Lucid December Challenge - this is very hopeful. The dream was very vivid before lucidity was triggered, and the means by which it was triggered (remembering a previous dream, which acted as a dreamsign) was interesting and mentally empowering. I was also incredibly pleased that this dream had good stability, clarity and reasonable levels of control, as well as a compliant dream character friend to share the experience with me! I woke up feeling really positive and stimulated by this dream!

Adding 'Dream Supplement' Vitamin B6 to Lucid December!

Regular readers of this Blog will be aware that I tend to avoid using lucid dream supplements and try to get my 'dream nutrition' from foods instead. However, when I was in my local health food shop, I saw some Vitamin B6 (pyridoxal phosphate) (50mg) on sale, and knowing that Vitamin B6 has an effect on dreaming (increasing vividness of dreams and likelihood of lucid dreaming), decided to add this to my Lucid December challenge. The vitamin supplements that I bought have a recommended daily intake of 1 - 2 a day, taken with meals. I will be taking 2 pills a day, one midday and one before bed - recording this information in my Lucid December Dream Journal Reports. I am not using any other dream supplements, as I feel it is counter-productive to mix and match supplements as you are unable to see what is working and what is not - and cannot be sure that one supplement is not having an effect on how the body/brain reacts to other supplements. Thus, I will give Vitamin B6 a trial period before introducing any other supplement into my dream practices. I have started to take my 2 Vitamin B6 tablets on 5 December 2015 (Day 5 of Lucid December), so the first day in which it will be possible to assess any effect/difference experienced in my dreaming will be Day 6 of Lucid December.

I have already written a Blog post on Vitamin B6 (click on red link to open this Blog post in a new window). However, I am going to provide some information about the effect of Vitamin B6 on sleep and dreaming in this post.

Vitamin B6 is important for cardiovascular, digestive, immune, muscular, hormonal and nervous system function. It is water-soluable, so it dissolved in the body's fluids and any excess, not used by the body, is excreted in urine. When taking Vitamin B pills, you may notice that your urine is a fluorescent yellow colour - this is nothing to worry about, it is a sign that excess vitamins are being excreted. The body is not able to store extra amounts of Vitamin B6 to be used later. The precise amount of Vitamin B6 required to maintain health depends on age, gender and circumstances such as pregnancy and breastfeeding. Here is a basic breakdown of the average Vitamin B6 requirements:

Children

Newborn to 6 months: 0.1 milligram (mg) per day Infants 7 months - 1 year: 0.3 mg

Children 1 - 3 years: 0.5 mg

Children 4 - 8 years: 0.6 mg

Children 9 - 13 years: 1 mg

Boys 14 - 18 years: 1.3 mg

Girls 14 - 18 years: 1.2 mg

Adults

Men & women 19 - 50 years: 1.3 mg

Men +51 years: 1.7 mg

Women +51 years: 1.5 mg

Pregnant women: 1.9 mg

Breastfeeding women: 2.0 mg

The reason why Vitamin B6 is thought to have such a strong impact on dreaming is that it is critical in converting proteins (such as tryptophan - another chemical linked to increased dreaming) into key neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine,  serotonin and melatonin ('the sleep chemical'). 

One study by Ebben, Lequerica & Spielman, 'Effects of pyridoxine on dreaming: a preliminary study' (2002) Perceptual & Motor Skills 94(1), 135 - 140 has analysed the effects of Vitamin B6 on dreaming. The abstract (outline) of the study states: 'The effect of pyridoxine (Vitamin B-6) on dreaming was investigated in a placebo, double-blind study to examine various claims that Vitamin B-6 increases dream vividness or the ability to recall dreams. 12 college students participated in all three treatment conditions, each of which involved ingesting either 100 mg B-6, 250 mg B-6, or a placebo prior to bedtime for a period of five consecutive days. The treatment conditions were completely counterbalanced and a two-day wash-out period occurred between the three five-day treatment blocks. Morning self-reports indicated a significant difference in dream-salience scores (this is a composite score containing measures on vividness, bizarreness, emotionality, and color) between the 250-mg condition and placebo over the first three days of each treatment. The data for dream salience suggests that Vitamin B-6 may act by increasing cortical arousal during periods of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. An hypothesis is presented involving the role of B-6 in the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin. However, this first study needs to be replicated using the same procedures and also demonstrated in a sleep laboratory before the results can be considered certain.'

