Slowing Dreams down ...

[Hitzlsperger]

I'm fairly new at this, but I dream regularly, about many oddball things and situations. Recently I've been trying to obtain awareness in my dreams, but I can't. I can only watch the dream, sort of like a third person, but seeing though my own eyes, if you get what I mean. I can't control my character is my dreams, and I just have to sit through the dreams most of the time sorta like a passive audience. So I'm wondering, is it possible to SLOW dreams down so that I can gain awareness? I don't know how to explain it, but my dreams play out like stories, and I can't actively take part in it, although I'm in it and am the lead character. It's frustrating. I'm pretty sure the best way to achieve LD from this state is through DILD, but I can't for the life of me obtain control over where the stories go. Anyone experience something similar? How you can't switch from you normal regular dreams to LDs?

[Shady]

Well, the best thing you can do is build up a regular cycle of reality checks. Try to do a reality check everytime something "Weird" happens.. or if you have very common DC's or things in regular dreams.. do a reality check whenever you see them in real life. For example I very commonly have dreams about being in school again, and I've been out for 2 years now . Sometimes I dont realize it in the dream, and it sucks.. but now in real life whenever I think of school, or old friends from school etc I will do a quick RC. It naturally overlays into your dreams, at least it does for me, and many other people. Just be consistent, and then hopefully you will do a RC in a dream, then realize it failed, and boom your lucid .

[Hitzlsperger]

Yes, I do have recurring DCs, but I can't partake it whatever is happening to them. I can't force myself to do RCs in dreams. It's like I'm semi-unconcious most of time. In theory, if I keep doing RCs, instinctively, my DC will do the same?

[bolognese]

In theory, if I keep doing RCs, instinctively, my DC will do the same? Yepp, that's about it. Seems to me you've got a pretty good dream recall already. Now look back at your dreams and search for dream signs. It can be re-occuring Dream Characters, the place/location you are in, things that happen often in your dreams... and so on. So whenever something happens in your real life that reminds you of your dream signs, make sure to do a Reality Check. When you get the "habit" to make RCs when something dream-like occurs you will have a much bigger chance of realizing you are dreaming. Make sure to become aware of you real life. Look around. Question things. Question what you are doing, and why you are doing it. Ask yourself if you are dreaming from time to time - and when asking yourself that, make sure to really think about it seriously. (That's how I got lucid my first time; I asked myself "Am I dreaming?" out of habit, and BAM I "woke up" in my dream. Then ofcourse I did some RCs to make sure it wasn't just my imagination.) Well... good luck to you! And don't forget to tell us if you got lucid

[Hitzlsperger]

It's especially frustrating because I still remember in vivid clarity the last LD I had a few years back. Of course back then I didn't know what the heck it was, but it's especially annoying, because I've realized after stumbling upon Lucid Dreaming, that those years ago, I had unintentionally WILDed, without any effort whatsoever. I still remember it happened one Saturday morning, after I'd just woken up, and was lying on my bed. I was feeling lazy, so I just laid there, and the next thing I knew I was opening my eyes, and jumped off my bed, and got about to normal day business. Everything felt so real. I didn't think anything was amiss only until my mother started acting weirdly. Then I knew I was dreaming, and tried to force my body to move. But I couldn't. My whole body was frozen, in what I know now as Sleep Paralysis, and I when kept continually forced myself to reopen my eyes time and time again, the same thing happened - in what I know now as False Awakenings. I was completely Lucid in those dreams. It was extremely vivid, an almost out-of-body experience, as I felt I was stuck in another world, and my body couldn't move at all. It was scary, but now I know the truth of the matter, I realize how much fun I could have had in that dream, in that completely relaistic world. That's why it's so frustrating, because I try to so hard, and am so close, but can only ever view dreams. I can't RC, I can only view what is playing out in my mind. There is no lucidity whatsoever. It's sad really, when you trying to master something which a few years ago, you fought so hard to escape from.

[MrBlack]

Hi Hitzlsperger, Try not to let frustration seep in. Just put in the effort, and try to maintain a semi-detached attitude. Do you know what I mean? I find, for me personally, that if I get frustrated, that elusive Lucid Dream becomes even more elusive. Then sometimes, when I think, "OK, I'm gonna give it another go and see what happens...", an LD occurs. It's not always like that of course. I'm just saying, try to remain mentally relaxed about achieving an LD. You're obviously thinking about it, since you're here on the forums, and I can tell you've been reading up, which is also positive. You're putting effort in. Just like if you hop on a bus to go somewhere, as long as you stay on that bus, it'll get you to your destination eventually. The way I see it, you're on the right route, so it's only a matter of time before you get there. (No jokes about the bus please, e.g. what if the bus breaks down/hits traffic/gets a flat tire etc., it's just an analogy).