Does LD improve your life?

I have been trying to LD for a little over 3 months. I've gotten a little obssessed with it and think about it a lot. I've been minimally successful (off hand, 6 or so LD's). It is fun, and I enjoy DV, but I don't feel like I'm doing great at it; I really don't have much control at all. However, I've noticed that I have improved other aspects of my life. I have become much more disciplined, and certain things that I have been working on literally for years without improvement have suddenly become much more easy to do.

Has anyone else noticed something like this? Have I just distracted myself with LD or have I actually caused a real behavioral/outlook change due to thinking a lot about my dreams and engaging my subconscious? How do people use LD to improve themselves? Having fun at night is a good enough goal, but have other people really changed aspects of their waking lives with LD as well?

Well, LD definitely does make my life more deep and interesting. LDing is like practical side of spirituality - something you may actually feel, experience and that's really cool.

Right now I want to dig even deeper and explore my mind from the inside out by establishing contact with my subconsciousness or whatever processes in my mind that I'm not aware of...

To answer the question, yes, it has. Before I even knew what LD's were, I would constantly get baraged by nightmares and terrible things whilst I slept through the night. My restful sleep came few and far between, unfortunately. And yet after learning about lucidity in dreams and experiencing the joy of it for myself, I seemed to be plagued no longer by those malicious things. As a result of it my life brightened up, and I can now easily say that sleeping is one of my favorite past times :wink:

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Originally Posted by Ev

LDing is like practical side of spirituality - something you may actually feel, experience and that's really cool.

Right now I want to dig even deeper and explore my mind from the inside out by establishing contact with my subconsciousness or whatever processes in my mind that I'm not aware of...
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Yes that is what I mean; I am not a spiritual person but since I started LDing I am aware of a part of my brain that I never was before--proof of the subconscious I guess, which sometimes has a different agenda than my conscious mind. I think this can be useful. That is a good way to look at it, as "establishing contact" rather then "learning to control", as I was thinking of it.

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Originally Posted by Ev

To answer the question, yes, it has. Before I even knew what LD's were, I would constantly get baraged by nightmares and terrible things whilst I slept through the night. My restful sleep came few and far between, unfortunately. And yet after learning about lucidity in dreams and experiencing the joy of it for myself, I seemed to be plagued no longer by those malicious things. As a result of it my life brightened up, and I can now easily say that sleeping is one of my favorite past times :wink:
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I know, me too, I go to sleep with a feeling of anticipation every night now (although it is strange when I feel let down in the morning after waking up from a good, sound night's sleep!). I have had nightmares too, and I used to worry about thinking about certain things right before sleep because that might trigger one; but now if I drift into those thoughts I don't worry about it, because I think I may be able to use it as a DS, and if I am lucid, I don't have to worry about anything in a dream. I think LDing would help anybody plagued by nightmares although I can see why they may be reluctant to do anything to bring them on.

Lding has improved my life in every way.

some of the things its given me:

1) A new outlook on life (Now Money isn't as big an issue, neither is what people think of me. If I ever get to a point where I'm living in a gutter on the side of a free-way I'll still have the one thing that can (almost) never be lost: lucid dreaming)

2) Self confidence (who cares what people think of you? your a separate entity from them entirely, What matters is what you think of yourself... not what they think of you.)

3) Given me a reason to not be a druggie (drugs would kill my LDs :()

4) Its made me 500% more mature then I was when I found out about it a year ago

5) Taught me that fundamentally we as a race are all pretty much the same. We all dream, just as we all eat or drink. We should never look down on someone because they were raised in a home wherein they were abused (and now they have no self respect and look like shit all the time)

6) opened up my mind to new possibilities

7) brought me out of depression

This list could go on forever, but I'll save you the time
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So pretty much lucid dreaming has all around changed my life for the better

Same as with Billy Bob for me - I was going to do some drugs today, but I had an LD last night and woke up and felt no real need to do them anymore, and infact felt a little repulsed at the idea of smoking.

Being able to LD definately has some awesome benifits in waking life. For one, I look forward to going to sleep and having the chance to do something new. I think I have gained a lot of creativity as a result also. Also, the monotany of everyday life (when I don't have anything to do) isn't as bad, because I know there is something different I can do.

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Originally Posted by BillyBob_001

Lding has improved my life in every way.
So pretty much lucid dreaming has all around changed my life for the better
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I love it BillyBob! That is so cool. (Especially how it may be the one thing you can never lose; that is so true. Well hopefully it will be, when I get better at it).
I wish I had discovered LD when I was younger. You guys are lucky. But better late than never.

LDing treally does help you overall. It's just plain fun to do it, and the feeling of having one is just unexplainable. And dream recall is just awesome. Think about it for a bit- for me, when I think about it, I had hardly no dreams recall, and now to be remembering a ton of dreams, just makes you feel good.

Yeah, when I'm depressed or something like that, a lucid dream will always pick me up and make me feel really good for the next few days. It makes me feel rejuvenated in a way. I feel like I can handle whatever the day has to throw at me, so I just walk around all happy and optimistic. No matter what happens during the day, I can lucid dream when night comes. Lucid Dreaming has made me an optimistic person, and at the same time, it's also opened my mind.

The only negative effect that I've noticed from lucid dreaming is how it kind of makes real life boring. I mean, I'll feel good for the rest of the day, but it's a strange thought that the best experiences that I'll ever have won't be real ones.

Another thing is even when I don't try, I get into SP, it troubles my normal sleep. :(

Lucid dreams really pick me up too. It's great because some of my friends are also interested in lucid dreaming, so we can share the experiences when we see eachother during the day. Also helps keep me balanced, I want to go to sleep because I lucid dream, I want to wake up talk to my friends about it.