A further study, by a PhD researcher into lucid dreaming, Denholm Aspy, of the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide, Australia, is currently being conducted (reported September 2015, during the recruitment process for the study). The subjects will participate in a 10-day trial, during they will be provided with three types of capsules: placebo, Vitamin B6, and a combination of other B vitamins. Every morning during the period, subjects will also have to answer a questionnaire about the dreams they recall from the night before, which will then be subjected to analysis.

In fact, difficulty in recalling dreams has been linked to Vitamin B6 deficiency in some patients. In his book, Nutrition and Mental Illness: An Orthomolecular Approach to Balancing Body and Mind (1988), leading medical researcher and pharmacologist, Dr Carl Pfieffer (1908 - 1988), makes the link between poor dream recall and Vitamin B6 deficiency. Pfieffer was a pioneer in treating mental illness at the Brain Bio Center in New Jersey and in 1973, he and his research team made the link between Vitamin B6 and dream recall, discovering that their patients deficient in Vitamin B6 did not recall their last dream of the night upon waking, but as they improved their Vitamin B6 intake, dream recall would increase significantly. If they exceeded the normal dose of Vitamin B6, patients awoke through the night with vivid dreams and would remember several in the morning. Pfieffer and his staff found a middle ground: supplement until you remember your last dream but not so much that your sleep is affected by too many of them. There is other evidence to suggest that too much Vitamin B6 can disrupt the sleep as dreams due to the bizarre and stimulating nature of dreams which taken place during supplementation. 

Be warned though; taking an excessive dose of Vitamin B6 has also been linked to heart palpitations, cramps, insomnia, high blood pressure, and panic attacks. 

Taking more than 200 mg a day of Vitamin B6 for a long time can lead to tingling and a loss of feeling in the arms and legs, known as peripheral neuropathy. Generally, the symptoms are reversible, so once you stop taking supplements, the symptoms usually stop. However, in a few cases, when people have taken large amounts. Vitamin B6, especially for more than a few months, the effect has been irreversible. Taking doses of 10 - 200 mg a day for short periods may not cause any harm. However, there is not enough evidence to say for how long these doses could be taken safely and advice should be sought from a medical professional before introducing a new supplements into your diet.

If you do not wish to take Vitamin B6 in supplement form, it is very possible to get your recommended daily intake from foods. Some common foods which are high in Vitamin B6 include:

• pork
• beef
• poultry - such as chicken or turkey
• bananas
• chickpeas
• fish - especially tuna, salmon
• bread
• whole cereals – such as oatmeal, wheat germ and brown rice
• eggs
• soya beans
• sunflower seeds
• peanuts
• milk
• potatoes
• sweet potatoes
• spinach
• pistachio nuts
• some fortified breakfast cereals

Let me know if you are taking part in my Lucid December Challenge and whether you have personal experience of using Vitamin B6 for dreaming and lucid dreaming!

Dream 523

'Weird Youtube Video'

Dream date:  5 December 2015 (Day 5 of Lucid December - Second Dream During Afternoon Nap)

This is Day 5 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: Interior Scene - Time Unknown
Someone told me (I am not sure who, it was just a male voice from behind me) that I had to watch a new video which my friend, RBA had uploaded onto his Youtube channel. In real-life (and the dream) I haven't subscribed to RBA's Youtube channel, although because he is a musician, I have probably visited it before and most certainly have watched videos of his rap battles uploaded on other channels I subscribe to. I began to type his name into the search bar of Youtube, using a laptop which was just in front of me. I did not see the room I was in or anything surrounding me, but I think I was sitting on a bed. The results for my search were all wrong - the thumbnails of the videos were all of males who slightly resembled RBA, but they were either older or less attractive than him. I thought that something had gone wrong - and wondered why there were so many ugly clones of RBA online. I then noticed that I had missed a letter out of his name, as a typo. I corrected the spelling of his name, and found his channel.

