Thread: Questions about my first lucid moment!

That is a DILD. A DILD is simply becoming aware that you are dreaming in a dream.

Semi-lucid I would say is for when you have hazy lucid dreams / aren't fully in control. If you were aware and in control, I'd say mark it up as 1!

All my lucid dreams start by me just knowing that I'm dreaming. I use the RC to confirm I'm dreaming, it never makes me lucid.

And yes starting a dream knowing you're dreaming is fine. Thats exactly what happens in a WILD! However, since you are a beginner, you could possibly be confusing yourself with what is and isn't a lucid dream as you haven't had an all-out, 100% long lasting lucid dream.

I must say though that your experience sounds a lot like my first lucid dream experience. If it was like mine, I would say you were semi lucid. The real ones will put you in disbelief.

Well... I feel like I was in control and aware, which makes me think I was fully lucid, which is what made me so excited and woke me up. But I don't know whether or not to count it as a lucid dream when it only lasted a couple seconds. maybe i can count it as 1/2 a lucid dream?

I would mark it as 1! No ones first lucid dream is an epic adventure, they only last a few seconds But you have made a HUGE step forward by experiencing this alone. Keep it up and the dreams will get longer and more detailed as you practice more!

thanks a lot!

A lucid dream is when you know you are dreaming. I knew it. So it was one.
The first, for most people, only last some seconds.

Yep, ONE indeed. DILD indeed. (My first one lasted about 30 seconds, and even after 12+ years at it, sometimes I have very short ones.)

No, not SEMI, but FULLY lucid. In semi-lucids, you usually ask yourself if you are dreaming, but conclude that no, you're not. Or you may conclude that you're dreaming but pay no real attention to it and go along like a regular dream. If you got so excited as to wake up, it's definitely a LUCID one. Congrats! Good job, and don't give up!

I just recently had my first LD as well. It lastet about 5 seconds and started with me knowing i'm dreaming too. Like they said, it's a lucid one, even if for a short period of time. I want to ask a couple of questions as well.

First off, how does the time you go to sleep really effect the chance to have a lucid dream or even remember stuff? Cause for me, if i go to bed after like 1 or 2 am, my recall gets crappy and i have a feeling that i won't get lucid anyway.
And second, how to increase the chance of finding yourself in a dream knowing it. Just by thinking about dreams and doing reality checks through the day, or is there more to it?

Navtyr,
yes, RCs through the day are enough for most people, but you have to do it right, with presence and awareness.

Keeping a dream journal is also considered important, though I have had periods of frequent LDs without keeping a dream journal. But if you're starting, dream journals are almost mandatory. Keep one, and you'll see your dream recall go through the roof.

RCs are also vital, waaaaaaaaaaayyyyy more important than drm. journals.

About the time you go to bed: from my experience, I can tell that for me is not about the time you go to bed, but whether you get plenty of sleep or not. Most my LDs occurred in the early morning, after a restful sleep. Bear in mind that expectation plays a major key here. If you tell yourself "i'm too tired, I probably wont LD tonight", then your chances diminish sharply. Remember that dreams are a function of subconscious mind. Belief is the primary tool of the subconscious. Believe it and you can do it.
Peace
ED

Hey Ed77!

I do RC quite a lot and by that I mean "aware-look around yourself-questioning stuff-hand checking-nose pinching RC", not just a mindless RC out of habit

I also have a DJ for more than a month now, and i've done a lot of journaling years ago, so my dream recall is good unless... That's what I've been trying to say. I usualy get more than enough sleep (sometimes even 11 hours) since i like to sleep and always think "just one more dream and i'll get up"

But the point is, if i have that feeling when my eyes burn a bit, the sleep deprivation feeling if going to bed around 2, 3 am or even later, my dreams until let's say 8 am (when i WBTB) are A LOT MORE random and scrambled and my recall gets shittier than if i went to bed at midnight (which is for now my goal time to go to bed, even tho i would like to go to bed even earlier).

My first and only LD happened in the morning too, and i know what you mean by autosuggesting that it will or won't work. It's just that even with thinking it will work, i feel that the results are better when i'm semi tired, rather than totaly wasted and could fall asleep in a minute. The sleep is just too deep to remember stuff for me.

Talking about Reality checks, here's where i get a problem.
Like i said, my RC over the day is getting aware of the surroundings and really studying if there is something unusual or dream like (ofcourse followed by a nose breathing test and hand check). But everytime I am awake and get a feeling like "hey, this could be a dream" and i decide to check the surroundings, I kinda get a jolt through my body like GET AWARE! Which is all ok for getting used doing that while sleeping. I questioned the dreams 3 or 4 times now in my first month of trying to get lucid, just excelent. BUT the problem is when I was asleep and my mind noticed, oh wait that actualy isn't real, you are dreaming, i got that jolt of awareness that kicked in when i got lucid and the jolt always ended my dreams. Like i would get shocked by electricity and the dreams faded away, even tho i rushed to rub my hands, it didn't work (still have to try spinning). By now that couldn't be just pure excitement that ended it, since i already got lucid and it's not that "desperate" feeling of OMG SO CLOSE if you know what I mean.

Anyone with similar problems or any ideas how to get over this faster? I know that I'll get over it and I'm confident about the whole scenario, I'm just looking for some answers
Thanks!

Navtyr I know exactly what that jolt is like. I also got it. I have a theory about that: for me, is a form of excitement that comes from the the deep unconscious and is not perfectly recognized by the conscious mind.

Let me give an example: Remember when you first started something new and perhaps unsettling, like going to a new school, or a first date, or a job interview? You were nervous and you KNEW IT. But sometimes we are nervous and not really aware of it. Perhaps you already went on a first date, all went fine, and now you're going to the 10th date, and suddenly your hands feel sweaty, and you don't really know why. What I mean is that sometimes we don't recognize the feeling for what it is. Getting lucid is always a rush, even after 1000 times. So i figure that, although we don't recognize it, we are indeed excited by that. And that gives you the jolt and wakes you up.

May I suggest that you try some self-hypnosis? I did and I think it helped me. Thats fairly simple indeed. Just lay down in a quiet room, and take a few minutes to relax yourself completely, from head to toe, and then back. Don't rush. Then start to imagine that you are becoming lucid, and try to get that jolt feeling again. Whenever it comes, try to relax even deeper and repeat the process. Then tell yourself that next time you become lucid you are going to be very calm and concentrated. Repeat this every day before going to bed. It may help to record your own voice guiding you through the process. Audacity is an excelent freeware for sound editing. You can even change the pitch of your voice to sound like darth vader!

I worked for me when I started to get Lds, a long time ago. Also, with time and experience you will be able to relax, just like with dates!

One last thing: for me, whenever I get lucid, concentrating on the breathing for a few moments helps stablize the dream, as it gives me a relaxing feeling. But maybe that's because I do yoga, and breathing is a focus of relaxation on yoga practices. Anyway, I guess is worth a shot. Just don't concentrate for too long (like more that 30 or 60 seconds) because it can wake you up.
Good luck and don't give up!

That's such a good thing to hear man! I kind of thought about it that way, but i just concluded that it came straight from the daily RC since i suddenly twitch when checking the surroundings. By trying to relax, rather than get too aware during daily RCs and by doing what you've suggested, this will fade away pretty soon can't wait to actualy do some activity while being lucid.
Thanks a lot for the advice and kind words. I won't give up, I'm too optimistic and determined to do that
Cheers!