Questions + Help

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12-03-2014, 09:22 PM
Scoaus

Questions + Help

I've been wanting to achieve lucidity for a while now, especially after learning about it. I've never lucid dreamed before, so I decided i'd start my research. I've seen a few different methods, but the easiest to understand was this one:

This is done by asking the same question during day. While doing this, believe that you are in a dream.
During the day, no matter what you are doing, stop and ask yourself "Am I dreaming"?

Look around. Examine your surroundings. Does everything look the way it should?

Ask yourself how you got there. What have you been doing 5 minutes ago? And before that?

Now it's time to do a Reality Check (RC), and a mantra (simple phrase that you repeat).

There are many different RCs and mantras that you can chose from, or you can make your own.

For this example I will use the classic "looking at hands" RC with mantra.

Bring your hands up to chest level and look at your palms.

Examine them. Do they look as they normally do? Count your fingers. Don't presume how many you have.

Say "Next time I'm dreaming, I look at my hands and realize I'm dreaming."

Put your hands down, bring them back up and repeat RC with mantra a few times.

It doesn't really matter how many times you do it. What matters is that you believe that you could be in a dream, you just don't know it yet. Don't, at any point, think to yourself "No, I'm not dreaming."

Repeat above steps when you are sitting on your bed ready to go to sleep.

As you are falling asleep, repeat your mantra only.

My few questions are:

The part where it tells you to constantly ask yourself if you're dreaming.. is that what you should do during the day? (Ie: if I'm sitting in class, should I randomly out of nowhere ask myself how I know i'm not dreaming? do I make myself think that the class i'm in is a dream?? and then go on to prove using my 'normal' hands it's not?)

I was confused about that.

The Mantra in the above example is "Next time I'm dreaming, I look at my hands and realize I'm dreaming." right?

Thank you.
12-03-2014, 09:57 PM
Hunterkiss

Are you writing your dreams down? A dream journal is crucial to start remembering your dreams and to recognize your dream signs. There is no rule for when or how to reality check, but is best done when something similar to one of your dream signs happens/appears or something strange in general. When in public, I use simple RCs like checking the time twice, and I use the nose pinch when I'm not in public. But it is more about imagining that you could be in a dream right now as you are reality checking than the reality check itself. Once you have your first several lucid dreams, you will most likely recognize you are dreaming and then reality check, rather than reality check and then become lucid.
12-04-2014, 01:58 AM
Scoaus

What is the whole nose pinch thing? If you can breathe without your nose you're not dreaming??

What if I can't even remember my dreams? Does actually saying, "i'm going to dream tonight and remember it" actually work? If i do that, will I know my dream when I wake up?

Thanks for your reply, BTW :)
12-04-2014, 04:38 AM
dolphin

Despite what the method says, you do not want to randomly do a reality check. Think about it, what are the chances that all of a sudden in your dream you're going to think "Time for my random reality check!" Very slim to none.

You want to do a reality check any time you see something weird or unusual. You want to make it a habit. Say, you're in class and one of the male students is wearing a pink shirt. You do a reality check. See a car accident? Reality check. Random person doing a handstand? Reality check. That way, when you see something unusual in your dreams, say a zombie, you're more likely to do a reality check out of habit. Doesn't that make sense?

Doing this, your mantra would be "Next time I'm dreaming, I'll see something unusual and do a reality check."

Pinch your nose and try to blow air through it. You can't. But, in your dreams, you can. So, pinching your nose and blowing air through it is way to see if you're dreaming or not.

If you can't remember your dreams, try the mantra "I remember my dreams when I wake up" as you are falling asleep. You want to make this important to your subconscious as the more important you make your dreams, the easier they will be to recall. When you wake up, with your eyes closed, try to recall as much of the dream as you can and write it down in a dream journal. Over time this will make it easier to recall dreams.

When you start recalling your dreams consistently, search for any patterns. These are called dream signs. At this point, you'll also want to do a reality check whenever you encounter a dream sign while you're awake.

I hope this helps. Good luck!
12-04-2014, 04:53 PM
Scoaus

Thank you again for the advice! When I was asleep last night I tried to fall asleep by saying the mantra you mentioned, "I will remember my dream tomorrow" but it didn't really work. I went to sleep an hour before I normally did, as I know a lot of sleep is important to dream recalling.

