I heard about lucid dreaming about a year ago reference to illegal substance removed I’m starting to have dreams again, and frankly, they’re very very weird. like nightmares, but less scary. some examples, I’ve recently moved out of my state, and usually most dreams start out with being with friends from my old home town, in my old house, then they get gradually weirder (Such as rapidly changing settings, not knowing how i got from one place to the other) and sometimes im with my friends, but theyre with me in the new town i live in. I’ve been looking for some lucid dreaming techniques, So far, I have a dream journal, with about 2 nights of dreams in them (About 4 dreams) and I’ve been practicing the MILD technique. The thing is, Some dreams, i remember very vividly, and others, i remember just bits and pieces. Last night, the last dream that i had i was thinking of lucid dreaming, I don’t remember it all that well, but i remember thinking to myself i wanted to have a lucid dream really bad, and then i felt a surge of happiness going through my body, after that in my dream i went to the computer and searched on google “How to know when your lucid dreaming” then i felt another surge of happiness, and i woke up, it was really really strange, but in the dream, I didnt even feel like i was dreaming, it all felt normal. (same for every dream) I don’t think this counts as a lucid dream at any means, I just want a little advice from people who have experienced a lucid dream. My questions are:
What did your first lucid experience feel like, not exactly the first lucid dream in general, but when you were learning, the very first time you felt slightly lucid.
What techniques do you use while you’re awake to increase chances of lucidity when you’re asleep? (I’ve been doing frequent reality checks, alot of research, and writing dreams down and pointing out dream signs)
If you used a dream journal, how often after your dream did you write it down? (The reason I’m asking this is because i work fairly early every morning so I only have time for dream journaling after i get off, and by that point, they’re very fuzzy)
Is there any other practices to do while I’m awake to help me become more aware of the dream world/reality? Because at the moment, I can never tell anything is different when I’m dreaming it just feels like real life. which makes me feel stupid when i write my dream down and notice so many obvious dream signs I missed.
Do you guys think the dream I had last night had any lucidity in it? I never figured out i was dreaming, but the feeling I had every time I though about dreaming felt really amazing.
And finally
How long after you started practicing did you become lucid in your dreams?
It was induced by self suggestion, I was in an arena in a game, and realised I was clearly dreaming. My first reaction was : “OMG OMG OMG, I did it !” I was very happy to be lucid in my dream, and that’s why I woke up just after. I was too focused on the fact I was lucid that I exited the dream.
In fact, not many techniques… I would say self suggestion before to go to sleep. But when I do active researches on the internet, my frequency of lucid dreams increase. (I don’t have any dream journal)
When I had a dream journal, I usually noted them just after being awake. In fact, when I feel, I’m waking, I don’t move, and I wonder “what was I dreaming”, doing that, you have more chances to recall your dreams. If you don’t have enough time, try to note some words that will remember you the essential later. (could be : “fish, jump to the sky, favorite street”) Eventually, if your goal is to discover your dreaming signs, it’s better to note every details. (at least you can during the week end or in holidays )
You can ask yourself the critical question : “What was I doing there is 10 minutes ?” or “How did I get here ?” all the day, like the reality checks. Your best friend is the experience, with it, you will learn little by little when you’re dreaming by intuition, just be patient. It is more or less long depending on the persons (personally it is long because I don’t have any dream journal, I think discovering the most common dreams signs is very helpful)
By definition : being lucid is to know you are in a dream (so in this case, no), but the fact you were thinking of it in your dream is a good sign : you’re getting closer to lucidity
The feeling you have remember me what I call my “intuition” (something in you is tilting, you don’t know what, like when you forgot something no ?) It is what can lead you to lucidity, by being suspicious.
Personally, it took me 1 month to be lucid in my dream for the first time, but the first lucid dream I really could enjoy was about 2 months I think…
Good luck for lucidity ! Hold on you’re near to achieve it !
Hey Slash! It looks like you’re exactly where you need to be in terms of getting that first lucid dream. Do not worry or stress about how long it has taken or how long it will take, because that’s irrelevant. Part of the enjoyment for lucid dreams (for me at least) is the anticipation–the part just before having one where I, in real life, plan out all the things I want to try and discover within a dream. Whether it be mindless flying around or perhaps something more meaningful, like trying to reprogram a part of myself via a conversation with my subconscious mind.
Staying positive and finding enjoyment out of lucid dreaming on the days that you do not end up having one is absolutely critical to your success. Otherwise, and I’m not saying this is your case, if you start to get annoyed or frustrated about not having one, you start to tie negativity with the concept of lucid dreaming–something your subconscious mind will interpret as “Alright, lucid dreaming is bad news for you, so let’s avoid it together.”
