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I've seen this question posted a lot lately and figured it'd be best to put it into poll form so people could easily see.
It took me about 3 weeks, which is what I'd expect to be average, but I may be wrong! Feel free to post specifics and any tips or tricks that worked for you! :)
Great thread, Burke.
For me, it took almost 6 months from when I started practicing to when I had my first one, but to be fair, I wasn't following good tutorials online, and there was a short gap in there where I didn't practice too much. But it was only about a month or two after finding DV that I had my first.
For me it was hard. Took like 2 months for my first one and I don't have any now. Mainy because I don't put much effort into it and don't practice often. Sleep schedule is also bad. But its my goal over summer to accomplish having many LDs.
Not sure if I should vote on this poll, since I had some "natural" lucids as a kid here and there...
But in my teens, I noticed that I had no LDs for more than a year (and before that had one or two per year) - so I had to practice... To get DILDs again it took me about a month (not sure 3 or 5 weeks so I'm voting 1 to 3 months, as it took me ~4 months to get the first WILD). At the time I could only find really bad tutorials online and didn't really know what to expect (most of my kid lucids were either nightmare associated or very very short)...
It took me around a week or less to have my first lucid dream. I was super determined and excited to see what it would be like so I basically spammed my mind with everything lucid dreaming related until I had one.
8 years to freaking induce one single lucid, but it was worth it yep.
First day, followed by a week long dry spell.
I have been trying for 6 months (but a lot more in the past week bc of summer) and have had no lucid over a few seconds, but I have had a TON of false awakenings and dreams about lucid dreaming.
Less than a week. I knew about lucid dreaming when I was a child. I was honestly surprised when I found out some people didn't even know about it.
Took me a week to get the realization, but I woke up immediately. Then after another week I had a proper 7 minute long lucid. It was all because of the realization that : " Holy crap! You can actually LEARN to lucid dream?? Dude!" The rest is history :) Even before I began practicing LDing, I always wanted to have them and they seemed super cool.
Just under a month. Heard a Robert Waggoner interview on Conscious TV and took it from there.
I've just taken the poll. It took me about a month, I would assume this is the average, but seeing the results, there is no average... I see it can vary greatly from one person to the other.
It took me 2 1/2 weeks of constantly RCing and thinking about lucid dreaming and trying WBTB three times I think. I was 12 and I found all my information on LD4all (just reading the tutorials, not really the forum).
While I think it's good to read a lot of information about lucid dreaming while you're trying I think it's important to try not to absorb and internalize anyone's negativity, because I remember at that time that a lot of very discouraged people got online and said that LDing was too hard, not that cool, or fake. You have to believe!
Had a few natural LDs as a kid and growing up, maybe about one or two a year.
When I first learned about lucid dreaming and how to induce them, I successfully LDed the first night that I tried. But it took me about two months to get to the next good one after that. :P
I had one within two days of really reading up on what to do. The second took two weeks, and from there my LD rate was very spotty for a long time. I always seem to have good beginner's luck with things.
Had natural LD's arbitrarily (about 3) throughout my teenage and early adult years. Didn't understand what they were, and usually woke up out of them pretty quickly. After having 2 big ones in the past year and a half, I decided to make a conscious effort in having them regularly and at will. I started with a DJ and it took 15 days to induce the first one. So roughly 2 weeks. I had recorded 18 non-lucid dreams and 1 false awakening in the meantime.
i need 19 days to succeed my first and second lucid dream with DILD after practicing RC habit. i hopefully to get more soon :D
I got many a long time ago, like some nights I would have three lucid dreams. Then I stopped caring about it, thinking oh well I'll watch my dreams. I got back into wanting to interpret dreams, and what better than to do the same thing within the dream, and understand myself and understand and remember God's Visions to me? So I started again and after a week I had one lucid dream but it's been a week and a half and no more. I tried WILD three times and today I am trying dream incubation. If I dream about my question I am asking God I will know I am dreaming hopefully.
Three weeks of consistent practice a few days a week plus galantamine. I had had one or two a year spontaneously most of my life so I think that helped get things rolling.
negative 1.5 years
my first was before I knew what lucid dreaming was
I think I taught myself to lucid dream as a way of escaping nightmares when I was little. At least I developed and implemented 'strategies' for escaping monsters, which probably wouldn't have worked if I hadn't been at least a bit lucid. But when I sat down to read LaBerge's book and teach myself how it was really done, I remember I had some successes pretty quickly...given that it was a library book on a 2-week loan, I was probably lucid dreaming within a few weeks.
I haven't have one yet, but I've been doing well and I am extremely close to having one. (I use to have it where I said 2 LDs, But I have realized That those where dreams about LDing)
Same, but without a real lucid dream yet. I've had a handful of lucid moments over the years, but they all occurred right at the end of dreams because those are the most vivid times I suppose.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hukif
It's not like I wasn't trying my best all last year too, but it might still be 8 years for me as my 8th year is just starting and I'm still trying my best. I've had the REM-Dreamer for a couple months now, maybe it'll actually work eventually. The single sensor below the eye is pretty iffy.
