Thread: Some questions from a beginner

You don't question reality because nothing unbelievable happens or because you never feel like you're dreaming? if it is the first case, you don't need amazing things to happen, just a simple 'too-good-to-be-true' situation could work. Reality checking whenever you realise you're on auto-pilot mode it's a perfect start, after all, lucid dreaming is about getting rid of that auto-pilot and taking control.

FILD only takes a few minutes, it won't do anything to your health, in the worst case, it'll be a WILD, not a FILD. Anyways, most people wake up naturally after a few hours, so you don't have to worry about it. This is just a personal preference, but I'd recommend wake induced techniques, mostly because you're guaranteed a lucid dream with good quality if you're successful.

A good book could be 'Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming' by Stephen LaBerge and for a movie, 'Inception', there are lots of movies about it but it's the only one I've watched. As for resources, if you mean supplements you can take or devices to help you, I have no idea, but if this counts as a resource, you could try to keep lucid dreaming in your mind, make it one of your most important topics, read lot of articles about it and experiences by other people, it helps a lot.

Thanks for the info Rein. I'll have to check out that Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming. I have seen it highly recommended everywhere I go. As to resources, what I mean was any other kind of information piece such as documentaries, articles, etc, though you pretty much answered that anyway .

So, my first question is, when, more specifically, should I practice RCs? I thought today to do it whenever I noticed myself on "auto-pilot". That is, whenever I notice I have been doing a task for a while without directly thinking about it, whether that be walking, or stacking boxes, etc. Is this a good start?

I think that doing RCs effectively is more important than their quantity.

I used to RC all the time for no exact reason and it rarely produced results on its own. I found that at times when i thought things IRL were strange or when i started thinking that i could be dreaming, i would RC. Making RCs part of your routine works, but i would see which things i commonly do in my dreams and then try to link them with an RC when i do them IRL. If i never dreamt about walking in the park, then it's quite pointless to make it a habit to RC in that situation.. That sort of idea in my head. It has become common to me to RC whenever i feel fear since it can prevent potential nightmares before they begin.

Next question. As I am sure many of you know far more about sleep patterns and what not than I, would practicing FILD (which includes waking up 3-4 hours after going to sleep) adversely affect my waking health? If so, is FILD considered a stepping stone to better practices? Which ones should I be practicing?

I am not really sure about its health effects, but i would say that it's perfectly fine since your body wakes up several times during your sleep anyway. As for techniques and methods, i recommend that you research the most common ones and see the one that you feel most comfortable practicing. Don't force yourself to learn a method that's not compatible with your sleep environment. If you already feel comfortable with FILD then keep on doing it the way you are. Don't switch around methods unless you are experimenting with which one you will practice mainly.

Last question. Are there any good books/movies/resources you would recommend I, as a beginner, take a look at to improve?

As you already know: Exploring The World Of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen Laberge.

To avoid short dreams do very little in the first couple minutes. Do not turn in circles trying to see everything. Instead, try to use your voice and say, "this is a dream: a few times. Pick one visual thing to look at. Your own hand is the classic. If you can find your hand, try flexing the fingers. This process avoids a sudden overload. After that you can go do more if the dream feels stable.

Reality checks can be looked at different ways. The way I see it is that you simply build a habit of doing RC so often that you will likely do it in dreams also. RC does not have to be the push finger trick. It should be simply asking yourself if this could be a dream, then going about proving to yourself one way or the other. Many easy RCs are not even very physical and will not be noticed. I will click my teeth together. In waking life I feel light impact going down to the roots and the sound travels through the jaw giving it a different sound than things outside my head. In a dream I do not feel the impact correctly. It feels like it might on novo-caine. The sound is just normal out of head sound. With this I can do a quick RC by simply clicking my teeth.

Thanks for the info Kuyarei. Luckily I don't feel fear commonly but I'll make sure to RC on the off chance I do.

Thanks for the info sivason. I definitely made the mistake of doing too much when I had my first LD. I sat up, looked around, tried to orient, and immediately switched surroundings. Also, the clicking teeth RC is very interesting. I'll try to remember to do it next time I have a lucid so I can feel/hear the difference for myself.