Confused About Last Night's Experience.

[MosaDawas]

Hello, My name is Mosa Dawas and I joined Dream Views last night at around 5pm-6pm and I remained on this website reading about Lucid Dreams and about any that's related and may help me to experience my first Lucid Dream. I usually sleep very late, because I'm a night person. I usually sleep past 1am. Some nights I sleep later than the previous. I read somewhere on Dream Views that you require good amount of time to sleep. So, I listened to some subliminal lucid dream audio on YouTube and then shut down my laptop at 9pm. I put a little notepad on my small cabinet that my TV is sat on and my DVD and Xbox games are stored in. I couldn't find a pen, so I figured I'll find one when I wake up to write down my dreams. When I layed in my bed, it took me a very long and boring time to get to sleep, but during that time, I repeated my mantra: "when I wake up, I'll remember my dreams." Finally, I was asleep, of course I didn't know when I started to drift, but I was asleep. 2 Hours later, I suddenly woke up. Then I asked the question "wow, am I dreaming?" followed by Reality Check #1 and #2. RC #1 is Palm/Thumb, and RC #2 is changing something in my room. Throughout reading the website, I read that whenever you remember to Reality Check, do it. So I did. I even set a timer on my phone to ring a dreamy tone every hour to indicate I should reality check. I did the timer for 2 or 3 hours, but then I just reality checked every time I remember or get a feeling 'what if I'm in a dream right now and I just don't know it?' When I woke up, I couldn't remember my dream, so I thought that I never dreamed in those 2 hours. I don't know exactly when the REM happens, but I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep long enough for me to enter the REM sleep stage. I tried going back to bed and perform the WBTB, but I couldn't fall asleep. I repeated the same mantra. I couldn't fall asleep, because I hadn't slept so early in a very long time. I know for a fact that if you lay down without moving, your body will shut down and you'll fall asleep. I stayed still, but I couldn't do it for 15 minutes. So, I just repeated my mantra, and just wait until I fall asleep. I probably fell asleep for a couple of minutes, then I woke up. But then I fell asleep, and woke up at 1am. I hadn't dreamed yet. So, I thought forget it, I'll try to lucid dream tomorrow (Sunday). I made myself a sandwich and sat to watch TV until 3am, then went to sleep. This time, I repeated to myself a couple of mantras in the form of commands. They were as follow: 1. I will Lucid dream. (x3) 2. When I wake up, I will remember all of my dreams. (x3) 3. I am fully in control of my dreams. (x3) 4. I will perform a reality check in my dreams. (x3) 5. I will remain calm when I Lucid dream. (x3) 6. My senses are heightened when I Lucid dream. (x3) Notice I used repetition - the word "will" and "when" - "will" suggests that I don't have an option but to do as the commands tell me, and "when" suggests that there's no 'if' and that I WILL Lucid dream. Also, I didn't say "I will not panic when I Lucid dream" because I focused on saying positive words like "calm" instead of "panic" and "will remain" instead of "will not." I know Psychology, and repetition, rhyming word, reassurement and positivity during hypnosis will sink the subject deeper into the trance, and will get them more relaxed. Although I'm not hypnotising myself, I think the suggestions are transferable. I repeated the commands over and over until I drifted to sleep. This time, I dreamed about 4 times. The suggestions/commands were a success. I can't remember my first 2 dreams (although I can feel what it felt like), but my 2 last ones were somewhat confusing. My last dream was a dream about my favourite TV show, The Mentalist. I didn't watch it before sleeping, but the upcoming episode (tonight) is an important one. In that dream, a character, Grace Van Pelt, was in an office talking with a elderly woman in a wheelchair. Then she pushed her up on the bridge, but the bridge didn't have ramps - just stairs. Parked in the middle of the bridge, Grace turned and leaned on the rails with her mobile to her ear. She was talking with her boss, Teresa Lisbon. Grace wanted her to come back, but her boss said she's going to be late. Then she hung up the phone, turned to the elderly woman and the woman's right eye went out of shape - this is what was a short-lived reality check of mine - I would look in the mirror every time I use the restroom, and I would try and my right eye go out of shape, exactly how it did to the woman's. The dream before the last was the most confusing when I woke up. I think I was lucid. In the dream, I got out of bed and picked up my college bag and put it on my bed, then I pulled out an A4 notepad (instead of my mini one on my cabinet) and a pen then placed it on the radiator next to my bed, but it wouldn't stay because it's too big, so I put it on the window sill. That's all I can remember. When I woke up, nothing was there. So, I'm confused. Did I go Lucid or not? If not, how do you get Lucid? Could you give me advice? Thank you! - Mosa.

