Hello!

[Zyphern]

Hello everyone, my name is Justin, but you can call me Zyphern. I live in the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario Canada. Let me start by explaining how I learned about Lucid Dreaming... Many many years ago in Grade 3 my teacher was talking to the class about how once she had realised she was dreaming, and was waving to everyone telling them "oh it's just a dream!". Being in Grade 3 I didn't really see any significance in being aware your dreaming and waving to people on your dreams. A couple years later I was watching Archie cartoons on the television. In one episode Archie gains control of his dreams and flys around. All I could think to myself was "Wow wouldn't that be cool if you could do that in real life". Two days ago I accidently heard about Lucid dreaming. Immedietly I became fascinated by it. I read ever single page of the main Dream Views site. Last night was my first attempt at Dream Recalling. While lying there I simply thought to myself "I will recall my dreams" every time I exhaled. I woke up about an hour and a half later. I had, had a dream but my memory of it was extremely fragmented. All I could recall was raw meat and a refrigerator. I had mixed the Meatloaf for dinner last night so that may have caused it. After awhile I drifted back into sleep. I woke up around 3:30 in the morning from a dream. Instantly though I realised that my nose was extremely stuffy and I was extremely hot, as well I could feel my stomach was very acidic (thats what happens when you put to much horse radish mustard on a sandwhich). I remembered having a dream but I couldnt remember anything. I woke up once again at 6:30 in the morning and instead of trying to recall what I had dreamed about I thought about what I was to do today. So during the Night I had 3 Dreams that I woke up from. One of which I was able to record in the Journal. I guess as I get more experienced it will come naturally to me that I need to think of my dreams and record them right away. I'm most interested in the Reality Testing technique because it doesn't really require a change in your sleeping patterns. Any tips to improving my Dream Recall would be very much appreciated. I'm quite thrilled about all of this as I have always wanted to bounce on mushrooms that play musical notes, and I've always wanted to give someone I know a huge slap on the face. Thanks in advance, Zyphern

[TygrHawk]

Hey there Justin (sorry, I just can't say "Hi Zyphern" with a straight face ) and welcome to DreamViews! Last night was my first attempt at Dream Recalling. While lying there I simply thought to myself "I will recall my dreams" every time I exhaled. I woke up about an hour and a half later. I had, had a dream but my memory of it was extremely fragmented. All I could recall was raw meat and a refrigerator. I had mixed the Meatloaf for dinner last night so that may have caused it. After awhile I drifted back into sleep. I woke up around 3:30 in the morning from a dream. Instantly though I realised that my nose was extremely stuffy and I was extremely hot, as well I could feel my stomach was very acidic (thats what happens when you put to much horse radish mustard on a sandwhich). I remembered having a dream but I couldnt remember anything. I woke up once again at 6:30 in the morning and instead of trying to recall what I had dreamed about I thought about what I was to do today. So during the Night I had 3 Dreams that I woke up from. One of which I was able to record in the Journal. I guess as I get more experienced it will come naturally to me that I need to think of my dreams and record them right away. I'm most interested in the Reality Testing technique because it doesn't really require a change in your sleeping patterns. [/b] Sounds like you're on the right track already. You've already started to stimulate your ability to recall dreams, and you are correct that as you do it more, the easier it should become. Good luck with the Reality Checks. Personally, those alone never worked to induce lucidity for me, but everyone is different, and it might work just perfectly for you. I understand your reluctance to change your sleeping habits, and depending on your situation perhaps you are right not to try that. However I will say that my best success, and that of a lot of others, has come from using the WBTB and MILD methods. Good luck, let us know how you progress, and don't hesitate to ask questions!

[Zyphern]

Thanks! Don't hesitate with Zyphern, some random people call me that . I may take a look at the WBTB method as I haven't quite looked at that one yet. I told one of my friends about Lucid Dreaming yesterday and he said NO WAY! One quick question though. When you first gain lucidity over your dream what does it fell like? and when your lucid does it feel JUST like real life? I mean walking around and your senses? This is very exciting for me!

[TygrHawk]

One quick question though. When you first gain lucidity over your dream what does it fell like? and when your lucid does it feel JUST like real life? I mean walking around and your senses? This is very exciting for me! [/b] Well, there are different levels of lucidity, and varying levels of vividness (just as in non-lucid dreams). But in general I would say the answer is "yes" -- it feels, smells, looks, and even tastes just like real-life. Except of course that you can do things that you can't do in real life, like fly.

[Zyphern]

Well, there are different levels of lucidity, and varying levels of vividness (just as in non-lucid dreams). But in general I would say the answer is "yes" -- it feels, smells, looks, and even tastes just like real-life. Except of course that you can do things that you can't do in real life, like fly. [/b] Oh my gosh! *starts preparing a list of things he wants to do in his Lucid dreams* Thing is that's 2 things to remember once I actually start. First I have to remember to realise im dreaming, then I have to remember that I want to jump off a cliff! I'm so motivated right now. I'm not sure if I want to stick with what im doing right now ("I WILL recall my dreams") I place lots of emphasis on the WILL. or should I set my alarm clock...

[TygrHawk]

Thing is that's 2 things to remember once I actually start. First I have to remember to realise im dreaming, then I have to remember that I want to jump off a cliff![/b] Heh, you might want to start with just trying to levitate yourself off the ground. Throwing yourself out of a window is only recommended once you are positive that you are dreaming! I'm so motivated right now. I'm not sure if I want to stick with what im doing right now ("I WILL recall my dreams") I place lots of emphasis on the WILL. or should I set my alarm clock... [/b] I'd recommend sticking with the auto-suggestion. Many people find that waking to an alarm is so jarring that it interferes with the ability to recall their dreams -- it's usually better just to wake naturally, if you can.

[Zyphern]

Thank you very much for all of your help TygrHawk! Once I can remember three or four dreams a night and have identified some of my Dream Signs I will begin Reality Testing. This is a great community here, everyone can share their experiences and help one another. Who knows possibly one day I could be helping people just like you are now! Another great thing I like about Dream Views is that they have the monthly challenge. I'm looking forward to completing them, however Open Heart surgery sounds a tad bit complex Oh well, thanks again! Happy Dreams!, Zyphern