Thread: How long have you been practicing lucid dreaming?

I induced my first Lucid Dream back in the 1980's sometime. I didn't discover Lucid Dreaming in the sense that I heard about it, then wanted to try it. I was a vivid dreamer throughout my entire childhood. And I loved every moment of my nightly adventures. I always wanted to be able to know I was dreaming. But since I never heard anyone else talking about doing that I thought it must not be something that's possible. After all, if people could do that wouldn't everybody be doing it and talking about it all the time? Well, that was my child logic anyway lol. But then the movie Dreamscape came out. After watching that movie I was so inspired and determined to realize I was in a dream, I didn't care if it was possible, I was going to make it happen regardless. I went to sleep that very night with such an intense intention to realize that I was in a dream that I became Lucid spontaneously in the middle of the dream. I even remembered what I wanted to do and acted out something I saw in the movie. Looking at my hand and willing it to morph into a vicious looking monstrous claw. Just had enough time to be amazed at what I had just done before waking. It took a week or two to start inducing more of them. Eventually I came across Stephen Laberge's book in a bookstore. I think it was his first book that I found first. I was pretty surprised and amazed to find out that there were actually scientists doing this in laboratories. This knowledge really fueled my motivation. And without the use of a journal, even for writing Lucid Dreams down, I got pretty proficient at it. I didn't need a journal to help with recall at the time. I always vividly remembered my dreams and I didn't feel like writing them out. I wish now that I had all those Lucids from back in the day on record though. I have gone back and written some of the more memorable ones down.

Anyway, once I started getting older life happened, and I got out of the practice for a few years. But since settling down I've gotten back into it. My frequency of Lucidity varies according to how much effort I put into it each month. I've been going back and forth from several a week, sometimes nearly every night of a week. To one to four in a month. The goal is to eventually keep the focus going and to be able to continue the hot streaks. It's easier said than done though, since for me inducing Lucidity takes a lot of concentration and it's hard to maintain it. Especially when something comes up in life. Either for good or ill.

I agree that cutting back internet and TV helps to maintain concentration. Because the things you see and read directs your thoughts to things other than the question. "Am I dreaming now." But I don't agree with the theory of not working too hard at it. The harder I work at it, the more frequent my Lucid Dreams become. However, it is true that after and extended period of intense concentration of about say a week or so. It can be good to completely stop thinking about it for one day. Often times that night after your break, bam, Lucid, just like that. But then you have to quickly get right back into it again or you can undo the progress you have made with your earlier efforts.

The time it takes to start getting Lucid frequently really varies. It can depend on a lot of different things. But it mostly depends on how much you put into it, and how badly you want to make it happen.

Remember, a lot of the things you dream about are the things most important in your waking thoughts. So make questioning if you're in a dream important and exciting enough to carry over into your dreaming thoughts. That's the most important thing one needs to know in order to attain Lucidity. No complicated tutorials or classes are necessary.