TheoryCat

Finally! After two weeks of trying to lucid dream once again, I finally have another one. As usual, I woke up before sunrise and went back to sleep, reminding myself to do reality checks if I dream.

The Dream

The dream started off as a false awakening nightmare. I was lying on my bed in the dark and there were these figures in the shadow talking about how much they hate me because all my weaknesses and insecurities. They talked about how much they hated me and that my roommates are trying to kick me out because they are starting to dislike me. Then I tell myself to stay calm - this is just a dream.

I floated on up and out of my bed to use the bathroom. I did another reality check by looking at my hands. My fingers were deformed; it must be a dream then because my fingers aren't broken in real life. I looked into the bathroom mirror and saw that my hair was gray and my skin was wrinkly; this must be a dream since I'm much younger in real life. I jumped and try to fly, but could not - it felt too real. Next, I decided to open the closet. I tried to imagine something magical. But there wasn't: There was a teddy bear on the top rack and a glass of red wine in the lower one.

I was apprehensive about drinking the wine since I don't know what will happen after. Why did my subconscious offer me a teddy bear and a glass of red wine? Why did I turn into an old man with deformed hands? I don't know what possessed me about I held the large wine glass with two hands, bowed to the closet, and gulped it down as though it were an antidote. I blanked out.

Dream Signs: Looking into the mirror. Hand/finger check. Nightmare.

Interpretation: A very literal reflection of my fears and insecurities.

After trying to lucid dream for the past two weeks, I finally had a lucid dream where I was able to maintain lucidity. I woke up at sunrise this morning (as I normally do), checked the clock, and went back to sleep because it was Saturday and I could sleep in .

I went back to sleep with the intention of lucid dreaming. I lied down, completely relaxed, imagining myself literally "falling" into my dream world. Gradually, I noticed that my body could no longer feel itself. And then I lost consciousness; this was the beginning of my first lucid dream.

The Dream

I found myself walking with my classmates outside on a warm rainy day. A friend of mine (a dream character who exists only in that dream) was shielding me from the downpours with his large umbrella as we walked outside on a school field trip. We walked leisurely in the rainy park for a bit before it stopped raining. As my friend closed his umbrella, I looked at his wristwatch and saw that it said 4:00 PM. It was then that I realized that I was dreaming. No. This can't be real. I went to sleep at 12:00 AM this morning and there was no way that I could have slept this many hours.

Normally, when I find myself to be dreaming, I would instantly wake up, but this time was different. I noticed that my consciousness and awareness increased but I did not let myself become fully conscious. I find myself in a state of consciousness between wakefulness and REM sleep. It was then when I felt the sensation of lucid dreaming for the first time.

In the dream, this sensation translated to a drunken dizziness that I had to struggle against. The colors and the sensations of the dreamscape were slowly dissolving into an unconscious sleep as I fought to keep my eyelids open. I mentally held on to the colors, sounds, and the sensations of the dreamscape around me. And, in a "Eureka" moment, it just clicked: I was completely lucid! I was able to see the colorful dreamscape clearly with perfect vision. I was able see my reflection and the reflections of the surrounding Romanesque architecture, the clouds, and the blue sky in the puddles on brick roadway. I was even able to smell my synthetic jacket against the backdrop of the petrichor of the summer rain. I was finally able to hold on to and experience lucidity in a dream.

The dream continued for another hour or so. It was a fairly mundane dream in very peaceful settings but it was exciting nonetheless. I drifted in and out of lucidity throughout the rest of the dream. I focused on my body and my environment whenever I started to drift out of lucidity. I recall walking around a lake in a beautiful park where humans and animals were enjoying the scenery together. I walked around the town in my dreamscape and visited a bakery. I took out my phone and decided to prank-call the cops but decided against it (because it was starting to feel almost too real to be a dream at this point). Instead, I prank-called my brother and left a silly message. Then I found myself at home, sitting at a desk next to my brother. Just to be ridiculous, I asked him, "Am I dreaming?" He rolled his eyes and sarcastically replied, "What have you been smoking?" At this point, not only did I completely lose lucidity, but I lost awareness of the dream.

Reflections

Dream signs: clocks, watches, imaginary animals, anachronisms
Do's: Focus on the body and sensations in the dream, colors, smells, tastes, food, surroundings
Don'ts: Ask someone whether I'm in a dream; Try too hard to conjure up of places and things that don't exist