The video was RBA standing in front of a mirror. He had some soap on his face and a towel wrapped around his head (even though his head is shaved, so no need to use a towel in this way). Beneath the mirror was a sink, with the hot tap turned on. There was steam in the room. RBA was buttoning up a pale blue shirt - I wondered if he was getting ready to go 'to work' (I imagined that his job - in the dream - was security guard or bouncer). I then saw that inside the shirt, was a dog - he was buttoning the shirt up over the dog, as if he was planning to carry it around like this. The dog was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier breed (adult size), with a very pink nose. It's fur was white and pale brown. RBA said: 'This is my 'Gone With The Wind' - I wasn't sure if he was referring to the movie, Gone with the Wind (1939), or whether this was the name of the dog. I woke up.

TIME: 18:30 - 20:30 hours (this dream took place during an afternoon nap)

LUCIDITY: NO 

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 12 (moderate-good)
• Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - this dream took place during an afternoon nap, so no WB2B used here
• Potential REM Rebound Effect from cannabis smoked the day before this dream

Dream Information:

• RBA has recently got a puppy, which is a Staffy cross - however, I know from him showing me a picture of her that she is still very small and has a different coloured fur to the dog seen in the dream

Dreamsigns:

• The dream itself was a dreamsign

Recurrent Dream Themes

• Problems in reading/writing names
• RBA as a dream character
• Dog

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I have been making Youtube videos for my Tallulah La Ghash channel - to record Lucid December
• I fell asleep watching Youtube videos - makeup tutorials
• During this nap, I had a 'towel turban' on my head, as I had laid down after a bath/hair wash and then fallen asleep while watching makeup tutorials on Youtube
• I love dogs, so I spend a lot of time looking at dogs and thinking about them. On the day of this dream, I had seen a Staffordshire Bull Terrier in town (with a homeless man) and had talked about the dog with DL
• I had recently seen a photograph (see below) posted on social media which shows a man in New York, carrying his pitbull terrier (same colour as 'Gone With The Wind' in this dream) in a bag - in order to get around the rule that dogs are not permitted to travel unless they are being carried by their owners

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This was a very strange little dream - very brief. I wanted to experience more of this dream to see what would happen next!

Dream 522

'My First Ever Boyfriend'

Dream date:  5 December 2015 (Day 5 of Lucid December)

This is Day 5 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: A House, Sheringham - Day
I was in a house - I am not sure whose house this was, but I was aware that it was in Sheringham. MS had been summoned (not by me, but I am not sure who did this). He looked like his teenage self (although in fact, judging by his Facebook profile picture, he hasn't really changed much anyway). I saw him standing beside a window. Then, without warning, we started having sex - in missionary position on a double-bed - I wondered if we were actually in MS's old bedroom because of the position of the bed in the room, as well as the general shape of the room, but I am not sure. I could not really pay much attention to my environment, as I was engaged in the sexual interaction with MS. I remember looking at his face during this and paying very close attention to him. After the sex was over (I think we were interrupted), I felt disappointed and thought that I should initiate a repeat performance, although something was preventing me from doing so.

TIME: 03:00 - 10:00 hours - no Wake Back to Bed method used (I woke up from this dream)

LUCIDITY: NO 

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 11 (moderate-good)
• Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - I did not perform WB2B on Day 5 of Lucid December
• Note that I smoked some cannabis on the night of this dream (a short while before sleeping), which may have affected my dreaming

Dream Information:

• My first ever boyfriend (MS) and I started 'dating' when I was 13, nearly 14 (I was in Year 9 at high school). MS had just joined our school. moving from London. I was really impressed by MS, because he smoked cannabis and had a very rebellious streak. He was a skateboarder, which was one of our common interests, as well as music tastes. His family home was quite bohemian, with a laidback atmosphere; because MS had a floor to himself (it was a huge house, which I think used to be a guest house, as there were lifts inside) and therefore, could have as many people over as possible, and we weren't supervised in the house. MS was often in trouble at school. After we had been dating for a few weeks (we were too scared to even kiss each other for a while!), MS began asking me if I would have sex with him, but I refused as I was far too young and scared! Then, one night, I was banned from his house, because his dad happened to come into his room unexpectedly while MS and I were sitting under the duvet on his bed; me topless (it was the first time I had shown a boy my boobs!) I used to sneak over to see MS when his parents were at work! I recently became aware that MS got a PhD from my university (where he also works) - I haven't seen him on campus, but one of my friends/colleagues, DC, knows his quite well.

