chasing the dream

[Khwam]

Hi everybody I woke up this morning to the realization that I really need to work on the frequency of my lucid dreams and my dream control. So I finally registered here, hoping that being an active member of the LD-community might help me take matters into my own hands in the dreamworld. Plus, I also get the chance to use my English a bit more often. I don't know how lengthy these introductions usually get...? I had lucid dreams as a small kid, mostly to escape from nightmares. Then again a few years ago I read a lot about lucid dreaming and gave it a go, but without any success so gave it up soon after. But I've always been interested in my dreams and whenever I remembered one I tried to either write it down or record it. Now that I know that journal apps for smartphones are a thing, I'm getting more constant with this (though often laziness or sleepiness do get in my way). So one day, if I remember correctly, after a bit of reading on this topic, I had a lucid dream. It lasted only for a short moment but I managed to float/fly a little. Since then, I've been trying to take it more seriously, but I'm lacking the discipline for both reality checks and regular meditation. Nevertheless I do get to experience short lucid dreams every now and then. And I remember to try and stabilize the dream by looking at my wobbling fingers and demanding clarity, but most of the time the things that happen are still out of my control and the dream starts to slip away quickly without giving me the chance to stabilize again - I can't help opening my eyes to the real world... and hurry to note down everything that I can remember. So, yes... Happy to be here!

[cooleymd]

well it is good that you remember verbal commands I often just roam about the dreamscape never saying a word (tho I do hand rub and other things) What can help you is to have a goal within the dream something you want to do (like fly or whatever) so come up with a list of at least 5 goals. Make them a bit different so they are applicable to different situations like climb a tree (woods) walk on water (lake river) jump off a tall building (city) etc that way you can have a good opportunity what ever type of dreamscape you're in. (it would be best to think back over your last many dreams and think of goals you could have had in them so your more likely to have those dreams again (or similar ones), it will make you more likely to trigger, and you can practice visualizing becoming lucid in the previous dream and then imagine reality check/stabilization/and accomplish goal). Once you have your goals then every time you see a potential trigger (dream sign in waking life) as you RC go thru the list so you remember to associate calling up the goals when to test. That way when you see the water, think to RC and tell yourself remember walk on water. Then when one night you see the water in the dream and think to RC and realize you're dreaming you stabilize and then remember to try the goal. In this way you can tie all your work together leveraging your dream recall, dream signs, RCs, Goals, and stabilization. This will likely allow you to last much longer in the dream. If there is nothing to do in the dream and your excited the dream might just end.

[Khwam]

Yeah, it's probably a good idea to have different kind of goals. The last few times I mostly concentrated on finding someone/making them appear. I've been successful one time before - although it was a long search (around that corner..or the next!) and when I found the person that I was searching for I was so excited I woke up. I should definitely have other goals as well so I'll have something to do and not just wake up during a long, frustrating search/unsuccessful summoning. And I really need to do some RC in my waking life too. I gave them up all together a few weeks ago and so now I'm not doing them at all. My lucid dreams happen very spontaneously, I often realise I'm dreaming without something that made me suspicious. And I do the RC afterwards, not to know if I'm dreaming or not but as means of stabilisation. If I could get myself to do RC more frequently it will probably help a lot with the quantity of my LD - which gives me more material and chances to work with.

[melissajuice]

Yeah, it's probably a good idea to have different kind of goals. The last few times I mostly concentrated on finding someone/making them appear. I've been successful one time before - although it was a long search (around that corner..or the next!) and when I found the person that I was searching for I was so excited I woke up. I should definitely have other goals as well so I'll have something to do and not just wake up during a long, frustrating search/unsuccessful summoning. I've had this problem for a very long time too. It's finally a lot easier now, and all I can say is--I know--practice. With practice comes good results, good results inspires confidence, which enhances future good results! And so on. One trick is exactly as you said, have other goals too. Try your best, but at the same time, "don't try too hard." Go do something else. Don't let the emotion of frustration get to you, because that will further add to the dream's frustrating content (your mind thinks: You feel frustrated? All right, let's make this frustrating for real). Another trick I've found that seems to work is instead of searching for this person, go talk to / hang out with everyone else who is there. Then ask them "I heard ____ was supposed to be here today. Have you seen ___ around?" and they might help you find them. If not... you can still hang out with those other people. They're only as interesting as you let them be. Finally, surround yourself with content, visuals, audio, or whatever you can get your hands on, about that said person, whether they're real, fictional, or something else entirely. The more content you bombard your brain with, the more it will seep into your subconscious, and you will have a higher chance of them showing up naturally in your dream. Feed your brain that stuff at regular times, not just before bed. Do it in the morning, before lunch, in the afternoon, in the evening, AND before bed, for max effectiveness. Maybe print out a picture of them and stick on your desk. If this is someone you know and see often in real life, there are higher chances of seeing them in a dream, but if you don't know them personally, then do all that to trick your brain into thinking they are a "part of your daily life." Those are my two cents, hope it helps somehow!

[Khwam]

What can help you is to have a goal within the dream something you want to do (like fly or whatever) so come up with a list of at least 5 goals. Make them a bit different so they are applicable to different situations like climb a tree (woods) walk on water (lake river) jump off a tall building (city) etc that way you can have a good opportunity what ever type of dreamscape you're in. Hey, I just wanted to let you know, that this actually helped a lot. I haven't started picking up reality checks again, but I had a very vivid dream in which I walked on water. It was funny because there were other dream characters and I actually talked to them about how I could do it and they couldn't. One of them tried, but got her knees wet, haha. I think I remember telling them (or myself) that you have to be confident about it. But I wasn't perfect either, sometimes I sank about one or two centimeters into the water. Eventually I went on with flying (which I have done before). I also remember a fragment, where I did climb a tree and remembered the "task" you've given me. I don't know if I was really lucid at that time, but still. Thank you! Another trick I've found that seems to work is instead of searching for this person, go talk to / hang out with everyone else who is there. Then ask them "I heard ____ was supposed to be here today. Have you seen ___ around?" and they might help you find them. If not... you can still hang out with those other people. They're only as interesting as you let them be. This is also a very good advice, and I tried... but they just answered they don't know/they haven't seen him. I also tried asking for some other guy, because maybe, yes, I was trying to hard focusing on this one person. But also.. no. In a very recent dream I had a similiar idea. I saw someone walking in the distance and made myself think: This is a good looking guy. He was too far away to actually see much of him and he soon disappeared, but I went there and asked some other people whether they have seen him. They pointed to the other side of the room, but there I found only a cute little nanny. Finally, surround yourself with content, visuals, audio, or whatever you can get your hands on, about that said person, whether they're real, fictional, or something else entirely. The more content you bombard your brain with, the more it will seep into your subconscious, and you will have a higher chance of them showing up naturally in your dream. Feed your brain that stuff at regular times, not just before bed. Do it in the morning, before lunch, in the afternoon, in the evening, AND before bed, for max effectiveness. Maybe print out a picture of them and stick on your desk. If this is someone you know and see often in real life, there are higher chances of seeing them in a dream, but if you don't know them personally, then do all that to trick your brain into thinking they are a "part of your daily life." Well I guess I have conflicting interests right here and that's the problem. I'm trying to keep said person out of my daily life as good as possible. I still don't manage to have lucid dreams at will or even reguarly, and they are still very short. I really need to start doing those reality checks again.