Dream control, why you can't and how you can! (For novice lucid dreamers)
*Just did a complete overhaul of the thread. Decided there was too much frivolous verbage that had little to do with the topic of dream control, so instead decided to get straight to the point*
What is Dream Control?
Ahh dream control, the holy grail of lucid dreaming. So what is dream control anyway? In essence it is the ability for the dreamer to manipulate their dream how they see fit. To fly at speeds greater than sound, to jump higher than the tallest of buildings, to see farther than the strongest telescope, to perform a kamehameha wave, to do almost anything one can imagine in their dreams. Or one's ability to alter the dreams laws of physics, setting, story, and direction. If you will it, it will be.
Why you can't!
So if it sounds so simple, why is it so difficult? The answer for that question is different for each individual, so the only one capable of answering it is yourself. Questions like "why couldn't I fly" or "why couldn't I shoot lasers from my hands" are almost impossible for us to answer because only you were there and there are a myriad of factors that could have played a role.
However, most members of this forum agree it usually boils down to doubt and expectations. If you expect to fail, you probably will. If you doubt your abilities for even an instant, they may falter. Emotions can also play a key role in this process (especially fear), but in most non-nightmarish circumstances it's mostly based off of expectations and doubts. Where an individuals low expectations and doubts stem from, is impossible for anyone but that individual to determine.
There is also a third factor that I believe should be taken into account and that is the dream world itself or, more precisely, the subconscious mind that maintains the dream world. The subconscious mind is what usually determines what is and isn't possible in our dreams, determines what is and what isn't going to happen, and where and how things are going to play out. It's usually the puppet master of all our dreams but lucid dreaming provides us with an opportunity to break our subconscious mind's iron grip on our dreams. So how do we combat all these things?
How you can!
So what do we do to fight off our creeping doubts, raise our expectations, and loosen our subconscious's grip on our dreams? Well, I have found two ways.
Rationalization: Rationalization may sound complicated but it isn't. In fact, it is arguably the easiest and most commonly used tactic in all of dream control. Rationalization has to do with tricking your brain and your dream into believing that what you are attempting to achieve is physically possible. So instead of just trying to "fly" because you can, instead imagine that you have a set of rocket boots on that give it's user the capability of flight. Or, instead of just standing around trying to teleport, imagine that the next doorway you see leads directly to where you want to go and then enter through it. Although it seems silly, this technique of rationalization can be extremely effective, especially if your lucidity is low (the higher the lucidity, the easier it tends to be to control your dreams).
This techniques strength is that it doesn't try to beat your doubts and subconscious mind into submission, instead it tricks them into giving what you want. "Sure, I can't fly on my own, but that's why I have a jetpack".
Practice/realization: - To be Continued
(P.S. This is just a rough draft, and I plan on building off of it as the days go on. Any questions, comments, and criticisms are welcome.)
