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I've had about four or five lucid dreams now, but a few of those times, after the dream is over, I've noticed that even though I realized I was in a dream, I wasn't able to act rationally or really carry out with things like I planned before I went to sleep. Is there anything I can do to help myself think more clearly? Sometimes I feel like I'm in a bit of auto-drive, even if I have noticed I'm in a dream.
Yeah, I'm often incredibly irrational. I haven't figured out what makes me more rational, usually it's whether the fact that I'm actually in bed clicks. That only happens sometimes, and often I wake up after that realization.
Depending on your method, make your attempts after more sleep, so you're more rested and alert.
I think there are different levels of lucidity. Remember, when dreaming your brain isn't in full-functioning mode - your working memory is disabled so a lot of common sense logic goes out the window. The more lucid you become, I believe, the more this part of the brain awakens and the more rational you can become. The thing that makes it difficult at first is that when you are just beginning to become lucid and you reactivate this part of the brain completely you wake up, or you stay in the dream and don't reactivate it fully so you're lucid - but not completely and thus irrational to some extent. This is just what makes the most sense to me, my 'theory' on it. But the more lucid dreams you have and more you learn to control it the more rational/lucid you'll become. Like everything, practice makes perfect.
Also, the excitement of realizing your lucidity, if it doesn't wake you up, can put your mind into over-drive with "What am I gonna do?"'s which may be why you do irrational things. I still get this sometimes and when I realize I'm lucid I just want to do one or two things (usually flying) instead of calming down and exploring the tons of interesting and self-enriching possibilities of the dream world and using something like flying as a tool to get to other places in the dream world instead of just doing it for the thrill of it.
Good luck and keep at it!
My favorite technique is my favorite because it eliminates this problem. In my more successfully crafted dreams there is no seam between wakefulness and sleep. There is no transition. Because of this I am completely and fully aware, and ... AWAKE ... but INSIDE a dream.
I use WBTB method, using an imaginary object to let me know when I am ready. As soon as I can actually see this imaginary object I just look around, or I pick up the object.
Ethereal is correct, too. You want plenty of sleep before you attempt it. That way you don't just lose consciousness before your first hypnogogic sign.
I think you're right that practice makes perfect: I've slowly been having more lucid dreams as time goes on. And for the most part, I'm getting a little bit more rational. During my most recent lucid, I was able to summon my dream guide, but I must've gotten too relaxed during our conversation, because the dream slipped away from me a bit into the conversation. Even though it ended before I got to the good part, I at least was able to calm down and think(though not perfectly.) I think my biggest issue at this time is trying to remember to stabilize enough in the dream.
I've been doing the WBTB method right now, usually setting the alarm 6 hours after I go to sleep. I've been trying to combine WILD with it, but I usually just end up having a DILD. I feel like I've been getting enough sleep, but maybe if I stayed awake a bit longer so I'm a bit more awake?
Sloth- that's an interesting idea. I've been trying to do something similar by imagining an entire room, but I think putting my focus on a single object could be more effective. Do you imagine just the object alone, and then your subconscious places it in a dream?
I find this completely right, there are levels of lucidity, and at a lower level you won't have much rational thought. When you first become lucid, spend a little bit getting your thoughts in orderQuote:
Originally Posted by DougD720