New Here, With Questions :D

[Professor]

hello. my name is Luke i have been training to lucid dream for a couple weeks now and i have a couple questions. how long did it take you to really make progress from when you started? how long did it take for the RC's to take to habit , and really how long did it take you to get pretty good at LDing from when you started? also, how long did it take you to learn how to WILD? what is the best and most effective way to practice Reality Checks to make them really happen when you dream.. i havent had any luck yet, except 1 night i realized i was dreaming because i was breathing underwater then i woke up ,and one night i had a DC mention lucid dreaming to me, and thats it so far. any help or tips would be so great, i would be thankful!

[Luminous]

Hello, and welcome to DV! I can only answer your last question. You should start with keeping a dream journal, if you don't have one already. Not only does a dream journal improve your dream recall, but it can be used to find similarities in your dreams, which we call dream signs. Reality checks, no matter what kind you go for, get more effective when you do them whenever you encounter a dream sign, whether you are awake or dreaming. Good luck!

[Iamerik]

There are a lot of reality checks. Pinching your nose so that you can't breathe through it is a good one that almost never fails. If you can still breathe through it, you're dreaming.

[mershwista]

how long did it take you to really make progress from when you started? Months...and then the progress was instant. I now have a few lucids every week. how long did it take for the RC's to take to habit , and really how long did it take you to get pretty good at LDing from when you started? They're still not habit. I can't ever remember to do them. What I use is an audio file that's 50 minutes of silence followed by 40 minutes of myself saying, "Am I dreaming now?" separated by 2-5 minute intervals. I started using that and I started having lucids. And now they're regular things for me. also, how long did it take you to learn how to WILD? I don't. what is the best and most effective way to practice Reality Checks to make them really happen when you dream.. See above. How I use the audio, though...wake up 90 minutes early. Start audio file. Go back to bed for 90 minutes. Wake up and have probably had a lucid dream. i havent had any luck yet, except 1 night i realized i was dreaming because i was breathing underwater then i woke up ,and one night i had a DC mention lucid dreaming to me, and thats it so far. Everyone's different. I hope you find something that works for you!

[Professor]

how long did it take you to really make progress from when you started? Months...and then the progress was instant. I now have a few lucids every week. how long did it take for the RC's to take to habit , and really how long did it take you to get pretty good at LDing from when you started? They're still not habit. I can't ever remember to do them. What I use is an audio file that's 50 minutes of silence followed by 40 minutes of myself saying, "Am I dreaming now?" separated by 2-5 minute intervals. I started using that and I started having lucids. And now they're regular things for me. also, how long did it take you to learn how to WILD? I don't. what is the best and most effective way to practice Reality Checks to make them really happen when you dream.. See above. How I use the audio, though...wake up 90 minutes early. Start audio file. Go back to bed for 90 minutes. Wake up and have probably had a lucid dream. i havent had any luck yet, except 1 night i realized i was dreaming because i was breathing underwater then i woke up ,and one night i had a DC mention lucid dreaming to me, and thats it so far. Everyone's different. I hope you find something that works for you! thank you!! ok, i also recorded a wav file like that. do you use headphones? and how loud do you use it? i have problems sleeping with headphones so i got speakers and will be putting them next to my bed( i did this today)

[RunflaCruiser]

hello. my name is Luke i have been training to lucid dream for a couple weeks now and i have a couple questions. how long did it take you to really make progress from when you started? how long did it take for the RC's to take to habit , and really how long did it take you to get pretty good at LDing from when you started? also, how long did it take you to learn how to WILD? what is the best and most effective way to practice Reality Checks to make them really happen when you dream.. i havent had any luck yet, except 1 night i realized i was dreaming because i was breathing underwater then i woke up ,and one night i had a DC mention lucid dreaming to me, and thats it so far. any help or tips would be so great, i would be thankful! I found that actually looking/searching for oddities (dreamsigns) and doing a reality check rather than just doing reality checks at odd times really helps. I keep a list on paper of all the weird things I seen during the day. I usually search for form and context dreamsigns. Then a few hours before bed I read about lucid dreaming, read stuff in this forum, and write in my dream journal the dreams from the previous night. I always enter my dream journals entries at this time rather than morning because it freshens my mind up on the subject before bed. I tend to get almost a lucid dream a night when I follow this well.

[Bethany]

These are good questions. I hope more people answer.

[mershwista]

thank you!! ok, i also recorded a wav file like that. do you use headphones? and how loud do you use it? i have problems sleeping with headphones so i got speakers and will be putting them next to my bed( i did this today) I don't use headphones; otherwise I'd wake up and they'd inevitably be on the floor...lol. Because the first 50 minutes are silent, it doesn't interfere with getting to sleep, and as long as the latter 40 minutes are actually audible, it's likely that when you are in REM sleep and dreaming, your recorded voice will become a strong, suggestive, and powerful thought in your dream prompting you to reality check. One other thing to mention...Say your sleep cycle is in fact an even 90 minutes, and you wake up after 6 hours...stay up for 90 minutes and use the time to concentrate on lucid dreaming...post on this forum, read books about it, etc...that causes you to be still somewhat focused on lucid dreaming and the idea of having one as you go back to sleep for an additional 90 minutes. I read somewhere that a study was done with some people who did this, and the practice increased the chance of having a lucid dream...taking only an hour to be awake wasn't as effective, and taking more than 90 minutes wasn't as effective. Please don't ask me to cite the source as I don't remember where I read this and it was a while back; just take it or leave it. Happy dreaming!

[Professor]

I don't use headphones; otherwise I'd wake up and they'd inevitably be on the floor...lol. Because the first 50 minutes are silent, it doesn't interfere with getting to sleep, and as long as the latter 40 minutes are actually audible, it's likely that when you are in REM sleep and dreaming, your recorded voice will become a strong, suggestive, and powerful thought in your dream prompting you to reality check. One other thing to mention...Say your sleep cycle is in fact an even 90 minutes, and you wake up after 6 hours...stay up for 90 minutes and use the time to concentrate on lucid dreaming...post on this forum, read books about it, etc...that causes you to be still somewhat focused on lucid dreaming and the idea of having one as you go back to sleep for an additional 90 minutes. I read somewhere that a study was done with some people who did this, and the practice increased the chance of having a lucid dream...taking only an hour to be awake wasn't as effective, and taking more than 90 minutes wasn't as effective. Please don't ask me to cite the source as I don't remember where I read this and it was a while back; just take it or leave it. Happy dreaming! thank you very much. you have been extremely helpful.