Hello

I stumbled on this website while searching, on google, for lucid dreaming experiences. I believe I had a semi-lucid dream once, I was quite younger (11 or 12, now I'm 19). In the dream there was this person I am not very fond of running after me with a shotgun, shooting it in every direction. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I couldn't get hit or I would wake up. I distinctly remember the moment when I realized I was dreaming, but the rest of the dream just fades away. I think I woke up shortly after, but not due to the bullets, thankfully... I'd have hated to be murdered by that bastard.

Anyway, I was talking to a friend of mine a couple of days ago, and she told me about some lucid dreams she's been having. It ringed a bell, I remembered mine and looked into it. I believe she's a freak of some sort, she has many, many lucid dreams without trying, and also, she has sleep paralysis almost every week, sometimes more than once a week! I actually asked her to come into my dream next time she's lucid, and make me lucid too, but I don't really believe it, and neither does she. In fact, she made fun me. It just seems too much, for that to be possible... But it would be really amazing.

So, in order to achieve my goal, I started a dream journal, I only have 2 entries yet. I usually remember parts of my dreams, but they're never very vivid, and to be honest, the recall isn't that good. So far I've got one dream per night, and on the 2nd night I recall the dream with greater detail, however, it just seems a lot smaller than the first dream... shorter, in time span. Shouldn't practice make the lenght of the dreams bigger? Both dreams were written down after 6 hours of sleep, I have no ideia why, I woke up when they ended. I don't think that happenned before, I believe I usually sleep through the night... Should I also count the morning dreams, while snoozing? In that case I recall two dreams during this last night.

I'm also doing periodical reality checks, in fact, I wrote RC on my phones screensaver, so I'll remember to do one every time I look it. The RC I try is plucking my nose and see if I'm still breathing. Is that enough?

Also, I try MILD when I'm going to bed. And I tried one of the relaxation methods, but I just see these white flashes and strange images, and my eyes try open themselves, very slowly and weakly, but they do. Is that normal? I gave a pathetic shot at WILD too, but again, I had these white flashes (and insomnia afterwards) and I can't seem to concentrate on one thing; I always feel like I need to scratch something, or change position or whatever. I'm a smoker, pot too, sometimes, maybe that has something to do with the images I see with my eyelids closed...?

This post is ridiculously long. I'm sorry. I also apologise for any mistakes, spelling and gramatically wise. English is not my mother language and I haven't spoken (or written) it in a while.

Thank you, and I promise from now on I'll keep things shorter!