Do you really enjoy LDs...

Do you guys really enjoy LDs more than regular dreams?

I've been LDing for a few years now, I'm not really that into it as I was when I first started but it's almost second-nature now. I don't really have to do reality checks, most of my dreams I am half-lucid and know that what I am experiencing isn't 100 percent real.

I have at least one or two VERY LDs a week, usually really long ones with lots of false awakenings. This morning I slept in and had about three, I kept waking up every hour or so and then just went back into another LD.

They were alright. I usually just do the same things though, have sex, constantly fighting to sustain my lucidity and vividness, go flying, go through mirrors, transform into stuff, talk to some people.

Anyways, I just feel lately that my non-LDs are way more spectacular and memorable. For instance, my favorite dreams are the lovely-dovey ones, where I meet some special woman (someone I know or don't know) and we connect, have great emotional interactions and then maybe some great physical interactions. These are powerful dreams and part of the power is that I'm believing this is a beautiful real moment.

When I'm fully lucid talking to people in my dream world, I cannot connect with them cause I know they are not real.
When I'm getting intimate with a woman, it does not feel that great because I know the woman is not real and it's just like virtual reality. Sex in LDs becomes a means to an end.

I've done everything from changing form, flying, mind bullets, summoning people, taken drugs, made my scnerio look so clear it looked more real than real-lifel. (I did all these things this morning by the way but for some reason the dream didn't seem that special and I barely thought about it during the day)

I want to know what you Lucid experts think about this. Do you really enjoy lucid dreams more after the novelty fades? If so, how do you keep lucid dreams fresh and amazing?

hi! I have 1-3 Ld's per week - I've started recently and only have had around 67 LD's- thus far the novelty hasn't faded. I find that the most enjoyable part of LD-ing is realizing you are dreaming, and having your perception of what it means to be conscious expand, everything else is secondary, though have you tried doing new things? confront your true fears

for the most part, it hasn't gotten old. I may go through periods where I don't enjoy them as much, but in general, it's still something I look forward to. Maybe you should try doing the task(s) of the month....or just go on a break from it all for while.

I don't say I hate non-lucid dreams, but I like dreaming with actually knowing that this is a dream. It is real. Even if you created it, it is REAL for You. It's just that others cannot see it.
For me, it is a much better experience if I know that the possibilities are infinite, and I'm not blocked by any barriers that appear in the physical universe.
It's not JUST a dream for me. It is a universe created by my mind.

My non lucids= Stable FAs where I just do normal things, normal and boring things... so yes.

What I do is have two different worlds, the one where all my dreams start, and a separate one for taking adventures at. Always fun to explore, fight, and eat.

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Originally Posted by Zuma

For instance, my favorite dreams are the lovely-dovey ones, where I meet some special woman (someone I know or don't know) and we connect, have great emotional interactions and then maybe some great physical interactions. These are powerful dreams and part of the power is that I'm believing this is a beautiful real moment.

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I agree, fully. That really hits home for me.

There are non-lucid dreams in which things occur that can overshadow the joy that comes from lucidity. I suppose I'm lucky in that I don't often recognize the difference between the dream and reality right out of the blue, even in the most extreme of situations. I had the pleasure, for instance, of experiencing a very long and vivid dream in which I was the leader of a resistance group in a world where the elements and magic could be used by gifted persons (of which I was one). I teleported from where I'm sitting in the US straight into London, England to visit a friend. We were in the middle of a war that was taking place largely in other countries. There were vast, rolling green plains in some parts of the world, and black cloudy skies with a fiery orange tint beyond them in others. The whole thing was real for me. It would have topped a lucid version of a same dream by a long shot.
On top of that, I had one of those love dreams again this morning, so I hear where you're coming from (my favorites as well).

In the long run though, I do still enjoy lucid dreams a great deal. They do not occur at such a high frequency as to make them boring. I'd say they occur at the right times.

I know what you're saying. Non-lucid dreams have their beauty too. It created a world and a story line that you think you're a part of. Especially those "lovey dovey" dreams that you get so involved in that you nearly cried when you wake up. The problem with non-lucid dreams for me is that I can only pretty much enjoy it when I wake up. So for now I like lucid dreams a lot more, because so far I have only 2 ok lucid dreams, and in lucid dream you can enjoy it right from the moment it happened. But yeah, some regular dreams are so powerful that they could leave you dazed for the rest of the day.

