Was this my first lucid dream?

[liza]

I've been doing reality checks about 12 times daily for the past two days. I've been writing in my dream journal, at least two dreams a night for a month or so now. And I repeat "I will lucid dream tonight" for 5 mins before I go to sleep. Last night I either experienced lucidity for the first time or, I dreamed i did. In the dream in question I was standing in an empty street and I though "hey, am I dreaming?!" So I did a reality check, put my index finger through my hand and then rubbed them together. Then I started to get excited and I felt it slipping away and I "woke up". The whole thing lasted about 10 seconds and it was in third person and blurry. I remember being excited when I "woke" but I can't tell if this was just me waking in a dream or me actually semi waking in real life. I mean the "lucid dream" could have just been conjoured from all the stuff I've read about them. It didn't feel particularly special, like it feels like a normal dream when I remember it. Also the weird part was, when I woke up this morning I was sure this possible lucid experience had happened yesterday! Can any of ye shed some light on this? Was this my first lucid experience or just wishful dreaming? It was the only dream I could remember from last night. Thanks for the help on previous posts and thanks in advance for any help on this

[Buhl]

It's really simple actually. Did you know that you were dreaming inside the dream and not afterwards, then you were lucid. I know there is different levels of lucidity, but if you, while you are dreaming, know that you are dreaming, then you are lucid. No matter how long it lasts. EDIT: I'll include an example of me turning lucid. I am dreaming normally, and at some point i notice something weird that puts the "idea" - "Am i dreaming" or "is this a dream" into my head. When that happens, i get a rush of "intelligence" like my brain has been asleep and is now waking up inside the dream. At this point i think clearly, i can apply logic, i can remember things i read here on DV and apply them to the dream, like stabilization techniques etc. From this point on, i am "awake" while dreaming, which turns the dream into what i guess would feel like virtual reality. I hope this help.

[liza]

[QUOTE=Buhl;1970763]It's really simple actually. Did you know that you were dreaming inside the dream and not afterwards, then you were lucid. I cant really be sure, i mean when i felt myself getting excited and it slipping away i did remember what i had read on here about trying to stay calm and rubbing your hands together to pull it back. But at the same time it felt very blurry and dreamlike and im thinking, maybe i just had a regular dream, about becoming lucid in a dream, and i didint really realize i was asleep, i just watched events unfold how i hoped they would if i did get to become lucid. Im very confused! Is there a way to distinguishing between a lucid dream and dreaming you are having a lucid dream? Thanks for your speedy reply

[Niku]

Trust me, when you LD, you'll know. ESPECIALLY the first time. Usually you get all over-exited and let it slip away which results in waking up in less than 1 minute. Also, you tend to remember your first LD for a very long time, if not forever. > w< I wish you good luck in having another one. D:

[djpatch999]

I would say that yes, it was your first lucid, congrats and I wish you many more

[Buhl]

I agree with patch. It sounds very much like a lucid, and i also have a theory as to why it is so blurry. You likely fell asleep again after being lucid, and as such, you forgot most of your dream like you would a normal dream. Normally (for me atleast) if i keep my lucidity until the dream ends, i wake up, And when that happens my memory is as clear as it would have been if it was real life. So that would be my best guess.

[liza]

Thanks so much for the responses! Im excited to think that, even if it wasnt a lucid dream, my subconscious is aware of how much i want to LD, so much so, that im dreaming about it! @Buhl Your theory certainly makes sense, it would probably explain why i wasnt sure if it was just a dream about lucid dreaming too. If this was, in fact, my first lucid dream is it true that i will be able to have them easier after this? How can i pull myself further into the dream? Like make it first person rather than third person and make it less blurry? And how can i avoid it slipping away so easily? Ill have to spend a few hours lurking on here this evening lol Thanks again you guys

[djpatch999]

Liza: Maybe not after the first one but certainly after 3 or 4 you will find them alot easier. To pull yourself further into the dream so to speak you might want to stabilise a bit more. For example rubbing my hands doesn't work for me, in fact it brings a swift end to a dream. What I do is touch the floor, walls and anything else around me and feel how real it is. This usually stabilises and anchors you in the dream to quite some degree, it should also make it less blurry. Or if that doesn't work for getting rid of the blurryness then whilst stabilising you can shout "Increase clarity!" and that usually works. 3rd person to 1st is a tricky one, I would say demand it like you would the clarity but I've never really dreamed in 3rd person so don't take my word for it. To avoid it slipping away so easily spend a bit more time stabilising Be aware though that your first few, like everyone else's, will be fairly short until you get used to it all Hope this helps ~DJ