What shall I do now?

[Ghostpanda]

Around a month ago I had a dream where I was in a building that I visit regularly in my dreams. While I was walking down the spiral stairs, my friend, who was next to me, told me a good way to check if you are dreaming is to remember how you got there. So I tried to remember how I got to the spiral stairs but I remembered fine. I just thought since I was on the topic of reality checks I might as well to the reality check where you pinch your nose. I pinched my nose then I realized I could breathe through it. I knew I was dreaming so I tried to fly and I could, but It just didn't seem real. What I think happened is that from me reading so much about lucid dreams I had a dream about having a lucid dream but in reality not really gaining lucidity. Last night I had a dream where I was in a tunnel and I had some conscious I was lying in bed dreaming, I tried many ways for spawning stuff like picturing them behind me etc, but It just didn't work. I think why this happened was because I was letting my dream control my thoughts while I was still half awake after hearing a loud noise outside my house. What shall I do? BTW: I am really scared about sleep paralysis so I don't think I can bring myself to try WILD.

[d3nd3]

haha, i never have sleep paralysis but... last night i experienced it ! its the 3rd time in my life and i should had been braver and faced it but. Because i was not prepared mentally to rid myself of all fear, i was worried that the fear its self would increase chance of a negative experience so i forced myself to wake up .. where i didn't regain control instantly, had to patient a bit. But i think its much about preparing your mind to not have any fear, dread etc. I thought about thinking that fear is used to protect our phyiscal survival... well if we know its a dream then our physical body is not in any danger ,therefore we should just be brave.... hope it helps

[JoannaB]

I pinched my nose then I realized I could breathe through it. I knew I was dreaming so I tried to fly and I could, but It just didn't seem real. What I think happened is that from me reading so much about lucid dreams I had a dream about having a lucid dream but in reality not really gaining lucidity. No! If you knew you were dreaming, you were lucid. This was not a dream about lucid dreaming. The only difference between lucid dream and non-lucid dream is that you know you are dreaming. Being lucid does not guarantee any decent level of awareness or control. Those are additional features. You can be lucid with minimal awareness and almost no control, but that does not mean you are not lucid. Last night I had a dream where I was in a tunnel and I had some conscious I was lying in bed dreaming, I tried many ways for spawning stuff like picturing them behind me etc, but It just didn't work. I think why this happened was because I was letting my dream control my thoughts while I was still half awake after hearing a loud noise outside my house. Ok, that happens. Sounds like you need to work on control in you lucid dreams. I would suggest small steps. If you can't do something complex, try doing something very simple in your dream, and when that works then try something a bit more complex. Also if you cannot conjure stuff, try using a door, and imagine whatever you want on the other side. Try using a magic wand or some such gadget or a magic incantation like "Abra Cadavra!" Basically you need to do something, whatever it is for you, to increase your expectation that your spawning stuff will work. If one thing does not work, try something else, until you get successful at something. You can return to trying the stuff you could not get to work at a later time, and eventually it will work. BTW: I am really scared about sleep paralysis so I don't think I can bring myself to try WILD. One can have a WILD without sleep paralysis. One can also have sleep paralysis without a WILD. And if you know what's going on, sleep paralysis does not have to be scarry. However, it is perfectly ok to just want to DILD, and not WILD. Whatever you want to do.

[NyxCC]

Hello Ghostpanda! First of all, congratulations on the progress you are making towards LD. From the description of your dream I can conclude that you could have had a short moment of lucidity. It can very well happen that you realize that you are dreaming, do a brief act like flying, and then continue to dream non lucidly. Do not be disappointed, I think it is a really good sign that you have performed a RC, even if it seemed like it didn't prove you are lucid. Sometimes RCs can fail for even experienced dreamers. So my advice is to continue RCs, and also try to be more aware during the day of everything around you (ADA). About WILD, this is not the only technique to lucid, even though if you master it you will be able to lucid much more often. Lots of people say there is nothing scary about SP and HI related to WILD. I myself currently still rely on DILD to lucid, but would like to eventually learn to WILD as well. If you are really uncomfortable with WILD, I would suggest sticking to the good old DILD, keeping a DJ, making a list of dream signs, reviewing the DS often, doing lots of high quality RCs during the day, using mantras like "Every time is see DS, I will realize that I am dreaming/or do RC", visualize yourself becoming lucid during the day and become really happy about it. Finally, there is DEILD, which is a short version of WILD and you may be able to skip of some part of the WILD effects and transition directly to the dream, even though some still report WILD related sensations. Good luck!

[melanieb]

Around a month ago I had a dream where I was in a building that I visit regularly in my dreams. What shall I do? BTW: I am really scared about sleep paralysis so I don't think I can bring myself to try WILD. Welcome to the forum! I think others already told you that lucidity does not guarantee control. Being lucid simply means being aware you are dreaming. In some dreams control will be total...in others there will be no control at all. As for the sleep paralysis (SP)...we have had a bunch of new people join the forum recently and it seems this awful rumor about sleep paralysis being necessary for a WILD is still going around. Sleep paralysis is not a necessary step to achieving a WILD. If you read this anywhere...it's just not true. Read more here: http://www.dreamviews.com/wake-initi...explained.html For those that do experience it...it's rarely scary or frightening and can be a lucid tool but most people never experience it more than a couple times throughout their whole life. You can find all kinds of great information and wonderful people to help you here at DreamViews. Staff members all have stars under their names and have all been selected for their knowledge and skill in achieving lucid dreams. The Dream Guides are especially tasked with helping people get these questions answered. You can send anyone of them a message if you need direct help. Please read the thread I linked for you. You really have nothing to fear, ever.

[StevenJ]

Welcome to the forum! I think others already told you that lucidity does not guarantee control. Being lucid simply means being aware you are dreaming. In some dreams control will be total...in others there will be no control at all. Would love to get that control.. Lucidity is no problem for me, but taking control in my dreams has been a real bugger since I first started 3 years ago.. Never had it

[Ghostpanda]

Thanks everyone for replying, I am really impressed about how much people wrote on my thread. I hope to see you guys around the forum!