Thread: How much would/do you give up for Lucid Dreaming?

Very nice,

I feel as though most who become interested in LDing view it as a simple addition to their current life/schedule. Rather than an exchange. The mind is the greatest tool we have, unfortunately is it mostly affected by EVERYTHING we do.
Your post is very congruent with my recent thoughts on 'whole life reformatting' to best condition the mind for lucid experience. Though it is true lucid dreaming should benefit the quality of ones life, most would view the abstaining as a form of restriction. I couldn't disagree more. Which the curtailing of our waking behaviour we shape ourselves/minds into being the absolute best we can be, without the clutter.
So with that said,
I have also given up De Herb. Though some of my best dreams were had on the substance, I have found regular consumption negatively impacts recall and over all lucid experience.
The alcohol was a no brainer on the count that it is flat out poison and doesn't benefit any system in the body.
The one thing I feel as though is still affecting my thought process and/or overall control of my states of awareness. Is technology. My phone/internet/screens in general. With its constantly shifting output I feel as though it re-embraces attention deficit behaviour. Every time I limit the amount of time I spend in front of a screen and focus on inward visualization, I notice a clear difference in my dreamscape.
I believe also managing my diet to be incredibly better for brain nutrition, better brain chemistry= better dreams. I think. lol
Also, there may be a large deal to integrating meditation into daily routine, for it trains the mind to be in control of its thought, rather than subjected by it.
All of these things I have noticed when adhered too positively influence my dreaming. Though there is still an element missing, perhaps it is regularity lol.

Not certain what I would 'give up', but to live a lifetime in the lucid state would be akin to a certain kind of heaven I'm sure. With proper training I believe it to be possible to have multiple, long, adventurous lucids every night. Nirvana here we come

Originally Posted by DorianMask

The one thing I feel as though is still affecting my thought process and/or overall control of my states of awareness. Is technology. My phone/internet/screens in general. With its constantly shifting output I feel as though it re-embraces attention deficit behaviour. Every time I limit the amount of time I spend in front of a screen and focus on inward visualization, I notice a clear difference in my dreamscape.

You know, I'm just now realizing that I've had the same pattern in my dreams! over the past couple months, I had no laptop, and my desktop is in need of repair, so i couldn't do much with it, and thus I wasn't on the computer quite as much...and my dreams were getting epic. They weren't super detailed or anything, but they were much more interesting and fantasy based. The past couple weeks I've been on the laptop a good chunk of the day, and I seem to be having more ordinary dreams...

Also, I believe I would give up a year if of my life in society if I was positive that it would grant me awareness enough to be lucid for every single dream. I don't think I'd want to be out for much longer than a year, though.

Originally Posted by Alucinor XIII

I've recently been putting in a lot more focus and effort on my lucid dreaming, and I'm wondering how much every one else focuses and sacrifices for their pursuit of mind-boggling phenomenal cosmic powers during their sleep cycle.

So...

Q1) How much/what do you give up for your lucid/dreaming pursuits? Do you feel it is worth it?

I've been going to bed much earlier, sacrificing two hours of what was waking time to do...whatever. Before I would go out and party and hang out with friends, now I'm like one of the old farts who passes out way early.

So, I've kinda sacrificed some of my time, and a good bit of my social life. When you count work and other life-requirements, Its actually a good chunk of the time that I would spend with my friends.

I also quit drinking and smoking pot. I miss them sometimes, but I feel that over-all these are some very good qualities to drop. I've been much more productive and my mood is far more stable now that I've quit smoking and drinking and having an irregular sleep schedule.

I'd also say I'm a little more prone to daydreaming and staring off and wondering about dreams, lucid techniques, and daydreaming about lucid goals sometimes, etc. But that's barely accountable.

Q2) What would you give up in life if you were GUARANTEED at least one 15 minute lucid every night?

This one is a toughie. Even though I've given up 1.5 to 2 hours of my day to sleeping longer, I still don't have lucids every night...

Would you completely quit masturbating/having sex? (I know from a recent thread that some of you would/have tried lol)

Would you quit doing any drugs? Cigarettes and Coffee included?

If you had to become a hermit and live outside of society, but were guaranteed to lucid dream all night every night, would you do it? (you're allowed to re-enter society whenever you've had your fill, but lets say you have to be out at least a year.)

Interesting questions! I've focused on sleep because of how it affects my health. If I don't get enough sleep, I'll start having seizures, even considering the fact that I'm on medication.
So the lucid dreaming pursuit for me is actually a byproduct of "needing lots of sleep". I can live without lucid dreaming; I can't live without "lots of sleep", because of my health.

What would I give up for guaranteed lucid dreaming? Well, because of my health concerns, I already am kind of "not doing" a lot of those things you mentioned -- alcohol, drugs, smoking, fast foods... I've become a vegetarian simply because I can't afford meat in this damned economy.

Soooo... so what if I wank off, lol?

Originally Posted by Alucinor XIII

Q1) How much/what do you give up for your lucid/dreaming pursuits? Do you feel it is worth it?

I've been going to bed much earlier, sacrificing two hours of what was waking time to do...whatever. Before I would go out and party and hang out with friends, now I'm like one of the old farts who passes out way early.

So, I've kinda sacrificed some of my time, and a good bit of my social life. When you count work and other life-requirements, Its actually a good chunk of the time that I would spend with my friends.

I also quit drinking and smoking pot. I miss them sometimes, but I feel that over-all these are some very good qualities to drop. I've been much more productive and my mood is far more stable now that I've quit smoking and drinking and having an irregular sleep schedule.

I'd also say I'm a little more prone to daydreaming and staring off and wondering about dreams, lucid techniques, and daydreaming about lucid goals sometimes, etc. But that's barely accountable.