Dreamsigns:

• Sex with my ex boyfriend

Recurrent Dream Themes

• Dream Sex

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I had discussed my sex life the day before this dream took place

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream was quite surprising, as I am not sure what made me think of my ex-boyfriend, let alone have a sex dream about him! This was an enjoyable dream.

* I have forgotten some aspects of this dream (I was not sleeping in my own bed, and was awoken by an alarm) - if I recall anything else, I will record it below.

Dream 521

'My University Nightmare'

Dream date:  4 December 2015 (Day 4 of Lucid December)

This is Day 4 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: My Teaching (Seminar) Room at University - Day
I was in the room in TEC (a new teaching block) in which I teach undergraduate Law students. The class was full, but not with the actual real-life students I teach as my job - just dream character students. I sat in my normal seat and went to take the register (in real-life I just get my students to sign on a piece of paper). The names were all in pencil, but I could not read them - they were unpronounceable, or nonsensical names. I was struggling to try and pronounce the name of a mixed race male, which looked like: 'Farrahaharraha' or something similar (this is how I recall the name to have been written). The students were becoming fractious an frustrated with me. I stepped outside the class for a moment, so that I could calm myself, as I felt anxious and inadequate at my job. When I entered the class again, all the students were standing up and they started shouting loudly (in anger and excitement) and throwing screwed-up balls of paper and plastic bottles at me in a violent way. I made attempts to pacify them, but to no avail. I had to escape from the class in fear. 

Scene 2: The Law School at University - Day
I went to the Law School - although this did not look like my real-life Law School. It was a typical office, with nothing out of the ordinary. I was sitting on a sofa and was joined by an Administrative Officer - this was a short white female, of approximately 40 - 50 years of age, with black hair in a shoulder-length bob with a fringe. Something about the female annoyed me, although I am not sure exactly what. While I was talking to her (I am not sure what we were talking about), she tried to grab my mobile phone aggressively, and as a response I started smashing it into her leg, making her scream out in pain. 

I was then told - by the female and my mum, who had randomly joined us - that I had to go and be assessed for fitness to study and fitness to practice Law professionally, as a result of my violent behaviour. I was shocked and stunned and felt that I had only reacted to the female's own violence in grabbing my phone. My mum told me that I had nothing to worry about. We started walking to the place where the assessment meeting would take place.

Scene 3: The Dean of Students Office at University - Day
I was in the Dean of Students Office (where I work part-time in real-life) - but it did not look like it does in real-life. It was a larger building, with more twisting corridors and partial walls, separating areas of the main room. I was told that the meeting would take place in my boss (DT's) office - which was in a different place in the dream. I was protesting, saying: 'I won't do professional practice them! I'll just be a scholar!' but the female dream character (the Admin Officer) and my mum were telling me that this was not an option and I must be assessed. There was a set of Chinese folding screens which were where the waiting area is in real-life. These were white and had a lattice design. I pushed the Admin Officer into the middle of the screen and slammed it shut onto her. screaming: 'This is what you get for bringing me here!' I was accusing her to setting me up - I perceived that it was her fault that I had hit her leg with my phone and now was attacking her with the Chinese screens. I was also shocked that I could not control my anger. DT came to the door of his office and called us in. I do not remember the conversation that was held, but as I left his office, and went back into the main part of the room, I was aware (from the conversation I was having with my mum) that I had been let off from my actions and that everything was going to be OK. I did not feel relieved however, as I was still perturbed by the recent events. I was also aware that the incident would 'remain on my record' which I felt was unfair.

Scene 4: The Seaside (Sheringham?) - Day
My mum and I were then at the seaside - it may be that we were in Sheringham. The idea was that a change of scenery might help me forget the incidents at university and calm me down. It was a grey rainy day.

