Very Excited!

[JohnStapler]

Tonight i will "try" to lucid dream! I probably won't have one but I will keep trying! Do you have any good tips? I've heard that it's good to write down all your dreams, why is that?

[Recidul]

Good luck with lucid dreaming and welcome to DV! Don't get too upset if you don't succeed the first night you try it. Writing down your dreams is important because it helps you to improve your dream recall, though it's not necessary to write all of your dreams down (you dream even ten times a night and when you remember 3-5 dreams every day, it would be very time-consuming to write all of them down). You should also do reality checks and question the reality in general, that habit should transmit into your dreams.

[Mageric]

I haven't had a LD yet and I just started out just like you from a couple days ago. Be patient, that's the major thing. After 2-3 days of not being able to successfully LD I started thinking that I should give up. Then recently I have been so close to achieving it. It takes time, patience, relaxation, imagination and just as much as you can put into it for yourself. Also at first I didn't think remembering your dreams was necessary, but it is. It helps a load, and you remember more and more dreams, which helps you be aware while becoming lucid. Keep a dream journal, I keep mine in my IPOD so it doesn't matter where - just make sure you write it down. Reality checks are also important, you need to make it a habit of doing this - especially when you see something strange. Checking your hands and asking yourself "am I dreaming" is the way to go, how I do it, but there's many other ways to RC. Whatever suites you is best, honestly. So find the technique that's right for you, and go from there.

[Binsk]

Welcome to the forums John! Forget about trying to lucid dreaming. Either have a lucid dream or don't. One thing you will learn later on is that confidence plays a huge role not only in having lucid dreams, but in controlling them as well. Tips? Le'see... patience as always required, like Mageric said. Took me over a year to finally have a successful lucid dream, so if things aren't going well, don't give up it can take time! (Though don't get discouraged, some people have lucid dreams within the first week. It differs from person to person) Try to stay excited about it, that is a biggie. It helps a great deal when you have lots of enthusiasm. However, as also mentioned, you should keep a dream journal for multiple reasons. Firstly, it greatly boosts how many dreams you can recall every night after just a few days. Basically it is telling your brain, "Hey! These are important, remember them!" Secondly, it provides a means to look for dream signs, that is to say repeating occurring and whatnot in dreams. These help you become lucid because if you ever see one, you will know it is a common occurring in your dreams. Thirdly, it is always fun and refreshing to look through your old dreams. So if you ever lose enthusiasm, you will have some other dreams to re-ignite that. Last but not least, though it goes hand in hand with patience, start slowly. Don't jump into things too fast. Start with the simplest of techniques until you have had a decent amount of lucid dreams. Then afterwards move onto some of the more advanced techniques. Anyway, good luck with your adventures! Any time you need some questions answered, feel free to post them!

[JohnStapler]

I thank all of you! I will start a dream journal as you all said Reality checks, is that like asking yourself "How did i get here?" inside the dream? I Appreciate the answers! Thanks!

[Binsk]

Yes that is a good reality check. Basically a reality check is any action that can distinguish if you are in a dream. A popular one is plugging your nose and trying to breathe through it. In real life you cant, but in the dream you can because your real nose is still unblocked. There are plenty more, you will have to look for them though because I don't remember where (or if) they are listed. Though I am sure you will stumble across some sooner or later.

[JohnStapler]

I see! The nose idéa is really good! I'll check the other threads for more tips! Thanks!

[urbanmilitia]

ive been training using these forums for 5 weeks and have had 1 short lived lucid dream and many close shaves got the rest of our lives to perfect start with trying to remember your dream with a dream diary and some mantras as step 1 respect ;]