I'm back again after giving up before, but have some questions, and I hope they don't offend anyone it is not my intention at all, I am just looking for some input. Section 1 is general questions, Section 2 is more serious matters.

Section 1

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I would like to know how you all manage to wake up during sleep, jot down notes about your dreams, and instantly fall back asleep.

I don't know about you all but once I wake up and move around, I'm going to be up at least another hour. To add to the problem, I get allergy attacks EVERY single day when I wake up.

When I wake up to focus on remembering a dream I become fully awake, how can you simply fall back to sleep?

This seems impossible to do and it interferes with my day because I am too tired from waking up all night and am fatigued all day, and that's bad while at work etc.

I am getting so frustrated after 6 years of trying with no success, I have read tutorials, tried reality checks, read other users' techniques, no luck at all.

I finally have identified my problem though ; the ability (or lack of) to fall asleep quickly without inhibiting my day.

With reality checks I know I am awake, and I can't trick myself while I am awake. While dreaming I do checks and think everything is normal, even weird things.

I tried the "full bladder technique" and all I do is dream about bathrooms devoid of toilets, then I wake up with a sore kidney or bladder for holding it so long.

I also tried the dream journal, I wake up and I am dead tired and can barely write down a dream, how can someone be clear minded after waking up? I practically stumble out of bed . After a full day's sleep (night shift) I will barely remember one dream and I'm too focused on rushing to work.

Does lucid dreaming fade with age? When I was in my early 20s I seemed to be in my prime dreaming period.

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Section 2

I also don't understand the origins of LDs study and it confuses me.

I tried something called a "mantra" word before and it would trigger an LD almost instantly (usually a horrible terrifying nightmare). Is it simply a placebo effect, or am I casting a bizarre invocation spell? I don't remember the word and I don't care to remember it. *shudders* It took years to forget and caused many bad nights.

I joined some gnostic forum a few years ago not knowing what I was getting into, and all the discussions about LDs were different from here, even religious (which crossed with some of my current beliefs).

I know this confusion about "gnostics" still lingers in my subconscious. I also know this is a scientific forum, but I also have knowledge from the their side.

The scientific side states LD is simply a process or ability of the mind.

The gnostics believe they inherit the LD and OBE abilities from their god named "Beelzebub".

What is weird is that when I mentioned this on the gnostic forum, I was instantly banned because I mentioned Beelzebub was a demon (checked Google), and they said I was "scaring" other users. Hopefully you guys don't ban me -_-

So how is it possible to clear this up scientifically? If the gnostics believe this power was granted by their deity, and it was/is studied and taught throughout their cults for 1000s of years (specifically lucid dreaming and OBE induction) how is it possible to argue LDs are simply a science?

It is strange how when people are experimenting with LDs, the experiences are many times associated with fear. Which makes could make one believe the process is indeed inducing something negative to one's psyche.

Sleep paralysis? A very frightful experience indeed, and it is not just simply because of being paralyzed. Many people on this forum and many other sources report seeing "black spirits or shapes". Others report "evil sounds and voices". One would think simply trying to have fun in a dream would not create such horrifying experiences.

I can't believe this is PURELY coincidence how so many people experienced this same dark phenomenon. In my case I experienced all three of the "symptoms" before I knew anything about OBE and LDs, so I could of no way created the illusions just because I read about them; they happened on their own.

Okay sorry for all the jabber, had to get that off my chest

I'm looking forward to some well thought out scientific responses, not simply "believe what you will".

This is all for open for discussion, I'm curious what other users think, that's all.