When I was a young child around 7years maybe younger I used to get a lot of nightmares. I also had dreams and also what I called a lucid dream in a place where I wouldn't have a dream...very confusing but in essence was still a dream lol. I wasn't aware that my dreams were lucid or that I had dream control straight away. As an adult I have only found out recently what this was and that I had been doing it for years.

When I had nightmares they were rarely lucid and I could never control them. I had the same nightmares over and over and made going to sleep at night a fear. I used to read a lot before going to bed so when I would finally pass out from exhaustion my mind would always be very busy so I typically never got a peaceful nights sleep. So if it wasn't a nightmare I was having it was a dream. I started to have a secret ritual that I would do before going to sleep.I would say out loud initially and then later on more quietly and under my breath. I will not have a dream or no dream or a nightmare. And then I would go to sleep. When I didn't want a dream, sometimes I would start off in my sleep sat on an airplane or in a waiting room. This used to drive me crazy and I now refer to these as a dream state of boredom...can you imagine cause they used to wake me up all the time. This was the reason why I included no dream in my little mantra.

Initially it was luck of the draw as to whether or not I would get what I wanted. I ended up with doors to choose from. Dream, No Dream or nightmare. Sometimes I chose correctly and sometimes what was behind the door wasnt correct and I got sucked in. I learned after time to wake myself up immediatly if what I saw on the otherside of my door was not what I wanted. Nightmares always initially looked the same when the door opened so I could do this but if I were to fall asleep and go straight into a nightmare it was never anything I was able to control, but this happened fewer times the more I practiced dream control.

When I chose no dream I ended up having the wonderful quite blank sleep that is over in a blink of an eye and you arent finding yourself more tired than when you went to sleep originally.

When I had dreams I began being able to control them quite easily. I was bullyed a lot so in my dreams I could always put myself as centre of attention and I could choose what I said and what my responses were. I could also redo parts. If I was controling part of my dream and I couldnt quite get it the first time I could think I didnt want that to happen then I could redo it straight away. If there was a particular part that I liked then I replayed it. Also if I wanted to have a particular type of dream I could get myself there even if I wasnt asleep yet. This didnt always work but after a while it did. I wasnt really trying to do this at all and it became an automatic thing for me to do. It was quite natural.

I will add more at a later date and also some info on my dreams as I have gotten older