Getting lucid was not easy

Hi all,

2 days ago it was very difficult for me to get lucid, I'll describe what happened.
I had a FA at my home:
So I just ''woke up'', put on my laptop like I would, checked the time it was 10.00, a realistic time for Sunday morning.
Did check the time only once so it wasn't a RC, I was looking out the window at the beautiful pink coloring clouds and beautiful colors, just as beautiful as the colors in my dreams I thought.
Well maybe this is a dream, checked my hands, nothing wrong, checked again and again, wait it's blurry and I have 7 fingers. Somehow I still wasn't convinced this was a dream.
I tried to push my finger trough my hand, and it didn't work!
Let's check the mirror in the bathroom, no nothing special? So I switch off the lights and walked out the bathroom, wait the lights are being weird? Maybe it's broke?
Eventually after checking all the lights in my house and realizing they couldn't all be broke, I was convinced it was a dream and became lucid. :panic:

How come it was so hard? cause I have been lucid before without even using a RC, and this time I did about 5/6 maybe more.
Is a FA harder to become lucid or maybe it's the ''home'' environment which I see everyday?
What are your thoughts on this?

I just started practicing lucid dreaming about 2 months ago, so I'm not very experienced.

A FA can be hard to detect, especially when you're not experienced with them or haven't had one in a while. Once you have more of them though, you tend to get used to them and become lucid with more ease.

Also, try the nose plug as a reality check, I've found it to fail less often. Flying or summoning are good also as your dream control increases.

Another way to think about it is: The fact that you continued doing reality checks even after you weren't convinced you were dreaming yet may mean you actually did know something was up on an unconscious level and wanted to take the extra time to convince yourself of it. Otherwise, you probably would have stopped after the first or second one and decided you were actually awake. So, finding yourself continually doing RCs for some time and then finally becoming lucid is actually a good thing, in a way. It sounds like you're on the right track. ;)

Any time I feel like it is probably a dream, unless I am planning on doing something dangerous, I just do whatever I want and say that it is a dream.

For instance:
I am talking to someone... pretty sure I am dreaming. I look up and say "I'm dreaming" He stops talking and walks away (proof it is a dream). I walk outside and start to think about goals. It is hard to make them come up (another proof that it is a dream). I am outside my house and it looks perfectly real. I look up in the sky and don't see a sun or moon, the whole sky is illuminated (another proof that it is a dream). I fly up into the sky with no doubt that it is a dream, I look for a specific dream character to talk to and move on to my goal.

Instead of just RCing over and over. Just try and think of goals. You might not be putting yourself in danger and not have to worry about it. After thinking it is a dream, there is usually a bunch of things that show you that it is a dream.

Every lucid dream is different. A lot of times FAs are harder for people, and a lot of times FAs are easier for people. It doesn't have to be either way for you. Believing that it is one way or the other can cause problems when not in a FA or when in. I would rather believe that I am awesome no matter where I spawn. Haha. After a bunch of experiences in both ways, you can choose to let that experience change your expectation and kick some FA butt.

Thanks all!
Maybe I need more self-confidence, to do some crazy stuff, in real life and dream life.
Even when I was lucid, I was still anxious about going outside because I was only wearing underpants, lol. :cheeky:

But in another dream, I just flew out the window when I didn't like the scenario I was in.
Well every dream is different I guess, thanks for the tips. :)

I think the important thing is that you did not give up. Our awareness is not always at the level of "I just realized I was dreaming," so it is important that when we feel like we might be dreaming, even if a RC fails, we continue to keep the thought of "dream" foremost, like everyone else is saying, until you can prove it to yourself. Sensei's method seems like a good time saver (act as though in a dream until you can prove it). I would count your tenacity as a definite success.

I've only ever had one DILD and I can't remember what I was doing at that time to reach that level of awareness to have one.

Lately, I've been having 4-5 memorable dreams and noticing a lot of dream signs, stuff that would be the perfect opportunity to reality check, but I just can't seem to stop and question them. Is there anything I can do to raise my awareness more? Right now, I'm doing a reality check at random moments during the day along with some confirmations.

What kind of RC's do you do in waking life?
I think the most important thing when doing a RC, is to really question if you're dreaming or not.
Not just a quick check on your hands, no really deep down think, could this be a dream?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by virusje

What kind of RC's do you do in waking life?
I think the most important thing when doing a RC, is to really question if you're dreaming or not.
Not just a quick check on your hands, no really deep down think, could this be a dream?

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I check my hands and try breathing through my nose, mainly because those are the two reality checks that have never failed me in the few lucid dreams I've had. I also say, "I'm dreaming, reality check!!" or "What was I just doing? Reality!!"

That being said, I understand what you mean about how it's more important to question whether I'm dreaming or not than the actual reality check itself. Lately, I've been trying to do just that, but the problem is I work in a job where it's hard to really stop and consider this. Plus, I find it a little hard to sometimes get myself into that mindset where I'm questioning my reality when I know it's not a dream, you know?

How long should the reality check last, really?