TIME: 02:00 - 08:00 hours (then awake until 08:15 hours) & 08:15 - 10:15 hours (WB2B Method) - this dream took place during second section of sleep (therefore following WB2B)

LUCIDITY: NO 

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 11 (moderate-good)
• Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - slept for 6 hours; woke with an alarm; performed cognitive techniques for 15 minutes; went to sleep for 2 hours

Dream Information:
None of note

Dreamsigns:

• I could not read the strange names on my register
• The actions of the students in my class
• The appearance of the Law School
• My actions towards the Administrative Officer in the Law School
• The appearance of the Dean of Students Office

Recurrent Dream Themes

• None of note

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• I had held a seminar in the TEC room on the day of this dream
• I had a team meeting with my boss in the Dean of Students Office the day of this dream - during which we discussed procedures for referring a student for Fitness to Study assessments or - where the student is on a 'professional' course, such as medicine - assessments as to whether the student is able to continue on this course where their health or behaviour suggests they are not suitable for professional placement
• The day of this dream I had written a legal letter for my friend, RD, who had been fired from his workplace - despite being told by his line-manager than he 'had nothing to worry about' - a line which I had quoted in the letter of appeal to the Managing Director of his former workplace. I also referred to incidents recorded on his 'employee record'

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream was experienced as a nightmare - I was so anxious and scared throughout and could not change my (violent) behaviour in the later scenes to improve my situation. It seemed that I was very helpless in this dream.

Dream 520

'Scary Horror House'

Dream date:  3 December 2015 (Day 3 of Lucid December)

This is Day 3 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: A Scary Horror House - Day
I was in a scary horror house. It was ruined - with the walls smashed in places and everything in a state of abandonment and disrepair. The walls had been painted white and there were lots of long, usually smashed, windows, from floor to ceiling in what I would describe as 'hallway' areas. The house was very big - there were lots of twisting staircases, which were the bare wooden floorboards. It was day - I could see this by looking out of the windows.

There were other dream characters with me in this house, although I am not sure who. I think my mum's friend, CC, was present as I recall having a conversation with a mature woman - and my memory suggests that it was her. I was told that I had to escape from the house. This was not an easy task, as the house was laid out in a very confusing way - the corridors seemed to lead to dead ends, or force you to walk around the building in a circle, and end up back at your starting point. The same happened when you tried to use the stairs. It was like a maze. There were many doorwalls (all identical) at the top of each staircase. I was running around the house, trying to find my way out. I kept opening each door at the top of the staircases, hoping that this would lead to an exit.

Behind one door was a huge eyeball, with long eyelashes. It filled the doorway. It was an 'enemy'. I slammed the door shut and ran down the stairs, and along a corridor, concerned that it would follow me (even though it was floating space and had no legs to mode of transport). Behind another door was something which looked like 'Oscar the Grouch' (my favourite childhood character from Sesame Street). He did not say or do anything, and I was aware that he reminded me of spinach (the colour and texture of his 'fur' - I think I actually used to make this association between Oscar and spinach in real-life when I was a child). I slammed the door shut and kept on running through the house and up and down stairs. 

I opened another door at the top of some stairs and behind it was a German Shepherd/Alsation dog. I love dogs and I did not find this to be at all scary (my childhood pet dog was this breed) - but the dog was gigantic (standing passively and silently in the doorway) and people (unseen, not sure who they were) from behind me were screaming at me in a panic, telling me to 'defeat' the dog. I did not want to harm the dog, although I was aware that, just like all the other things behind the doors, this too was an 'enemy'. I did not sense threat and therefore, I slammed the door hard, and ran away. I was aware I had done the right thing and could now escape the house.

TIME: 02:00 - 08:00 hours (then awake until 08:15 hours) & 08:15 - 10:00 hours (WB2B Method) - this dream took place during second section of sleep (therefore following WB2B)

LUCIDITY: NO 

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 9 (moderate)
• Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - slept for 6 hours; woke with an alarm; performed cognitive techniques for 15 minutes; went to sleep for 1 hour 45 minutes

Dream Information:
None of note

Dreamsigns:

• The scary horror house and the general theme of the dream narrative - the whole dream was a dreamsign

Recurrent Dream Themes

• CC as a dream character
• Being forced or required to perform/complete a random task

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• None of note

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream seems like it might have been a nightmare, but it actually wasn't - despite the feeling of threat and coming into contact with 'enemies' in the dream, I did not feel afraid at all. The main feeling I experienced was exhilaration as a result of all the running around and also frustration at the maze-like house. I woke up from this dream thinking it was really bizarre and different from many of my usual dreams which are more grounded in reality, or at least high in day residue.

Dream 519

'Annoying Female Teacher'

Dream date:  2 December 2015 (Day 2 of Lucid December)

This is Day 2 of Lucid December, where I attempt to induce as many lucid dreams as possible using various induction techniques, described below.

