Greetings from No'way!

[AniBaggins]

Hey there! I just joined the forum today, and wanted to introduce myself. I'm a 22 year old woman from Norway, and I have experienced lucid dreaming a couple of times throughout my adolescence. I didn't think too much about it back then, not until I turned 19, when I learned that it was possible to learn how to trigger it. I went into a lot of research at that time, and had at least 5 or 6 successful lucid dreams. Usually I would figure out that I was dreaming, since I practiced RCs regularly. At that time I had one successful attempt at WILD. This is also the lucid dream I remember most vividly. I have never felt so energized and happy after taking a nap! At some point my mind started to focus on other things in my life, and LD was put aside. Not every attempt I did was successful, and my friends though I was crazy for spending time on this. Three days ago I picked up where I left of. I started a dream journal, and just three days in I'm already able to recall more than I was before. I have kept a dream journal before, mostly because I often return to the same places when I dream. I still flip through it once in a while, and can clearly remember dreams I had ten years ago. Last night I got really far - I was entering SP when my heart beat suddenly increased. A lot. I tried to focus on my breath, and kept thinking that it would go away, but it didn't. It just grew stronger, and at one point it felt like my left overarm was beating with it. I think I ruined it when I took one large breath, in hopes of calming my heart beat. I'm trying it again tonight! Hopefully I'll get over the phase with the heart beat and slip right into dreamland! Other than that I live with my fiancé, who isn't really into my "dream stuff". He rolls his eyes when I start talking about lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis or WILD.

[JoannaB]

Welcome to DV, AniBaggins! I also returned to the lucid dreaming hobby after an absence, and I wish I had never left it. So how was your attempt the other other night after your post here? Any success? I hope you enjoy the forum. Please let me know if you need any help with the forum. I hope you will ask lots of questions, and I will try to help if I can, and if not, others will. Oh, and I know what you mean about significant other not being really into dream stuff. My husband also has zero interest. I cannot understand how he can have zero interest, and I guess he cannot understand how come I am so interested. Oh, well. Luckily there are plenty of people on this forum who are very interested.

[AniBaggins]

Thanks for the answer JoannaB No lucid dreams yet, but I'm doing my preparations! I've been lurking around the forum the last days and I've learned lots. I recently ordered "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" by Stephen LaBerge - it seems to be book most people on the forum is talking about Can't wait to get my first piece of lucid literature! I'm also using the Sleep Cycle app to better understand when my REM-sleep occurs. Hopefully I'll find a pattern, and thus the perfect time for me to WBTB It's actually funny you mentioned my fiance! Last Saturday (after a bottle of wine) I brought up lucid dreaming, and told him everything about it. I feel like there is a lot misconception about lucid dreaming. He, like many others, associated it with new age and spiritualism. By the time I was done explaining he was completely into it. He has even started his own dream journal! It's great to have him aboard. This way I can actually put more energy into it, and he won't think I'm going crazy!

[Karloky]

Welcome to this forum friend make yourself at home

[Prelin]

It's odd that you mention the thing about your heart beat. I did a reality check in real life a few weeks ago and somehow triggered what I believe now to be a panic attack. I was on a major freeway and had to pull over and call for an ambulance. The paramedics found my blood pressure over 200 (not sure how you measure it in Norway, but here, that's about double). That's never happened before, and I thought I was having a heart attack. Granted, I had lots of caffeine that day, and that's a known trigger for panic attacks. Still, I'm a smart guy and thought I was above all that. It took a good week before I was comfortable driving on the freeway again. Now I'm a lot more careful about my reality checks. It's almost as if my brain said, "This could be a dream...oh holy crap, it's real! Pull over, pull over!"

[Mismagius]

Hey AniBaggins, welcome to DreamViews! Glad to hear your fiance is interested in it now I can never understand why some people aren't interested in it. I mean everyone has something they want to do that's not possible in waking life, like flying for example. So I guess a lot of people don't fully understand it. I've sort of had the fast heart beat you're talking about, from what I've seen on the forums it's likely just a hallucination. Try not to pay too much attention to it and it should go away after a while. Have you read the "Sensations and types of entry for WILD" thread? It's got a lot of helpful info. I had a WILD attempt a while back where I saw my room even though my eyes were closed, I didn't know at the time that this meant I was in a dream Good luck on having lots of lucid dreams! (^.^)b

[AniBaggins]

Thanks for the warm welcome! It's strange how a hallucination can feel so real! I'm pretty sure it wasn't real, because it went away so quick afterwards. I took one deep breath and suddenly I was out of it. Next time I encounter the phenomenon I'll try to ignore it. Sadly, I'm not having much success with my attempts to lucid dream. I think it's because we are moving across the country, and the whole situation is quite stressful! I think it will be much easier after we've moved. It'll be like a fresh start I'm still writing down my dreams and doing RCs though. Suddenly one night I'll realize that somethings not right. I just have to be patient!

[JoannaB]

Yup stress does have a large negative impact on dreams. Wishing you less stress soon!