Yeah I have the ''job problem'' too, at work I don't have a lucid mindset, sometimes I check my hands that's all.
I walk to my work, it's about 20 minutes/half hour walk, that's my moment when i get in a kind of meditative state.
And at home I do count my fingers a lot and question reality, but I think the ''lucid walk'' really helps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by virusje

Yeah I have the ''job problem'' too, at work I don't have a lucid mindset, sometimes I check my hands that's all.
I walk to my work, it's about 20 minutes/half hour walk, that's my moment when i get in a kind of meditative state.
And at home I do count my fingers a lot and question reality, but I think the ''lucid walk'' really helps.

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I do have a 10/15 minute walk to the station when I'm on my way to work. Plus, the train ride does take about 15/20 minutes. Maybe I should do what you're doing and have that be my 'practise awareness' bit. I used to constantly question "Am I dreaming?" when I was on the train to and from university and study my environment around the time I got my first DILD, so I should go back to doing that.

On the plus side, I had a false awakening last night, the first one I've had in a long time. That's a good sign, right?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phoenix422

I do have a 10/15 minute walk to the station when I'm on my way to work. Plus, the train ride does take about 15/20 minutes. Maybe I should do what you're doing and have that be my 'practise awareness' bit. I used to constantly question "Am I dreaming?" when I was on the train to and from university and study my environment around the time I got my first DILD, so I should go back to doing that.

On the plus side, I had a false awakening last night, the first one I've had in a long time. That's a good sign, right?

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I think? so I'm not sure, that false awakenings happens very often, to me it does.
But it's definitely a good sign, because you've noticed/remember.
I have been into lucid dreaming, 2 and a half months now and had 6 lucid dreams and a few ''in-between'' states.
Didn't really use methods they where all DILD, keeping a dream journal and doing reality checks, or questioning this reality.
I must say, I've always had a kinda open/relaxed mindset so maybe it did come in handy and I was/am really into the lucid dreaming so red a lot and watched video's etc.
My only problem is that I'm not consistent at dream journaling and get less recall when I don't do it for a while.

What kind of methods did/do you use to get a lucid dream?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by virusje

I think? so I'm not sure, that false awakenings happens very often, to me it does.
But it's definitely a good sign, because you've noticed/remember.
I have been into lucid dreaming, 2 and a half months now and had 6 lucid dreams and a few ''in-between'' states.
Didn't really use methods they where all DILD, keeping a dream journal and doing reality checks, or questioning this reality.
I must say, I've always had a kinda open/relaxed mindset so maybe it did come in handy and I was/am really into the lucid dreaming so red a lot and watched video's etc.
My only problem is that I'm not consistent at dream journaling and get less recall when I don't do it for a while.

What kind of methods did/do you use to get a lucid dream?

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Only ever had one DILD and that seemed to happen by chance (but I'm sure it was due to the sporadic awareness I was practising at the time). The rest were WBT+WILDS, though I've found them harder to do as of late, no doubt because of the year-long break I took in lucid dreaming and recall. :)

Currently trying to DEILD, though it's proving hard to get to be aware or waking up and staying still, but I'm sure if I stick with it, it'll happen.

FA can be very tricky... even when you need to write down a major dream, you might FA from it and write it down to find that you have not written it down... to a chain of several FAs.... Happens to us all.

Everything you wake up from bed, try to do a RC... make it your religion... even if you know you are awake for sure, still do a RC... you might get surprised...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PercyLucid

FA can be very tricky... even when you need to write down a major dream, you might FA from it and write it down to find that you have not written it down... to a chain of several FAs.... Happens to us all.

Everything you wake up from bed, try to do a RC... make it your religion... even if you know you are awake for sure, still do a RC... you might get surprised...

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I'm definitely trying to get into that habit since, funny you mention it, I did once have a FA where I wrote down in my dream journal only to then wake up, haha.

I'm also currently trying out Puffin's DILD Guide since, from experience, I've found that this method actually did help me get a DILD once. Wish the thread was still around to read...

It actually is: Puffin's DILD Guide - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

I just read it and this was the first thread I read afterwards. It was linked in the Multi-induction thread in the induction methods subforum.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by InnerVision

It actually is: Puffin's DILD Guide - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

I just read it and this was the first thread I read afterwards. It was linked in the Multi-induction thread in the induction methods subforum.

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Ah, thank you, but I meant the thread version of the guide that is linked to in the article. It links to a 'Page not found', see:
http://www.dreamviews.com/f49/sat-sp...ess-technique-

Now I want to figure out how to DEILD properly. I can't see to get aware enough to keep still and have my closed as I wake up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phoenix422

I'm definitely trying to get into that habit since, funny you mention it, I did once have a FA where I wrote down in my dream journal only to then wake up, haha.

I'm also currently trying out Puffin's DILD Guide since, from experience, I've found that this method actually did help me get a DILD once. Wish the thread was still around to read...

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Yup, is a common event for me... from lucid dreams, sometimes one, from non lucid dreams, maybe 1-2 in a row, and sometimes even 4-5 (which I believe that sometimes I do wake up I fall asleep right away for about a few seconds and have a snippet-dream that I write the dream down, lol)