It also made me get a lot more sleep. I use to hate sleep, because I felt it was always a waste of time, but now I know that it is one of the best investments I can make!

I don't really feel lucid makes life that boring. Well, maybe boring but not like you don't enjoy reality anymore. Lucid dreaming about things makes me want to go out and try them for real, and always gives me a renewed zeal to experience life.

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Originally Posted by taihen

I don't really feel lucid makes life that boring. Well, maybe boring but not like you don't enjoy reality anymore. Lucid dreaming about things makes me want to go out and try them for real, and always gives me a renewed zeal to experience life.
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Of course not. I didn't mean it makes me not enjoy reality anymore, I'm just saying in comparison, reality sucks, lol.

Let's see... pork my ugly girlfriend.... or make love to Kira Knightley... Hmm, hard choice :P

Since I've joined DV..
-My chronic terror steeped sleep paralysis has ended
-I have an increased awareness of the world around me
-See life in an entirely different way
-I've found the perfect amt of hours of sleep/night for me thanks to one wonderful member here (u know who u are)
-My diet has completely changed in an effort to enhance my dreams
-Quit alcohol altogether because I know it robs me of dreams (and because I wanted to anyway)

Ha. I could probably ramble on, but those are the few that spring to mind right now.
I love this place. It's helped me in so many ways, probably in ways I don't even realize yet.

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Originally Posted by Vex

It's helped me in so many ways, probably in ways I don't even realize yet.
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Me too. I didn't think I was imagining it.

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Originally Posted by Moonbeam

Me too. I didn't think I was imagining it.
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bottom line lucid dreaming is sweet... but screw u guys im not giving up alcohol even if it does rob me of a coule dreams.

Well lets see

I am not that far in my lucid progress, but I have a feeling that it has given me some disciplin, as Moombeam, and some confidence in myself. I also believe, that once I get more into luciddreams, I might open myself more up to other people. I am not asocial, but I am not super social either. And you get one of the best feelings the entire day, after a lucid dream and as BillyBob said "If I find myself in a sewer eating rats, I'll always have luciddreams" or atleast something like that :lol:

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Originally Posted by Marvo

BillyBob said "If I find myself in a sewer eating rats, I'll always have luciddreams" [/b]

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LOL my inspirational quote for the day.

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Originally Posted by mountain

bottom line lucid dreaming is sweet... but screw u guys im not giving up alcohol even if it does rob me of a coule dreams.
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I quit alcohol because I wanted to not because anyone told me to. And no one suggested you should lay off the booze. So you can just run along and screw yourself. :wink:

Though, judging from the way you seem to annoy so many here, I think maybe you should lay off the liquor. An annoying you + alcohol can not be a good combination.


On another note, I forgot to mention the natural 'high' that I seem to get after I have a good LD. I wake up feeling renewed and clear minded. It only makes me want to LD all the more. And to LD more I need to train myself further. So yes, I have learned a great deal of discipline due to lucid dreaming.

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Originally Posted by Vex

I quit alcohol because I wanted to not because anyone told me to. And no one suggested you should lay off the booze. So you can just run along and screw yourself. :wink:

Though, judging from the way you seem to annoy so many here, I think maybe you should lay off the liquor. An annoying you + alcohol can not be a good combination.
On another note, I forgot to mention the natural 'high' that I seem to get after I have a good LD. I wake up feeling renewed and clear minded. It only makes me want to LD all the more. And to LD more I need to train myself further. So yes, I have learned a great deal of discipline due to lucid dreaming.
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... an annoying me + liquor is a recipe for hilarity, i find myself much more charming when inebriated. though im just kidding i havent had a drink in a month i dont drink during football season its bad for the body... and its impossible to go to morning practice with a hangover and still leftover drunkness... but haha glad to see u got my little joke (oh crap i did it agian... pissing people off, stupid! stupid!)

Mountian, you didn't piss me off. I acutally laughed when you said... 'screw you guys'. If I was pissed I wouldn't even have responded.

And as for the alcohol + you = hilarity, that remains to be seen.
I have a sneaking suspicion that my theory would be proven true if put to the test.
Have to get you liquored up one time and test it out.
:wink:

You could only get something good out of lucid dreaming, apart from, perhaps, disappointment when you don't have one. But that is far outweighed by when you do get one.

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Originally Posted by Vex

Mountian, you didn't piss me off. I acutally laughed when you said... 'screw you guys'. If I was pissed I wouldn't even have responded.

And as for the alcohol + you = hilarity, that remains to be seen.
I have a sneaking suspicion that my theory would be proven true if put to the test.
Have to get you liquored up one time and test it out.
:wink:
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call me! :)

Call you what?
:P

Well I don't think I've experienced a lucid dream yet but ever since I started this "journey", I've gained a better will power, been less cranky, and got in touch with my creative side. And since I started keeping a dream journal, I've been experiencing and remembering more thrilling and interesting dreams. Could it be that I forgot that I was being lucid a dream? :hrm:

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Originally Posted by Ev

Well, LD definitely does make my life more deep and interesting. LDing is like practical side of spirituality - something you may actually feel, experience and that's really cool.
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Yeah, that's my outlook too. Also, if not LDing itself, DV has changed me in that I have seen many different people and outlooks, and it has opened me up more. It is also something if I am feeling down, being here, talking to people who I don't really know, who don't judge you by your looks, and how you act physically, but instead by your personality, the way you talk to others. Also, it has taught me some discipline, and gives me inspiration to want to sleep, and I expect the benefits of working at LDing and being here on DV will grow more and more as I improve at LDIng, and experience some really good LDs.