Experiment: Caffeine Elimination
I have a love/hate relationship with coffee.
During the times that I am drinking it, I feel like I'm going really fast and getting a lot done. My mind jumps from thing to thing and I make a bit of progress on one thing before moving on to something else -it's rapid multitasking.
At the same time, my dream life is all over the place. I can easily have 4, 5, or more different sequences that have no logical transition or connection between them. I just jump from one scenario into something entirely different with no notice ore forewarning at all. It can get so random and chaotic that I don't even bother trying to remember -much less document- the experiences, since they seem to be so much noise and nonsense. Sometimes it can be fun, but it can be exhausting trying to keep up.
At the time of this writing, it has been almost 2 weeks since my last cup of coffee. I've gotten through the headaches and the overwhelming desire to fall asleep at my desk. Things are starting to change.
Today at work I had one of the calmest days in recent memory. I stayed focused on (only) 3 things all day long and completed 2.5 of them. The best part was that I didn't feel anything pulling my attention away from what I was doing with that powerful (yet false) sense of urgency that I've grown accustomed to.
In the Subtle World -in my dreams- things are becoming more steady as well. The dream sequences have become longer and I've had clearer and more relaxed vision and more cognition. I've been able to focus and think about what I was doing and what I was saying to people. With the increases sense of presence and awareness, recall of my experiences has been easier as well.
Overall I am experiencing a vast improvement in both my waking and sleeping lives. A poised and steady mind makes a world of difference in the quality of life.
Disclaimer: During this same time, I have also added approximately 30 minutes of extra meditation time per day, so I cannot claim that caffeine elimination in itself is the cause of all these benefits... but it doubtlessly is a contributing factor.
Edgar Reyes
Sun, 05/19/2019 - 07:55
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It's been 2 weeks since my
It's been 2 weeks since my last cup of coffee and I am starting to notice a few changes to my dreaming experience.
First, the length of my individual dreams are becoming much longer. Last night I was in the same scene for a very long time (it's hard to tell time in the Subtle Realm, but I can tell relatively, it was very long); much happened, various characters came and went, but I remained in the same environment, the same scene.
Second, I become more than just an observer and am able to engage my mental faculties more. Last night, for example, I was doing math to determine the time I had to depart from where I was in order to catch my flight on time. The night before, I exerted my memory muscles in order to remember the exact words a friend had said to me the day before -and I managed to remember.
Additionally, I am just generally sleeping much better: 6-7 hours a night with almost no interruptions. Anxiety levels are down as well.
These are positive and encouraging results. They seems to point in the direction I wish to go (towards more lucidity), so I will keep going and report more later.