I struggle with lucid dreaming, I see obvious signs but it won't trigger me

**Newtothis** · 04-03-2016 03:43 AM

So I started trying to learn to lucid dream in december 2015. Untill then, I've had 1 lucid dream, it occured on 3:rd of march 2016.
The lucid dream only lasted for a few seconds (maybe 10-15 seconds). I remember I was in my room, I was standing at my computer facing the monitor and saying (in swedish) "maybe playing some games will help me dream better". So I sat down and started at the screen and just a few seconds later I said "wait, I'm dreaming!!! Holy shit!!!". Right then my heart beat started to rise and I told myself calm down calm down and I started rubbing my hands but it didn't help at all and I woke up. I'm still pretty happy that I actually managed to achieve this. I have to mention that I started using B6 only a few days prior and it might have helped (the lucid dream came pretty quickly after that, but it could also be just a coincidence/placebo).

Anyway, the real struggle I have is that I do have some weird dreams, sometimes very vivid. But I never get lucid when I have these dreams and I don't understand why since there is almost always something that is odd.
Some examples of what I've seen (recent dreams):

Doors that don't exist in real life, recent one was just outside to the right where my apartment entrance door is located.
A train derailing without me being shocked at all and not being hurt. It was like I realized it wasn't real but my brain still didn't tell me that.
A wooden bridge to the left of a highway bridge, the wooden bridge does not exist.
Funny enough, when I googled the bridge, there actually do exist a wooden bridge but it is under the highway bridge itself (I didn't know it existed to be honest).
I went to my "crush" apartment and she open the door on me so I fell then she left off. Then I went into an elevator. But the problem here is that there is no elevator in that apartment building.
Summer when it have been winter and spring.
I've seen people I know doing stuff that they most likely aren't and I've seen people that have been at the mall close to where I live, which is odd since they don't live here and most likely have no reason to be here.
I've seen a coworker try to make me adopt a mixture of a dog and flamingo.
I've had sex with a box, that itself is kind off disturbing (though there was a girl there before but she just disappeared).
I've been attacked twice in dreams and killed in both, but I wasn't horrified when I woke up because I instantly knew it was a dream (pretty vivid dreams vision vice).

I could go on and on. There is something or several things off in my dreams 90-95% of the time. These things can be very obvious at some points. But yet I don't manage to realize it and to reality checks (I usually ask myself if I am dreaming and look at my hand and press a finger on my left hand). This is the biggest struggle I currently have. I've come a far way when it comes to dreaming, my dream recall is better so I know that I've dreamt a lot more.
I try to think about these things every now and then and lucid dreaming in general.
I also tend to do WBTB sometimes because it happens naturally (I have to pee), but I usually go to bed immediately and fall asleep pretty fast. I've heard you should try to be awake for a while before you go back and sleep, but idk if that is correct.

I don't know what to do next to overcome my struggle. I feel I've come a pretty far way but it makes me sad when I've seen so much obvious stuff in dreams but yet it doesn't trigger me to question my current state. Any ideas? I'd be very happy to hear them!

Thanks for reading and sorry if it is messy, it's very late here and I should probably head to bed soon.

**DannyCool** · 04-03-2016 10:51 AM

Spend more time on the site and your lucid dreaming will improve. See you around...

**Smudgefish** · 04-03-2016 01:39 PM

I don't have any magic solutions to improving your chances.

I have been at this since August last year. I had my first true moment of lucidity last night and it lasted about 2 seconds, it was a bit odd becasue I didn't really find it exciting and just carried on with the dream, so I haven't even acheived as much as you have.

I'm keeping motivated by reading and posting regularly on here, and talking with a friend. I suppose I just want to acheive lucidity at any cost and know it's going to take time - and I want to learn to OBE, that's been a life long ambition of mine.

Like you I can count numerous instances every night where the most bizarre things happen in my dreams but I don't question it.

I think that for some of us it can take years, so I'm not giving up yet.

**DannyCool** · 04-03-2016 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Smudgefish

I don't have any magic solutions to improving your chances.

I have been at this since August last year. I had my first true moment of lucidity last night and it lasted about 2 seconds, it was a bit odd becasue I didn't really find it exciting and just carried on with the dream, so I haven't even acheived as much as you have.

I'm keeping motivated by reading and posting regularly on here, and talking with a friend. I suppose I just want to acheive lucidity at any cost and know it's going to take time - and I want to learn to OBE, that's been a life long ambition of mine.

Like you I can count numerous instances every night where the most bizarre things happen in my dreams but I don't question it.

I think that for some of us it can take years, so I'm not giving up yet.

Would you like to enter the beginners league in the competition. We are all the same level only having the odd glimpse of a lucid. Josh and I and Luna are in it. You get a point just for remembering a dream. I think I have to get involved and then it will happen.

