Neuroscientific Studies into Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreaming is simply the ability to recognise that you are asleep and dreaming i.e. conscious awareness in the dream state. 

We spend around 6 years of our lives dreaming – approximately 2,190 days or 52,560 hours. Although it is possible to be aware of the perceptions and emotions we experience in our dreams, we do not have the same levels of consciousness as in the waking state, which explains why we do not usually recognise that we’re in a dream and often mistake these bizarre narratives and events for reality.

Alternatively, lucid dreamers have the ability to experience awareness during their dreams by ‘re-awakening’ or activating some aspects of their waking consciousness, sometimes with the additional ability to take control and act with intention in the dream world. Dream control is not necessary for lucid dreaming, but it is the one aspect most amateur oneironauts focus on, and is typically viewed as the main attraction for those wishing to learn how to induce lucidity.

Lucid dreaming is still an understudied subject, but recent advances suggest it’s a hybrid state of waking consciousness and sleep. However, a number of recent neuroscientific studies have focused on this phenomenon, in the hope that light can be shed on how lucid dreaming, human consciousness and brain activity are linked.

Lucid dreaming is one of many ‘anomalous’ experiences that can occur during sleep. Sleep paralysis, where you wake up terrified and paralysed while remaining in a state of sleep (sometimes experiencing hallucinations) is another. There are also false awakenings, where you believe you have woken up only to discover that you are in fact dreaming – this phenomenon also coinciding with the experience of sleep paralysis. Along with lucid dreams, all these experiences reflect an increase in subjective awareness while remaining in a state of sleep. 

Approximately 50% of us will experience at least one lucid dream in our lifetime and scientists are starting to accept evidence that lucid dreaming can be intentionally induced through various techniques and methods.

A recent study (Voss et al, ‘Measuring Consciousness in Dreams: the Lucidity & Consciousness in Dreams Scale’ (2013) Consciousness & Cognition, 22(1), 8 – 21) asked subjects to report in detail on their most recent dream. 

Researchers found that lucid (compared to normal, non-lucid) dreams were indeed characterised by far greater insight into the fact that the sleeper was in a dream. Subjects who experienced lucid dreams also said they had greater control over thoughts and actions within the dream; had the ability to think logically, and were even better at accessing and reflecting on real memories of their waking life.

Another study (Dresler et al, ‘Volitional Components of Consciousness Vary Across Wakefulness, Dreaming & Lucid Dreaming’ (2014) Frontiers in Psychology) analysed subjects’ ability to make conscious decisions in waking life as well as during lucid and non-lucid dreams. The study found a significant degree of overlap between waking volitional abilities and those experienced in lucid dreaming. However, researchers found that the ability to plan was considerably worse in lucid dreams compared to wakefulness.

Lucid and non-lucid dreams certainly feel subjectively different, suggesting that these dream states are associated with different patterns of brain activity. However, scientifically confirming this is not as easy as it might seem, as subjects are required to be positioned in a brain scanner overnight and researchers have to decipher when a lucid dream is happening so that they are able to reliably compare brain activity during the lucid dream with that of non-lucid dreaming. 

Many ingenious studies examining this link have devised a communication code between lucid dreaming subjects and researchers (during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, when dreaming typically takes place). Before going to sleep, the subject and the researcher agree on a specific eye movement (i.e. 2 movements left, then 2 movements right) that subjects will make to signal that they are lucid.

Using this approach, studies have found that the shift from non-lucid to lucid REM sleep is associated with an increased activity of the frontal areas of the brain (Voss et al, ‘Lucid Dreaming: A State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking & Non-Lucid Dreaming’ (2009), Sleep, 32(9), 1191 – 1200). 

Significantly, these areas of the brain are associated with ‘higher order’ cognitive functioning, for example, logical reasoning and voluntary behaviour which are typically only observed during waking states. The type of brain activity observed (gamma wave activity), is also known to allow different aspects of our experience; perceptions, emotions, thoughts, and memories to ‘bind’ together into an integrated consciousness. 

A follow-up study (Voss et al, ‘Induction of Self-Awareness in Dreams through Frontal Low Current Stimulation of Gamma Activity’ (2014) Nature Neuroscience, 17, 810 – 812) found that electrically stimulating these areas caused an increase in the degree of lucidity experienced during a dream.

A further study (Dresler et al, ‘Neural correlates of dream lucidity obtained from contrasting lucid versus non-lucid REM sleep: a combined EEG/fMRI case study’ (2012), Sleep, 35(7), 1017 – 1020) was able to more accurately specify the particular brain regions involved in lucid dreams. Researchers found increased activity in regions such as the pre-frontal cortex and the precuneus, these brain areas being associated with higher cognitive abilities such as self-referential processing and a sense of agency. Again, these findings support the view that lucid dreaming is a hybrid state of consciousness.

A recent study, E Filevich et al, 'Metacognitive Mechanisms Underlying Lucid Dreaming' (2015) The Journal of Neuroscience, 35(3), 1082 - 1088 has sought to determine if subjects with high and low dream lucidity also displayed differences in their waking metacognitive skills - i.e. the ability to reflect and report on their mental states.

Subjects completed questionnaires on the frequency, intensity and degree of control in their lucid dreaming experience and also their metacognitive abilities/skills, including self-reflection and self-consciousness. They then underwent brain imaging while performing a thought monitoring task which consisted of two 11 minute during which the subjects had to evaluate every thought which entered their minds on an externally-internally oriented scale. Externally-orientated thoughts related to thoughts influenced by the environment - such as sights/sounds; while internally-orientated thoughts involved those which are not related to the immediate environment, such as memories or abstract ideas. 

The research highlighted that subjects with high/low lucidity were different. Subjects with high lucidity in their dreams had greater grey matter volume in their frontopolar cortex compared to subjects with low lucidity. This region of the brain was shown to have greater levels of activity during thought-monitoring tasks performed by both the high/low lucidity subjects, with stronger increases in the high lucidity group. This enabled the researchers to conclude that lucid dreaming and metacognition share some underlying mechanisms, particularly those related to thought-monitoring. This is unsurprising, and this relationship had been previously suspected, but not tested on a neural level. 

The finding from these studies represent another exciting breakthrough in understanding the science of lucid dreaming, and further steps towards understanding the neuroscience of lucid dreaming and consciousness. 

