Questions from a Newcomer

I am new to this whole world of lucid dreaming and I had a couple questions that I would like answered to the best of your abilities:

1. Is being lucid completely necessary for optimal dream control?

2. If it is necessary, does the realization that it is a dream interfere with the enjoyability due to the fact that you know it is not real?

3. What requisites do you recommend before I attempt to lucid dream (I already started a dream journal)

4. Which method of inducing a lucid dream do you recommend I attempt first?

Please answer

:welcome: To answer your questions:

1. Lucidity and dream control are not the same thing, but you really do need lucidity to have active dream control. You can incubate dream content without lucidity, but the results will largely be out of your control. Many lucid dreamers find that their "superpower" type control (flying, teleporting, telekinisis, ect) starts to bleed into their non-lucid dreams out of habit. This is not really dream control, because you don't know you are doing it at the time.

2. I think the realization that it is a dream makes it more enjoyable. It still feels just as real, plus, you have your full mental faculties to appreciate how amazing everything is. It even helps me enjoy my waking life more. I am more aware of the differences between dreams and reality, and better able to appreciate both.

3. Definitely start a dream journal. You could also start paying attention to your sleep schedule. Figure out when you normally dream at night, whether you are a deep or light sleeper, and how long it takes you to fall asleep. This will all be helpful when you start to experiment with WILD or WBTB.

4. Start by learning to increase your awareness and prospective memory. Practice reality checks throughout the day. You should also try to do a Wake Back To Bed (WBTB) a few times per week. It will hugely increase your chances of becoming lucid and your dream vividness and recall.

Thank you for your time in answering my questions. :)

I actually have one more question:

Is it possible to not do a WBTB and go directly into a WILD? I ask because I actually think I almost did it once. (not sure though. that's why I'm asking)

Before I found this site and even before I started searching the internet about dreams, I attempted to control what I had a dream about by focusing on it as I went to sleep. I actually did experience a sensation extremely like the sleep paralysis described in the WILD section. However, I don't think I was patient enough and I shook off the feeling. Do you think that was the beginnings of a WILD and I just didn't wait long enough or clear my mind enough?

Well, WBTB is... in a way, just a type of WILD. The timing of which is what distinguishes one from the other.

If I may add something to Robot_Butler's reply, in regards to question 1:

I've found that one of the biggest keys to dream control is not only going lucid, but staying lucid. There's a mechanism, and it's most pronounced in the early LD experiences, that causes the dream to fade and most often result in a false awakening (other times, an actual wakening).