Ok, but how do I USE dream signs?

Maybe this is a stupid question, but I've never quite grasped this... I've been trying to take note of my dream signs, things that happen frequently only in my dreams. For example things involving my first car, getting into fights, my clutch not working, talking with friends from highschool. Acknowledging these things doesn't seem to be doing me any good. I understand some dream signs can be used as reality checks, like when I see X I should do a reality check. But what about things you WON'T see in waking life? Do I ingrain it into my mind with mnemonics? If that's the method, isn't it easier to just tell myself to look at my hand the next time my eyes are open, rather than memorizing a list of things that most likely mean I'm dreaming? Maybe I'm overthinking this. Thoughts?

I think it just helps to be aware of your dream signs. Like you said, there's not really any way to practice for dream signs that can never occur in real life, but if we record it and are aware of it, at least some of it will seep into our subconscious. That's the theory anyway.

It's just an extra tool to help you out. Imo the most beneficial and foolproof way is to just be ultra-aware throughout your day so that you will be the same in your dreams.

Okay, thanks for the response. That's sort of what I was thinking at first but I just haven't had any luck whatsoever with dream signs making me lucid, even though I note down one of the things I mentioned in probably every other dream I record. I wondered if I had missed something that everyone else knew, lol.

I'd have to agree with awareness, I used to try "ADA" a lot a few years ago, and I think it really helped the clarity of all my dreams + frequency of lucid dreams. But things aren't really the same as then, and it seems harder for me to devote the thought energy toward methods like that especially during my work day. It's something I really need to work on.

How to use dream signs

1.Pick dreams signs that occur most often and that are a focal point which you are already actively thinking about during your dreams.

2.Before going to sleep, you set an intention to RC when the dream sign occurs.

3.Fall asleep waiting for the dream sign to occur, while trying not to forget that you're waiting for it.

4.Once you wake up, and think about what you should have done during the dream before repeating steps 2-4 again. You can skip this step once the habit of catching your dream sign is well enough developed.

I made step one bold because I question whether you're thinking during the dream "this involves my first car", "I'm talking to friends from high school", or "my eyes are open". If you're not thinking about your dream sign during the dream, it's going to be tough to identify! I figure you're more likely to think things like "I'm in a fight", or "my clutch isn't working" so those dream signs are better.

I made step three bold because it often seems to be overlooked, yet it's a very important step. If you drop your intention, then you no longer want to RC when you see your dream sign, so the association has to be much more powerful to work.

As a short follow-up to what dolphin wrote, you can also do daytime visualizations to help cement your intention to notice the dreamsigns in dreams: replay a recent dream in your mind where a dreamsign occurred: see yourself experiencing the dreamsign in the dream and recognizing it as a dream sign, tell yourself, "This means I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming!" over and over while you continue to visualize the dream scene with the sign happening. You're trying to create an association where experiencing the dream sign in a dream leads immediately to the recognition that you're dreaming.

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Originally Posted by duke396

I'd have to agree with awareness, I used to try "ADA" a lot a few years ago, and I think it really helped the clarity of all my dreams + frequency of lucid dreams. But things aren't really the same as then, and it seems harder for me to devote the thought energy toward methods like that especially during my work day. It's something I really need to work on.

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I hear ya, it's not an easy thing to maintain especially if life gets busy. I really like the ADA method though because imo it has many other side benefits to your daily life.

^^ There are other approaches, like mindfulness, which don't take quite the mental energy that ADA does, and has a more profitable focus: the self, rather than the external environment.

Dolphin and FryingMan, those sound like good methods, thank you for sharing and I'll give that a shot for sure. This is what I was hoping to learn! Step 3 sounds the most difficult.

I think I could still work with the car example at least, because every dream that it shows up in usually ends up revolving around the car in a way (at least for a while). The line of thinking that I never sold it and have to fix something on it, or that I found it and bought it back, or that I'm looking for it. In my eyes the car should actually be the most likely sign to make me lucid.

One of these days I am going to find another car like it, and at that point if I'm still dreaming about the original I'm going to be peeved. It's sort of a regret dream because I wish I still had it lol.

As one who has had some successes with dream signs, my experience has been that I need to have an emotional response to the sign. For example, I have a fear of heights. If I find myself in a dangerous height situation it occurs to me I am dreaming. If I am looking for a bathroom and they are all full, and I get frustrated searching several out, I may go lucid. If I see a giant bird that really amazes me, I may go lucid. So, it seems like signs with emotional responses are the best.

Interesting Rothgar, and it does make sense that something more important to you (for varying reasons) would be a better trigger to lucidity. I'm really trying to get a grasp on a few techniques and ideas that I haven't ever put that much thought into. A couple years ago when I was first regularly practicing (and had much better dream recall), most of my LDs were done with the help of MILD, sporadic reality checking, or just the fact that I was devoting a lot of thought towards it. I had also spent a good deal of time learning meditation, nowadays I'm lucky if I can keep a straight line of thought for 10 seconds. But I'm rambling; I appreciate the input.

Also you're really close to me. I'm just across the border from Charlotte. Not going anywhere with that, I was just pointing it out lol.

Interesting....if you dont mind sharing...what town? Rock Hill?

Indeed.