Hi, welcome to Dreamviews!
People claiming that they never dream just can't remember what they dreamt about. Everyone dreams, nearly every night, some just have poor recall.
1. How long do you think I should exercise dream recall before even attempting to identify dream signs and/or perform reality checks during dreams?
I suggest making sure you can remember at least two dreams a night. I also recommend against relying on dream signs to trigger lucidity, because you're not always going to see them, and besides, lucidity usually comes from instant awareness instead of seeing something and thinking it's strange (just like your experiences). My method involves simply stopping every few hours (or whenever I remember) and asking myself if I'm dreaming, and doing a reality check.
As you know, in dreams you're going about things as if they're normal activities. This is why it's important to stop what you're doing to question reality, even if you know you're awake.
2. Based on the background info I shared, what method of attaining lucidity do you think would work best for me? I dread on the thought of methods that involve me waking up on purpose in the middle of the night, but I'm willing to give it a shot if you think it'll be the best for me.
I'd give DILD a shot, or even WILD if you're up for it.
3. Have you ever heard of/bought the Lucid Dreaming Kit by Bradley Thompson? Do you think it could help?
I haven't heard of it, but the only product I use for lucid dreaming is apple juice, right before bedtime. (: You don't need anything but your mind to induce lucids.
4. Have you used audio tracks that supposedly induce aware REM sleep using binaural beats? Do you think these might help?
I use binaural beats, but the only ones I've heard of are to help you relax.
5. About dream journals, do you find its better to use a notebook, a voice recorder, a laptop, or something else? Those who use a voice recorder, have you found it to be cumbersome going through your recordings to review them?
My method of recording dreams is pretty simple, I basically just wake up naturally after a dream. I have a sheet of looseleaf and a pencil at my bedside; with my eyes still closed as not to lose the dream I just woke from, I scribble notes on the paper, just enough to remind myself of the main details of the dream. Then I record the full thing on Dreamviews the next morning. I have no experience with using a voice recorder, but it could make things a lot easier for some people.
6. My plan is to begin exercising dream recall at once, because most sources I've read from seem to agree this is the logical starting point. However, I usually take mid-day naps on a daily basis. Do you think I should start attempting WILD techniques during these naps or should I wait until I have more experience remembering dreams? And will attempting WILD ruin the rest I get from my naps?
Yes, it's a very good starting point. Regarding WILDS, you should have a good level of dream recall. Although WILDs are known to be more vivid than DILDs, they're still forgettable if you don't have good recall. Attempting WILD during a nap shouldn't disrupt you at all, you're still getting sleep if you do manage one.
7. On the topic of reality checks, what do you think about having a "totem" like in the movie Inception (a small object you can use to know if you're dreaming). I was thinking perhaps a card in my wallet with "Am I dreaming?" typed on it, and taking it out and trying to read it. I was also thinking about a cigarette lighter, trying to light it.
Due to the nature of dreams, you don't always have objects with you. You'll need some dream control skills to spawn the objects (pulling them out of a pocket and "expecting" it to be in your hand, for instance). If you have good dream control, they might work, but sometimes words read out normally for me in dreams. I've lit a match before in a dream too, so that may not work. Regular reality checks, such as plugging your nose and trying to breathe through it, are much simpler and less of a hassle.
8. I use cannabis recreationally on occasion. Will this ruin my efforts in attaining lucidity? (Please don't hate on me for this)
From what I've read around the DV forum, people seem to have worse recall when using Cannabis. I'd stop using it while lucid dreaming, or experiment to see if it gives you less recall in the first place.
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