Thread: The Three Most Important Dream Skills

Recall
Remembering your dreams is the most important skill.

Lucidity
Lucidity is awareness, an awareness that you are dreaming.


Dream Control
Control means controlling yourself in the dream, and the dream around you.

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Do not confuse lucidity and control. You can be aware that you are dreaming in a nightmare where you are bound and gagged with no control. You can have full control, shooting lightning out of your eyes at cyborg demons, and have no awareness that you are dreaming.

There are different levels of control and also levels of lucidity. Lucidity will usually help with control. Lucid dreams are generally more memorable, and so are dreams where you have more control, so sometimes an increase in those skills helps with recall. It's all interconnected.

Having better recall helps you improve your control and lucidity skills. If you are having a problem with lucidity or dream control, try and focus on your recall.

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Simple Recall Technique:

When you wake up, keep your eyes closed, and don't move. Lie in bed for five minutes, and think about your dreams. Spend five minutes writing down some basic notes.

How can I boost my awareness besides doing RCs?

Originally Posted by microbigkid321

How can I boost my awareness besides doing RCs?

Increase your general awareness. Be aware of yourself and your surroundings.

Originally Posted by WakingNomad

Increase your general awareness. Be aware of yourself and your surroundings.

The thing is that whenever I do a reality check I look around and chek to see if everything seems normal and I think back to the events of the last couple minutes and hours even. After that I do the nose and watch RCs. I have been doing this consistently for the last month and a half and at night, I simply watch all my dreams go by... Very Frustrating.

Originally Posted by microbigkid321

The thing is that whenever I do a reality check I look around and chek to see if everything seems normal and I think back to the events of the last couple minutes and hours even. After that I do the nose and watch RCs. I have been doing this consistently for the last month and a half and at night, I simply watch all my dreams go by... Very Frustrating.

You need to focus on recall first. Keep a DJ.

Write something on your hand, and when you see it just look around to see if anything is odd.

Originally Posted by USA

Write something on your hand, and when you see it just look around to see if anything is odd.

That what I do lol I write "are you awake?"

Yeah, I try to have "All Day Awareness" so I can have more DILDs.
If you wanna read more about All Day Awareness, read THIS

I like how you have summed up the whole experience with three key points. We call the hobby "lucid dreaming" but really, the goal is most than just becoming lucid and we want to cultivate many interrelated skills. I also see how these three ideas are essentially related to the key functions of the brain: memory, awareness, and will. It all just fits together, you know? Lucid dreaming, the mind, awake, sleep, life, the universe, and everything. (maybe I'm drunk but I still think it's profound)

So, an open-ended question: Which of the three skills is the most rewarding? My view changes with time. I used to be excited at the moment of lucidity or to perform some act of control. But lately, I'm just thankful to recall my dreams and wonder at what they mean and what I can learn from them.

Originally Posted by sisyphus

I like how you have summed up the whole experience with three key points. We call the hobby "lucid dreaming" but really, the goal is most than just becoming lucid and we want to cultivate many interrelated skills. I also see how these three ideas are essentially related to the key functions of the brain: memory, awareness, and will. It all just fits together, you know? Lucid dreaming, the mind, awake, sleep, life, the universe, and everything. (maybe I'm drunk but I still think it's profound)

So, an open-ended question: Which of the three skills is the most rewarding? My view changes with time. I used to be excited at the moment of lucidity or to perform some act of control. But lately, I'm just thankful to recall my dreams and wonder at what they mean and what I can learn from them.

Recall is the most important skill. If you can't remember your amazing dreams, what's the point?

I did not know those were the key functions of the brain. Very interesting. thanks for sharing

I don't get what all the fuss over a dream journal is all about. I agree with your second and third points, but I don't believe dream recall is very important if you can at least recall bits and pieces of your dreams.

I don't see what the point of slaving over a dream journal for lucids that aren't guaranteed is. It's probably nice after a few months when you get good at it, you don't have to lose any sleep, but what's the point? I've had 2 lucids in a row this week using wbtb, and I've tried twice (btw I go to bed around 10 and wake up at 6 so it can be done). Why wait for your lucids?

Originally Posted by Jay12341235

I don't get what all the fuss over a dream journal is all about. I agree with your second and third points, but I don't believe dream recall is very important if you can at least recall bits and pieces of your dreams.

I don't see what the point of slaving over a dream journal for lucids that aren't guaranteed is. It's probably nice after a few months when you get good at it, you don't have to lose any sleep, but what's the point? I've had 2 lucids in a row this week using wbtb, and I've tried twice (btw I go to bed around 10 and wake up at 6 so it can be done). Why wait for your lucids?

I don't understand your questions. What is the point of what? Why wait for your lucids to do what?

Originally Posted by Jay12341235

I don't get what all the fuss over a dream journal is all about. I agree with your second and third points, but I don't believe dream recall is very important if you can at least recall bits and pieces of your dreams.

I don't see what the point of slaving over a dream journal for lucids that aren't guaranteed is. It's probably nice after a few months when you get good at it, you don't have to lose any sleep, but what's the point? I've had 2 lucids in a row this week using wbtb, and I've tried twice (btw I go to bed around 10 and wake up at 6 so it can be done). Why wait for your lucids?

First of all wbtb doesn't work that easy for everyone. I 've done it twice, but i got way more lucids using dild.
The point of the dream journal is getting your brain motivated into remembering the dreams. If you try everyday to remember your dreams (so that you can write them down for example), finally you will be able to remember more dreams with less effort. Some of the additional dreams you might remember can actually be lucid ones. In addition writing down your dreams can help you notice patterns. Exaple: I found out that i was driving a lot in my dreams so I made up a new reality check. Everytime i passed some traffic lights i pinched my nose. And it worked. I had some lucids from that.

Originally Posted by Jay12341235

I don't get what all the fuss over a dream journal is all about. I agree with your second and third points, but I don't believe dream recall is very important if you can at least recall bits and pieces of your dreams.

I don't see what the point of slaving over a dream journal for lucids that aren't guaranteed is. It's probably nice after a few months when you get good at it, you don't have to lose any sleep, but what's the point? I've had 2 lucids in a row this week using wbtb, and I've tried twice (btw I go to bed around 10 and wake up at 6 so it can be done). Why wait for your lucids?

i agree with wakingnomad. recall is the most important attribute and should be mastered before moving on to lucidity and control.

I like dream recall very well. I dont veiw dreams as MUST be lucid. Lucidity is fun and you get adventures out of it, but to me the point is the experience. Many of my best adventure dreams where non lucid. So recall is import so we can all remember the fun dreams at night and have our 8 hours that we are usually unconciouse at night filled with something memorable. Lucidity is great to me because it helps peopel choose thire adventure instead of just going through a random one but if its a fun non lucid you might as well remember it after sleeping 3 or 4 hours.

I had a lucid a while ago which was so long, that I couldn't reacall parts of it. That really sucked, because I could only remember the beginning scene and the end. Now, in my lucids after that, I've tried to stop every now and then and try to recall what had happened so far while dreaming. The problem is, I didn't have enough concentration to actually remember the dream to the very beginning (I did however upon waking up). So here's my quesiton. Is there any good technique which helps dream recall for long lucid dreams? Something easy I could apply in the dream maybe?

When you're RCing in waking hours, question yourself deeply about whether you're dreaming or not. Analyse every bit of emotion and the 5 senses that you are experiencing.