Hi, new to lucid dreaming and trying out new ideas, what do you think?

[Pell]

Hey, I'm new to lucid dreaming and although I've never had a full one I've come very close. The first time was about a month ago when for some reason in the dream I just realised I was dreaming. When I tried to fly, the dream just became very 'unstable' and I started sliding across the ground and woke up when I hit a wall. The second time was when I had a false awakening and picked up my phone. When I tried to enter the code to unlock the phone, the numbers on the keypad started to switch places. I then realised I was dreaming and when I got out of bed in the dream, it became unstable again and I woke up for real. This interested me enough to start researching it on the internet and here I am. For the past couple of weeks I've been doing reality checks using an Android app on my phone. It consists of random spot checks and asks you a simple maths or grammar question. No success yet, though I'll continue to use it. I've also tried a binaural beat app on Android which plays at a set time and again I've had no success. I downloaded the Lucid Dreamer App but is by far the most confusing app I've ever used, period. I read about NovaDreamer and thought of an idea. I downloaded an app called AppAlarm which starts any app on the phone at a set time. I also downloaded a light app which flashes any coloured light on the screen (red). My idea is to set this around an hour after I go to bed, I'll be facing the phone and hopefully the light signal will translate into the dream like the NovaDreamer. Obviously, the massive disadvantage is that my phone can't detect REM like the ND can. Though, what do you think? Any other suggestions? My lucid dreaming learning experience is pretty much centred around my Android phone so any app suggestions is appreciated. Also, I've heard the the success with WILD and I'm just too much of a pussy to try it. I'd like to try it someday though I just don't think I can face up to sleep paralysis just yet. I experienced it before briefly a while back, only for about 20 seconds and even then it was horrific. Just not there yet. Thanks!

[Solarflare]

Welcome to dreamviews. Judging from the first paragraph, you can detect stuff in the dream that will help you. Everyone has their own technique, i personally think WILD is too hard, but other people think that it is the easiest technique. Whatever works best for you

[Taffy]

Heya. Hope you enjoy your stay The homemade NovaDreamer is a brilliant idea. Do they have that app for the iPhone?

[KingYoshi]

Hello and welcome to DreamViews! With regards to your flashing phone idea, I say go for it! It is always good to experiment when it comes to lucid dreaming. Every dreamer is different and you never know what may work for you. It sounds pretty interesting and be sure to update us on how it goes. I would suggest setting the alarm for 90 minutes though. REM tends to cycle through every 90 minutes (on average). Good luck to you and again, welcome !

[Pell]

Okay so I tried my homemade ND idea last night but unfortunately I can't recall any dream at all. I tried the various tips and methods on maximum recall but I got nothing, ah well I suppose this just happens. Not going to give up though, I'll keep updating.

[Puffin]

Hi Pell, welcome to Dreamviews! Lucids (DILDs in particular) often start off with the person suddenly realizing they're dreaming. There isn't always a cause; in fact, the majority of my own lucids come about from me just standing there, and suddenly becoming conscious. No cues, no nothing. I'm usually in a normal location, too, with nothing visibly unusual about it. Reality checks are good for knowing whether you're dreaming or not. I'd move away from the phone and apps, because you need reality checks that you can do right away, as soon as you become aware in a dream - you probably won't have your phone with you in a dream, but you do have your nose - plug it and see if you can breathe through it. Check out your hand and see how many fingers you have. There might be a digital clock around, if you're in your bedroom - look at it and see if the time changes before your eyes, or look away and look back - does it change now? Regarding the light app, some people have reported success with it, but you need to be aware enough to notice the flashing lights in the first place. So, you have to practice awareness in waking life - look around you, see if anything looks wierd, question how you got to where you are, etcetera. Awareness all by itself can induce lucid dreams, so it pretty much negates the effect of the light app. Lights have also been known to disguise themselves; your dream might not just suddenly have a big red light flashing in it; the light could take the form of a red stop light or something. If you feel like it can help you though, by all means try it out! Who knows what will happen. As for sleep paralysis, yeah, it can be a bit startling at first. I used to have SP episodes before even knowing what it was, and they were pretty terrifying. Now, whenever I experience SP (sometimes involving unnerving hallucinations), I almost enjoy the experience because I've researched it a lot and know what to expect. I also make sure I have covers on me, which somehow makes it easier if one of the sleep paralysis symptoms involves the presence of someone standing in the room, or walking on my bed. It almost feels like I'm being protected. Then again, I could hallucinate the covers being pulled off of me, which happened last time, but hey - it's not real!