Thread: Help for a Natural Lucid Dreamer

Hello everyone,
I'll try to make this short as possible. Basically, I'm a new (old) lucid dreamer. I've been a lucid dreamer as long as I remember but didn't know until very recently that it's not normal, people were trying to achieve it, and that it even had a name.

Since I was a kid I've had very crazy, sometimes scary, dream experiences.
1. I remember my dreams being so vivid that I could feel the sun burning my skin when I walked outside or taste what I was eating etc.
2. I've also had sleep paralysis most of my life. I used to see the "old hag" but I've learned to calm myself down and focus on moving each body part until I can wake up.
3. False awakenings are also fairly common for me. Sometimes I'll have several in a row. Like sleep paralysis, it used to be scary but I've learned to accept it.
4. I am a natural lucid dreamer in the sense that I frequently am aware I'm dreaming (several times a month). I've controlled my dreams a few times but normally I just wake myself up. I become aware I'm dreaming but I rarely think to control my dreams. Instead I think, okay I'm dreaming, this is weird I'm going to wake myself up now.

That being said because all of these experiences are natural for me I haven't really done much with them and have taken them for granted. Specifically with lucid dreaming. I could have had a lifetime of experiences but never knew of the possibilities lucid dreaming could give me. Now that I know and I've tried to make myself fly etc. it doesn't come as easy as the basic awareness of knowing I'm dreaming. I think it's because I'm so used to just waking myself up instead of staying with the dream and discovering all the things I can do.

Is there anyone else that can relate? How can I learn to control my dreams instead of defaulting to waking myself up? I think I'm ready to go to the next level.