Non-lucids about lucidity are wrecking my confidence

**cyanidebaby** · 06-17-2011 12:53 AM

Hi guys,

Apologies for the long post

Last night, I'm sure I had another LD, because I actively tried to seek out opportunities to fulfil my lucid goals, but the fact is, since a great many of my non-lucids are false lucids, by the time I went back to sleep after it and woke up for the final time (to get up) , I was second-guessing whether I was lucid at all, even though the fake ones 'feel' different somehow, and I decide I wasn't pretty quickly. Any ways to be absolutely sure? Here's the before bed situation and the dream:

Before bed, I watched the latest episode of The Apprentice (UK,) before sleeping though, my thoughts were of romance, and having a family. I went to sleep easier than usual and all was well. The first part of the dream that I remember was walking up a hill at night, in the company of Sir Alan Sugar's aide, Nick, though I don't think we were adversaries, he was just kind of there. Suddenly, the sun exploded, and it was supposedly the end of the world. My thought process was something like 'Sun explosion? Nick Hewer? Has to be a dream! The dream scene changed and I was in some kind of night club. For the first time ever I remembered I had dream goals, I thought 'right, lucid sex.' The DC I find most desirable turned up for a second, and then disappeared into thin air, so I decided to try and find him. I went through the door which was behind where he had been standing, and found myself in the public toilet. As I walked, I remember still feeling a sense of consciousness. I opened every cubicle door, and in the last, found two women having sex with one another, at this point, I woke up.

After this, I rolled over and went back to sleep, happy about the lucid. Later however, I began to question it, since I've had lots of false lucids.

1. Why lucid sex? I have over fifty goals and that one isn't really a priority. As I think about it now I remember saying in my head in-dream that I wanted to experience lucid sex with a specific DC because it would carry a certain sentimental meaning in waking life and it sounded easy enough since I didn't have to change my environment, it but has my brain just made that up afterwards? I was thinking of romantic stuff before bed, so it could be part of a normal dream disguised as a lucid.

2. I remember the very conscious feeling of walking, and thinking 'right, I'm in a lucid and I'm not sure how long this'll last, best not walk for ages' but I don't remember the sensation of pushing doors, and I usually get heightened senses in lucids.

3. I'm confusing myself by trying to remember what all my conscious thought processes were, and that makes me wonder even more, but I definitely thought I'd been lucid straight after the dream, the doubts crept in later.

Any thoughts please?

Thanks in advance

**Suena** · 06-17-2011 01:32 AM

Not a pro, but I don't doubt you were lucid. I think if it had been a fake you wouldn't be questioning it right now. You should be proud of the experience, don't lose confidence. And figuring out whether or not you were TRULY lucid doesn't really help improve the ability anyway, so it's almost pointless. I've read a little about different layers and levels of lucidity, and what you described I have had similar experiences. It's just the beginning, and it DOES improve in quality with practice, I think. Just trust your instincts. If they tell you that you were lucid, then you were.

About the lucid sex, I think it's a natural instinct we have once we're aware we can do anything. We set lucid goals, but sometimes, once we're actually in the dream we seem to change course almost without thinking about it. I've done this too, many times.

I think once you get more control you will be able to remember more details also. You should look up the levels of lucidity. I think there's a video on this website.

Hope I helped a little.

**insideout** · 06-17-2011 01:50 AM

What do you mean by false lucids? This sounds like a lucid dream to me. If you knew you were in a dream, then you were lucid, at least for a moment.

I consider my lucid dreaming abilities to be intermediate, but I still get distracted by sex in several of my lucid dreams, or I'll have a hard time remembering my goal, or attempt the wrong goal. Could be you just weren't fully lucid.

**Solarflare** · 06-17-2011 02:00 AM

why lucid sex? because you were in a romance mood from the movie.

**mooseantlers** · 06-17-2011 02:09 AM

For my first legit one i questioned too, if it was conscious it was lucid. But your brain tries to make you think you thought you were conscious in the dream. Which isn't true, you were lucid.

**AL3ZAY** · 06-17-2011 02:19 AM

You were definitely lucid in your dream, it's just that you experience what everyone experiences in the first few years, and that is recall trouble. Until enough time has passed that your mind accepts dreaming experiences as a part of your complete life experience, you will have difficulty recalling things you thought, heard, learned, and sometimes did in a dream (the first three more-so than the fourth).

Another issue is that when you became lucid you continued to adhere to a rule-set that doesn't exist, the waking reality rule-set. There was no need to walk around, push open doors, or search for anyone or anything. If you want it, call it to you. If you want to go somewhere, simply will yourself in that direction and you'll float right over to the spot you want to go to, or you can zip around at the speed of light, it's your choice. Make things happen around you because you will it to be so, don't take the scene and objects/characters that are there as what you have to work with. If you wanted to meet a particular DC, make him/her appear in front of you, and then change the room setting to your liking. Being more active about the setting and direction of the dream itself will help you recall everything that happened.

**cyanidebaby** · 06-17-2011 01:52 PM

Thanks for all your wonderful replies everyone. I'm not that great at challenging natural schemas yet because I'm scared I'll wake up, but next time I'm lucid, I'll give it a try. Here's what I mean by false lucids: so you've been kidnapped, and as they're torturing you, you realise your dreaming, but it turns out that was just part of the dream, because in the next scene there's no consciousness, the dream story just continues and it's as if you never realised, you're oblivious as in a normal dream. Anyone else had that?

**insideout** · 06-17-2011 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by cyanidebaby

Thanks for all your wonderful replies everyone. I'm not that great at challenging natural schemas yet because I'm scared I'll wake up, but next time I'm lucid, I'll give it a try. Here's what I mean by false lucids: so you've been kidnapped, and as they're torturing you, you realise your dreaming, but it turns out that was just part of the dream, because in the next scene there's no consciousness, the dream story just continues and it's as if you never realised, you're oblivious as in a normal dream. Anyone else had that?

Oh, I see what you mean now. I would call that a brief lucid moment, or a partially lucid moment. I've had similar experiences.

**Suena** · 06-21-2011 08:48 PM

Originally Posted by cyanidebaby

in the next scene there's no consciousness, the dream story just continues and it's as if you never realised, you're oblivious as in a normal dream. Anyone else had that?

That's just losing lucidity. There are things you can do to prolong it, but it's hard to maintain consciousness in the beginning.

**cyanidebaby** · 06-21-2011 10:29 PM

Wait, so was that example of kidnap still classed as a mini LD?

**Rybread34** · 06-22-2011 01:27 AM

Your mind is trollin you.

**Danno** · 06-22-2011 01:45 AM

I agree with some. I believe you are losing your Lucidity because you are kind of letting the dream control you. Rememmber...YOU are in control. If you can think it....you can do it. And don't worry about waking up so much...It will happen but you also have to push things a bit to advance. Try reminding yourself verbally while in a lucid dream that you are dreaming every so often.