Do I have to start over?

Hello,

I used to be really into lucid dreaming n would think about it 24/7. I stopped though. I haven't given it a second thought for about 4-6 months now. iv'e lost most of my awareness and my recall is only slightly better than terrible. will it take just as long as starting the first time to get back into lucid dreaming? or will it be a little easier? another thing, how often to lucid nightmares occur? i dont want to get back into it if im just going to have nightmares every other attempt.

Thanks,
goldguy31

also, idk if this is a good place to ask for unbiased results, cuz you all know how to control it, but it LDing really worth all the fear you have to go through? SP, HI (i forgot the abrev. (and spelling) for hypogagolgic imagry), nightmares. It seems like an incredible experience being lucid (ive been lucid before, but never completely in control), but ive had way more terrifying negative experiences than good ones. it doesnt seem like anything could be worth all that fear. idk if i should try to get back into it.

Most of the time spent trying to have your first lucid dream comes from not knowing if you can do it and lacking the confidence that it takes. You already know that you can do it so that is no longer a problem. A lot of times people will have a lucid dream the first night they start focusing on it again.

I'm not sure why anyone would be afraid of having lucid nightmares; if you know it is a dream you should also know that nothing can hurt you and that you are in complete control. Some of my favorite dreams are experiences that might be scary if it was real like zombies, monsters, etc. Because I know there are no consequences and I'm never in any danger so I can have epic battles and feel like a hero.

All the scary stuff like HH, SP is associated with WILDing. If that's what's holding you back, you can always try MILD. You can get nightmares with MILD, but if you know it's a dream, it shouldn't be so scary. Sounds like one area you could concentrate on is dream control. Check out the tutorials on DV Wiki.

It should be easier for you to get back to having LDs, because, as it was mentioned here, you already know you can do it. But you still need to practice, so your mind knows what you up to. Happy dreams:)

[QUOTE=goldguy31;1860903... how often to lucid nightmares occur? i dont want to get back into it if im just going to have nightmares every other attempt.[/QUOTE]

I have had unusual lucid dreams in the past but nothing I would call a nightmare. It is a contradiction... If you are aware you are in a dream then you can control the dream ergo no nightmares. However, vivid nightmares can lead to a lucid dream for me. Usually the scariest part of a lucid dream is thinking 'Am I dead?'. This thought used to wake me right up... these days I think if I'm dead, this ain't so bad! and I keep going with the lucid dream.

idk. i just had some weird creepy things happen when trying to attain it in the first place. i think i might try it again. being constantly aware of my surroundings is kinda stressful though. i remember i would always be ready for anything to happen. even when awake, i expected the floor to fall out from under me or someone to come at me with a knife or to explode into a swarm of insects. i was always jumpy with every little unusual or startling thing i saw or heard. i think ur right and i just need to work on control. iv'e forgotten a lot of stuff as far as techniques n stuff goes but i'l look around in the wiki. thanks

I quit lucid dreaming for a few months and I came back to it. Last night was the first night where I really tried to have another lucid dream (made a dream journal and fell asleep planning what I would do when I became lucid) I woke up at 4AM and had vividly remembered 4 dreams, and I wrote them down in my journal. Fell back asleep and had a lucid dream.

In the time I quit lucid dreaming, I was like you in that my dream recall was only slightly better than that of a rock. But I managed to have a lucid dream the very night I tried to get back into it. It's like I have picked up where I left off. Like getting back on a bike after years of never riding one and still knowing how to do it.

I had complete confidence in my ability to have another lucid dream, and I had my first LD in about 4-6 months. I know I sound like a superhero off of a little kid's show, but believe in yourself, and you can do it.

I am sorry to hear you have fearful experiences with lucid dreaming, but you should not view lucid dreaming as a fearful event. Instead, see it as a way to conquer your fears. Say you fear falling in your dreams, instead of fearing that you will fall in your next lucid, try to use lucid dreaming to conquer your fear of falling. When you fall asleep, don't think about the fact that you might fall in your dream, this will only hinder your success. Instead, think about how you will try to overcome your fear when you become lucid. As you fall asleep, plan how and what you will do.

In a real lucid dream you are a God. You are The God. Nothing can, or would even dare to, hurt you. You are a painter and the dream is your canvas. You don't like something? Think it away.