Dream 670

'Bunny's Eyes'

Date: 30 July 2016

Time: 02:00 - 09:45 (I woke up from this dream naturally)

Type of dream: Normal dream 
Dream recall: Moderate/weak recall

This dream is part of my Dream Incubation Experiment - Eminem / Marshall Mathers III Dream - click HERE (post will open in a new window) to see the details of this Dream Incubation Experiment, including the methodology and results of previous Dream Incubation Experiments.

Scene 1: An Exterior Location - Day

I was in an exterior scene, but I cannot recall where this was. It was day time. I was standing in front of a car, staring into it, through the windscreen. I saw Bunny Meyer (Youtuber, Grav3yardgirl). I looked at her face - she was leaning forwards towards the glass of the windscreen. She then picked up a small black, rectangular, plastic device, which she moved in front of one of her eyes. This eye was a dull grey colour after she performed this act - the other eye was her natural bright stunning blue colour. I realised the device was an eraser/colour remover and Bunny's eyes were actually grey, but she painted the blue on. 

I then noticed that there was a middle-aged white woman standing beside me - she seemed pleased that I had eventually worked out that this was what most people did with their eye colour.

Scene 2: The Hallway in my Current Temporary Accommodation - Time Unknown
I was walking down the hallway of my current temporary accommodation, holding a device in my hand - it may have been the eye colour eraser device  had seen Bunny use in Scene 1, but I am not sure, as I was not using the device, just holding it in front of me. 

I cannot recall anything else about this dream.

Extra Information: 
None of note

Recurrent Dream Themes: 

• My current temporary accommodation as a dreamscene location

Dreamsigns: 

• Watching Bunny use the weird eye colour eraser device

Day Residue: 

• In my recent post, 'WEIRD & CREEPY DREAM/REALITY COINCIDENCES!' I made reference to Bunny, my favourite Youtuber. Bunny is known for her beautiful vivid blue eyes. She also often makes 'Tea Vlogs' where she films a video in her parked car. In some of her videos, she tests bizarre devices/products (some from online shopping, some from infomercials), such as the 'Does this Thing Really Work?' series or 'First Impression Friday' - so I associate her with using devices, many of which are weird beauty-related products. I also watched on of her videos where she tested a handheld digital device which tests your breath and gives a reading based on smell

Waking Reactions: 
There was no reference to Eminem in this dream, but there was a clear influence from day residue regarding the scene with Bunny/Grav3yardgirl. I have forgotten some aspects of this dream, but if I recall them I will record them below.

Dream 669

'M&M Restaurant'

Date: 30 July 2016

Time: 03:30 0 11:00 (I woke up from this dream naturally)

Type of dream: Vivid dream 
Dream recall: Moderate recall

This dream is part of my Dream Incubation Experiment - Eminem / Marshall Mathers III Dream - click HERE (post will open in a new window) to see the details of this Dream Incubation Experiment, including the methodology and results of previous Dream Incubation Experiments.

Scene 1: An Exterior Location - Night

I was in an outside scene and it was night - the light was a navy blue, like dusk had fallen and it was getting darker. Many people were around in this area, on some grass. My Mum was there. There was an exchange of something - black objects, which I think may have been made of fabric. At one point I removed a pair of white lace knickers from under a skirt I was wearing. 

I then saw a sign for a restaurant in the area we were standing around in - it was owned by my first ever boyfriend, MS1 and his brother, who in the dream was called 'Mark' even though his real name is 'Edmund'. The restaurant was called 'M & M'. For some reason I felt annoyed that MS1 and his brother had started their own restaurant. There was some action involving this restaurant, but I cannot remember what happened. 

I had some conversation with my Mum and I was worried about something, but I cannot recall what it was. She was telling me to calm down. This scene continued for some time, but I have forgotten a lot of the details.

Scene 2: My Bathroom in my Current Temporary Accommodation - Time Unknown
I was then in my bathroom, but as I looked around, I realised it was actually a huge open ballroom-type of space, with nothing in it. It also seemed darker than it had when I first found myself there, and thought it was my bathroom. 

I was aware that a member of staff from the university office I work for was asking my colleagues and I to collect belts from students. Two of my colleagues - I cannot recall who they were, but they were both male and both friends of mine - approached me. One of them was holding a handful of brown and black leather belts. I said it was not fair that we had to collect belts and my friends hugged me and told me it would be OK.

I cannot recall anything else about this dream.

Extra Information: 
None of note

Recurrent Dream Themes: 

• My Mum as a dream character
• Lace knickers - Dream 664
• My current temporary accommodation as a dreamscene location

Dreamsigns: 

• The restaurant was called 'M & M' - ES's name changed to make this possible, although I did not notice in the dream. Eminem created this name because his initials are M & M (I believe he also used to spell it this way before he became famous, but this might not be true!) - and therefore this was a minor success in my dream incubation experiment
• My bathroom changed into a large dark ballroom

Day Residue: 

• Eminem was symbolised as the restaurant called 'M & M' in the dream
• A few days ago I watched one of my favourite shows, Nighty Night during which there is a scene in S01E03 in which Jill Tyrell (Julia Davis) removes a pair of red lace crotchless knickers and plants them in the pocket of her married love interest, Dr Don Cole (Angus Deayton) to convince his wife that he is cheating on her
• The day of this dream I took a nude photograph of myself in my bathroom
• A few days ago I noticed that one my my male housemates (who is also a colleague) had left a brown leather belt in the bathroom and I thought about how much I like to see men wear low-riding jeans held up with a leather belt  - I remember consciously thinking about this 

Waking Reactions: 
I have forgotten some elements of this dream, but if I recall anything further, then I will record it below. This was a partial (minor) success in my dream incubation experiment, as the symbol of 'M & M' is fairly significant. 

WEIRD & CREEPY DREAM/REALITY COINCIDENCES!

So, if you have been following my Blog or my Youtube, you will probably be aware that I have experienced a number of strange dream/day residue (i.e. waking reality) events recently, since starting my current Dream Incubation Experiment!

Rather than describing everything in detail in this post, which would involve repeating a substantial amount of material already posted on this Blog and contained in my Youtube videos, I will summarise here and provide links to the relevant posts.

