Two relatively simple questions

I'm getting closer and closer to a DILD using awareness (though it's really difficult to remember to practice throughout the day)... so I have two questions.

The first is; how do you know if you've remembered the dream? Like, is it possible I've been lucid before and just don't know it? You never remember the beginning of a dream, as far as I can tell, so how do you know WHEN you become lucid, after you've woken up?

Also, how can you wake up from a dream on purpose? I mean, I read about all these techniques to prolong the dream, but if the dream is getting out of control or disturbing me, how can I end it on purpose?

Thanks again, guys; all your advice has been great so far, and the tutorials are fantastic!

well dreams are weird, sometimes I wake up, and have a feeling I had a lucid dream, in fact i KNEW i had a lucid dreams, but i just can't remember what i did, it's hard to explain. There really is not way to tell exactly when you become lucid, because the time is different.

to wake up from the LD, close your eyes or think about your body laying in bed. Yell "end dream" or something, or just let the dream fade away by doing random shtuff.

1.) It IS possible to remember ALL of your dream including the beginning, you just need to work on your recall. It could be possible that you have been lucid but don't remember it, but lucid dreams are usually more memorable then normal ones. I usually know when I became lucid because my recall is good.
Have you been keeping a dream journal? If you haven't you should because it is really important. If your recall is bad I recommend you check out this wiki page.

2.) Usually you just shout out you want to wake up, and you do. If your emotions are to out of control in your dream you'll usually wake up. If you don't want to see the dream try closing your 'dream' eyes.

I like your avatar, also :)

If you find it hard to practice throughout the day, just take baby steps to get there. Start on occasion and work your way up; becoming too concerned with how often you should be doing something will ultimately hinder more than help. :)

If you can remember at least one dream a night, your recall should be good enough to pick up on any lucid dreams you might have had. When my recall was low or nonexistent, I had trouble remembering my lucids - I'd wake up, go through the day and then end up remembering one late in the afternoon. I almost missed it! :P Dream journaling will definitely help prevent this.

There's a bunch of different things you can do to wake up prematurely - command the dream to wake you up, close your eyes, fall backwards and forget all sensations around you, or think strongly about your dream body. If you want to wake yourself up and it works, however, be sure to do a reality check because there's a chance you could enter a false awakening: if you want an outcome badly enough, the dream will cater to it and create its own version of what that outcome should be, and in this case it would be waking up in your bed.

Thanks for the replies guys!

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Originally Posted by erible

well dreams are weird, sometimes I wake up, and have a feeling I had a lucid dream, in fact i KNEW i had a lucid dreams, but i just can't remember what i did, it's hard to explain. There really is not way to tell exactly when you become lucid, because the time is different.

to wake up from the LD, close your eyes or think about your body laying in bed. Yell "end dream" or something, or just let the dream fade away by doing random shtuff.

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1) Yeah I've had regular dreams like that, where I can remember a single instance but nothing outside of it. I fear that may have happened or will happen in the future of my lucidity training.

2) Sounds good! Hope it works. :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mancon

1.) It IS possible to remember ALL of your dream including the beginning, you just need to work on your recall. It could be possible that you have been lucid but don't remember it, but lucid dreams are usually more memorable then normal ones. I usually know when I became lucid because my recall is good.
Have you been keeping a dream journal? If you haven't you should because it is really important. If your recall is bad I recommend you check out this wiki page.

2.) Usually you just shout out you want to wake up, and you do. If your emotions are to out of control in your dream you'll usually wake up. If you don't want to see the dream try closing your 'dream' eyes.

I like your avatar, also :)

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1) Well for me, the thing is that I *think* I remember it all, but because it doesn't seem to have a sensical start it seems impossible to know if I truly do remember the beginning. It's like trying to remember being born. I also do keep a dream journal; 78 entries and growing!

2) Alright, good to know.

And thanks for the compliment! :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Puffin

If you find it hard to practice throughout the day, just take baby steps to get there. Start on occasion and work your way up; becoming too concerned with how often you should be doing something will ultimately hinder more than help. :)

If you can remember at least one dream a night, your recall should be good enough to pick up on any lucid dreams you might have had. When my recall was low or nonexistent, I had trouble remembering my lucids - I'd wake up, go through the day and then end up remembering one late in the afternoon. I almost missed it! :P Dream journaling will definitely help prevent this.

There's a bunch of different things you can do to wake up prematurely - command the dream to wake you up, close your eyes, fall backwards and forget all sensations around you, or think strongly about your dream body. If you want to wake yourself up and it works, however, be sure to do a reality check because there's a chance you could enter a false awakening: if you want an outcome badly enough, the dream will cater to it and create its own version of what that outcome should be, and in this case it would be waking up in your bed.

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I try to always do it before bed, and I find that helps. But trying to take 2 minutes during the day now and then is challenging, especially at work.

1) Yes, I have few nights where I remember none and a few with just one, but mostly I'm 3+ for recall.

2) Thanks for that info, I think I should get into the habit of reality checking every time I wake up.

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