Question For The Experienced Only*

[Tweek]

Well I'm still working on trying to control my dreams and I have been thinking about this for awhile. For those of you that are experienced in this specific area.(controlling your dreams) How's it work on a nightly basis? Do you just start controlling your dream right away or do you do the methods? Cause I always try to go just by realizing it's a dream. Do any of you have to realize it first every night or do you eventually just get in a habit of controlling every dream right away?

[sloth]

I MAY be a special case, but for the last eleven years I have been able to do anything. I think it would work for others too though. Over time, my brain became used to having control. My ability to lucid dream came BECAUSE I gained full control. When I am in a dream, my mind does know it, but doesn't associate it with dreaming all the time. It DOES, however, know that it is in that familiar place where it can do anything. When I am dreaming, I sometimes forget that there was ever a place where I could not do anything with my mind. Other times, I know that I am 'in that place' where I can do anything. Then there are lucid dreams, of course.... and I do have a few dreams where I don't have control. They are usually emotional dreams. (sloth actually has deep-seeded psychological issues.) So.. I don't know what you can do with my information. The only information I can produce for sure, is that dream control DOES get easier, and become more natural over time, as you can tell with my dreams. -sloth

[ivey]

I guess since I've done this my whole life, I just control it because I always have. I think since I've realized it was something that could be worked on, I've gained *more* control in my adult life. BUT I'm not always in 100% control. For example, in the past I've attempted to turn on the lights in a dream using only my mind or some other technique than "normal", and I end up only getting them to come on dimly. Or I'll attempt to conjur up a person or turn their face into someone else's face and usually end up just screwing their face up into a picasso painting looking thing. I've learned other techniques, though, that have helped me achieve better power, like closing my eyes in the dream and saying "When I open my eyes, I'll be in ___", (Wherever I'd rather be) and sometimes it works. Or going into an elevator and coming back out. The other night I stuck a spoon all the way through my hand which I've never done before, simply because someone suggested it here. At first I couldn't do it, until I told myself again, "I'm dreaming. I definitely can do this." So... to answer your question (not really) yes and no.

[sloth]

I stuck a spoon all the way through my hand too! But then I did a RC, and discovered I wasn't dreaming.

[imaginefication]

I use WBTB every night at 4 hours. Until I wbtb, I have very little to no awareness of my dreams. If I don't do wbtb at all then I don't start becoming aware until my last 1 or 2 hours of sleep. Once I have awarness I usually have some type of semi-conscious control, but it varies greatly. Once I am lucid my control also varies greatly, eg. sometimes flying is a snap, sometimes I have to use all my effort just to float a little. Control of my LDs, and to a lesser extent my non LDS, has deffinetly improved a lot with time. Potentially I can have waaay more control in my LDs than in my nons. edit. as far as how I gain lucidity, I will either like you said, just suddenly realize Im dreaming, start off lucid in a dream, or WILD. I typically do all three things several times each night.

[ivey]

I stuck a spoon all the way through my hand too! But then I did a RC, and discovered I wasn't dreaming. [/b] Oh no! That'll teach you to play with knives... instead... of... spoons?

[sloth]

[funkstrman]

When I am in a dream, my mind does know it, but doesn't associate it with dreaming all the time. It DOES, however, know that it is in that familiar place where it can do anything.[/b] Yes!, I agree with this one hundred percent. Although I am by no means an experienced Lucid Dreamer, I have had enough experiences to understand what this feeling is like. It is odd because you just KNOW something is different. There is something extra there that you can't really put a finger on. And as sloth said, it's not necessarily associated with dreaming; i feel it is more of an "understanding" for lack of a better word. It's almost like everything is TOO real, then you start to question reality and realize what is going on. It seems like the feeling triggers the RC, the RC then, of course, triggers lucidity. For me there is always the feeling that I am in that weird place before I do an RC. Something in the back of my mind triggers my realization even though everything appears normal or sometimes almost too normal. Very hard to explain, do I make sense?

[Wolffe]

Yes!, I agree with this one hundred percent. Although I am by no means an experienced Lucid Dreamer, I have had enough experiences to understand what this feeling is like. It is odd because you just KNOW something is different. There is something extra there that you can't really put a finger on. And as sloth said, it's not necessarily associated with dreaming; i feel it is more of an "understanding" for lack of a better word. It's almost like everything is TOO real, then you start to question reality and realize what is going on. It seems like the feeling triggers the RC, the RC then, of course, triggers lucidity. For me there is always the feeling that I am in that weird place before I do an RC. Something in the back of my mind triggers my realization even though everything appears normal or sometimes almost too normal. Very hard to explain, do I make sense? [/b] Yeah I get this a lot too. It tends to be the most life-like, realistic situations that I end up becoming spontaneously lucid in

[sloth]

Yes!, I agree with this one hundred percent. Although I am by no means an experienced Lucid Dreamer, I have had enough experiences to understand what this feeling is like. It is odd because you just KNOW something is different. There is something extra there that you can't really put a finger on. And as sloth said, it's not necessarily associated with dreaming; i feel it is more of an "understanding" for lack of a better word. It's almost like everything is TOO real, then you start to question reality and realize what is going on. It seems like the feeling triggers the RC, the RC then, of course, triggers lucidity. For me there is always the feeling that I am in that weird place before I do an RC. Something in the back of my mind triggers my realization even though everything appears normal or sometimes almost too normal. Very hard to explain, do I make sense? [/b] What? I don't think you know what you're talking about. LOL! Just kidding.