It so often happens to me that Im becoming lucid in a dream and it feels very real to me in that moment - but then when I wake up and from that perspective it doesnt really seem that I was lucid. (I would for instance do things in the dream that I dont think I would have done if I was really-really lucid)
How can I know if a dream was lucid, or if I was just dreaming I was lucid? It seems such a vague line.
And from this very low or fake lucidity, how can you make yourself become more lucid and conscious so to have an actual lucid dream where you consiousness is exactly the same as during the day?
I had a similar situation for a while after changing/experimenting with a new MILD mantra. It caused me to get loads of false/low level lucids - the ones where you have control and know you are dreaming, but tend to go along with the given plot line/scenario rather than pursuing goals.
Out of interest, what method(s) do you use to induce lucid dreams?
Generally, if I can remember things like today’s date, my own address, where I went to bed, it is a real LD. False LDs are often full of false memories.
I have no good answer to the question though. This happens more often to me in periods where I focus more on lucid dreaming. It is a good sign, it means that the idea of lucid dreaming is there in the subconscious!
My simple “rule of thumb” for this is that whenever you have a real full LDs you don’t get unsure about it.
This doesn’t mean non full LDs are bad. In fact, one of my long time wishes is how to manage to incubate half LDs or false LDs correctly in which you have nice FMs and believe they are real.
Surprisingly though, it seems to be much easier to incubate full LDs with a desired setting/plot.
I am sorry for confusing information, I will try to clarify.
It seems to be much easier to incubate full LDs with a desired setting/plot than incubating a NLD with desired setting/plot.
I am talking about my past NDC experience.
Apparently, when I am successful at incubating a dream, I have the hint that it’s a dream. I tried hard to incubate NDs but it’s harder.
It doesn’t mean incubating LDs are easier than having NDs.
I guess I’m at a low level of lucidity in my LDs because all of mine have been like these where you have awareness and some control but aren’t fully conscious. It feels like you are while in it but you aren’t really.
Each one that I have I seem to have more and more control and awareness over so I think I’m guessing close to a real LD as long as I keep going.
It doesn’t matter the length of the dream. As long as you can remember when you wake up, that you did have a lucid dream. Then it was a lucid dream.
Start with that, build up your ld count and be on the look out for your dream signs.
I also find it easier to get good LDs from incubating a certain setting. I use a (modified) technique called VILD. Basically, it has you planning what you want to do in the lucid dream, before even going to sleep. I make up a scene, and imagine myself being lucid in the scene. One variation that has been especially successful is to imagine myself writing the completed dream down in my DJ.
This can also be combined by WILD. If I get lucky, the imagined scene merges with the HI and creates a lucid dream directly from falling asleep. I’m not very successful with WILD, so this only works once in a while. When it does, it is very effective and gives lucid dreams with a high level of alertness.
For some reason this topic became trending again. I just want to point that if you read carefully, I specified it was compared to ND with proper setting incubation.
For other uses, please follow Siiw’s answer, (thank you Siiw).
Good luck to anyone who really wants to achieve actual NDs and LDs.
I get were you are coming from in as as much as I have ‘lucid’ dreams which feel like lucid dreams at the the time but on awakening you realise were not really the case.
For example just the other night I had a dream were I was showing a dream character how I passed through glass windows when lucid, demonstrating by placing my arm through a window which gave magically around the same.
It felt like a lucid dream at the time but on awakening I realised it was not so or at the very least was a half and half affair. That said lucid awareness and real day to day awareness are not the same thing and what one might regard as been ‘conscious’ in a dream would not pass for the same here in the so called real world anyway!
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