I just recently restarted attempting LDs but when I was younger I had them a lot. I see where your coming from but I have to admit at the moment I'm thinking WTF!!! A lucid dream is a world where not only can you virtually do anything, there's absolutely no consequences for your actions!!! If all else gets boring, which I still can't comprehend, they can be used to better your waking life by, letting you program habits directly into you subconscious, letting you program motor skills into your mind (guitar solos, skateboarding, juggling), and my favorite is tapping into your subconsciousnesses creativity which is to incredible for words. If all else fails man just kick back and eat junk food without having to worry about getting fat. The simple pleasures in life..... :D

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I know what you're saying.

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I actually can't relate- most of my nonlucids, while exciting, are just random and I couldn't really call em "nice"- interesting- yes though (to me at least)- lucid dreams are always more exciting for me. Seems that the point of view that nonlucids can somehow compete with lucids is generally pervalent with people who've had few or no actual lucids (correct me If I'm wrong) - like for instance a friend who I know IRL has never LD's has this idea as well. However, that being said I wouldn't want to be lucid EVERY single night- that would be too enervating.

Thanks for the replies.


I haven't really tried eating much in my LDs for some reason, maybe I'll try that.

I think my main problem is having too much control gets very boring. I like the fleeting aspects of life, I like not knowing what is going to happen next and not having complete control. I like spontaneity and risks.

The problem might just be me trying to control my dreams too much. Usually when I become lucid, I make my plan from the get-go to stay with the lucidity until I naturally wake up. I focus on it a great deal, and I know what I need to do to keep fully lucid and in full control (keep reminding myself I'm dreaming, rub my hands, constant movement etc.)

So yes, I'm able to fly, summon things, do whatever I want really. But this sadly has lost its magic.

Next time I'm LDing I'm going to try to just go with the flow more instead of trying to control the flow. I'll tell y'all how it goes.

Actually, this is one of my fears of LDing.
I fear that if I practice too often, or get too good at it,
It will become a second nature that I can't get rid of.

I take it you don't really choose to have these LDs, right?
I wonder, is there any way to forget how to Lucid Dream once you've almost perfected it? I'd like to have the choice.

My latest dream was a truly wonderful mix of being both conscious and not conscious, and those are usually the best types of dreams. You drift in and out of knowing you are dreaming, so you still experience the emotions and connectivity really well, but you have more of a say than normal too.

i used to ld all the time, but now i cant even remeber them

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Originally Posted by Yume.no.ato

I take it you don't really choose to have these LDs, right?
I wonder, is there any way to forget how to Lucid Dream once you've almost perfected it? I'd like to have the choice.

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don't keep a DJ- watch plenty of TV before sleep and pay no attention to your surroundings and ignore any weird shape-shifting texts

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Originally Posted by yuriythebest

don't keep a DJ- watch plenty of TV before sleep and pay no attention to your surroundings and ignore any weird shape-shifting texts

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TV before sleeping is bad for LDing? As in how long before? A half-hour to an hour before or just right before?

But to the OP, my non-lucids aren't usually what you'd call exciting. They're generally completely stupid and mundane, and have no central story, just a nonstop torrent of random shit. So, no, I don't enjoy spending a third of my life doing that.

At this point in time I just can't see the novelty fading. Sure, someday I'll devote less time to it, but that is not in the near future, and by then it'll be almost second nature.

Quite honestly I must compare them on a dream-by-dream basis. Having a regular dream is like watching a good movie or reading a good book, and having a lucid is like going out and doing something fun. One can be better than the other, it depends on the individual book or what I did out that day. If the lucid is awesome, then yes I enjoy it more than regular dreams. If the lucid is mediocre (:() then I like a really good regular dream better, I'd say.

Well said Shift.. I really like how you differentiate lucid versus regular dreams!

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Originally Posted by Souperman22

TV before sleeping is bad for LDing? As in how long before? A half-hour to an hour before or just right before?

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Yes it is. Immediately before bed.

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Originally Posted by Zuma

Next time I'm LDing I'm going to try to just go with the flow more instead of trying to control the flow. I'll tell y'all how it goes.

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I was going to suggest this. I find the same thing as you, Zuma. But recently Caradon had a dream during which a DC told him to "let the dream winds blow" and this is what I've started doing in my lucids now. I just go with the flow and do whatever takes my fancy as the dream unfolds :)

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Originally Posted by DreamQueen

Yes it is. Immediately before bed.

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??? Since when?

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Originally Posted by Shift

??? Since when?

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Since ages ago :P

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Originally Posted by DreamQueen

Since ages ago :P

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Is that like an actual, legitimate statement though, based on evidence, or just your personal opinion?

My personal observation.

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Originally Posted by Shift

Is that like an actual, legitimate statement though, based on evidence, or just your personal opinion?

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scientists have long proven then when you watch TV your brain activity is in fact LOWER than when you are asleep- they were using that comparison generally and not in the oneironautical sense but I still think it's germane.