But it will definitely be worth it. Don't care if it's 8 years or 80 years. ... Well, I certainly care, but my point is I won't give up.
The end of dreams, or as you're waking up? This is very common - happens to me a lot. It's because you're waking up - nothing to do with vividness. In fact lucidity itself has nothing to go with vividness, it's just awareness. The reason it happens frequently just as you're waking up is because your conscious mind is starting to go online while you're still dreaming. The dream is ending, sleep is concluding, but for just a moment it's like the sun and moon are both in the sky at the same time. Usually this kind of lucidity is very weird and unstable because the dream is falling apart. Pretty frustrating.Quote:
Originally Posted by Luminesce
I know the feeling bro. It certainly is frustrating.Quote:
Originally Posted by Luminesce
At least you are having lucid moments. All I had was normal dreams straight for those 8 years
I read about lucid dreaming all night the first night I got interested in it.I had an LD that night.First one in years.It was extremely short, though.
I had my first lucid by accident, but from the moment I began actively trying to lucid dream it took me about three weeks.
Took me 2 days after discovering LDing through DV. I was so excited about it I was reality checking so much and constantly thinking about lucid dreaming. Boom, second night I RC in a dream.
After I learned Lucid Dreaming was scientific fact and not New Agey BS, it took me a month to have 1, where I lost lucidity after like 1 min. Which was like 3 years ago.
I generally have around 2-4 LDs a month, now, mostly just from reality checks. Though, no matter how hard I try, it seems my dream recall only seems good enough during 1.5-3 hour naps. No matter when I wake up after the long sleep. If I sleep longer, I don't recall much of the dreams and never remember LDs. I can only typically recall 1 dream, in that case. Frustrating. Such a transcedental and profound part of life, and I can barely tap into it.
About 1 year, kinda sick lol
My first lucid dream after I learned about lucid dream was very vivid, lasted quite long, and when it collapsed I was able to chain and continue the dream lucidly. Other than reading books about lucid dreaming and casually doing reality checks when I felt it necessary I didn't do much else other than improve my dream recall via keeping a dream journal and meditate whenever I got the chance. I took a casual approach which I do to this day. My significant other and I always had trouble sleeping, I didn't want this to become an added burden. Unlike me my significant other had been a natural lucid dreamer since childhood and had incredible dream recall even without keeping a dream journal. She could have lucid dreams any day just by intention alone. Anyway, to answer how long... I think probably between 1 to 3 months. I hardly slept and was too busy everyday working to pay bills on top of studies. Not a healthy way to live nor an ideal lifestyle for lucids. I didn't burden myself with methods and techniques, I just kept an open mind.
It took a few weeks from my memory. I found out about it here on dream views and immediately started improving my dream recall and doing reality checks. I'm fairly sure that my eventual success was caused by my excitement and determination, like others have stated. It was a pretty uneventful dream, but the fact that I had had a lucid dream was so exciting! :D
Most people's "first" lucid dream tend to be short and uneventful, but mine wasn't and I'm sure I'm not alone. The more I think about it more I'm sure it's because of a casual mindset that lets us experience a longer and more eventful lucid dream. Wanting something but not wanting too much to the point of getting worked up sort of thing. ^^
I'm not sure..but if the average person has five or more dreams every night and usually only remember one (unless someone's purposefully keeping track of dreams,journal,ect) wouldn't it be logical to assume we don't remember 100% of our lucid dreams?
I got my first one after 4 days, because I did lots of reality checks. I had a good dream memory (I could remember 1 dream per night, almost every night). Now I can remember 3 dreams in one night.
I got lucky and did it on my first night of seriously attempting it. I always wanted to do it because I was always very fascinated with my dreams as a kid. But illogically I thought it must not be possible since I never heard of anyone doing it. As a kid I just thought if it was possible why wouldn't everyone be doing it and talking about it all the time... lol. Didn't realize everyone didn't find dreams as fascinating as I did.
Anyways, I had just seen the movie "Dreamscape" in the theater. 1984. Jeez, really. I am getting old lol. After the movie I was so pumped and wanted to realize I was dreaming while in a dream so badly that I made the decision right then and there. I didn't care if it was possible or not, I was going to make it happen.
I went to sleep with such a strong intention to realize I was dreaming that I became lucid spontaneously in the middle of a dream. And even in the dream I was so shocked that I actually did it. And I remember what I wanted to try, something from the movie. Where the villain says to the hero something like. . "You don't get it do you? You can do anything you want here." And the villain then makes little blades come out of his fingertips, and then spawns some glowing nunchucks. I looked at my hand and tried to make blades grow out of my fingertips. I didn't get the exact result I was intended, but my entire hand morphed into a monster claw lol. I just looked at it in awe at and woke up stunned at what I had just done.