Scene 1: Some Classroom or Learning Institution - Day
I was in some kind of classroom. There was a mature white female - with dark hair in a bun; medium height and slim build. This female was wearing a navy housedress with a high collar. She looked strict and formal to me. She was a teacher. RBA was also present - possibly another student in this class. I was being instructed that I must do something - a task - I cannot recall what, but it involved going to the seaside to complete it, and I would need to take the bus. I was aware that there were other students in this class, but I did not really see who they were. I was seated in a way which meant that I faced the wall, as my desk was against the wall, as were everyone else's. 

Scene 1: Seaside Town - Day
I was in a seaside town - I don't think it was one I know from real-life. It was quite typical and I cannot describe it as anything other than a British seaside town, characterised by a tourist atmosphere, like many of the seaside locations in my local area. I was aware of the presence of the female teacher (who I was annoyed at for sending me here), RBA, DL and other persons. We had got to the seaside by public transport - either a bus or a train. I remembered seeing the countryside pass by from the window, although I cannot recall anything else about the trip. It seemed that whatever the task I had to do was (it was not clear), it would involve helping a young girl. I had paper and a pen with me to help with the task. I am not sure what else happened.

Scene 3: My Nan's House, Sheringham - Evening
I was then in my nan's house and it was evening. DL and RBA were with me. There was some kind of party. I noticed that the female teacher had also made her way into the house and was sitting in the corner. We were all eating food from plates which we were holding. Suddenly, something attracted my attention to the corner of the room in which the teacher was seated - at the dining table, on a chair positioned next to the kitchen door. A tall, white male (not known to me in real-life), wearing a dark blue boiler suit had also entered the room and was strangling the female teacher with his bare hands, and she was making choked noises. The male did not say anything. He did not even look at me. No-one seemed to notice this incident, and I did not say anything, only watched. I was in surprise, but not horror or shock. I was more perturbed by the fact that everyone else was carrying on with their polite conversation. The male managed to render the teacher unconscious, slumped over the table. I was aware that she was not dead. The male left and I did not try to stop him. Still, no-one was paying any attention to this. It seemed that everyone was watching the television; there was a soap opera (not one I recognise) being shown and the conversation was about this TV show. I was aware that someone had given me a bouquet of flowers, which were on the floor by my feet. Suddenly, it was announced by someone in the room that we were all late for the theatre.

TIME: 20:00 - 07:00 hours (then awake until 07:20 hours) & 07:20 - 10:00 hours (WB2B Method) - this dream took place during second section of sleep (therefore following WB2B)

LUCIDITY: NO 

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Cognitive induction techniques, adapted from the MILD Technique & Tholey's Combined Technique to induce a DILD (Dream-Initiate/Induced Lucid Dream) - critical reflection (in conjunction with reality checking - see below); intention; auto-suggestion; affirmations before sleep and during WB2B - 10 minutes prior to sleep; 10 minutes during WB2B 
• Reality checks (target: 15 - 20 a day); actual: 8 (poor)
• Wake Back to Bed Method (WB2B) - sleep for approximately 5 - 6 hours (to attain all necessary deep sleep; or where sleep deprived, wake naturally without an alarm), wake for 10 - 15 minutes; perform cognitive techniques; sleep for a further 45 - 90 minutes, during which I will hopefully be in the 'best' REM stage of the sleep cycle for lucid dreaming - slept for 11 hours; woke naturally without an alarm; performed cognitive techniques for 20 minutes; went to sleep for 2 hour 40 minutes (I felt sleep deprived and therefore needed this prolonged sleep)

Dream Information:
None of note

Dreamsigns:

• The strangling of the female teacher in my nan's house

Recurrent Dream Themes:

• RBA as a dream character
• My family as dream characters
• My nan's house as a dream scene location

Potential Day/Dream Residue:

• None of note

Waking Thoughts & Emotions:
This dream wasn't the most exciting, even though it involved someone being strangled. I had no particular waking thoughts or emotions connected to this dream.

* I think I have forgotten some aspects of this dream, as I woke up with perfect dream recall, but received a message immediately, which caused me a level of intense stress and annoyance, and because I was forced to deal with this instantly upon waking, think I have lost some of the details of this dream (although I do not think those details were particularly exciting). If I remember anything else, I will record it below.