But generally I came to this conclusion through personal observation- watching TV before sleep makes you very passive in dreams, and I often have tv-related dreams where I am just sitting back and watching random stuff happen rather than actively participating in the nonlucid - you wouldn't believe the amount of captain picard dreams I had :) watching too much youtube before sleep is just as deleterious. Don't get me wrong- I'm an avid tv watcher, however if you want to increase your chance of LD's I recommend not watching too much stuff for around an hour before sleep and instead do something creative, clear your head, read your DJ and visit DV, make yourself some tea or perhaps meditate.

^ I've noticed that when I sleep in my room, with my tv, I have more passive dreams. And that when I sleep somewhere where its just me and the dark, I have explosive, detailed dreams. So perhaps you are on to something.

Though I have had some great dreams after watching tv, but the ratio is lower I would imagine.

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Originally Posted by yuriythebest

scientists have long proven then when you watch TV your brain activity is in fact LOWER than when you are asleep- they were using that comparison generally and not in the oneironautical sense but I still think it's germane.

But generally I came to this conclusion through personal observation- watching TV before sleep makes you very passive in dreams, and I often have tv-related dreams where I am just sitting back and watching random stuff happen rather than actively participating in the nonlucid - you wouldn't believe the amount of captain picard dreams I had :) watching too much youtube before sleep is just as deleterious. Don't get me wrong- I'm an avid tv watcher, however if you want to increase your chance of LD's I recommend not watching too much stuff for around an hour before sleep and instead do something creative, clear your head, read your DJ and visit DV, make yourself some tea or perhaps meditate.

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I couldn't agree more, yuri and I find it interesting that we have both come to this same realization completely independently.

Originally I thought watching an intense film before bed could increase my chances of having a LD but it quickly became apparent that it did not and in fact had the opposite effect. Sitting gasbagging on msn is just as bad it seems. However, reading seems to be helpful in inducing lucid dreams. I guess because you have to visualize and it's stimulating the right part of the brain.

It does seem to be quite a pronounced effect. So yeah, I suppose you could say it is "like an actual, legitimate statement though, based on evidence" shift :)

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Originally Posted by DreamQueen

Sitting gasbagging on msn is just as bad it seems.

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well here there's some debate. I often like to chat before bedtime- a lot of the time I talk to fellow LD-ers about recent Ld's and techniques and it seems to help actually. For instance today I went to bed at around 2AM cause I stayed up chattin- ended up having 2 LD's. Guess it depends on the subject matter.

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Originally Posted by yuriythebest

well here there's some debate. I often like to chat before bedtime- a lot of the time I talk to fellow LD-ers about recent Ld's and techniques and it seems to help actually. For instance today I went to bed at around 2AM cause I stayed up chattin- ended up having 2 LD's. Guess it depends on the subject matter.

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Yeah I thought you might say that! I think it does in fact depend on the sub matter. Anything to do with LD is gonna help get you lucid and it was probably more to do with the late night ie adjusted sleep cycle. Me and my msn buddy only talk about LD a little bit nowadays and we're both pretty certain our 8 hour nonstop conversations about drivel are not helping us get lucid!

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Originally Posted by DreamQueen

It does seem to be quite a pronounced effect. So yeah, I suppose you could say it is "like an actual, legitimate statement though, based on evidence" shift :)

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I wouldn't say that, though, because I've found the opposite to be true for me. I'll have to screw around and see just how much tv/youtube hurts versus helps.

And those are anecdotes, not enough to be evidence. I wouldn't turn it into a fact because of a 2:1 stance, because it's certainly not true for me which is why I am asking you guys.

I just thought of something,
I said is there a way to forget how to LD,
However, I dont want to stop having very vivid normal dreams.
And watching TV seems to ruin both LDing and vivid dreaming,
At least, for me. >: /

Oh well, I'm not quitting LDing anytime soon anyway. 8D

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Originally Posted by Shift

And those are anecdotes, not enough to be evidence. I wouldn't turn it into a fact because of a 2:1 stance, because it's certainly not true for me which is why I am asking you guys.

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FYI, anecdotes are actually a form of evidence. But they're not anecdotes anyway, I did specific personal experiments. I have actually done a Research Methods paper at university and this was a Single Subject Study.

I also never said it was a fact.

Anyway, I don't give a rat's about all this. I originally gave my opinion. I'm sorry if it wasn't preceded with a big fat WARNING! here comes my opinion...

hehe ;)

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Originally Posted by DreamQueen

WARNING! here comes my opinion...

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Well done!

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Originally Posted by DreamQueen

WARNING! here comes my opinion...

hehe ;)

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http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploa...9/03/o_rly.jpg


but yeah jokes aside, my opinion is also that tv before bedtime=bad for dreams