So, in Dream 668 (THE MARINA JOYCE DREAM) - 'Whatever Happened to Marina Joyce?', you will see that I had a dream which combined my Eminem Dream Incubation Experiment with the recent strange events surrounding Youtuber, Marina Joyce. This was after I referred to Marina Joyce in my Youtube video, Eminem Dream Incubation Update 2 (see below). In this dream, (Dream 668), there was also a man in a bear costume (or a large animated teddy bear) called 'Giant Wilfred' - which I interpreted as being the result of day residue - I had been listening to Creepypastas on Youtube prior to going to sleep and one of the thumbnails for a related video on the same channel was for '1999 - which is a short horror fiction about a public access TV channel, Caledon Local 21 run by 'Mr Bear; - a paedophile/child murderer who dresses in a bear costume to make children's TV shows with the aim of luring victims to his 'cellar'. The Creepypasta is written in the form of a series of blog posts by the author - who reminisces about discovering Caledon Local 21 as a child (in 1999) and then his subsequent adult investigation into events surrounding the channel and Mr Bear. On the Blog post (Dream Journal entry) relating to Dream 668, I included a number of screenshots/images relating to the '1999' Creepypasta (images from the actual text version, uploaded by the author, and also screenshots from the Youtube video).

I had been interested in the Marina Joyce story because (before I was even aware of who she was or events surrounding her channel) I had started writing my own horror fiction - about hidden messages and mystery surrounding a teenage Beauty vlogger from London and the effects her videos have on the main character, another teenage girl, who is a fan of makeup videos on Youtube and noticed bizarre and terrifying coincidences between her life and the life of her favourite Youtuber. This story forms part of a trilogy of short horror stories, the third one being based on webcamming and featuring a camgirl named 'Montana Joy' (note the similarity between the name 'Marina Joyce' and 'Montana Joy'). Even my best friend, DL mentioned that when he heard about the Marina Joyce story, he noticed the similarity or at least coincidence between those real life events and the topic of my fiction writing!

I discussed Dream 668 in a further Youtube video, uploaded today - Eminem Dream Incubation Update 3 - Weird Marina Joyce Dream (see below). During this video, I talked about the content of my dream, discussed Marina Joyce and also talked about '1999' and how it influenced me to dream about 'Giant Wilfred'. During this video I mad reference to how much I love Grav3yardgirl (Bunny Meyer). I uploaded all the new content onto my social media and then started listening to some more Creepypastas, ostensibly to get inspired to write my own horror fiction. After a while, I got a little scared, because I am home alone right now. I decided to see if Bunny had uploaded a new video, because I find that listening to her is a great way to distract myself. 

This is where things get really creepy and coincidental. The thumbnail for Bunny's latest video - uploaded that day was her posing with a huge teddy bear! I have pulled a screenshot, which I have posted below! She does not explain the presence of the teddy bear in her video, and while my rational, sensible brain tells me it is simply an innocent and strange coincidence, it certainly played on my mind and made me feel even more freaked out by how everything seems to be interlinked and bizarre!

Here are my own Youtube videos where you can hear me discuss the topics covered in this post!

In this video, 'WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY DREAMS?!' I discuss the current problems I have been having with my dreams and outline the Eminem Dream Incubation Experiment

In this video, 'Eminem Dream Incubation Update 1 (with lots of chat)' I discuss a bizarre dream I experienced which involved dream deja-vu

In this video, 'Eminem Dream Incubation Update 2 (with lots of chat!)' I discuss a further incident of dream deja-vu and mention (as a joke) the Marina Joyce controversy

In this video, 'Eminem Dream Incubation Update 3 - WEIRD MARINA JOYCE DREAM' - I discuss my weird Eminem/Marina Joyce dream from last night, which also involved 'Giant Wilfred' the teddy bear/man in a bear costume who was knocking on all of the doors in my home, offering 'favours'. I also make reference to how much I love Grav3yardgirl.

* Note that there no way I could have accidentally seen the thumbnail to the most recent Grav3yardgirl video 'STRIPPED DOWN 'CHALLENGE'' for the simple reason that the video was uploaded on 28/07/2016 and I believe this is Bunny's local time (in Texas, USA), rather than the date I would have received the video (being in UK and therefore 6 hours ahead of Texas time). I have tried to seek clarification on this issue from other followers of Bunny, as my dyscalculia (numerical dyslexia) makes it very difficult to rely on my own calculations. In any event, I definitely did not see this video until now (as I write this post), and certainly not before I had the dream which involved 'Giant Wilfred'. The last video I watched from Grav3yardgirl before this dream was 'FULL FACE USING ONLY KIDS' MAKEUP Challenge'. Of course, if I had been in a position to notice the new video with the teddy bear in the thumbnail, I would have made a point of noting this potential source of day residue in my Dream Journal. So, it remains a weird and somewhat terrifying coincidence! 

Eminem Dream Incubation Update 3 - WEIRD MARINA JOYCE DREAM!

Dream 668 (THE MARINA JOYCE DREAM)

'Whatever Happened to Marina Joyce?'

Date: 28 July 2016

Time: 23:00 - 06:00 (I woke up from this dream by my housemate banging on the front door and ringing my phone)

Type of dream: Vivid dream
Dream recall: Strong recall

This dream is part of my Dream Incubation Experiment - Eminem / Marshall Mathers III Dream - click HERE (post will open in a new window) to see the details of this Dream Incubation Experiment, including the methodology and results of previous Dream Incubation Experiments.

This was a partial success regarding my Dream Incubation Experiment, because Eminem was in the dream, although I did not specifically see/meet him. Rather, the opportunity to meet him was used by the dream as a 'gift' for completing a requirement - investigating the Marina Joyce story. This was not a lucid dream.

Scene 1: My Current Temporary Accommodation, Norwich - Day

I was sitting at my desk (where I record Youtube videos) in my current temporary home in Norwich. I was aware that my cousin JC1 had completed his university degree (he is currently between his first and second years, so not close to completing in real life). and had got a grade which was higher than a first. My family was celebrating, because this meant he was able to get a very important job in international human rights - although I cannot recall the specific details of the job. My family were not present in my Norwich home at this point - they were in Sheringham, where I was supposed to join them later (I saw an image of a large multi-tiered white decorated birthday-style cake). I was currently at work. It appeared that my bedroom was actually my former law firm and I was working for one of the lawyers I used to work alongside - MJF. 

MJF stood behind me while I was at the desk. He said: 'Your dodgy-looking friend is waiting for you outside...' 'Outside' was actually the outside of my former workplace, which was located on the main 'clubbing' street in the city. I had a mental image - or at least saw - this street, which looked the same as in  real life, although there was a partial grey brick wall adjacent to the doorway of the law firm, which blocked my view of the 'friend' waiting for me (he was on the other side, whereas I saw the location from the view of the front entrance).

