Another "welcome me" thread

Hey, i see you get a lot of these so i'l keep it short.

I'm male, 20, english, can't lucid dream although managed to do it once for about a second then sort of forgot i was dreaming and slipped into a normal dream again.

I suffer from insomnia sometimes. It seems strange, i seem to go for about a week sometimes where i get like an hour or less sleep each night, but then will start sleeping soundly again. I also get nightmares every now and then (probably caused by horror films to be fair) that scare me to the point of not wanting to go to sleep in case they happen again, more than once i've bolted up in bed and scared the girlfriend to death, even once just screamed "leave me alone" while staying asleep, she then woke me up, which i was glad about.

I'd like to learn to lucid dream to try and stop the nightmares (although they aren't that common any more, i guess i'm growing out of it) and because i'm just generally interested in it.

I did consider seeing someone about the insomnia last time, it got really bad (however great for gaining a bit more free time) but it's not happened in a while, last time was probably February, i've had the odd restless night since then but not to the extent of insomnia. I guess i'll wait to see if it happens again.



Despite promising to keep that short it turned out pretty long.
Glad to be here, i will look around more and contribute a bit before asking any questions.

KnarF, welcome to DV!

I would recommend you start keeping a dream journal, as this will improve your recall over time. You should also try to do reality checks throughout your day, as you will start doing reality checks in your dreams as a result of it. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, either in a post or a private message (I'll be happy to answer any PMs you send me).

ShockWave.

Welcome to DV! If you have alot of nightmares I have two suggestions for you. First off you should try to look at them differently. See them as amazing experiences, be curious about it or just feel like they would make up for great stories you can tell others. Secondly you should tell yourself to RC whenever you're really scared. Nightmares can be used as a great dream sign and whenever you get lucid during one, you just vanquish the scary things, change the scenery or wake up.

I also suggest you read the tutorials DV Tutorials - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views and check out DILD, MILD, DEILD and WILD in particular. Try them all out and see which one fits you, then you're on your way!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask here or send a PM.

Thanks for the replies.

Shockwave; I've actually been trying to do RCs every now and then, but the problem is that i forget to do them when i'm awake. I'm getting better though. I also intend to make use of the dream journal on this site starting tomorrow if i remember tonight's adventures.

Matte; I will try that, most of my nightmares involve me being chased or followed in some way or victorian images (i don't know why i find this so creepy). When i used to get them when i was younger, i could force myself to wake up, i remember forcing my eyes upward as much as possible to wake myself. I since realised that this means i knew i was sleeping, of course back then i wasn't aware of lucid dreaming or taking control of your dreams. I will definitely be looking at those tuts.

You could try setting an alarm to sound twice an hour or so to get into the habit. Daydreaming as much as possible is also great. Since you've had them before, you know you can have them again :) Good luck!

Hello fellow Brit. Good luck with your Lucid dream goals in 2011