Oh ya I also started a workbook in the intro class which I found very refreshing. My dreams have picked up a lot since I have started posting again and I bet yours have too. Look on the bright side of what we achieve and lets support each other.

**Rothgar** · 04-03-2016 06:38 PM

Are you journalling? I hope so, because that will reinforce the signs you know already are dream signs. When they occur again you have a better chance of realization. Also, I too do short WBTB. The trick for me is to wake up enough to not fall asleep immediately, but not be so awake I cant fall back to sleep in say 15 to 20 mins. I dont really try to LD until my WBTB bathroom break...my percentages are too low. In the bathroom I also reinforce "lightly" that I am expecting an LD. Two nights ago I did this and I had two short non-LD dreams...and each time I would awake wonder how I missed the signs. But the 3rd I became lucid. So you never achieve 100% but if you journal (not necessarily everything, but good vivid ones), WBTB with some amount of alertness, and reinforce with expectation, your chances are greatly increased. I usually have one or 2 a week with this approach. I dont spend much time or effort so I am pretty happy with these results, given my busy schedule.

**dolphin** · 04-03-2016 07:43 PM

You're not becoming lucid because you're more interested in the dream itself than the fact you're dreaming. You only pay attention to your top priority, so dreaming has to be your top priority during the dream if you're going to pay attention to the fact you're dreaming, which you must do in order to become lucid.

While you're in bed, try to keep your attention on things only related to dreaming in order to keep it your top priority. If you keep becoming lucid is your top priority while falling asleep, it will be more likely to be or become your top priority once you're dreaming.

**Smudgefish** · 04-03-2016 08:14 PM

Dolphin - can you expand on your comment above? It interests me as a concept but I can't quite get my head around exactly what it means in terms of LD practice ie how do I keep my attention on things only related to dreaming as opposed to the dreams themselves?

and DannyCool: how do I join this beginners league??

**Newtothis** · 04-03-2016 11:54 PM

Originally Posted by Smudgefish

I don't have any magic solutions to improving your chances.

I have been at this since August last year. I had my first true moment of lucidity last night and it lasted about 2 seconds, it was a bit odd becasue I didn't really find it exciting and just carried on with the dream, so I haven't even acheived as much as you have.

I'm keeping motivated by reading and posting regularly on here, and talking with a friend. I suppose I just want to acheive lucidity at any cost and know it's going to take time - and I want to learn to OBE, that's been a life long ambition of mine.

Like you I can count numerous instances every night where the most bizarre things happen in my dreams but I don't question it.

I think that for some of us it can take years, so I'm not giving up yet.

Interesting post. I am a slow developer but I though it would be quicker to learn to LD, especially when dreams has been something I enjoy.

**Newtothis** · 04-04-2016 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by Rothgar

Are you journalling? I hope so, because that will reinforce the signs you know already are dream signs. When they occur again you have a better chance of realization. Also, I too do short WBTB. The trick for me is to wake up enough to not fall asleep immediately, but not be so awake I cant fall back to sleep in say 15 to 20 mins. I dont really try to LD until my WBTB bathroom break...my percentages are too low. In the bathroom I also reinforce "lightly" that I am expecting an LD. Two nights ago I did this and I had two short non-LD dreams...and each time I would awake wonder how I missed the signs. But the 3rd I became lucid. So you never achieve 100% but if you journal (not necessarily everything, but good vivid ones), WBTB with some amount of alertness, and reinforce with expectation, your chances are greatly increased. I usually have one or 2 a week with this approach. I dont spend much time or effort so I am pretty happy with these results, given my busy schedule.

Of course I do

But your post gave me some new ideas to try that I've not tried yet, especially about the WBTB parts. Sadly I've not had any WBTB recently but I guess I'll have to use an alarm this time (which I rarely need but I recently changed my sleeping pattern).
I am also considering having trigger objects, first of all items placed in my room related to my dreams. But also maybe watching pictures of people I've met in dreams or want to meet in dreams. Your input on this?
Thanks for your post also!

**dolphin** · 04-04-2016 01:05 AM

Smudgefish, say someone dreams about a monster. The monster is part of the dream. So, if someone is paying attention the monster, they are paying attention to the dream. If they then think about whether they're dreaming or not, they're now paying attention to the concept of dreaming rather than the dream itself.

**Smudgefish** · 04-04-2016 06:42 AM

Interesting post. I am a slow developer but I though it would be quicker to learn to LD, especially when dreams has been something I enjoy

Same with me.

**DannyCool** · 04-04-2016 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by Smudgefish

Dolphin - can you expand on your comment above? It interests me as a concept but I can't quite get my head around exactly what it means in terms of LD practice ie how do I keep my attention on things only related to dreaming as opposed to the dreams themselves?

and DannyCool: how do I join this beginners league??

http://www.dreamviews.com/lucid-chal...-new-post.html