Thread: Some LD Questions

About a year ago, I made lazy attempts to LD for about 2 months before summer started and I simple gave up. However recently, I have decided to possibly start trying again. I would like a few questions answered for me.

1. How often, once you understand how to do it effectively, can you LD? I would be the happiest person alive if I was able to have a good LD at least once or twice a week. Is that possible? If I only have one once in a while, it is honestly not worth it for me (or is it?)

2. I have asked this before, but I would like to hear more answers. Really, how clear are LDs?

3. I have horrible dream recall. Maybe one small dream a month. Can I LD without taking the time to work up my dream recall with a journal? Will the actual LD still be clear and rememberable? It wouldnt make sense if I couldn't remember it, considering I am fully aware while in the dream right? It would be just like remembering a movie I watched yesterday.

4. I'll admit that I am terrified to attempt WILD. But at the same time I desperately want to do it because it seems like the best and most effective way to LD without having to spend months training. The thought of hearing sounds and possibly seeing nightmare-ish hallucinations scares the shit out of me. Any suggestions or insight?

5. If I want to be semi-lazy and unorganized in training (meaning I don't want to dedicate myself to any strict routines), what is the best way to to LD? I am guessing that simply doing reality checks as often as possible is the best way for me?

6. Finally, if LDing is real, why doesn't everybody do it. To be honest, I have never heard of anybody LDing except for on the internet. You would think that something so amazing like being able to control your dreams would get around to everyone. This makes me slightly doubt the fact the LDing is actually possible.

1.) I've slacked off a bit lately, but still have about one per week. It's kind of a side effect of my work schedule -- I work nights, and frequently have to get up, go back to bed, etc. I've always been a vivid dreamer to begin with. As far as it being 'worth it'... Well, you're going to have to sleep, anyway, so what's to lose?

2.) It depends. I've had anywhere from simulated reality clarity to foggy vague impressions. Just like any other dream, really.

3.) I've never used dream journals, but I have excellent recall to begin with. Probably get more useful answers from someone else if recall is tough for you.

4.) Months training? Heh, that kind of thing cracks me up, though I do apologize if that's insensitive. For me, it's just something that happens. Granted, my life makes for a -very- inconvenient sleep schedule, so maybe it's just a trade-off. Here's a trick for next time you're off work or whatever; Doze off on the couch, watching TV or whatever. Stay up awkwardly late doing it if necessary. When you wake up, go on to bed. Ta-dah, you're primed. But yes, Sleep Paralysis and the potential hallucinations can be disturbing if you disturb easily.

5.) Well, see above. I'm probably in a minority here in that I think all of the books/aids/training/methods are kind of unnecessary. 'Course, I had to go through a few long years of scary SP experiences to get to where I am. Not via training or whatever, just through being a walking course study on sleep disorders.

6.) Lucidity and control aren't the same thing. My dream control has trended from weak to full-on poor, though I do have good clarity and recall. Works for me, so I don't focus on it or worry about it. Since it tends to work with the less conscious parts of your brain, though... Doubting it's possible probably isn't helping your case.

Hello! This is actually my first post on Dream Views, but I just wanted to share what I’ve learned from here during the past months!

1. It is possible to lucid dream every night. You just have to practice, as lucid dreaming is a skill. If you have great dream recall, and often question the reality when awake, you are bound to become lucid in many dreams via DILD. And if you master WILD, you will be able to lucid dream at will. But don’t forget that lucids can also happen randomly, especially in the beginning. If you think about lucid dreams a lot, there’s is a chance that you will have one! Just be confident and believe that you’ll have lucid dreams. And it’s totally worth all the hard work, I promise!

2. It depends from time to time. I’ve had lucid dreams that were very blurry and unstable, but I’ve also had trouble deciding if I was dreaming or not in other of my lucids. It’s also possible to make them clearer with stabilization techniques, like rubbing your hands together or slowly spinning around in circles. Lucids are able to be very lifelike during the right conditions. It’s hard to explain, but it feels like reality and a dream at the same time.

3. Dreams are the most vivid during REM-sleep. In the mornings, the REM-sleep is longer, so the dreams are very stable during this time. For example, most of my lucids happens after at least six hours of sleep when I wake up and go out of bed for a couple of minutes before returning to bed. After six hours I can also write down at least one non-lucid dream in my dream journal. I highly recommend keeping a dream journal, because it makes your mind wanting to remember your dreams.

4. Sleep paralysis is something that I’ve been experiencing quite a few times, and I’ve never had any of those horrifying hallucinations. Well, at first I thought entering the paralysis was quite scary, but now I think it’s enjoyable. It’s different for everyone, so I can’t guarantee that you will not have hallucinations. Sleep paralysis may be scary the first two times, but you’ll get used to it. I suggest that you don’t think about any scary hallucinations during sleep paralysis, as it’s very likely that your mind will create them if you do. Try to stay calm, and don't think of anything. And if you happen to hallucinate something, it won’t harm you, as it’s not real!