I took this to mean it was RBA - because when I used to work in this firm in real life and RBA used to come to visit me at my workplace, the lawyers would describe him in such a way, assuming he was a 'client' of the firm (i.e. a criminal suspect) based on the way he dressed (hip hop, with a shaved head). I think I mentioned RBA's name, or at least indicated that I thought it was him, but MJF said: 'No, it's the Eminem guy...' (RBA is also a white male rapper, so I assumed in the dream that there might be some confusion). I asked if MJF meant 'the famous one' and he said: 'Yes'. 

I was then very excited - I was not lucid, so I was not thinking that my dream incubation experiment was successful at this point, I was just super happy that Eminem was coming to visit me. MJF said: 'You can't meet him until you finish work' and handed me a brown case file, which had the name 'Marina Joyce' in black marker pen on the front. This was my work and MJF said: 'If you want to meet your friend, you need to investigate this case file'. I either said something to the effect of 'it's too much work' or in some way expressed that I did not think I would be able to complete the task. MJF showed me his mobile phone screen, on which there was a message written in green text which said: 'Bonuses are delayed'. I took this to mean 'bonuses' (me being rewarded with meeting Eminem) are delayed until the Marina Joyce case file has been completed - this was a 'requirement'. I am not sure if I argued with MJF or if I asked for help - because he said to me: 'You have to unpick it with your needle' and I knew what he meant. I decided I would investigate the case file so that I could be 'rewarded' with meeting Eminem.

I then found that I was laying down on my bed - I was still in a dream, which was not a false awakening, because I could also 'see' outside my bedroom, into the corridor (I have posted a video entitled 'House Tour Vlog' which is a video posted on my channel, showing you the interior of my current temporary accommodation, so you can see the layout and areas described in this dream). I could hear someone walking down the hallway, knocking on each door. There was a male voice. Normally, this would seem nightmarish to me, but I was calm and relaxed. I 'saw' that the knocking was from a large teddy bear - or a man in a bear costume. The bear was very fat - especially it's stomach, which had a yellow panel. The bear was called 'Giant Wilfred' and he was going from room to room, trying to offer 'favours' to anyone in the room. 'Giant Wilfred' did not look particularly scary (not like the images of bear costumes below - see Day Residue, below and images at the bottom of this post). He had a happy smiling face and I think he may have worn a hat. His fur was made of fuzzy brown material and he had a jolly demeanour, but I did not want to answer my door to him - not because I was in any way afraid of him, but because I did not want 'a favour' from him and I thought that having to talk to him would be hassle - I just wanted to go to sleep (I was laying in my bed and not lucid or aware I actually was asleep, so I assumed that I was trying to take a nap and was being prevented from doing so by Giant Wilfred. As it happens, I could actually hear real life knocking (see below) which was incorporated into the narrative of my dream.

I woke up at this point, hearing my actual knocking in my accommodation (in real life). I was disorientated, but strangely - considering my feelings about living in this accommodation (as expressed in my 'House Tour Vlog' video) not at all scared, even though my dream seemed to be carrying over into waking. I then heard my phone ring - and saw that it was 06:00 hours and the call was from one of my housemates/best friends - LD2. When I answered the phone, I realised LD2 was very drunk and needed me to let him into the flat, which I did. I then stayed with LD2 until I could get him into his bedroom (2.5 hours) and then wrote up my first post about this dream - 'Weird, Significant & 'Deep' Marina Joyce Dream'. 

I then received a message from RBA and responded, summarising these weird dream events in a voice message. 

Extra Information: 
None of note

Recurrent Dream Themes: 

• My current temporary accommodation as a dream scene location

Dreamsigns: 

• I was told that I could meet Eminem if I completed the required task
• My bedroom was a law firm
• Scene 2 with 'Giant Wilfred' the Bear

Day Residue: 

• See my post entitled 'Weird, Significant & 'Deep' Marina Joyce Dream' which provides information regarding Marina Joyce and my day residue generally
• It was the birthday of my cousin (JC1's brother) the day before this dream
• I had seen a former colleague from the law firm I used to work in (a legal secretary) post about her son's very impressive results in his legal exams the day before this dream
• The day before this dream I had made a Youtube video ('Eminem Dream Incubation Update 2 (with lots of chat!)' which is linked below) in which I made an offhand joke remark about the Marina Joyce story - this is likely to be how my subconscious linked Eminem, my dream incubation experiment and Marina Joyce - I have linked this video below
• On the day of this dream, I sent RBA a photo of me sitting on the concrete steps outside my accommodation. I then asked him if he had heard about the Marina Joyce story, which he had not
• On the day of this dream, I had been listening to the audio versions of Creepypastas. At the end of the video I had been listening to, there was a clickable thumbnail link to one of my favourite (and very popular/well-known) Creepypastas - '1999' which features a paedophile/murderer who broadcasts a public access TV channel, 'Caledon Local 21', which had a main show, 'Mr Bear's Cellar' which featured the creator of the channel dressed as 'Mr Bear'. The screen of my laptop, which was beside me while I was sleeping, still had the Youtube dashboard open, showing the thumbnail from '1999' - see below

Waking Reactions:
This dream has inspired me to actually investigate the Marina Joyce incident further, firstly because I am interested generally (and because I had been writing horror fiction about a female 'Beauty' Youtuber and the effect watching her odd videos has on my main character, who is able to decipher weird and terrifying messages which seem to communicate directly with her). Note that I am also writing another short horror fiction (forming a trilogy), where one of the main characters is a webcam girl named 'Montana Joy'. Secondly, I am always trying to find truth or debunk internet myths and conspiracy theories, and given the worldwide media attention surrounding the Marina Joyce situation, this seems like a perfect opportunity to apply my skills. On a more basic level, this dream seems to suggest that my subconscious is setting me up with a task to complete before 'rewarding' me with a successful dream incubation (i.e. meeting Eminem), which seems very bizarre, but I have decided to listen to my dream and do as I have been asked, and - in the spirit of experimentation - want to monitor the effect of my waking progress on my dreaming.

'House Tour Vlog' Video - my channel (shows the exterior and interior of my current temporary accommodation, which has been a recurrent dream scene location)

Eminem Dream Incubation Update 2 (with lots of chat!) - my channel (refers to recent strange dreams in relation to my Dream Incubation Experiment & also refers to the Marina Joyce story)

Marina Joyce - screenshot from the controversial 'DATE OUTFIT IDEAS' video

The 'Mr Bear' image uploaded on the Creepypasta page for '1999'

Screenshot image of 'Mr Bear' from the Youtube audio version of '1999'

The video thumbnail for the Youtube audio version of '1999' - this was what was visible on the screen of my laptop, which was beside me when I was sleeping and experiencing this dream

Eminem Dream Incubation Update 2 (with lots of chat!)

