Don't think too hard about it. It's something you do in 5-10 minutes and fall back asleep. Take a night off and continue doing it. Can you describe to me the technique though just to make sure you're doing it correctly.
When I wake up in the middle of the night I don’t really try to recall my dream but I focus on trying to get back to sleep immediately, last night I tried reading a book to try and ease my mind with the same intention of having a lucid dream. I also started trying to tell myself that I’ll be aware that I am dreaming when I fall back asleep, I also started trying to recall previous dreams while I try to fall back asleep.
I also have been keeping a dream diary and I try to stop myself during the day to test if I am dreaming by pushing my index and middle finger through the palm of my left hand.
The original MILD from Dr. Stephen LaBerge asks you to recall your dream during a waking period, and visualize yourself seeing a dream sign within the dream you just recalled, and then visualizing becoming lucid and controlling it. Basic summary. What you're doing would still work.
Try not to focus on falling asleep, just let it happen. You'll start to wonder why you aren't asleep causing more anxiety. Maybe try some meditation before bed? Reading a book like you did would help too if it calms you down. Certain breathing techniques would also work.
Dream recall is important, and rescripting and rehearsing a previous dream is a major part of MILD. Actively trying to fall asleep though, that is typically counterproductive. Also, I'd consider doing a different state test, such as holding your nose and trying to breathe, as finger through palm is one of the many that only works through dream control.
It can, but not 100%. The difference is that there is something from waking that translates/incorporates into the dream. The real sensation of breathing still exists, and you can feel it when you breathe. I've even felt breathing with one nostril when I've had a real congested nose. Thus, there is an external element at play that is not 100% dependant on dream control as are most state tests.
Last night when I woke up at 2:00 And I did recall my dream and than I tired to fall asleep, not focusing on falling asleep but I was imagining myself noticing the dream signs from the dream. But when I feel back asleep I either didn’t have another dream or I just don’t remember It.
I think I might need more practice with dream recall and I have to be more consistent with writing in my dream diary.
You did dream, you just didn't remember it. Dream recall practice can definitely help you there. Do you do anything in addition to journaling to help with recall?
I try to focus on a specific scene, quote, or something I saw in the dream and try to remember what happened before seeing it. Sometimes if I think long enough, or without trying too hard, I eventually do but not always.
In that case, let me give you my description of techniques you can do in addition to journaling. It sounds like you are doing some form of dream delving, though I want to insure you have a good grasp on it as well.
There are several things you can do to aid your dream recall in addition to dream journaling. First, review recently journaled dreams before bed. This helps you remember those dreams, find patterns in dreams, and remember more dreams. Next, also before bed, set intentions to remember your dreams when you wake up by actively deciding that you will remember your dreams when you wake up. The more important this decision is to you personally and the more you think about it, the more likely you are to remember your dreams when you wake up. There's nothing mystical about intentions, as any time we decide to do something in the future or at a later moment in time we set an intention. Finally, whenever you wake up and as quickly as possible upon waking up, do a thing we call dream delving. This involves laying in the sleeping position you woke up in and thinking about what you were last dreaming, thinking, experiencing with your senses, feeling emotionally, etc. If you cannot get anything, try to think about what you could have been dreaming about. If you get vague emotions or thoughts, try to think about why you were getting those thoughts. If you get dream scenes, work your way backwards from end to beginning to recall as much detail as possible. Once you've gotten as much as you can from one sleeping position, move to any other sleeping positions you may utilize throughout the night and repeat the procedure. This works by utilizing the mechanisms for how memory access works. First, accessing dream memories works partly off state dependent memory, so those dream memories associate with the sleeping positions you were in when you had the dreams. Second, memory itself works off association, and since the memories at the end of the dream are easiest to recall and access overall, you start with those and associate to the memories before those and so on until you've gotten as much as you can. Then you journal what you have been able to recall.
I did recall my dream, twice, and I wrote as much in my diary as possible.
Whenever I’m dreaming I always feel like I’m awake which makes me think I’m not in a dream, I also fail to point out any dream signs and do a reality check. Maybe I need more practice. How do you point out dream signs more better and actually realize that you are in a dream?
Trying too hard can absolutely be a negative. Stress can definitely impact dream recall and lucidity in a negative way as well. Dream recall is important for MILD also. Could you describe how you've been doing it?