5. Lucid dreaming often takes a lot of dedication. I guess I was lucky, because I had my first lucid dream within a week. All I did was doing lots of reality checks, which was counting my fingers. In my first lucids, I just randomly looked down at my hands and realized I was dreaming. For me, just the reality checks alone won’t work anymore, so I’ve started to practice SAT to get more DILDs. There’s also a method called MILD, but I don’t know very much about this technique. It’s about repeating mantras to yourself, like “I will lucid dream“ or something similar.

6. My answer is that lucid dreaming is something unknown. Most people don’t know it exists. When I told my family about it they thought I was a bit crazy! They don’t have the slightest interest in lucid dreaming… I just happened to discover lucid dreaming on the Internet one day, and other people might’ve had a lucid and weren’t sure what it was, and therefore looked it up. I am sure that many people would like to lucid dream if they knew it was possible. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that lucid dreaming is scientifically proven.

I hope this helped you!

1. How often, once you understand how to do it effectively, can you LD? I would be the happiest person alive if I was able to have a good LD at least once or twice a week. Is that possible? If I only have one once in a while, it is honestly not worth it for me (or is it?)

In what I've heard, masters of the art of lucid dreaming can have 5-7 LDs a week. Of course, effort is needed to achieve such number of LDs in a week.

2. I have asked this before, but I would like to hear more answers. Really, how clear are LDs?

The vividness of a dream often varies. Sometimes, it will be foggy and kind of distorted. Sometimes it can be clear as real life, and sometimes, it's so clear, that it's beyond comprehension.

3. I have horrible dream recall. Maybe one small dream a month. Can I LD without taking the time to work up my dream recall with a journal? Will the actual LD still be clear and rememberable? It wouldn't make sense if I couldn't remember it, considering I am fully aware while in the dream right? It would be just like remembering a movie I watched yesterday.

Yes, it's still possible to LD and remember it without practicing your dream recall. The WILD method doesn't need dream recall in order for it to be performed unlike the DILD and the MILD. But I strongly suggest you continue working on your dream recall. Maybe one dream fragment a day is enough. Try having a steady sleep schedule and try consuming foods rich in vitamins b6(e.g. peanuts, meat, etc) to improve your recall.

4. I'll admit that I am terrified to attempt WILD. But at the same time I desperately want to do it because it seems like the best and most effective way to LD without having to spend months training. The thought of hearing sounds and possibly seeing nightmare-ish hallucinations scares the shit out of me. Any suggestions or insight?

It isn't really that scary once you get the hang of it. It's true that it's a little scary on your first few tries, but always remember that it's just all in your head and nothing more. Remind yourself that dream land is just around the corner.

5. If I want to be semi-lazy and unorganized in training (meaning I don't want to dedicate myself to any strict routines), what is the best way to to LD? I am guessing that simply doing reality checks as often as possible is the best way for me?

I think RCs alone will not do. At random parts of the day, try to stop what you're doing and examine your surroundings, and ask yourself, am I in a dream?If you make this a habit, you might just be able to carry this habit into a dream thus increasing the chances of having a Lucid Dream.

6. Finally, if LDing is real, why doesn't everybody do it. To be honest, I have never heard of anybody LDing except for on the internet. You would think that something so amazing like being able to control your dreams would get around to everyone. This makes me slightly doubt the fact the LDing is actually possible.

Lucid Dreaming is real my friend, it has been tested and proven by scientists especially Stephen LaBerge. The reason why most people don't do it is because lucid dreaming is something that doesn't get that much attention nowadays. Also, it's something that is more likely to be learned or practiced(though some can have it naturally) other than having it without effort. Research shows that 15% of the whole population had one lucid dream and never remembered it. People nowadays are more interested in gadgets and stuff. I assure you, it's real.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask more questions

1.- Once I understood how to do it properly, can do it daily.
2.- That depends on the dream really, even now I have some that are really foggy, though with time and practice the normal is as clear as waking.
3.- A LD can be forgotten, so if you don't have recall chances are you will forget them. Though you don't really need a DJ in order to boost your recall, there are other things and just the simple intent can help with it.
4.- One, for WILD SP is not needed. Two, the HH hallucinations of SP can be controlled as if it were a dream, so they don't have to be scary. Three, WILD just like DILD needs months if not years of trainings in order to get good at it, there is no holy grail. My DILDs have much better quality and durability than my WILDs too, but of course it depends on the person.
5.- If you don't want to train stuff, just attempt MILD before going to sleep. Otherwise a RC has its tricks and will be hard to do, unless you make it second nature, in which case it shouldn't matter.
6.- Because they don't know it by the name LDing and they don't know it is controllable, go ask someone if they ever had "A dream where you knew it was a dream?" or change name by nightmare, you will be surprised how many people do and think its cool, but they still don't know its possible to do this on a daily basis or to induce it. I would be in the same boat if not for a happy nightmare while a kid.