WEIRD, SIGNIFICANT & 'DEEP' MARINA JOYCE DREAM

My 'Eminem' Dream Incubation Experiment
As readers of my Blog will be aware, I am currently conducting a dream incubation experiment entitled: Dream Incubation Experiment - Eminem / Marshall Mathers III Dream. Click HERE (post will open in a new window) to see the details of this Dream Incubation Experiment, including the methodology and results of previous Dream Incubation Experiments.

Basically, the Dream Incubation idea is that I am aiming to meet Eminem in a dream. I started my dream incubation experiment as a way of adding focus and goal-orientation to my current dream practice, as I have had a lot of difficulty recalling dreams recently. This may be due to disruption in my sleep pattern caused by a recent heatwave, a change of accommodation (with a mosquito problem!) and other factors. The dream incubation experiment was an attempt to re-motivate me to conduct good dream practice on a daily basis and would provide me with material for blogging/making Youtube videos, which is needed during times when I don't have much else to write about and feel that I am letting my regular followers/subscribers down. 

I chose Eminem because he is a regular dream characters and I have greatly enjoyed my previous Eminem dreams - as you can see if you check out my main page for this dream incubation experiment, which contains links to all of my previous Eminem dreams - click HERE and the link will open in a new window. 

Also, I wanted a dream incubation theme which was simple and going to be pleasurable (I assume this based on my previous dream experiences, where I have been romantically/sexually involved with Eminem, which randomly, made me find him much more attractive in waking reality - I had never been interested in him before my dreams made me re-evaluate him and also encouraged me to try and like his hip hop production, given I used to hate his beats - sorry for the tangent there, I just want you guys to see the weird context behind this dream I had, which seems so significant, yet - confusing!)

I have found previous successful dream incubation experiments have also led to me becoming lucid when I realise the dreamsign of the theme and remember that this is a dream incubation, which triggers consciousness. These successful experiments have typically involved themes of simply meeting famous people, and therefore Eminem seemed like an obvious choice on all counts. 

I was keen to avoid making the theme too prescriptive or complex, and didn't want to accidentally incubate a negative dream, because recently I have been writing horror fiction - strangely, I had begun a trilogy of short stories, or 'novella'-length fiction, all involving elements of 'media' whether it be radio, TV, phones, the internet - or Youtube. I had been writing a story called 'Kandy Snapz' which features a young female Youtuber (a beauty and lifestyle vlogger) and the effect watching this channel has on a teenage girl who spots odd and unexplainable messages in the videos. Writing - and reading/listening to horror fiction to get inspired - often leads to me anticipating a nightmare, and in fact I had one recently, which you can read here: Dream 666: 'Abnormal Penis Size'. Therefore, again, Eminem seemed like the obvious choice for a dream incubation experiment!

The Marina Joyce Story
I then heard about the Marina Joyce controversy - the sudden change in a popular Youtuber. In my own Youtube video, the second update for my Eminem Dream Incubation Experiment (recorded on the same day that I had this dream and the conversation with DL - see below), I made an offhand joke about how I hoped my viewers were enjoying the new upbeat nature of my recent videos and reassured them that I wasn't in a situation like Marina Joyce. I then repeated a number of rumours I had heard in articles circulating the internet - I had not at this point watched an entire video by Marina Joyce - only the clips contained in the online news articles about her.

Marina Joyce is a 19 year old London-based vlogger. Her global fan-base began a hashtag campaign, #savemarinajoyce, after her behaviour seemed to become increasingly strange - in some of her videos, she begins crying and speaks of near death experiences and extreme high and low moods. These videos seem to point towards a mental or emotional disturbance and coincide with a dramatic decline in Joyce's editorial production and general articulation and demeanour on camera. Her confidence and sense of humour has seemed to vanish and she often seems disorientated or distracted, repeating herself a number of times. Comparing videos of how she was in her vast number of previous videos, dating back to 2012, she is very different to her typical bubbly, funny, irrelevant self - her hand gesticulations and facial expressions have also notably changed and become more awkward and unnatural. The overall quality and coherence of her videos has drastically decreased.

Fans begin spotting 'clues' in her videos - in one video where she is advertising a dress, she turns so that bruises are visible on the backs of her arms, above the elbows and she can be apparently heard/seen whispering 'help me'. A finger can be seen directing her to move slightly, and she often looks off-camera, as if communicating in some way with another person. Her viewers have pointed out that 'help me' is heard in other videos. Allegedly, some videos show a shot gun in the corner and chains can be heard clanking when she jumps up and down. Some viewers have made claims that her bedroom window looks like it has bars on it, and that in some scenes you can see a masked man in a reflection. 

This month, Joyce invited her followers (via Twitter) to join her for a dance event - at Bethnal Green, London at 06:30 am - which caused huge concern amongst her internet followers and other Youtubers, who thought this sounded extremely dangerous and inappropriate. Panic meant that many people began claiming Bethnal Green was a very rough 'ghetto' area and this must be some kind of 'trap' to lure people to this area. Bethnal Green is actually a very gentrified part of East London, and there was an event held there - but Joyce had suggested the meet-up on the wrong date. She has since tweeted the actual date of the event.

Joyce's weird behaviour has caused many conspiracy theories to emerge to explain what is happening to her. These have included her being kidnapped or held hostage, and forced to make Youtube videos to give the impression she is OK - and her putting subtle cries for help as hidden messages to the outside word. Some sections of the internet even went as far as to claim she might be being held by ISIS! Other rumours include the idea that she is in an abusive and violent relationship (when followers ask her to make 'signals' if she needs help, she is often seen to perform these signals and fans have interpreted her wearing 2 blue lines on her cheek as a sign that she is the victim of domestic violence). Alternatively, other explanations have focused on mental illness or trauma, drug use or her recent spiritual quest. 

People connected to Joyce - such as her mother and offline friends - have come forward to provide statements or comments denying there is any problem with Joyce. The MET police were encouraged to perform a welfare check on Joyce after her fans contacted them with their concerns. She was reported to be safe and well. Clearly she was not being held hostage, or at any immediate ascertainable risk. I state this very cautiously because, as a lawyer, I am keen to keep an open mind as to possible explanations and do not wish to rule out a range of scenarios which may not be simply negated by a single police check. The police are only able to assess the immediate risk of harm to Joyce, and would take steps to ask questions to reassure them, but this wasn't a thorough investigation of the situation.

