New boots on the mat

[Swesent]

Hi to whomever reads this! I have known about LD:ing for quite a while but my life has been too busy for allowing me to take this up on a more serious basis - up 'til now. Since I first started to learn about this, I have had a couple of supposedly light LD experiences. By using that "nosepinch and breathe-deal" (sorry, haven't learned the abbreviations yet) I have managed to get beyond normal dreaming (I'll explain at the bottom). All of the times it feels like it has happened almost immediately after I have fallen asleep. Many times I have managed to get me into these paralyzed hallucination deals and after having gotten through that minorly unsetteling show, it has lead on to me doing a "realitycheck" and POFF Even though having experienced LDs a few times I MUST still be on a very low level... I become aware that I'm dreaming, but the dreams are always very "cloudy" - it's like I don't get much focus on my surroundings, farther than merely a few feet from where I currently am. It's like I am following the flow of the dream - the dream is controlling me rather than me being in control of the dream. In my first LD I managed to fold a corner of a livingroom carpet by power of thought, whilst I was sitting in my bed. In my latest LD I managed to get enough control to allow myself to grab hold of a door. I held it for a while, moved it a bit, tried to put my hand through the window (glass door) - because I KNEW that I should be able to (with enough experience of course) but my hand stopped at the glass and then I woke up. (In that one I also managed a tiny bit of floating, but not flying since I was constantly pulled downwards by the gravity, only slower than in RL.) I still need to learn how to hold on and prolong my LDs if I am to get any better at this. Getting into lucid dreams seems to be a bit easier for me and happens more frequently to me than for others I've read about. Something I really want to start taking advantage of. And now I finally have the time to accquire the tools I need from this great site. I just have ONE question if you're still with me; You who are more experienced lucid dreamers - how do the dreams appear to you? My dreams are very cloudy, blurry and VERY out of focus for me and there's not much I can do by own will - a very distinct contrast to the reality when I'm awake. Do the LDs get any clearer? Do you with more experience have such clear and sharp LDs that it actually feels like real life (if you disregard any and all unnatural ongoings)? Maintaining the dreams is my first priority though, I don't want to wake up out of them after just a couple of minutes. Thanks for your time, attention and eventual reply! The technique I use to become lucid; The first time I investigated this LD deal I read about the concept of using "realitychecks" to obtain a lucid dreaming state. The method I found was one of the more frequent and popular ones. That is to pinch your nose and then try to breathe through it a few times during the day, whenever you have a couple of seconds' opportunity window to do this. Repeating this check every now and then is meant to prime your subconscious to make you do the same once you're asleep and dreaming (i.e. pinching your nose in the dream). Once you do that and try to breath, you will realize that you can still breath even though you're pinching your nose. That highly unnatural fact will trigger your consciousness and let you know that you're dreaming. Then you just take it from there and enjoy!

[pj]

I just have ONE question if you're still with me; You who are more experienced lucid dreamers - how do the dreams appear to you? My dreams are very cloudy, blurry and VERY out of focus for me and there's not much I can do by own will - a very distinct contrast to the reality when I'm awake. Do the LDs get any clearer? Do you with more experience have such clear and sharp LDs that it actually feels like real life (if you disregard any and all unnatural ongoings)? Maintaining the dreams is my first priority though, I don't want to wake up out of them after just a couple of minutes. Thanks for your time, attention and eventual reply! There are a few good techniques for improving clarity and solidifying lucids. A few of them: look at/study your hands stare at the ground fully engage in the sensory experience - fine visual details, smells, etc. rubbing hands together Shout for Clarity (or, for some REAL fun, Clairity!) Search around for threads and tutorials on dream stabilization for a lot more discussion. Welcome to the forum, by the way!

[Clairity]

There are a few good techniques for improving clarity and solidifying lucids. A few of them: look at/study your hands stare at the ground fully engage in the sensory experience - fine visual details, smells, etc. rubbing hands together Shout for Clarity (or, for some REAL fun, Clairity!) "You rang?" *said in my best "Lurch" imitation* Seriously, pj gave you some great techniques and hey.. if ya shout my name, I'll try to help you in any way I can! Welcome to Dream Views.. we're glad you're here! .

[Swesent]

Thankyou very much for the reply and for your suggestions. I came to wonder about two things though after browsing this site most of the afternoon; First: How quick a progression have you more experienced dreamers had? I understand that this surely varies a lot between every individual, but do you remember how it all begun? How much were you able to do in your first LD, how long did it take before you reached the second "milestone" (whatever you were aiming to accomplish) etc? Second: I understand that you are able to summon DCs (based on people you have met in RL) once you get experienced enough... You see, there's this person I met several years ago who I have almost forgot what she looked like. Let's say that I would be able to summon her someday - is there a chance that my subconscious might have stored her appearance, and if so, my conscious memory of her would be refreshed by seeing her again - am I right? And also; what is the best/quickest way to manually end a LD (if possible)? Is there some special thing you can do that is almost certain to wake you up? Thanks for any and all inputs!

[Burns]

Welcome to the forum, Swesent. Very glad to have you aboard!