Thread: Another novice lucid dreamer

Welcome Eliza!

I haven't had many lucid dreams, and the ones I have had have been very brief. Is this because I do not do a good job recording my dreams in my dream journal?

There are 2 reason for short lucid dreams:
a) You're reaching end of your sleep cycle;
b) You're waking yourself up.

Normally you can tell without much difficulty if it's b) (aka, if you're too anxious in a lucid), but most of the times for beginner onironauts it's a): being a lucid dream a dream that incorporates characteristics of the waking state, it's much more likely that you'll experience on when you're about to wake up: this makes the lucid dream seem pretty short! As you practice, you will be able to respond to more and more cues, significantly increasing the chances of becoming lucid earlier in the sleeping cycle.

I am interested in lucid dreaming mostly because of the control it is said to offer. Must I really write in my journal?

Yes. We still don't know what is actually behind the relation, but dream journal is a proven tool to increase your lucidity: maybe it's probably because since it helps your dream recall, it allows you to recall more common elements that compose your dream experiences, essentially giving you more chances of detecting dream anomalies or remembering that you already experience something similiar in a previous dream. And let's not forget the power of recurrent dream signs: if you're a person that constantly dreams with X, practicing can lead to a lucid every time you meet X in a dream....it doesn't get any easier than that

I am a bit worried about this because if I was having a lucid dream in which I was flying over swathing corn and wheat fields, and hit a telephone pole, would it hurt more than a normal dream? I have been shot full of holes in normal dreams, and it still doesn't really hurt.

You can feel pain in a dream, but very rarely people report extremely painful experiences. Like when I pull an arm out (don't ask ) I just feel the pressure, but not any pain. We actually had a spot for "darker" dream tasks in the forum in the past and people didn't report any pain from cutting their heads of stabbing themselves in the belly, so don't worry about it and remember it's all just a dream

I want to have lucid dreams, but every time I have one, I have to remind myself that I am dreaming so often that I don't have time to do I anything else. If I get off my butt and try to go hangliding or something, more often than not I get so caught up in trying to find one, I forget I'm dreaming.

That will get easier with practice: sometimes it's indeed true that possessing low lucidity (because it can vary even if your frequency is high), so it might take more effort to sustain the thought that you're dreaming.

I also try to fly in my dreams whether or not I am lucid. Everyone seems to be able to do it but me.

You'll love it, I remember spending entire lds just flying around, it's exhilarating ^^

Also, what is your favorite induction technique for beginners? I would really appreciate some guidance.

Reading time! Try checking these threads regarding simple techniques, but remember the simple basics: do reality checks and train yourself to be as aware as possible, for the longest amount of time possible; engange in the experience: paying attention to your normal dreams and day-dreaming is more helpful than doing 100 reality checks a day; and last but not least, be consistent! 5 lucid dreams within a month might sound good, but the big reward comes after months of dedicated practice, where you can achieve several lucids a week (and even per night) with a long duration. Have fun

Thank you so much, Zoth. Your answer was extremely helpful.

Welcome Elizapalmer