Status Report #1

Thus far, I have used the Awoken Lucid Dream Tool mobile application everyday since February 9 except for two days during which I didn't record dream journal entries because I had attended sleepovers (where contrary to their name, sleep is a rarity). I have had a single lucid dream between Feb. 9 and Feb. 23. I have rigorously followed my lucid dream procedure during this time span. I noticed that some common subjects of my dreams were school and violence which probably means that I think too much about school and have an anger issue that I didn't realize that I had. Below are my dream journal entries for each day I have used Awoken:

Feb 9: I dreamed that I was at my old school, Ocean Shore, and there was some sort of reunion event. The weird thing was that a lot of Shasta students with whom I did not go to Ocean Shore with were there.

Feb 10: LUCID DREAMING OCCURRED. I had a three distinct dreams. In one, Michael and I were skating this cool spot and some college frat boys were teasing us. In the next one, TJ, Carter S. and I went to a weird library near Daly City with the intent of sparring in it. The library had weird sparring equipment but it wasn't like a boxing gym. In the last one, I was trying to diffuse violence among some Shasta juniors and then the one who I was trying to protect threatened to beat me up so I beat him up. I became half awake prior to the fight and told myself that I would lucid dream, that I would have control over the situation. I had a small degree of control, I was dreaming and conscious of the fact that I was dreaming. I won the fight because of this (I think) but one of friends got hurt by the person I was fighting which was out of my control.

Feb 11: I shadowed Zach at Terra Nova.

Feb 12: I had a dream where I saw an epic female warrior in green and gold armor have  legendary fight with a giant evil meta knight who she threw off a cliff. In an earlier dream, some college girl gave a guy the wrong number when he asked for her number and it turned out to be mine so I was texted by the poor guy. In yet another dream, I was featured on ifunny although I still hadn't made an account. In another dream Eli's family adopted a half white half Latin American boy of about 2 years of age.

Feb 13: I lived in a cool Jedi sky palace.

Feb 14: I was hanging out with some old and new school friends; some of whom went to school with me years ago.

Feb 15: I dreamed about my classmates but it is really foggy.

Feb 16: I remember growing away from my friends.

Feb 17: I dropped my phone and the screen shattered.

Feb 18: I dreamed that I was in something very similar to the hunger games.

Feb 19: I had a dream where I went to a cool overnight camp with Shasta and at one point I had to shower naked I'm front of a bunch of male and female peers. It didn't seem that bad but it was awkward.

Feb 20: N/A (Sleepover)

Feb 21: N/A (Sleepover)

Feb 22: I dreamed that I was skating a cool addition to the Pacifica skatepark with friends.

Feb 23: I dreamed that I was wandering around Pacifica with my friends.

Lucid Dreaming Procedure UPDATED

I will adhere to the following research-based procedure (of my creation) to optimize my chance of achieving at least one lucid dream. Before this, I will identify the most important components of achieving a lucid dream: a dream journal, reality checks, backtracks, telling myself that I will have a lucid dream prior to falling asleep, and slow deep breaths. I would like to note that much of this can be done with the Awoken App, a lucid dreaming tool which I will be using. I made a video clarifying this below.

Without further ado, here is my procedure:

1.) Using Awoken, perform 5 daily reality checks during the hours that I am awake (07:00-21:20) by responding to my totem sound trigger. These reality checks will entail counting the 10 fingers on my hands in order to assess whether I am asleep or awake when my totem sound triggers a reality check.
     a.) After each reality check, recall how I got to the present. This is a process known as backtracking.
     b.) After both reality checks and backtracking, assess whether I am awake or asleep.
     c.) If awake, continue what ever I was doing.
     d.) If asleep, don't become too excited and begin to control the dream.
2.) Prior to falling asleep each night, tell myself, "I will have a lucid dream".
     a.) If I wake up in the middle of the night, repeat the phrase to myself and fall back asleep.
     b.) It is important to have the right mindset when trying to lucid dream.
3.) When falling asleep, visualize a single thing and try to maintain consciousness whilst entering the dream state, remember to take deep, slow breaths (yes, this is possible. It is a phenomenon known as a wake induced lucid dream).
     a.) Resist the urge to turn over or itch while doing this.
4.) Routinely look for things that look impossible, if something bizarre happens, I could be dreaming.
5.) Every morning, create an entry in the Awoken dream journal and write about what I dreamed.
     a.) Remember to use hashtags so that recurring themes can be more easily identified.
6.) Never confuse the vivid imaginations that often take place right before falling asleep for lucid dreams.