Good sign?

[Hapworth]

Hey all! Newbie here! I've recently read LaBerge's book, and last night I had my first near-lucid experience. Since most people's dreams are boring to others, I'll keep things simple. I was on a bus, sitting next to my wife, and this bus had stewardesses. One pretty stewardness poked her pretty face in front of me to ask something, and I felt a desire to kiss her. I held back because, well, in real life I'd hold back or else I'd be slapped. I then turned to my wife and asked if I were dreaming (though it's a no-win situation, for if she knew my reason for asking, she'd slap me, too!). My wife symbolized my subconscious, I think, because she asked me how she should respond. I froze, debating the issue with my wife. "Well, if you answer that, yes, I'm dreaming, I might just keep on dreaming. If you answer that I'm awake, I might awake and become lucid, but I also might not question my surroundings and go on dreaming." Okay, my questions. Should my wife have answered a certain way? My guess is that the point is moot, that I needed to be the one who came to a realization of whether or not I was dreaming, not one of my dream characters. Still, I take this dream as a good sign because it means that the stuff I've been ingesting is invading my dreams, so lucidity might be one step closer. Finally, if I want to do reality checks during the day by asking my wife, "Am I dreaming?" how should she answer? Or should she not answer at all, leaving me to think, "If I need to ask, I must be dreaming!" True, I doubt that the exact same scneario will pop up in my dream again (a pretty bus stewardess waiting to be kissed), but my wife appears in my dreams a lot, so maybe she should be involved in my reality checks. Thanks for reading this. Hapworth 16, 1924

[Seeker]

Aaarrgh! What a conflict! Sounds like your mind is beginning to question itself. That is a good sign. Perhaps a different reality check might have been in order. Odds are, whatever your wife answered would have triggered lucidity, but what a risk to take! I would never dare ask my wife that unless I was sure it was a dream anyway!

[Xisdence]

Im not sure that using your wife as an rc would be the best thing, unless she is around you the majority of the day, as if she isn't there you have to perform other RC's. As you mention that she is in your dreams alot, this sort of changed my mind, maybe her saying something like, well see if you can breathe through your nose dear? That way she is asking you to perform an RC, lol it may seems stupid but i think it would work. Good luck anyway

[Hapworth]

Thanks for the feedback so far. Yes, my wife is around a lot. We have a young baby, and I work at home. This is why I wonder if she should become part of my reality checks. My wife already thinks this LD stuff is crazy, so I can't imagine asking her to respond with, "Can you breathe through your nose?" every time I do a reality check. I think she'd check me into an asylum. Still, I'm tempted to try. Hapworth 16, 1924

[nina]

HAHAHA!! Reading about your dream was great considering I had a similar experience in that I was on a bus and there were flight attendants serving drinks (so strange), except in my dream...the bus was flying. Funny though, strange as all that was I didn't become lucid. However, after practice and experience I've become much less naive in my dreams and have learned to question the reality of my dreams. Typically, when you are at the point of questioning...am I dreaming? That is when you become lucid, I don't even need to perform reality checks so I agree with Seeker in that you are so close b/c at least you are questioning the reality of your dream.

[Seeker]

Originally posted by lucidnina Typically, when you are at the point of questioning...am I dreaming? That is when you become lucid, I don't even need to perform reality checks .... But please do perform one before you do anything that will end up with you in divorce court!