On the note of the subconscious mind, in relation to what Morpheus says in The Matrix, stop trying to have a lucid dream and have one! By that, I do not mean stop using techniques; instead, I mean stop thinking that having a lucid dream is like playing the lottery. It is by no means a mysterious occurrence that you have to ask for or even have to work for–it’s an ability that you already possess. Take for instance your ability to move an arm or leg–or breathe for that matter. You tell–or command–your brain to move a limb and immediately, it moves it. There’s no need to prepare for it or train, you just do it. Lucid dreaming is the same concept. Literally, all you have to do is tell your brain to make you lucid tonight. Nothing fancy, just a simple command with an immediate response. For most people, these commands come in the form of lucidity techniques, such as MILD. For others, all they have to do is tell themselves, “Alright, I am lucid dreaming tonight.” They all lead to the same exact result–they’re simply different ways of telling your brain to make you lucid.
Anyway, now for your questions!
While I had a lucid dream prior to knowing anything about lucid dreaming, the first time I actually succeeded in intentionally having one was nothing short of euphoric. As you mention in your post, you felt that your dream seemed normal, as if it were real life. Well, that’s exactly how I felt even after becoming lucid. I was absolutely amazed by how real everything felt–in fact, at the time, it WAS real life, except with the minor detail of having the power to do anything. I specifically remember walking outside of the building I started in and staring out at the world and sky, in awe that everything I could see miles away was all in my head.
Everything you said is exactly what I used to do. Reality checks proved to be one of the more useful techniques when I was starting out. My favorites were plugging my nose and trying to breathe, in addition to just looking at my hands to see if I had an abnormal amount of fingers. If you can make these a habit–especially whenever you feel weird, embarrassed, or otherwise different–you’ll start to notice that behavior will automatically carry over into your dreaming life.
One of many reasons we forget our dreams is because they have no relevance to our actual lives. Because of that, and because you have higher priorities in your waking life, the mind lets go of trying to remember dreams to their fullest (unless of course they were so phenomenal that it stuck out among others). To make dreams more relevant to your life, it’s important to write them down immediately after you wake up. If you have to go to work, simply wake up 5 minutes before you usually do and give yourself the time to write them down. If you don’t dedicate this time to do so, you are already telling yourself that you don’t care enough about your dreams to write them down (a thought that no doubt trickles down and affects the message you send your subconscious mind). Make writing your dreams down immediately a habit and you’ll find that your dream recall becomes second nature (not to mention the whole concept of dreaming in general becomes more applicable to your subconscious mind).
In addition to making reality checks a frequent habitual thing throughout your daily life, I found it also useful to daydream every now and then about lucid dreaming. Take a moment, perhaps on lunch break, and pretend that you just realized you were dreaming. Look around you and imagine what you would do with your newly realized powers and allow yourself to feel any excitement that comes out of that. If it feels good and you want to do it again, your mind will let that happen within your dreams.
You were as close to lucid dreaming as you could ever be. You were thinking about it within your dreams and even started to act upon it. All that is left, obviously, is actually realizing you are dreaming. The mere fact that the concept of lucid dreams came into your dream suggests that your mind is already accepting your desire to have a lucid dream. What I would say happened is you for so long have been “wanting a lucid dream” that your mind brought those emotions into your dream itself. In the dream, you wanted a lucid dream. If you could just change those thoughts from “I want to lucid dream” to “I am lucid dreaming”, you’ll be ready to go.
I cannot answer this truthfully because I quite frankly do not remember, haha. If I had to guess, I’d say within a couple weeks.
I am excited to see your progress! You are about to take the final step in climbing the metaphorical staircase to lucidity–all you have to do now is take it.
I’m starting to have dreams again, and frankly, they’re very very weird. like nightmares, but less scary. some examples, I’ve recently moved out of my state, and usually most dreams start out with being with friends from my old home town, in my old house, then they get gradually weirder (Such as rapidly changing settings, not knowing how i got from one place to the other) and sometimes im with my friends, but theyre with me in the new town i live in. I’ve been looking for some lucid dreaming techniques, So far, I have a dream journal, with about 2 nights of dreams in them (About 4 dreams) and I’ve been practicing the MILD technique. The thing is, Some dreams, i remember very vividly, and others, i remember just bits and pieces. Last night, the last dream that i had i was thinking of lucid dreaming, I don’t remember it all that well, but i remember thinking to myself i wanted to have a lucid dream really bad, and then i felt a surge of happiness going through my body, after that in my dream i went to the computer and searched on google “How to know when your lucid dreaming” then i felt another surge of happiness, and i woke up, it was really really strange, but in the dream, I didnt even feel like i was dreaming, it all felt normal. (same for every dream) I don’t think this counts as a lucid dream at any means, I just want a little advice from people who have experienced a lucid dream. My questions are:
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