Well, I’m a post fountain right now, but I’m just trying to ease my doubts.
Anyways, this is the thing, since I joined this site, I think I have had two LDs, but instead of being nice and vivid as I know they are from my past experiences, these have just been memories, and not something that happens in real time at all.
For instance, I had a lucid dream in which I used teleport, well, I wouldn’t know it was a lucid dream if I didn’t remember that I was constantly RCing to confirm it was a dream, I didn’t feel like I live it at all like it’s supposed to be (again, you guys that want to LD still, calm down, LDs are freaking awesome and vivid, you are actually there feeling the things). Today I’ve had what I think was an LD, I remember having lots of fun in my dream, and competing with other people in flying contests and stuff, I vaguely remember it being lucid, but I don’t remember doing any reality check or the moment I found it was a dream.
So… I want to know, is this lack of vividness, or do I need to improve my recall to make dreams better, what should I do to make my LDs more like “I’m inside a dream”?
this sometimes happens. in fact, it might indicate that it’s a FLD. but then again, i’m not sure either. sometimes it feels so real inside, and you feel like you’re actually there. but then i wake up and the memories fade so fast! they become just memories. but isn’t it the same anyway? i mean… anything in life also turns into a memory just after you’re done with it. do you remember yesterday very vividly? you probably don’t care to. and most of your memorable days are also just memories now. same with the dreams…
for me, some LDs feel more real when i wake up, however some of them just fade when i wake up, but i know that being inside it felt totally different. but that feeling goes away when you wake up… i really have no idea why that happens. it must be because you exit that state of mind and enter another. either way your LD will be just a memory when you wake up, same as yesterday or the day before. but remembering it more vividly can help, i think.
Indeed, everything we do turn into memories, but we know we have done it, this way it’s like watching a video, I remember the other DILDs I had, without the knowledge of this dream thing, they were much more vivid, and even now I remember them a lot.
It may or may not be an FLD; basically if you ever thought “this is a dream,” it was an LD. But back on topic.
Having specific goals in mind for your dreams as well as keeping a regular DJ will greatly help both with vividness and your levels of lucidity. Other than that, the main thing that will help is experience. My first few LD’s were sadly disappointing, but once I began focusing on goals and doing things like the monthly Quest and the Lucidity Challenge these things greatly improved.
I think it was and FLD, because I know we forget a lot of things when we are dreaming, but not once in one of these “LDs” I accomplished the task I had given myself, in this case, meeting a friend of mine, I just randomly picked another task. That makes my two LDs FLDs, but, why am I having more frequent FLDs then?
LD doesn’t mean total control. In lower lucidity cases you may find yourself going along with the dream, not remembering what you wanted to do and doing other random things. Lucid =/= control. Lucid = knowing you are dreaming.
I know that, what I mean is that I didn’t remember what I wanted to do, that is, at the very least to try to call my friend, but I didn’t, not even try, I just forgot it and went to do something else.
in that case you can make that one of your matras that "once i become lucid i will remember to ______ ___ " fill in the blanks. Often times i (im guessing) if you forget what you wanted to do or dont even think about your goals it may be because you are not fully aware. Thats why in most of my LD’s right when i become lucid i rub my hands together and really focus on the dream. and i become more aware and more of the “logic” part of my brain comes back.
That brings up another problem, with mantras, I have a problem remembering long mantras and end messing words up, instead of having a mantra, can’t you will from the bottom of your heart to indeed become lucid?
Mantras are based on intention. You’re trying to program your mind to do something later, whether it’s to perform a task, remind you of something or anything else like that. For instance, thinking to yourself “I must remember to pay this bill later” is setting the intention to pay that bill. Most people will then remember at the appropriate time to pay the bill.
I can finally word what I meant, dreams like that are just not worth the effort, for instance, eating in dreams, if I wake up and just remember the dream, without truly going trough it, I didn’t really taste anything, if I fly, I didn’t feel the wind on my face at all.
People say flying in dreams is wonderful, how, if they just wake up and remember they had a dream in which they flew? I’d rather just watch this then:
It might just have been a lucid dream with a low level of lucidity and/or vividness. Sometimes they are really hard to tell apart. I’ve had that problem many times
If you have a lucid dream, it doesn’t mean you will feel the flow of the wind, taste of the food etc. Having a lucid dream basically means being aware that you are dreaming. If you realise your senses didn’t work properly in the dream, it doesn’t necessary mean that it was FLD. If you want to actually enchance your senses in the dream, you should try doing some stabilisation techniques when you become lucid. Those techniques will gradually increase your control over the dream and you will be able to do/sense anything you want. So as Rhewin said, lucid ≠ control. Those are two different things. And to become lucid is far more easier than actually gain control over the dream.
It wasn’t just the senses, but I didn’t live the dream, I just had the memories of doing so, but it didn’t seem like I had it at all, I felt these memories I had were fake.
Its your first two don’t worry, they are ussualy abit dodgy as you start, but once you get about 5 then you get more used to it and the get more vivid and increase lucidity.