In her 'explanations' for her odd behaviour, which have been made by way of Youtube videos uploaded onto her own channel, statements made on social media and one video interview she does with an American Youtube personality, Joyce still seems to act strangely and give vague answers to questions about drug use. She states that her bruises are from an accident while out exploring nature.

The situation has made worldwide news, with the traditional and social media publishing on the story - with regular updates. Many 'conspiracy theories' still abound, as well as more reasoned suggestions, such as mental health issues. 

Some have suggested that this is a hoax orchestrated by Joyce in order to gain more subscribers for her Youtube channel. Joyce has suggested that if this is a 'publicity stunt' it is one which has been created and carried out by her fans and she re-emphasises that she is happy and well. Unsurprisingly, Joyce's Youtube channel subscriptions and video view counts have reflected the mass interest in this story - at first, it is said that large numbers of her loyal subscribers (she originally had approx, 600,000 subscribers) have unfollowed her due to the change in her behaviour, this being confirmed by Joyce herself, in her video reaction to the situation. But now, as the story grows, Joyce has more than 1 million subscribers and her videos typically have over 1 million views each - someone with over 150 videos on her channel, trending on twitter and making worldwide news is now a significant commercial interest. People close to Joyce - including her manager (Joyce states in her 'explanation' vido that she has been advised by her manager to be more careful about the content she uploads) will be aware of how valuable Joyce's Youtube channel is and therefore it is easy to assume that some control or at least management and quality checks will become necessary - but the direction her channel will take remains to be seen.

I had not heard of Marina Joyce up until this point, despite being an avid watcher of Youtubers - she was maybe too young for my demographic. As soon as I heard - via social media and the news - about the Marina Joyce story, I watched some videos by other Youtubers about why #savemarinajoyce was so important, and pointing to their 'evidence'. I then watched the Marina Joyce interview with Philip DeFranco and thought she seemed very strange, but at this point I had not seen any of her earlier videos, which fans would say were 'typical' Marina Joyce videos with her 'normal' personality and video quality. I watched the Date Outfit Ideas video - the one where Joyce models a pink 'Lolita' dress and is heard/seen to whisper 'help'. This video has spawned countless video responses from other Youtubers - I watched the top rated ones, but they mostly recycled the same facts and rumours. After this, I watched a couple more videos in which Joyce's behaviour was said to be problematic, or messages and signals could be witnessed. I was directed to which videos to watch by the time frame given as to when Joyce first began to change to see what I thought. I still had not watched a single video of pre-change Joyce in its entirety - I had seen short clips on some of the other Youtubers' response videos. 

I then spoke to DL on the phone, who informed me that he had also heard of the Marina Joyce story. We talked about it and he wondered if the bruises on her arms could be track-marks from injecting heroin. I said no, you wouldn't inject on the backs of your arms and she did not seem like she would take heroin. I thought she seemed like she was mentally ill, but agreed that there was something odd about the entire story. I thought that Joyce was awkward and not especially suited to making Youtube videos, as she was not naturally confident or charismatic in front of the camera, seemed to repeat herself and become distracted or confused, and made weird gestures and expressions. At this point I had still not seen a full-length video of Joyce before the change in her behaviour. To this extent, I feel that I was unprepared for exactly how different I was going to find the pre and post-change Joyce.

DL said that when he first heard about it on Reddit, he had immediately thought about me because he knew I was writing a horror story about a young female Youtuber who makes beauty videos. Because I know my friend RBA likes conspiracy theories, or at least, he likes weird, mystery type things - I messaged him and asked if he had heard about the story (at this stage he did not reply, but just as I am writing this, post-dream, he messaged me back to say that he had not heard about Marina Joyce).

I watched 2 early videos of Marina Joyce - picked at random from the first page of her uploads. She was 15 in the videos and I was able to get some sense of just how different she had become - her early videos are articulately presented and well-edited. I watched some different TV programmes on the internet and then I fell asleep at around 23:00 hours. 

My Weird Marina Joyce Dream (summary only)
I then had my dream, which was so bizarre and significant. I will not detail the entire dream here, as I wish to write it up properly in my normal Dream Journal format so that the content of the dream is separate from all of this information and discussion of the subjects surrounding the dream. 

In summary, my dream involved me thinking RBA was waiting for me outside a workplace after the lawyer I used to work for in a criminal defence firm told me there was a 'dodgy-looking guy' waiting outside for me (reflecting real life comments made by my boss about RBA many years ago when I in fact worked in that firm). I was then told that it was Eminem (so my dream incubation experiment had some success!) but I would not be able to meet him until I completed work on a file - I was handed the Marina Joyce file and told that I was the person who needed to investigate and solve it!

Listening to the Dream...
I was then awoken (at 06:00 hours) by banging on the door of my flat - and my phone ringing. It was LD2 who was very drunk and needed me to open the door for him, As he was so heavily under the influence and kept falling asleep (in the kitchen and bathroom), I decided to sit with him and check he was OK - which I did until about 09:00 hours. I then went for a walk and decided that I should listen to my dream. I want to approach the Marina Joyce issue like I would a legal case - look for the evidence with an objective, critical, rational, logical, and non-sensationalist perspective. I want to check through her body of videos, both before and after the changes in her behaviour and assess them for myself and then try to draw some conclusions from my observations and analysis. 

Apart from the fact that I listen to my dreams - and was put in a situation where my 'prize' (successful dream incubation - meeting with Eminem) was premised on my ability to unpick the Marina Joyce story (suggesting that my subconscious has some motivation for making this a requirement for getting my desired dream), I think I am in a good position for performing an in-depth investigation of the videos and then finding what evidence there is to support a range of possible conclusions. This is because:

1. I'm a lawyer, with experience in analysing complex case files - and have developed skills in looking at evidence objectively and trying to put together a credible version of possible events based on the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence. I am able to do this in an unbiased way, with a logical perspective. It helps that I am not a fan of Marina Joyce and was not aware of her until recently - as I have not come to this story with any prejudices or strongly held beliefs about what might be happening
2. As a lawyer, I am well aware of a number of different scenarios involving domestic violence/abuse; drug use etc, as well as other possible scenarios
3. I am an academic researcher - so I can put these skills to good use
4. I work in student welfare part time, which means I work with young adults the same age as Marina Joyce and have witnessed and worked with a range of different personal, mental, emotional, physical, and environmental issues which can affect people in her demographic
5. In my legal and university careers I have witnessed at first hand the effects of a large spectrum of mental health disorders and also, drug use
6. I make my own Youtube videos and have some insight into how this aspect of social media works (although I am very amateur). I am also a big fan of Youtubers. I watch their content every single day and take an active interest in this platform

So, I am going to write a piece - and maybe make a video vlog - based on my research into the Marina Joyce story. I am partly motivated by the fact that my dream promised me a prize if I was able to perform this task - and I want to experiment with this idea further (for the purposes of my Dream Incubation Experiment, of course!) But additionally, I find this whole situation thoroughly fascinating and intriguing and I do believe I have the right mindset and skillset to make some sense of what might be going on if I do my research and remain the level of objectivity which is missing from her well-meaning fans and other media sources who stand to benefit from sensationalising the story. 

