I can't think during my dreams

I am beginning to grow infinitely frustrated with myself.

I have known about lucid dreaming for about a year and a half with minor success (4 lucid's), and have literally been obsessing over lucid dreaming for the past few weeks. Something in me just lit up and I decided that I will stop at nothing to pursue and master lucid dreaming as a long-term goal/main personal hobby to get more in touch with my multiple layers of consciousness. I have a hard-set intention of eventually reaching the level of becoming lucid every single night. I have been doing reality checks without even having to remember, and as soon as I'm up and about in my waking life I essentially treat life as a dream, looking constantly around me and checking to see if I am dreaming. I have also been talking to basically all of my friends about it, and it has been a subject that I am slowly consuming myself with, to the point of it almost being sad.

My subconscious seems to hate me.

As soon as hit the pillow and enter a dream, it seems as if I am existing as a person who does not even know what dreaming is, much less lucid dreaming. I have never been a thinker in my dreams, which is why it frustrates me so much when I hear about natural lucid dreamers. There must be something they do differently during waking life that I am missing, to be able to think so rationally in dreams. When I exist within a dream, it doesn't even seem that I have a mind or consciousness, it feels more as if I am actively observing a movie. I can assure you, however much you think your dreams do not make any sense whatsoever or are bizarre, mine are worse -- Since becoming so preoccupied with the topic of lucid dreaming a few weeks ago, every time I wake up from a dream I am in shock that I didn't realize I was dreaming.

Ok.. I admit it.. Maybe there's one little thing I am not doing that could mean the difference between failure and success...I am always very groggy and lazy when I wake up.. I think very hard about the dream I just had, but I... can't exactly bring myself to write in a journal... Is that what is setting me up for failure? I've read that dream journals can be important, but the way I see it is that dreams are influenced by our actions and thoughts in the waking state... How could I start to think more rationally and consciously in dreams if I am simply recording what happened during my dreams? I mean, at that point, it's too late, and I didn't realize I was dreaming. I know that if I want to be a lucid dreamer than I should be more inclined to take interest in my dreams... But I already do that! I think deeply about what happened during my dreams throughout my waking days!!! I just for some reason don't see writing my dreams down as having any further impact on my subconscious than actually trying to recall my dreams as soon as i wake up and analyze them.

Please give me guidance, experienced lucid dreamers.. Especially the one's who started out like me before succeeding in lucid dreaming. Is having a dream journal the true key to waking up in dreams, and should I just suck it up and force myself to write down my dreams? Or should I just keep at my obsession, and maybe I'm just expecting results too quickly?

And any tips on how I can program my seemingly oblivious subconscious that I WANT to start waking up within my dreams? :?

just wanting to lucid dream will not get you any results, you must show your subconscious mind that you are really intrested in Lucid dreaming and this can only be accomplished by keeping a dream journal. when you keep a dream journal record your dreams every day will reinforce that you are really intrested in dreaming.
Then you must put effort in the techniques which can be found in Attaining Lucidity Forum, and stick with it. eventually you will succeed. just sleep with a expectation of having a lucid dream every night by repeating this mantra " I will have a lucid dream tonight" until you fell sleepy then just sleep and forget every thing. just read the forums, they have far better tutorials and advices.

Dream journals are not necessary. They are helpful, but not essential to lucid dreaming. I do not keep a dream journal worth mentioning and I have two or more lucids a week. I also remember my Dreams without the journal, not all of them, but I've trained myself to remember them. I've found using supplements to be helpful. Sure you will probably get purists telling you that getting lucid of your own accord is more beneficial, but its obvious some people have more trouble than others attaining lucidity. Supplements can help, but you have to know which ones to take, when, and how much. I've found that b6, lecithin, and my galantamine/choline combo have all had positive results. These may also give you the boost you need as they increase vividness, length, and awareness levels of Dreams.

Do not give up on lucid dreaming, no matter how frustrated you get. I've never encountered someone who is unable to have them if they put in the effort. Good luck.

yes supplements do help but one should focus to train them selves instead of artifically inducing them, they will get faster results but will not help you in the long run. mental training will reward you to naturally lucid dream without any kind of aid.

To me i cannot lucid dream if i dont keep my dream journal. to me its sort of anchore, a motivation to lucid dream. it is the last thing i see before sleeping and the first thing i see after i wake up which keeps my mind in dreaming mode :) , i like to have some kind of record of my achievements. when i read my old DJs i dont read dreams but instead i read the journey of my innerself!

As the others have mentioned, having a Dream Journal can prove helpful. It acts as a way to communicate to your brain that your dreams are important to you, and that you would like to remember them. You can train yourself to remember your dreams without a Journal, but I think the easiest way to do that is to condition yourself with a journal first, and then slowly move away from it.