I tried to get 7.5 hrs of sleep but I had a bad sleep and it took me a while to fall asleep. I'm guessing that my body WASNT used to sleeping that early. Anyways, I tried for a period of time to keep repeating the mantra in my head - but it took too long to fall asleep and I was exhausted about focusing on the same thing for too long, so I stopped saying it and fell asleep a few minutes or so later. I couldn't tell how long I was saying the phrase for because I kept my eyes closed the entire time only focusing on just that one mantra.

I woke up, and couldn't remember any dream or any possible semblance of a dream. I was a little upset but I understood that could have happened regardless.

I hopped into the shower like my normal schedule and remembered someone telling me something that actually didn't happen in real life. So I sat there and thought about what I thought I heard, regardless of the fact I knew it wasn't true.

I don't know still if what was told to me came in a dream, or my mind made it up to make me think I dreamt about it to get over the disappointment of not remembering anything.

I wrote it in my dream journal anyways though, as it was odd and something to write that might have been a dream.

I'm going to try and sleep tonight at the same time and only say the mantra as im falling asleep and on the brink of passing out for the night - instead of exhausting my brain for 1-15 mins until I get tired of saying the same thing.

Any advice? Does this sound like a solid plan? Was what was told to me a dream or s fictitious idea my mind made up?

Thank you, again :)
12-04-2014, 05:15 PM
dolphin

You're on the right track, Scoaus. Keep doing this for a few days and you should see some improvement.

Try to recognize your awakenings at night. After every REM period we all wake up briefly. If you set your mind to it, you'll start to become aware of these awakenings and you'll get more chances to recall dreams.

What was told to you was probably a dream though one can't always tell for sure.
12-04-2014, 05:38 PM
Scoaus

Yeah! I think my alarm is my biggest issue. I'm not a morning person and when it goes off, I instantly set my mind to shutting it off in order to sleep a little longer - which probably ruins the dream memorizing aspect.

Also I heard about drinking a lot of water before bed to wake up during the night and use the bathroom - which is also an opportunity to record any dreams.

Additionally I heard about eating certain foods to make dreams more vivid - is that true?

Anyways, I've never really been able to memorize my dreams unless they're scary. I can't tell you the last time I've honestly remembered my dreams.

Generally I get up at 7:25 and sleep by 1-1:30 (so obviously THATS not enough sleep). I've read online you'll need at least 7+ hrs to get a good enough sleep, and that waking up at the 7.5 hr mark WOULD be during a REM cycle, meaning Id wake up in the middle or the end of a dream - making it easier to remembe it better.

Is any of this true? Thanks again
12-04-2014, 05:52 PM
Scoaus

Also adding on to the "unusual things means doing a reality check" thing, what if you don't find anything that makes you question if you're dreaming during your day? Are you expected to be doing RCs multiple times a day, or is it a weekly thing?
12-04-2014, 08:49 PM
Scoaus

Are naps a good way to catch dreams too? They work out well for me (napping) - because I tend to wake up on my own, and they're the easiest to awaken slowly from - the only concern is whether or not I dream during a nap. My naps tend to last 1 hour or longer.. so will I be in a large enough REM cycle to be dreaming?

I'm also skeptical about my ability to look at something abnormal and question if i'm in a dream or not. I noticed today as I walking down this road that NOBODY is ever walking on that there was someone indeed walking. I tried my hardest to question if I was dreaming or not, and I did perform the whole hand/watch test - but in the back of my mind I KNEW it wasn't a dream... which is where I might encounter problems. The reality checks just don't work because I've never had any moment where I was wondering, "am I dreaming?"

Also - what is the point in writing down these dreams? Is it to find a cue? What happens when I know what my cue is - does my brain automatically wake myself up when I see this cue in a dream? I'm so confused about LD.

I'm sorry for all the questions, i'm just confused as to why all these processes are in place.

EDIT:

After I posted this, I went for a nap. I sat in bed repeating my mantra in my head and thinking. I turned over, and then began to do the same thing over and over. After a while my thoughts became clouded and a vision popped up.

It was someone (distinctively looked like a friend of mine) in an underground box screaming. I thought to myself, "what the heck??" and woke myself up. I think I just got a fragment of a dream?? Maybe?
12-05-2014, 07:22 AM
dolphin

Quote:

Yeah! I think my alarm is my biggest issue. I'm not a morning person and when it goes off, I instantly set my mind to shutting it off in order to sleep a little longer - which probably ruins the dream memorizing aspect.