I will upload my dream relating to this incident as Dream 668.

Dream 667 (PRE-LUCID DREAM WITH WEIRD DREAM DEJA-VU)

'Shopping for Red Clothes'

Date: 26 July 2016

Time: 22:30 - 05:30 (I woke up from this dream naturally)

Type of dream: Normal dream/Scene 1 was a Pre-Lucid Dream
Dream recall: Weak/moderate recall

This dream is part of my Dream Incubation Experiment - Eminem / Marshall Mathers III Dream - click HERE (post will open in a new window) to see the details of this Dream Incubation Experiment, including the methodology and results of previous Dream Incubation Experiments.

Scene 1: A Clothing Shop - Time Unknown

I was with my Mum in a clothes shop, which seemed to be a lot like the old Littlewoods store on Gentleman's Walk, Norwich (we always used to go in there when I was a child and my Mum/Nan and I visited the city or shopping). However, I knew it was not Littlewoods and as I was browsing a rail of red clothing, I recalled that I had recently dreamed of being in this shop, which changes appearance in almost every dream. I then knew that this was a charity shop and in the dream, I specifically thought that there had been another dream in which I had been in the same shop, which I had forgotten to note in my Dream Journal (i.e. on this Blog) when I last recorded a dream involving the same shop, a few days previously. I knew this dream was one involving BSS and I had a clear recollection that the BBS dream (at this point, I had no memory of when this dream occurred or the particular details of the dream) took place partly on a beach and partly in a charity shop, and involved second-hand handbags.

I will describe my thought process and the history of this dream shop below, in order to minimise confusion. Please note that although I had this thought process in my dream and was 'remembering previous dreams where I had been in the 'same' shop, this was not a lucid dream as I was not aware that I was dreaming while experiencing the dream. I was thinking about dreams within this current dream (Dream 667), but I believed that my present situation was real life and therefore was not consciously dreaming. This weird phenomena has happened to me before. It usually involves me thinking about my Dream Journal.

So, in the current dream, while browsing the rail of red clothing, I thought 'this isn't Littlewoods, it's the shop from my dreams'. I then became aware that the shop was always a charity shop/thrift store, and I specifically thought about/or saw an image of RP - a male I know from my hometown of Sheringham, who is also a Facebook friend and talented writer. I knew that one of my previous dreams about this shop had involved him, although I was not aware of which one while dreaming. 

The previous dreams I recalled involving this shop were:

23.07.2016: Dream 664 - 'Holiday' - During this recent dream, in Scene 1, I found myself in the shop. I became aware that I had been in this shop before, while dreaming. I knew the shop had appeared in previous dreams. Dream 664 was not a lucid dream. I experienced dream deja-vu, but fully believed I was in the shop in real life (i.e. I was not conscious of the fact I was dreaming). I recorded the dream in my Dream Journal as Dream 664 and searched back through my Dream Journal to find the earlier dream in which I knew that I had been inside this shop. I discovered that the more recent earlier dream in which this shop appeared was Dream 553 - 'The Worst Gym Ever'.

23.01.2016: Dream 553 - 'The Worst Gym Ever' occurred during an earlier Dream Incubation Experiment - 'The Art Star DE'. In Scene 3 of Dream 553, I was in a charity shop with my Nan, and I 'remembered' within the dream (dream deja-vu, but not a lucid dream) that I had been in this shop in a previous dream, although the shop was different. In this current shop, my Nan was looking at handbags and she had a conversation with the shop assistant, who was a white, middle-aged female. I was prompted to remember the previous dream about the shop, because I recognised the (dream character) shop assistant was the same. The dream cited in the Blog post pertaining to Dream 553 is Dream 254 - 'Thuggin, Freddie Gibbs & the Little Shop of Horrible Clothes'. Note that I did not recall Dream 254 as involving a previous visit to this shop in Dream 664 - I only discovered the second layer of dream deja-vu involving this shop when I was researching/writing up Dream 664 and re-visited Dream 553 and noticed that this dream report involved a reference and back-link to Dream 254. 

03.06.2014: Dream 254 - 'Thuggin, Freddie Gibbs & the Little Shop of Horrible Clothes' - in this dream, I was in a shop in Sheringham, which resembled one of my favourite thrift stores (it was a 'catalogue shop' - basically the owner of the store bought last season clothing from suppliers and sold them cheaply). RP was the shop assistant in this dream. I did not notice this fact while linking this dream to Dream 664 - or if I did, I did not consciously process the fact that I did, until I had this current dream, Dream 667, in which I thought specifically of RP. 

So in this current dream, Dream 667, I 'remembered' a third, earlier dream in which I was in the same shop, and realised that I had not recorded this on my post for Dream 664, which is the dream when I first had the realisation that it was always the same shop in my dreams and as a result had researched the issue, recording the above information. While recording Dream 667 (therefore, right now), I went back to previous posts on my Dream Journal, searching for 'handbags' as my current dream (Dream 667) had revealed that the 'forgotten dream' involved handbags. I discovered that the 'forgotten dream' was Dream 489 - 'A Dead Bird Fell onto my Vagina at a Festival' which took place on 31.08.2015. Note that this dream, which involves BSS took place shortly after I first met him in person, at a hip hop festival. The same festival is taking place this forthcoming weekend - I know BSS is attending as I had seen him post about it on Facebook recently in real life. This adds a further interesting complexity to this dream, as when I 'remembered' the existence of the 'forgotten dream' while dreaming Dream 667 (the current dream), I did not recall that it involved a festival, or in fact that this dream took place around the time that I had actually met BSS at a real life festival, which happened to be the same annual music event that is taking place this week.