People who are not natural lucid dreamers, like myself, aren't thinkers in dreams. Not naturally. We go with the flow and let the dream take us wherever without noticing the strangeness of it a lot of the time. That's why it takes a while to train yourself to lucid dream, because you have to start training your mind to question reality. You've already been doing this, but keep in mind that a few weeks isn't a long time, and it can take a while for the message to truly settle in your mind.

Are your Reality Checks frequent enough? Do you actually put forth questions while carrying them out, or is it just a case of doing the movement, saying, "Nope, not a dream..." then moving on with life? If your Reality Checks are as frequent as you say then it's easy to fall into the habit of not properly questioning your reality. Asking yourself questions to raise your awareness such as, "How did I get here?", "What was I doing before this?", "Are my surroundings completely normal?" and becoming more aware of yourself and your surroundings.

Also, I've noticed the title of your post is very negative. It's not that you can't think in your dreams, it's that you don't. You do withhold the ability to do so, you just haven't fully unlocked it yet, and that's a journey we all must go through. Maybe check out some of the classes in the DV Academy, having a workbook to update and people to make regular comments on your progress can act as a great motivational tool. That might help you out a bit.

Keep at it, and don't lose hope. Good luck!

Everyone is different. Some people have to write in dream journals (or alternatively, speak in recorders) to achieve lucidity, and others have to master the MILD technique. For others, if they have a lucid dream without taking any supplements, then they should count themselves lucky. Induction and mnemonic techniques, supplements, and--yes--dream journalling are all important, and while many people thrive under all of them, there are some that just can't seem to get it. There's a reason for that, and that reason is that just because Jacky Chan can do it doesn't mean that Peter Griffin can, too.

I'll be honest: you sound a bit like me, what with how you've been studying lucid dreaming for months and months with little fruit to show for it. And because you sound so much like me here, then I'm going to suggest that you do the one thing that you've been avoiding doing, and that's dream journalling. Do you know how cruel the subconscious mind can be? Sometimes it won't let you get what you want until you broaden your horizons a bit more.

I realize that you're more opposed to writing down your dreams, but I suggest that you do it. Obviously you're not doing something now--so try something new! Don't expect to have a lucid dream the very first time you have it--let the action become a part of your routine. Do your best and try to relax. That, too, might have a large effect on how little lucid dreams you've been able to produce.

Have you considered doing something to change from being so groggy every morning? I have found that I became much less groggy in the morning when I started to exercise routinely, drastically reduced my caffeine intake, and started going to bed earlier. Also there are apps for smart phones which monitor the level of movement of the sleeper, and if one is stirring and there is not enough time left until alarm time, then the alarm will sound earlier, and this also helps make one less groggy because then one is awakened when one was already stirring, rather than awakening from deep sleep which is more likely to make one groggy.

Furthermore, if you are too groggy in the morning to record dreams, why not focus first on recording the dreams from earlier in the night during middle of the night awakenings?

I hope that some of these ideas will help you.

If you're to groggy to write in a Dream Journal, I take it you don't do WBTB?
If that's the case I'd suggest giving that a try for just 15 minutes or so and then go back to sleep, it should drastically improve your chances of becoming Lucid!
The reason you don't think clearly in your Dreams is probably because you are in to deep of a sleep and your consciousness is to shut down.*
Using WBTB should help with that.*

Good luck.*

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Originally Posted by NowAwake

yes supplements do help but one should focus to train them selves instead of artifically inducing them, they will get faster results but will not help you in the long run. mental training will reward you to naturally lucid dream without any kind of aid.

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This may be true with some supplements/some people, but it's not a universal truth. I started taking GABA(gamma-amino-butyric-acid), and it helped he have my first lucid dream, as long as you don't become dependent on them, they can be a great jumping off point, you learn the feeling of lucidity, and with more experience it becomes easier to replicate that feeling yourself. I almost never take GABA now, as I'm having 2-3 lucids a week naturally, but if I do take it on a WBTB attempt I am guaranteed a lucid dream.

EDIT: just wanted to add, keeping a dream journal is not necessary, it is possible to have a few lucids per week without one, probably more. If you have a Lucid dream I would definitely recommend writing it down though, as this will "solidify" the memory in your mind.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NowAwake

yes supplements do help but one should focus to train them selves instead of artifically inducing them, they will get faster results but will not help you in the long run. mental training will reward you to naturally lucid dream without any kind of aid.

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There is no definite way to artificially induce a Lucid, and supplements aren't technically artificial. They weren't created by us, simply extracted and placed within reach for your convenience. This method will give you the advantage that you seem to want.

Think of the supplements as training wheels. You can learn to ride quicker with them.