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I've never intentionally had a lucid dream before, and all of the times I remember discovering I was dreaming resulted in me waking up. I get sleep paralysis every now and then and wanted to try out lucid dreaming, but I have virtually no control over the times I get sleep paralysis, and it doesn't happen very often. Are there ways to gain control over that kind of thing? Is it possible to skip right over hypnagogia to a lucid dream?
well, from what I've read, you should start with just practicing reality checks and dream recollection first
Seems like a good place to start. Mind you, just knowing what I dream about would probably be worthwhile...
I might also look into meditation.
((This post is assuming you're brand new to LDs. If you aren't, just ignore everything but the first line.))Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallus
Welcome to DV! Though I myself have only been here a few days.
I'll start by saying the thing that everyone is going to tell you: Keep a Dream Journal of some sorts. Even if you don't want to keep one because of privacy concerns (I know I would never want my parents to know what goes on in my dreams 90% of the times), sit for 5 or 10 minutes when you wake up and recall everything you can. Within days you'll notice a huge improvement in Dream Recall. In the 5 days I've had mine, I've gone from almost never having complete memory of my dreams, to waking up with 3 pages full of writing this morning (Oddly, I only remember writing 1.) Lots of people may have Lucid Dreams, and then not remember them, so recall is the first step. There is also another very important thing that'll come from this, which I'll mention a bit further down.
It's also important to know that going into a LD from Sleep Paralysis is only one of the many methods. Many of these methods are outlined in excellent tutorials on the site. There is a nearly surefire (Once you master it, of course. At first, you'll be lucky if you get it once in 5 attempts.) method of going into SP, and this is called 'Wake Induced Lucid Dreams', or WILDing. Basically, you lay on your back, hands more or less at your side, and don't move. At all. Focus on your breathing, or something else that's constant. When you see swirling colors, watch them, but don't focus on them. The tutorials do a much better job at explaining it than I do, but that's generally the gist of it. WILDs are incredibly hard to do. I managed to do it once in an amazing 15 minutes on my second try. On my two tries since then, I've been laying in my bed until the sun comes up without any SP or LD.
The easiest way for beginners, and what I've begun to do, is to keep a Dream Journal, and point out or circle everything that you should have noticed, as well as anything that's common to your dreams. In the 5 days I've had my journal (As well as dreams I remember from before that), there has been something from my school in every one. Heck, even last night when I was crashing through Japan in a giant robot, someone from my school randomly showed up. Once you've found something that's common to your dreams (doesn't have to be in ALL of them, but in most.), begin to do a simple reality check whenever you see it. Glance at your watch twice, or count your fingers. Doesn't matter if you know 100% that you're awake. It's just to get into the habit of it. Eventually, you'll do this while dreaming, and see that the time reads 47:90 or you have 18 fingers on one hand. Thus, you become aware you are dreaming. This is called a DILD, or Dream Induced Lucid Dream. Again, there is a better explanation in the tutorial section.
I can't believe it. The WILD method you just described is exactly how I used to fall asleep when I was little - about three to seven, to be precise. I would imagine that I was falling, and that around me there were different objects and platforms from which I could leap and climb. I usually started by imagining myself flipping through a large hole in the floor. By the time I hit the bottom, I was usually asleep. If not, I started over. The whole process could take about 2-5 minutes if I got it on the first try.
Of all the ways of achieving a lucid dream, the DILD will probably be the hardest for me. I have ADD, so remembering to do reality checks will probably just not happen. I'd have to get past my forgetfulness, in addition to the tendency to accept the dream as reality. Medication won't help, since amphetamine salts aren't exactly conducive to sleep. I think that the WILD might actually be my best bet.
Thanks!
I used to use something similar as well, back when I had serious insomnia. However, the key difference here is that you're trying to stay awake for as long as you possibly can. Eventually, you're body will fall asleep while your mind is still awake. Hence, SP.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallus
The trick will be to remain conciously awake without actively concentrating too hard, else I'll keep my body awake as well.