former nova dreamer user

[faceoff]

.mnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

[Andy]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

FYI - This topic has been discussed quite a bit on the forum, so please take a little time, read up on what has already been written. Do a little searching and I think you'll find some very good information.

Here's a thread to start you off: http://www.mindplacesupport.com/foru...&highlight=obe

I hope you enjoy the forum and your new purchase!

-Andy.

[CraigT]

Hi Joe,

Good to hear another Procyon has found a good home

I find lucid dreaming rather elusive. Several times I've thought I'd 'found the trick' only to find the trick no longer works.

The things I find significant - recent dramatic events (good or bad), anything that messes with seratonin (stopping drinking, stopping or starting 5-HTP or antidepressants), vitamin B, lots of theta prior to sleep.

I've had mixed success with overnight sessions that follow the sleep cycle (theta/delta with bursts of alpha, beta or gamma). By mixed success I mean that sometimes I've had lucid dreams with such sessions and sometimes I haven't. Usually if I run a session like this I'll wake up in the early hours irritated with the background sound, turn it off, go back to sleep and THEN have lucid dreams. I begin to think the 'secret' may be the disrupted sleep for the first half of the night.

The night voyage sessions are great for getting to sleep, and could easily be modified to run longer and include some 'alert bursts'.

The main thing is that it's safe to experiment - just let your body guide you.

Cheers,
Craig

[Marisa]

Since most dreaming occurs at the end of the sleep cycles, perhaps lucid dreaming sessions should be tried early in the morning. Set an alarm clock for an hour before you have to get up, have your Proteus or Procyon beside your bed and when the alarm goes off - you should be groggy enough for your session to really take hold. Select an alpha session. It's okay if the session has some Theta in it. Both Alpha and Theta are good ranges of frequencies for this sort of work.

The session should wake you up when it's done as they usually ramp up to Beta at the end. Maybe give the first try on a weekend or when if you accidental fall asleep after it's okay.

The problem with trying the sessions before you go to sleep is that they do ramp up at the end and may keep you awake. Of course, you could always go into the program and adjust the end segments so that they don't ramp up.

M.

[CraigT]

One of the things that has most consistently preceded lucid dreaming for me is a period of quality sleep deprivation, periods when I have been taking something that suppresses theta sleep and plunges you into dreamless delta. The most obvious things being alcohol or hypnotic medication.

A few days after discontinuing such a theta suppressant, I find my dreams become very vivid. This inspires me to try any of the lucid dreaming tricks, like 5-HTP or Vitamin B, or a lucid dreaming session. Whether the tricks make any difference of not, it's very likely I'll have one or two periods of lucidity.

When I've got a few days off work, I'm going to try a few nights of all-night deep delta to see if I can suppress theta sufficienty to recreate the effect.

Happy journeying,
Craig

[CraigT]

Lucid dreaming update...

With five successful results out of 5 trials, I think I've found a protocol that works for me - without the need for sleep deprivation or chemical assistance.

Late afternoon - 30 minute SMR session (Lights & sound). Immediately before bedtime - 30 minutes low alpha (7-8Hz) (L&S). All night, audio only through speakers, cycles of 90 minutes of 10 minute ramps up and down through delta (0-4Hz) with occasional 2 minute spikes into theta, followed by 30 minutes of ramps up and down through theta (4-7Hz) - a two hour cycle, shorten or lengthen according to your sleep cycle. For the all night part I use very light entrainment with background music.

Cheers,
Craig