hello everyone! kinda new to this... (i have a few questions too!)

[Psyche]

hello everyone~ this site is awesome im so glad i found it! i want to get into this lucid dreaming thing, when i first read about it i thought "MWAHAAHAA the answer to my prayers!!!" everyones so helpful and i love to read ur experiences i cant explain it but since i started reading about dreaming and others' dreams i feel like i understand myself and other people more i feel more connected... ya know what i mean?? anyone else feel like that?? eeehhh.. dunno ANYWAAY i started one of em dream journals when i really want to remember a dream i usually do but im still not so good at it like other people.. i have had my dream journal since maybe 2 weeks... i think im just so excited and want to jump into having an LD so i forget about recall some nights D: -should i really concentrate on recall first?? -and i am already doing reality checks but should i stop them for now until i am better at recall?? -if i had a LD but have poor recall would i not remember it?? -is SP really THAT scary?? its preventing me from getting good sleep xD -just curious but... which technique do ya prefer to induce a LD and why?? i had so many more questions but i just cant really remember them all now to write them down D: maybe i will ask another time! sorry for being so n00b hope im not annoying.. thanks and seeya around the forums ^^ SWEET DREAMS!!!!

[KDubs]

Hey there and welcome! Ill try to give my best answers for some of your questions. 1) yes concentrate on your recall because that will be essential for future dreams and recording them and basically remembering them. I dont have a good recall at all and I've been told to work on that first. 2) I would say you should keep doing the reality checks so that they will continue into your dreams Thats what i got for you right now cause im still working on having a lucid dream myself. But keep up what youre doing and dont be afraid I've heard and read alot of fascinating things

[Burke]

Welcome to the forums! You've got off to a good start with the dream journal and reality checks, and the recall will get better as you practice. As for the questions, yes, recall is very important but it doesn't mean you can't do other things while you are working on dream recall. You could try a WBTB and still keep your recall up. Just make sure you also write any dreams you remember when you wake up both times. No, don't stop doing reality checks, but don't go overboard with them either. Several throughout the day is fine and you really want to get in the habit of doing it whenever anything even a little out of the ordinary happens, such as you see someone you haven't for a while or somebody comes home at a different time (not like 10 minutes or anything but like a few hours) This can happen as it has happened to me once, but you generally do remember them since you are technically "conscious." I, personally, always wake up right after a LD and just write down some quick notes if i have to get ready for the day or just hop on here. SP is scary for the first couple of times but you get used ot it. I've experienced it about 4 times and after the 2nd time it isn't bad. In fact, you come to look forward to it since it means you are likely to fall asleep. Personally, I use DILD/MILD and DEILD. DEILDs seem to be very easy for a lot of people and if you get good at them, you can even chain them together to get hour long dreams, in total. Some people like WILD but it just doesn't seem to be right for me, btu everyone has their own preferences. Find the one that workes best for you! Don't worry about sounding like a "n00b." We were all new at one time and people here are happy to answer any questions you may have. Good luck on getting lucid!

[Arra]

Hi, welcome. The reason it's advised to build up your dream recall first is because, you might be having lucid dreams every night, but unless you wake up directly after having one, if you have poor recall you probably won't remember them. There's no problem with concentrating on trying to have lucid dreams right away. That's the more exciting part. You can try to improve your dream recall and try to lucid dream by doing reality checks at the same time, but just be aware that you might not remember your lucid dreams if you succeed until you build up your recall ability. If you wake up from a lucid dream in the middle of the night, make sure to write it down straight away, or you'll likely forget it in the morning, especially if you have poor recall. Sleep paralysis is what your mind makes of it. It's scary for some people, but isn't for others. I used to get it involuntarily almost every night, before I started trying to lucid dream and could see it as an advantage. I never considered that it could possibly be anything but bad. The type I got though wasn't the same thing as the type people self-induce with the WILD method. I don't know, but it seems to me that if you're hallucinating, and your subconscious is making up the hallucinations, optimism and telling yourself that you have nothing to worry about might help make nothing bad happen. I've been trying the WILD technique lately, unsuccessfully so far, and I'm planning on continuing with it until I succeed. So far, the worst part about trying the WILD method has been how time consuming it is. About two hours of my day have been wasted every time I've tried it. I want to do it, because I've heard how strange others report falling asleep while conscious is, and want to experience it for myself. Even if I was really good at WILD, I think I would prefer the DILD (or MILD, the difference between them feels very small to me) method the best. I like the effect of doing reality checks, making myself more aware in my waking life that I'm not dreaming, and I think there's a benefit to that even apart from lucid dreaming. I like having the ability in dreams to be more aware, more conscious, with some memory of waking life. I really think the DILD and MILD methods work as a result of increased awareness in waking life, and if someone focuses only on the WILD method, forgetting RCs and oblivious during all of their non-WILD dreams, they're missing out on the experience of increased awareness.

[Psyche]

thanks so much for help and welcomes!! u guys rock i feel better now i really appreciate it KDubs thanks man (: i will keep trying, and good luck to you having a LD you can do it buddy!! Burke thankyou very much!! you are very helpful! i think maybe i do a few too many reality checks hmm... i thought that too! that maybe u always remember LDs cuz you are "conscious" in them but i heard sometimes you dont.. maybe it depends how aware you are?? hmm... i will try to use WILD and get through SP and hopefully get used to it ^^ ooh oh will you only have SP when trying a WILD or can you from waking up from a LD?? Dianeva thankyou thankyou! that makes me feel much better (: i will try to think positive when the time comes! but if you have SP and keep your eyes shut will u still see things or will you only hear things?? wish you good luck and success using the WILD technique!

[KDubs]

[QUOTE=Psyche;1596982]thanks so much for help and welcomes!! u guys rock i feel better now i really appreciate it KDubs thanks man (: i will keep trying, and good luck to you having a LD you can do it buddy!! thanks! im gonna keep doing all i can to experience a LD