This could be me speaking. I have stopped doing the exact same things you have! I haven't gone out for at least 2 months, I don't drink, I don't smoke weed anymore, I go to bed 2 hours earlier than I used to although it takes me a lot more time to fall asleep, I exercise a lot more, I meditate...

Q2) I would try to stop masturbating but I'm home alone a lot now, so... maybe when school time starts lol

If you had to become a hermit and live outside of society, but were guaranteed to lucid dream all night every night, would you do it? (you're allowed to re-enter society whenever you've had your fill, but lets say you have to be out at least a year.)

This is a hard one. Let's say 6 hours of lucid dreaming per night, assuming 8 hours of sleep a day. That's a lot... I have no idea.

I've never really given up more than a couple hours of time to go to bed earlier. I love lucid dreaming, but I find that real life definitely has to come first in my case. Do I feel that it's worth it? Yes, of course! I actually needed a reason to go to bed earlier, I always felt like sleep was a waste of time (always so much to do). I think I would try out the hermit for lucids every night. Just for a year probably, unless I fell in love with it.

Originally Posted by Alucinor XIII

I've recently been putting in a lot more focus and effort on my lucid dreaming, and I'm wondering how much every one else focuses and sacrifices for their pursuit of mind-boggling phenomenal cosmic powers during their sleep cycle.

So...

Q1) How much/what do you give up for your lucid/dreaming pursuits? Do you feel it is worth it?

I've been going to bed much earlier, sacrificing two hours of what was waking time to do...whatever. Before I would go out and party and hang out with friends, now I'm like one of the old farts who passes out way early.

So, I've kinda sacrificed some of my time, and a good bit of my social life. When you count work and other life-requirements, Its actually a good chunk of the time that I would spend with my friends.

I also quit drinking and smoking pot. I miss them sometimes, but I feel that over-all these are some very good qualities to drop. I've been much more productive and my mood is far more stable now that I've quit smoking and drinking and having an irregular sleep schedule.

Hah me three. I have also quit smoking and drinking, and my friends always give me shit about not coming out all the time like i used to.
But my LDs are worth it, and in addition to all the wonderful i experiences i actually remember from my dreams, my waking life also benefits from less pot, alcohol and better sleep.
Seems to me like LDing is a good addiction =)

Interesting responses so far! Seems like going to bed earlier and giving up pot/drinking is a consistent side-effect of Lucid Dreaming.

The biggest issue I have is with pot right now. God, I love LDing and Weed so much. Especially the LDs when I have massive amounts of weed and wake up with none. That being said... hooooo. I don't know. I could do the hermit thing for a year, but at the same time... it seems limiting since dreams are fueled by our experiences and interactions. But if I could re-enter and maintain some level or consistent LDing, then sure.... I mean, if you're doing it every single night for a year, that has to carry over, right? Definitely worth the trade.

And, you know, I guess depending on which would guarantee lucidity, I would happily give up coffee and cigarettes (the latter being unhealthy enough as it is)

Giving up sex/masturbating is ridiculous, though... that's probably a dealbreaker for me.

I guess I could give up masturbation, but I'm quite afraid of having wet dreams.

I definitely agree with DorianMask's notion that lucid dreaming is linked to all of our consciousness, habits, and waking experience. I think that if I'm a more mindful person who drinks less and challenges reality more, I'll have more lucid dreams. Both the journey and the end-goal appeal to me, so I don't so much think of it as "giving things up."

I would give up everything short of caffeine. Mt. Dew is the entire reason for my existence and the one thing that I could never cut out of my life. I would have no problem being a hermit but it may get boring after a year though... not sure it would particularly help with having LD's either.

Very interesting questions. I do not use to smoke pot (in fact, never tried) and about alcohol income I only drink on special occasions, enough to make myself feel a lot more enthusiastic. Even so, I was in a 10-day trip with my friends and drank alcohol and slept irregularly and had plenty of rem rebounds. As a result I had one of my first lucids (which ended abruptly because of my enthusiasm ''HELL YEA I'M DREAMING...and now I'm awake''). Objectively speaking, people who are addicted to alcohol and are skeptical about lucid dreaming would not give up their vice easily. Even if they do, they will feel bad about it.
From my point of view, sex should not be given up for more lucid dreaming, moreover, sex does not affect lucids negatively, maybe positively by releasing certain hormones (such as oxytocin, which reduces stress). Besides you can easily be sexually active while also sleeping enough to reach your 4th-5th rem cycle to have more vivid dreams. Maybe I did not understand the question, though.
What would I give up? hmm...I would give up studying for school, given the ability to lucid dream every night. Then I would look for a way to understand (rather than memorize) every lesson at school without studying at all, USING my dreamscape. I would give up living in the society too, for like 1 year. I suppose that solitary meditation would get me on a higher state of consciousness (out of boredom maybe) and make me reach my subconscious. I would waste a year with my body and win 1 hundred with my soul. Meh...not a big deal. Anyway it all depends on personal convictions and experience.
Almost forgot, about your daydreaming increase because of lucid dreaming. For me it's exactly the opposite, I am trying to focus a lot more on my environment or on my feelings (touch, smell, hearing) without letting my thoughts take over my conscious flow with kind of pointless daydreaming, of course I still daydream a lot without noticing but I'm trying to get rid of it, optimize my lifestyle to help my dream world.

Originally Posted by Alucinor XIII

If you had to become a hermit and live outside of society, but were guaranteed to lucid dream all night every night, would you do it? (you're allowed to re-enter society whenever you've had your fill, but lets say you have to be out at least a year.

If this would get me lucid everynight, I'd be a fucking pro. I never leave the house xD