Then I knew it was possible, and started my own reality checking because it seems the obvious logical way to induce lucidity to question reality a lot and do tests to see. Eventually I came across "Exploring The World Of Lucid Dreaming" That book helped me a lot just because of it's existence. Reading about scientists in dream laboratories experimenting with this like a science fiction movie. And knowing it wasn't just me doing it.
Here it is. The trailer for the movie that inspired me to induce my first lucid dream in 1984. :) A classic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ybHzYtF3ZM
It took me about a week and a half to have my first intentional LD. I had a passive interest in LDing for some years but had never taken the dive. It sure is an exciting feeling when you find yourself lucid and is probably what caused me to wake so soon. I've had a couple of spontaneous LDs as a kid and in my early teens, but the seemed to stop in time.
Oh cool, Dreamscape! I read about that last night while reading Laberge's Lucid Dreaming. I thought maybe I should check it out. I'll go ahead and click on the trailer.
Pretty awesome you got lucid your first night from watching the film, by the way!
This happened to me twice, both when starting a new book and being very into it. I think there is something in there that is a clue on how to trigger lucid dreams in our case. Possibly conclusions drawn from it, such as:Quote:
Originally Posted by LodeRunner13
* Lucid dreaming is possible
* Lucid dreaming has huge potential
* Lucid dreaming is important
Maybe working on these points (and possibly many more essential ones I'm missing) can help.
I had my first LD in early February of this year as a spontaneous response to a perceived threat in a non lucid dream. I suddenly found myself standing there, completely and fully lucid and aware and wondering how the heck I got there.
That next day I burned up google and found out that there was this thing called lucid dreaming. I immersed myself in it, found this amazing forum, and had three powerful lucid dream events within the first week.
I have to say that my life has changed since finding out that:
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbbr
I don't remember, I had my first when I was about 5- 10. *RC after looking at the title of the pole on this thread, "View Poll Results: How Long Did it Take to Have Your Fist Lucid Dream?".*
like 6 months, MILD was fucking useless for me in general, I get legit mad at hearing people suggest it as the best technique now
This is gonna sound sad, but I seem to recall it took me about a year and a half! I think I started a little before I joined Dreamviews. I only practiced things like reality-checking when it came to mind and didn't bear down on forming good habits, and as a result it took me a very long time to experience one. I fully believed lucid dreaming was possible, but somehow it seemed so foreign as a concept to me that I simply couldn't imagine what it would be like.
Interestingly, unlike I suspect most people, my first lucid dream was a WILD. I think I woke up sleepy on the couch, and accidentally stayed conscious while falling asleep again, and was so excited by the sensation of stepping through a portal into a dream and staying there for about a minute, that I quickly woke up again with my heart racing. That was probably in 2010 somewhere.
Ever since I've usually gone for WILDs (though I get DILDs by accident sometimes). One of my favorite techniques and the most successful for me being the "FILD" (the finger induced lucid dream, lol) someone posted about on here awhile back. I sometimes tell people about that technique because it worked so well for me, hoping maybe it will get them their first, too.
Wow, congrats on not giving up and finally succeeding.Quote:
Originally Posted by lifeinsteps
Mine too, but it was simply the first tutorial I read on here. It sounded too good to be true and I was way to curious how this would be like. The first night trying I fell asleep right away though. The next day I read about SSILD and unintentionally mixed them up - but the combination somehow worked like a charm for me. Had a very interesting transition and stayed lucid for about 20 minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by lifeinsteps
Still my best lucid dream to date, beginner's luck I guess. Tbh, that was a life-changing experience... :)
Oh, I'm pretty sure I didn't practice that hard and that's why it took so long, haha. I remember going through months of wearing digital watches and checking them at high-school, but I probably never dedicated myself as I should have if I wanted to have an LD right away.Quote:
Originally Posted by CarpeNoctem144
Sounds awesome. Our weird homebrewed techniques seem to always be the ones that work for us!Quote:
Originally Posted by CarpeNoctem144
I had a small amount of lucid dreams when I was younger but it took me 9 days to have my first intentional one after practicing. It was a decent first one. It only lasted 2 minutes or so but I had a good amount of control and it was enough time for me to explore a bit try a few things out and enjoy the experience. I was quite happy with the amount of time it took to achieve but It took me another 14 days to have my second!
3 weeks for my first Lucid dream , realised I was dreaming and remembered I wanted to experience flying, so off I went.
My next lucid dream wasn’t until 6months later - but well worth maintaining the persistent effort.
Welcome back! Anthony!! Congrats!! :D Keep up the great work! 🐜Quote:
Originally Posted by Ant101
9 Months
30 days from the day I started reading ETWOLD and setting intention to recall dreams.