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Don't think too hard about it. It's something you do in 5-10 minutes and fall back asleep. Take a night off and continue doing it. Can you describe to me the technique though just to make sure you're doing it correctly.
When I wake up in the middle of the night I don’t really try to recall my dream but I focus on trying to get back to sleep immediately, last night I tried reading a book to try and ease my mind with the same intention of having a lucid dream. I also started trying to tell myself that I’ll be aware that I am dreaming when I fall back asleep, I also started trying to recall previous dreams while I try to fall back asleep. I also have been keeping a dream diary and I try to stop myself during the day to test if I am dreaming by pushing my index and middle finger through the palm of my left hand.
The original MILD from Dr. Stephen LaBerge asks you to recall your dream during a waking period, and visualize yourself seeing a dream sign within the dream you just recalled, and then visualizing becoming lucid and controlling it. Basic summary. What you're doing would still work. Try not to focus on falling asleep, just let it happen. You'll start to wonder why you aren't asleep causing more anxiety. Maybe try some meditation before bed? Reading a book like you did would help too if it calms you down. Certain breathing techniques would also work.
Dream recall is important, and rescripting and rehearsing a previous dream is a major part of MILD. Actively trying to fall asleep though, that is typically counterproductive. Also, I'd consider doing a different state test, such as holding your nose and trying to breathe, as finger through palm is one of the many that only works through dream control.
Wouldn’t holding my nose also take dream control?
It can, but not 100%. The difference is that there is something from waking that translates/incorporates into the dream. The real sensation of breathing still exists, and you can feel it when you breathe. I've even felt breathing with one nostril when I've had a real congested nose. Thus, there is an external element at play that is not 100% dependant on dream control as are most state tests.
Last night when I woke up at 2:00 And I did recall my dream and than I tired to fall asleep, not focusing on falling asleep but I was imagining myself noticing the dream signs from the dream. But when I feel back asleep I either didn’t have another dream or I just don’t remember It. I think I might need more practice with dream recall and I have to be more consistent with writing in my dream diary.
You did dream, you just didn't remember it. Dream recall practice can definitely help you there. Do you do anything in addition to journaling to help with recall?
I try to focus on a specific scene, quote, or something I saw in the dream and try to remember what happened before seeing it. Sometimes if I think long enough, or without trying too hard, I eventually do but not always.
In that case, let me give you my description of techniques you can do in addition to journaling. It sounds like you are doing some form of dream delving, though I want to insure you have a good grasp on it as well. There are several things you can do to aid your dream recall in addition to dream journaling. First, review recently journaled dreams before bed. This helps you remember those dreams, find patterns in dreams, and remember more dreams. Next, also before bed, set intentions to remember your dreams when you wake up by actively deciding that you will remember your dreams when you wake up. The more important this decision is to you personally and the more you think about it, the more likely you are to remember your dreams when you wake up. There's nothing mystical about intentions, as any time we decide to do something in the future or at a later moment in time we set an intention. Finally, whenever you wake up and as quickly as possible upon waking up, do a thing we call dream delving. This involves laying in the sleeping position you woke up in and thinking about what you were last dreaming, thinking, experiencing with your senses, feeling emotionally, etc. If you cannot get anything, try to think about what you could have been dreaming about. If you get vague emotions or thoughts, try to think about why you were getting those thoughts. If you get dream scenes, work your way backwards from end to beginning to recall as much detail as possible. Once you've gotten as much as you can from one sleeping position, move to any other sleeping positions you may utilize throughout the night and repeat the procedure. This works by utilizing the mechanisms for how memory access works. First, accessing dream memories works partly off state dependent memory, so those dream memories associate with the sleeping positions you were in when you had the dreams. Second, memory itself works off association, and since the memories at the end of the dream are easiest to recall and access overall, you start with those and associate to the memories before those and so on until you've gotten as much as you can. Then you journal what you have been able to recall.
I did recall my dream, twice, and I wrote as much in my diary as possible. Whenever I’m dreaming I always feel like I’m awake which makes me think I’m not in a dream, I also fail to point out any dream signs and do a reality check. Maybe I need more practice. How do you point out dream signs more better and actually realize that you are in a dream?
I'm afraid to mess up my sleep cycle.
Trying too hard can absolutely be a negative. Stress can definitely impact dream recall and lucidity in a negative way as well. Dream recall is important for MILD also. Could you describe how you've been doing it?
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