Hello from Canada!

**Thistle** · 05-24-2013 07:45 AM

I first discovered lucid dreaming about two years ago while looking up something on Google. I was more than eager to try out this newfangled thing, however I was also lazy and avoided the whole dream journal bit and quickly forgot about doing reality checks throughout the day and, consequently, didn't end up having much luck (however on one occasion an individual in my dream told me that we were in a dream and actually tried to help me gain lucidity, but to no avail). Later on I found out about sleep paralysis and immediately decided to stop trying; I have anxiety issues as it is, so the prospect of being trapped in my own body seems absolutely terrifying. I also had a feeling that I would 'lose control' over the dream and enter into some sort of nightmare... I know if I saw a creepy reflection of myself in a mirror I'd freak out. Lately I've started to reconsider LD and instead view it as a way to help conquer some of my fears and increase my self confidence. There's still no way that I'd try the WILD method, but I am open to DILD and plan on keeping a dream journal this time around.

Lengthy introduction aside, I'm happy to be here and hope to learn more about LD.

**paigeyemps** · 05-24-2013 08:39 AM

Hey Thistle, welcome to DreamViews!

It's good to hear you're determined to give it another shot. First of all, I want to reassure you that sleep paralysis is not to be feared. There are several reasons for this. The biggest reason is that it's probably not even sleep paralysis at all! SP, it think, has the most misconceptions with regards to lucid dreaming. The tingling feelings, numbness, hallucinations, etc. are NOT necessarily sleep paralysis. It's just that many people use the term loosely so it always makes newbies scared of it because it sounds like a very scary experience. Another reason to not fear it is that true sleep paralysis cannot be induced, it is something that happens when it needs to happen, and only a few people have the medical condition which makes them experience it frequently. Third reason is that if you do happen to experience SP, it can be an amazing event. You get to be aware of what's happening in your mind while your body is sleeping, people normally don't get the chance to do that. Also, if you're scared of seeing/hearing/feeling things (which MAY NOT EVEN happen to you), keep in mind that you're only physically limited, everything is in your imagination, and you CAN do something about what you're perceiving mentally—you can learn to turn the hallucinations into something more pleasant, play around with them, and experience other amazing sensations you won't experience in waking life.

I might not convince you to try WILD anytime soon, but I hope you reflect on what I said, because WILDs (and other lucid dreaming techniques in general) are definitely worth trying! Chech this out if you have time: http://www.dreamviews.com/wake-initi...explained.html

Anyway, welcome again, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to post or send us a message ¯\_(°‿°)_/¯

**ringoyam** · 05-24-2013 09:58 AM

yeah welcome to the site, most importantly just remember to have fun with it and you will have some great Lucid Dreams. the more you experience lucid dreams the more comfortable you will feel in your next one. definitely check out all the other techniques and find what works best for you. good luck

**Zoth** · 05-24-2013 03:40 PM

Welcome! Remember that in every lucid dream you are in control. Anything that happens against your will is subject to your intention, thus can be changed or avoided. You can even wake up yourself from the dream

Regarding SP, you don't really need to worry about it, because as Paige mentioned it, chances are you'll never experience it even while trying to induce a WILD. It's quite an old myth that we're trying to uncover here at Dreamviews

Good luck on your journey, I'm sure you'll make good use of your lucidity

**Thistle** · 05-25-2013 01:30 AM

Thanks for the welcome/tips guys.

I guess it is pretty silly to fear something that I am capable of controlling. Truth be told I attempted WILD before I found out about SP and got as far as the hypnagogic imagery, and was pleasantly surprised by how calm I felt.

**AURON** · 05-25-2013 06:06 AM

First of all. Don't give up on a DJ. Recall (regardless of what you heard) helps out for DILD and WILD techniques. Second, don't fear sleep paralysis. I'm pretty sure you will only get it once or twice in your lifetime. And last, welcome to DV. We have cake.

**melanieb** · 05-28-2013 10:52 PM

Welcome to the forum!

I saw a bunch of crazy posts around the net and on Instagram about sleep paralysis and even someone dying because they tried to lucid dream.

They were all not true.

However, because of all that crazy talk going around the net we had to spend a lot of time talking about sleep paralysis and what it is, and who experiences it. We made a huge thread to explain it to people and still we find sleep paralysis confusion. I see paigeyemps linked you to it above.

As people said above, you need not fear anything related to lucid dreaming. It's as normal as falling asleep, no matter which method you attempt.

The people here are real nice and helpful so if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. It's what we are here for!

Pleasant dreams!