31.08.2015: Dream 489 - 'A Dead Bird Fell onto my Vagina at a Festival'. In Scene 5, I was with BSS at a beach which was simultaneously an interior, as I discovered later. I found a number of handbags in armrest compartments of black leather armchairs/sofas. NOTE THAT WHEN I JUST WENT TO READ THROUGH THIS DREAM FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING UP THIS POST, I REALISED THAT DREAM 489 DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY SCENE WHERE I WAS IN A SHOP. Therefore, Dream 667 contained a FALSE DREAM MEMORY. 

Scene 2: A Fairground - Day
I saw my Mum's friend, CC standing in the entrance of a fairground attraction. It was a sunny summer day. She had her arms stretched out at either side, so that she was holding onto the sides of the entrance. Next to the attraction where CC was standing, there was a donut stall and a hotdog stall.

I cannot recall anything else about this dream.

Extra Information: 
None of note

Recurrent Dream Themes: 

• THE SHOP!
• The colour red
• My Mum as a dream character 
• My Mum and I in a clothing shop

Dreamsigns: 

• I was thinking about how my current dreamscene location was one which appeared in previous dreams - this should have triggered lucidity

Day Residue: 

• Thinking about the recurrence of this 'dream shop' while recording my recent dreams
• I had recommended that DL read RP's writing as he is very talented with a great sense of humour. I mentioned RP to DL on the day of this dream - he had come up in conversation because DL and I discussed the following topics: (1) Ewan McGregor (my teenage and current crush) and the fact he had been in Moulin Rouge! (2001) directed by Baz Luhrmann; (2) the Luhrmann movie Romeo + Juliet (1996) - a 1990s movie which DL had said that he dislikes; (3) Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet; (4) the fact that during my teenage years (age 13 and 17 respectively) I wrote my own versions of Romeo and Juliet (one being a comedy. Jomeo and Ruliet, which I wrote/directed, casting myself as Jomeo's Dad, for a school talent show; the second being one which I wrote in Norfolk slang as a side project while studying Theatre Studies): (5) my experience of being the only student in my year who took the A-level Theatre Studies exam; (6) the fact that the Theatre Studies students from the year below were recruited to help me with my coursework, as I had no peers in my own year to work with and this was a 'Group Project' which meant I was unable to take responsibility for all the roles involved in putting on a theatre production (I was being graded on writing/directing specifically). RP had acted in my play and I think he also designed the lighting, which led me to think specifically of him at this point in the conversation; (7) I told DL that RP was a talented writer and recommended that he read some of his work
• During the above discussion relating to Shakespeare, DL mentioned that his popularity was due to the fact his plays contained highbrow concepts and also references which would appeal to the low humour of the poorer classes. These references would often be sexual innuendos and puns (the type I used in my own re-working, Jomeo & Ruliet) - I specifically at this point thought of 'cod pieces' - my Mum's friend, CC was previous married and used a last name which began with 'Cod'
• The day before this dream I had told DL about a piece of horror fiction I am currently writing, which involves a webcam girl called 'Montana Joy' and a webcam site called 'Pleasureland' - in Great Yarmouth, beside the Pleasure Beach is an attraction called 'Joyland'

Waking Reactions: 
WOW. This dream was so complex and the levels of dream deja-vu were very difficult to convey in written form. I have just about covered all of the material I think it relevant to this dream and I have done so in great detail, but I think I may have forgotten other aspects of this dream and given the way my dream memories/recall have been working in recent times, it may be that I subsequently remember more. If I do, I will record it below. This dream was incredibly interesting to me as a dream researcher and highlights the strange interwoven nature of consciousness, dreams and memory - including false memories of dreams which may have in turn been influenced by day residue. There was no reference to my Dream Incubation Experiment, but I feel that this dream was especially significant to me regardless, given it's content and implications. 

Dream 666 (NIGHTMARE - Check Number of Dream!)

'Abnormal Penis Size'

Date: 25 July 2016

Time: 21:00 - 07:30 (I woke up from this dream naturally) 

Type of dream: Vivid dream 
Dream recall: Weak/moderate recall

This dream is part of my Dream Incubation Experiment - Eminem / Marshall Mathers III Dream - click HERE (post will open in a new window) to see the details of this Dream Incubation Experiment, including the methodology and results of previous Dream Incubation Experiments.

I simply cannot recall what was so scary about this dream - but I experienced it as a nightmare.

Scene 1: Unknown Interior- Time Unknown
I cannot recall this dream scene at all, but this is the nightmare part. It involved my friend, JL2. I was worried about him. I woke up from this part of the dream, terrified. I checked I was really awake, because I was worried it might be a false awakening. I felt panicked and disgusted by something which happened in this part of the dream.

I woke up at this point, terrified.

Scene 2: My Current Temporary Home, Norwich - Time Unknown
I had to choose a chocolate bar - I was then fed a Twix by someone unseen.

I then realised I was standing in the corridor of my current temporary home - it is a long, narrow, institutional-looking corridor with identical purple doors leading off one side, and bathrooms on the other. I saw a male I know from my former home in London, and also on Facebook. His name is RM and he is now a bodybuilder who posts frequently on Facebook. Both he, and JL2, are black men, but JL2 is American and RM is British. RM was standing outside one of the purple bedroom doors, between the kitchen and my own room. He was naked, but for a white towel around his waist, which he removed. I saw his penis, which was erect. He was holding it at the base with one hand. It was abnormally large - at least a metre long, and the tip was bright pink and looked like the 'lipstick' (the penis) of a dog. I then realised I was not seeing this 'in person', but instead looking at a polaroid photograph.

I cannot recall anything else about this dream.

Extra Information: 
None of note

Recurrent Dream Themes: 

• My current temporary accommodation as a dreamscene location

Dreamsigns: 

• RM's penis

Day Residue: 

• JL2 has had a recent family bereavement, so I had been thinking about him. On the day of this dream, I had seen a comment from him on the photograph of a mutual Facebook friend (and former colleague), but realised that this was from nearly a month ago
• The day before this dream I saw RM post a photograph of him on Facebook - he was receiving a massage and was only wearing underwear
• The day before this dream, my friend LD2 and I were discussing penis size
• I saw LD2 with just a towel around his waist

Waking Reactions: 
My dream recall was incredibly weak for Scene 1, but moderately strong for Scene 2, which is annoying, because Scene 1  was the more interesting part of the dream and I would love to know exactly what was so terrifying and panicking about it. It is also coincidental that I had a nightmare on the night of Dream 666!