[dolphin]

It was only a lucid dream if you knew it was a dream while you were in the dream. It sounds like you're on the right track to lucid dreaming. Just give your method a couple for more weeks to work. Have faith and confidence that it will. Many of my LDs come from catching false awakenings. Try to get into the habit of doing reality checks when you wake up to catch them.

[gab]

Hi Mosa, welcome to Dreamviews! Finally, I was asleep, of course I didn't know when I started to drift, but I was asleep. 2 Hours later, I suddenly woke up. Then I asked the question "wow, am I dreaming?" followed by Reality Check #1 and #2. RC #1 is Palm/Thumb, and RC #2 is changing something in my room. Those are good RCs Throughout reading the website, I read that whenever you remember to Reality Check, do it. So I did. I even set a timer on my phone to ring a dreamy tone every hour to indicate I should reality check. I did the timer for 2 or 3 hours, but then I just reality checked every time I remember or get a feeling 'what if I'm in a dream right now and I just don't know it?' That's very good that you are doing RC and even better, that you are combining them with the "what if this is a dream" feeling. That is very important. When I woke up, I couldn't remember my dream, so I thought that I never dreamed in those 2 hours. I don't know exactly when the REM happens, but I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep long enough for me to enter the REM sleep stage. You had your first REM about 80 min after falling asleep first time at night. First REM lasts about 10 min. Together, they form a 90 min sleep cycle. Every subsequent NREM is shorter and REM longer. Notice I used repetition - the word "will" and "when" - "will" suggests that I don't have an option but to do as the commands tell me, and "when" suggests that there's no 'if' and that I WILL Lucid dream. Also, I didn't say "I will not panic when I Lucid dream" because I focused on saying positive words like "calm" instead of "panic" and "will remain" instead of "will not." I know Psychology, and repetition, rhyming word, reassurement and positivity during hypnosis will sink the subject deeper into the trance, and will get them more relaxed. Although I'm not hypnotising myself, I think the suggestions are transferable. Those are all good mantras. Only thing I would suggest, that despite of the logic of using "I WILL", we should not use that. To our mind, future tense of "I will" implies, tat we want that to happen not now, but sometimes in the future. Which could mean in days or weeks. But we wan't it NOW. We want it on the very next occasion. And that for our mind is NOW. For this purpose, it's better to use present tense. As if we were already doing it, as if it had already happened. Then our mind has no choice other then give it to you NOW. Also, "I will" is associated with a "Wish", which is something we only wish for and it's not certain. But "I'am" is associated with knowing, that it had already happened. (even if it didn't yet). Because you were thinking about dreaming, lucid dreaming, and remembering your dreams, it had trickled into your dream. Which is a great sign. It means, your mind is paying attention and it's ready to oblige. Keep practicing RC + "what if..." feeling, and mantras during day and as you falling asleep. RC every time, when you get up from your bed. That will help you get lucid next time you have something we call False awakening (FA). Those are regular dreams, in which we wake up and go about our business, only to wake up later "for real" and realize, that was all just a dream. Even if you didn't get lucid last night, you very well may get lucid tonight. You are doing everything right, and you have a huge amount of excitement and intent. Happy dreams

[MosaDawas]

Thank you, dolphin. This assures me that I'm on the right track. I will make reality checking fit in with my life style and hopefully I'll become Lucid. I'm very confident, faithful and excited! Thank you very much for your reply! - Mosa

[MosaDawas]

Wow, thank you so much for this detailed reply, gab! Knowing that I'm on the right track is a huge relief! I'll perform RCs, mantras and "what if..." feelings throughout my day, everyday and inhabit it into my life style! The only thing that confuses me are the sleep cycles, I can't seem to understand, but I will read them over again until I finally get it. Thank you very much! - Mosa.