How Can I Figure Out My Dream Sign? Please Help.

[Ellen3!]

so this is the first time this website has let me do anyhting, so I'm kind of new to all of this, but not the consept of LDing I have just one question. So I supposaveally have a dream sign, cause thats how like everyone LD's unless they WILD or other tequneques like that but I just dont know what it is. I have definiatally had dreams, many on ceartain occasions, yet nothing in my dreams is ever similar. the only thing that I can think of is the fact that I have my friends in my dreams (usually thoes who I feel strongly about, also they are usually guys) there is no way to do a Reality cheak for this sign though b/c I have pleanty of people who could possibly be in my dreams, plus its not like it is always the same people or anything. I dont know I mean, I have tried like, writing on my hand and looking at it everytime I think about it or see it and asking myself "am I really awake?" or "am I in a dream?" and I ask seriously, as if contemplating if I am accually in a dream or not. but of course, I am always awake. I have decent dream recall, I would definitally know if I have LD'd or not. I havent been doing this very long, but I am surprised I havnt LD'd yet, I remember about one dream a night... and its almost getting frusterating, cause even though each dream is one stp closer, they all feel so insignificant. and then, I cant even believe my own brain produces half of what it does! please help!

[Jimmie Lynne]

Well. . . you don't necesarily have only one dreamsign. . . you might have several. Do you have a dream journal on this forum? If you post some of your recent dreams I'm sure there are lot's of people that wouldn't mind trying to help you out. It sounds like you're doing well with your reality checks and your dream recall. If you're looking for quick results, one of the best methods for people who are new to lucid dreaming is the WBTB (Wake Back To Bed) method. It's really easy to do. You go to sleep normally at night, then you wake up 5-6 hours later. You get out of bed and spend 30-90 minutes awake, thinking about LDing the whole time. Alot of people claim that a little bit of chocolate and/or caffeine right when you wake up can be helpful as well. After your 30-90 minutes, go back to bed and keep thinking about lucid dreaming until you fall asleep. Doing this will increase your liklihood of having a lucid dream. This method isn't an exact science and doesn't work every time but it's relatively simple. Plus, it can be combined with other methods as well. It's also important not to get frustrated. Some people LD on their first night trying and other people work at it for months before they see any progress. If you're getting frustrated at your lack of success so early in the process, it'll impede your progress and make it more difficult for you to keep at it. Good Luck and Welcome to the forum.

[Tornado Joe]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE("Ellen")</div> I mean, I have tried like, writing on my hand and looking at it everytime I think about it or see it and asking myself "am I really awake?" or "am I in a dream?" and I ask seriously, as if contemplating if I am accually in a dream or not. but of course, I am always awake. [/b] The point is not only to test yourself if you are dreaming or not, because when we&#39;re awake there&#39;s this sense that we already ARE awake, and this tends to carry over into our dreams. We perform the test with pretty much the same attitude, that we&#39;re going to confirm being awake when, in fact, we may be dreaming. The "tip off" we get is something that goes "weird" during the check. So - when you know you&#39;re awake, or confirm that you&#39;re awake, the second step is to actually imagine what WOULD have happened if you were in a dream. This way, if you&#39;re in a dream and perform a check and your mind still tricks you into believeing everything is "normal", you&#39;ll get a second chance at catching something abnormal (the "tip-off") that you seek. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE("Ellen")</div> the only thing that I can think of is the fact that I have my friends in my dreams (usually thoes who I feel strongly about, also they are usually guys)[/b] Well then that&#39;s perfect. A dreamsign is something that keeps recurring in your dreams. So it&#39;s even better that you have the occurences happen in waking life - your friends. All you have to do is find some sort of reality check you could do when you&#39;re around them. Maybe a certain term or slang they say. Or maybe everytime they say a particular phrase, or call your name. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE("Jimlyn")</div> If you&#39;re looking for quick results, one of the best methods for people who are new to lucid dreaming is the WBTB (Wake Back To Bed) method. It&#39;s really easy to do.[/b] Well...that&#39;s not entirely true. The WBTB method may be simple to follow, but to be succesfull with it takes some knowledge about the process of falling asleep. Things like sleep paralysis and having control on keeping yourself in that "zone" between being awake and asleep is crucial. I would recommend you stick to the MILD technique as much as you can - but DON&#39;T GET FRUSTRATED&#33; - this will set you back and make it even harder to accomplish. If you need to, take a vacation from trying. Just go one week without even thinking about it too much. You just might relax enough to get it on the first or second try. Just let it happen, though, don&#39;t try.

[Jimmie Lynne]

Well...that's not entirely true. The WBTB method may be simple to follow, but to be succesfull with it takes some knowledge about the process of falling asleep. Things like sleep paralysis and having control on keeping yourself in that "zone" between being awake and asleep is crucial. I would recommend you stick to the MILD technique as much as you can - but DON'T GET FRUSTRATED! - this will set you back and make it even harder to accomplish. If you need to, take a vacation from trying. Just go one week without even thinking about it too much. You just might relax enough to get it on the first or second try. Just let it happen, though, don't try. [/b] Perhaps I'm wrong but I believe the technique that requires you to keep yourself in the "zone" between waking and sleeping is WILD. . . I suggested she try WBTB which is nothing more than intentionally waking up in the middle of the night and then going back to sleep after a variable amount of time has passed. Also the technique I described in my post WAS MILD which is what you went on to suggest that she try. According to what I've read in Exploring Lucid Dreaming, the MILD technique is much more effective when used with WBTB than it is when attempted before sleep at night. . . which is why I said she would acheive faster results that way. I appologize that my original post was vague in that respect.

[Tornado Joe]

Ah, I see now. I usually associate WBTB with WILD because wake back to bed is pretty much part of the WILD technique itself (in that it works best after hours of sleep). I see what you mean now. So, yah, what she said