Hello! New To The Boards

Hello everyone, my name's Zach. I'm a newb to lucid dreaming, and a newb to life. (I'm only 17) :) I came across DV a couple days ago while researching for a psychology project and it sparked my interest to take the time to try to become a lucid dreamer.

Now usually, I'm terrible with dream recall. Due to the stresses of school and work, i dont get a full night of sleep. The first night of reading this website, however, i had 2 dreams! Thats the first time I've been able to remember 2 dreams in a single night. Lucidity doesnt come to me though. I can remember having low levels of lucidity in dreams throughout the years, but they were due to stressful situations in dreams where i said to myself, "Oh, this isn't real, i can just wake up now." What do i do to increase that awareness?

For now, I'm just going to try to improve my dream recall. I started my dream journal and hopefully that can help me find dream signs. Is there anything else i can do to help on my path to lucidity? Any help is greatly appreciated! :content:

hey, zach. welcome to dreamviews. sounds like you got a good grip on what lucid dreaming is all about. im going to quote a post to a different newbie just for the sake of saving some time. it may answer some questions you already know, or suggest things you've already stated, but here it is anyway:

"yes. there are multiple ways to trigger lucid dreaming. what you experienced was a dild or dream-induced lucid dream. witht his technique you basically figure out your dreaming by either doing a reality check or questioning the world around you and seeing something unusual for real life.

sounds to me like your off to a good start :content: feel free to pm me with any other questions you may have. hope you like it here at dream views.

also, if you haven't already i would strongly suggest that you read the tutorial page and start a dream journal!"

:content:

Hi! :welcome: !!!

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Originally Posted by Aztek

Now usually, I'm terrible with dream recall. Due to the stresses of school and work, i dont get a full night of sleep. The first night of reading this website, however, i had 2 dreams! Thats the first time I've been able to remember 2 dreams in a single night.
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Yeah, I'm the same... I usually find that I don't get enoyugh sleep. And yes, this DOES have a major impact upon dreaming. I find it's worth the sacrifice going to bed early and getting a full eight hours sleep...

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Originally Posted by Aztek

Lucidity doesnt come to me though. I can remember having low levels of lucidity in dreams throughout the years, but they were due to stressful situations in dreams where i said to myself, "Oh, this isn't real, i can just wake up now." What do i do to increase that awareness?
appreciated! :content:
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Well, that's still lucid. My suggestion would be to keep practicing recall, and having occaisional lucids. While you are doing so, keep reading the site and read on some of the techniques for "stabilising" dreams, like rubbing your hands together, etc. Try to "wire" your brain so that the first thing you do when you become lucid, isn't to think "this is a dream, I can wake up", but instead, "this is a dream, I'd better stabilise it and reality check to make myself more aware"... it's all about creating new instincts, if that makes sense?

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Originally Posted by Aztek

For now, I'm just going to try to improve my dream recall. I started my dream journal and hopefully that can help me find dream signs. Is there anything else i can do to help on my path to lucidity? Any help is greatly appreciated! :content:
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The biggest thing I can reccomend is exactly what you're doing. Practicing dream recall, keeping a dream journal, and reading the dreamviews site and forums! If you hang arpund here long enough, you'll learn heaps. I know I have. :D

See ya around!

One more thing i forgot to add; my experimentation trying to WILD. Now I've read that it takes a long time to master, but for the sake of experimentation, i tried it.

When i went to bed, I did a few relaxation exercises, focused on my breathing, and tried to clear my head of thoughts. I started to see some flashes of colors and shapes but at this point, it felt like adrenaline was being pumped into my system. My heart rate went way up and my body went tense. (is that normal?) I finally calmed myself down and started seeing the flashes again, I even caught myself about to doze off and caught an image of a scene, but i got that shot of adrenaline again. I rolled over and was suprised to feel my body being extremely heavy, which ive read is an early sign of sleep paralysis. Am i close? If so, is there anything i can do to avoid that innitial shock?

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Originally Posted by Aztek

One more thing i forgot to add; my experimentation trying to WILD. Now I've read that it takes a long time to master, but for the sake of experimentation, i tried it.

When i went to bed, I did a few relaxation exercises, focused on my breathing, and tried to clear my head of thoughts. I started to see some flashes of colors and shapes but at this point, it felt like adrenaline was being pumped into my system. My heart rate went way up and my body went tense. (is that normal?) I finally calmed myself down and started seeing the flashes again, I even caught myself about to doze off and caught an image of a scene, but i got that shot of adrenaline again. I rolled over and was suprised to feel my body being extremely heavy, which ive read is an early sign of sleep paralysis. Am i close? If so, is there anything i can do to avoid that innitial shock?
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If I understand fast heart rate and breathing is a normal thing when entering REM. So it happens every night, yes you were on your way to Wild. I understang how that is worrying, but I guess nothing bad can happen to you. Next time I get it, I'm just going to go with it. :)

And :welcome: ...

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Originally Posted by Aztek

One more thing i forgot to add; my experimentation trying to WILD. Now I've read that it takes a long time to master, but for the sake of experimentation, i tried it.

When i went to bed, I did a few relaxation exercises, focused on my breathing, and tried to clear my head of thoughts. I started to see some flashes of colors and shapes but at this point, it felt like adrenaline was being pumped into my system. My heart rate went way up and my body went tense. (is that normal?) I finally calmed myself down and started seeing the flashes again, I even caught myself about to doze off and caught an image of a scene, but i got that shot of adrenaline again. I rolled over and was suprised to feel my body being extremely heavy, which ive read is an early sign of sleep paralysis. Am i close? If so, is there anything i can do to avoid that innitial shock?[/b]

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Well I've never successfully WILDed in my life - it's just not my thing - but from my understanding, it's extremely difficult to do without having several hours of sleep first. You should have 5-6 hours of sleep since you'll enter into REM a lot faster or right away after the hypnagogic imagery. I can't say I've heard of anyone having WILDing as soon as they go to bed at night - not that it's not possible, but it'll be a lot more difficult.

I heard it's possible. But mostly by the budhist monks and people like that :) . Although I have heard you can Wild douring an "afternoon nap", don't know really why.

You're right, I'll need to try after sleeping a while. I tried to WILD before sleep again last night and couldn't get myself to transition into a dream. I was in nearly full body paralysis and i would get these vibrations, but only saw black after the hypagogic imagry.

If only i got more than 5-6 hours a night TOTAL of sleep :|

Thank you for your help :)