Good! That'll help.

Quote:

Also I heard about drinking a lot of water before bed to wake up during the night and use the bathroom - which is also an opportunity to record any dreams.

Good idea! Go for it!

Quote:

Additionally I heard about eating certain foods to make dreams more vivid - is that true?

Maybe...Certain vitamins improve the vividness of dreams for some people. And these certain vitamins are in certain foods... so...maybe! Do some research on Google if you like.

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Anyways, I've never really been able to memorize my dreams unless they're scary. I can't tell you the last time I've honestly remembered my dreams.

That's okay! That what improvement is for!

Quote:

Generally I get up at 7:25 and sleep by 1-1:30 (so obviously THATS not enough sleep). I've read online you'll need at least 7+ hrs to get a good enough sleep, and that waking up at the 7.5 hr mark WOULD be during a REM cycle, meaning Id wake up in the middle or the end of a dream - making it easier to remembe it better.

Is any of this true? Thanks again

This is true. You're welcome!

Quote:

Also adding on to the "unusual things means doing a reality check" thing, what if you don't find anything that makes you question if you're dreaming during your day? Are you expected to be doing RCs multiple times a day, or is it a weekly thing?

The point of all of this is to connect unusual things with dreams. Once you make this a habit that's well engrained, it will start to show up in your dreams. That said, if you don't see anything unusual during the day, that's okay. The important thing is that it's on the back of your mind during the day that unusual=dream. Remember, you can also study your past dreams and play through them again, only imagining that you remember do a reality check when you notice something unusual. That can also help you engrain the crucial habit.

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Are naps a good way to catch dreams too?

yes

Quote:

They work out well for me (napping) - because I tend to wake up on my own, and they're the easiest to awaken slowly from - the only concern is whether or not I dream during a nap. My naps tend to last 1 hour or longer.. so will I be in a large enough REM cycle to be dreaming?

Naps are mostly REM as long as they're in the first half or so of the day. The REM cycle is plenty long enough.

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I'm also skeptical about my ability to look at something abnormal and question if i'm in a dream or not.

Don't be skeptical! Anybody can do this with proper training!

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I noticed today as I walking down this road that NOBODY is ever walking on that there was someone indeed walking. I tried my hardest to question if I was dreaming or not, and I did perform the whole hand/watch test

That's great you remembered!

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but in the back of my mind I KNEW it wasn't a dream... which is where I might encounter problems. The reality checks just don't work because I've never had any moment where I was wondering, "am I dreaming?"

Of course, you know you're awake! What you want to do is imagine it's a dream. You have to use your imagination! You essentially practicing or rehearsing for the dream world. It's like the fire alarm drills at school. You know it's not an emergency but you're training yourself in case there is one. Actually the analogy is exactly the same. Fire drills are designed to train your event-based prospective memory so that in your mind "fire alarm=fire emergency". We're trying to train our mind that "dream sign=dream" in the same manner.

Quote:

Also - what is the point in writing down these dreams? Is it to find a cue? What happens when I know what my cue is - does my brain automatically wake myself up when I see this cue in a dream? I'm so confused about LD.

We're telling our subconscious that dreams are important, which will make them easier to remember. Also, we're trying to make our dream memory stronger. Think of it as push-ups for our dream memory muscle, lol. It's also find cue's in your dreams. A cue is another word for dream sign. When we see a dream sign, we do a reality check.

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I'm sorry for all the questions, i'm just confused as to why all these processes are in place.

It's okay, I'm happy to help out.

Quote:

After I posted this, I went for a nap. I sat in bed repeating my mantra in my head and thinking. I turned over, and then began to do the same thing over and over. After a while my thoughts became clouded and a vision popped up.

It was someone (distinctively looked like a friend of mine) in an underground box screaming. I thought to myself, "what the heck??" and woke myself up. I think I just got a fragment of a dream?? Maybe?

This is a huge break-through for you! Not only what that a fragment of a dream, you noticed something unusual inside the dream! Oh, and did you just wake up from the dream, or did you will yourself to wake up from the dream? I think you're closer to LDing than you think! You can do this!