Thread: I Had My First Lucid Dreaming Experience Last Night. Am I now Lucid????????PLEASE ANSWER!

Well, I was doing the necessary things needed to lucid dream about 6months ago(one example:keeping dream journal). Then I stopped. Then last night, I went to bed early around 8:30-9:00pm and had a lucid.

I'm not going into full detail on my dream(it was very very long, probably my longest dream ever) but I was being chased by a HUGE snake(don't ask) and one of my friends walked out of a house on this street, saw the snake, and started running. Then I just guess I realized I was dreaming(somehow) and was able to change the size of the snake from large to small or vice versa. I then changed the setting to an ocean and began lighting the snake on fire with my mind. Then, after I killed it I changed the setting to an almost inside-carnival with a girl I really liked there. We danced and she changed forms into someone else(I don't know who). Then we just talked with my other friend for awhile. Then a train came and it was like I knew I had to go and wake up or something. And on the way onto the train some lady asked me what I dreamed about. I stepped on the train and woke up.

The dream really didn't matter. But it all felt so real, especially in the end. But now that I've been awake almost all day, it doesn't seem so real anymore. Is this normal?

Besides all that, after you have your first lucid dream, are you just automatically lucid? What other steps do I need to take to have more lucid dreams?

PS:

I'm thinking I was not fully lucid, since after the point where I could change the snake size its not like I felt like I was fully in control if you know what I mean. Its almost like semi-lucid. I could change stuff, but I still couldn't control everything that happened, just like in a real dream. Any input on this guys?

Firstly, congrats on your first lucid dream! It is always an exciting experience, and it is great that your first was so vivid! Often people's first's are sorta muddy. To me it looks like you were trying too hard to have a lucid dream, so when you gave up your brain wen't, "Ok finally! Time to relax and have a lucid." This is also how I had my first lucid dream.

As a note for you being "partial lucid," note that lucidity has nothing to do with controlling your dream. You can be completely lucid but have no control. It just usually comes easier when lucid, but the two aren't actually part of the same term. "Partially Lucid" is in fact meaning that you are only semi aware of the dream state. For example, you may 'know' that you are dreaming, and that you are asleep, but you may not realize that other people aren't real and you might think you can still be physically injured. Always a weird experience, that.

As for your question. I would say, yes mostly. Though not with just lucids, but every dream and even real-life memories. They seem to fade over time and become less realistic in our heads. Just how our brain works, I suppose. However, if you write it down in a dream journal with great detail, you can come back to it and read through and that acts almost like re-living through it and can greatly boost how real you remember it. This is one of many reasons to keep a dream journal.

Oh yeah, it might be possible that this first lucid may spur on more, but generally one lucid doesn't transform you into a natural. Just keep it relaxed and see if you have more. If you don't, then go back to trying more techniques. However, always make sure to keep a dream journal.

Good luck.

Sorry I guess I really wasn't clear enough. I really didn't exactly ask in my question.

But my biggest question was that, is it usually easier to lucid dream(controlling your dream) after the first time. Because I've read places, its always a lot easier to try and lucid dream after you have your first one.

Oooh I see. Hm, well, I would say it depends. Lucid dreaming is like any skill and takes practice to improve. So the more you practice it makes sense that you will have better control, as well as achieve the lucid state. However, I would assume that if you stopped for a long time you would get 'rusty' like in anything else.

For me, haven't really had enough to back this up fully with experience, so perhaps a more experienced member can give their input.

UPDATE:

I did not have anymore lucid dreams last night. Nor did I have any dreams at all. I tried to repeat the same circumstances, it didn't work.