First time here: UFF. Fear about starting

[adraw]

I dont know, how to describe this chilling feeling right now. When something nears my hearth, when something goes under my skin. I feel a little bit stressed about posting a comment somewhere. This is not the first time I am reading about lucid dreaming, still It feels just like as if I would. I have always have one problem. And this problem is all about prerequisites. Funny, isnt it? I always believed. That if i want to start something, I have to be good at everything that precedes. NOw I am standing in front of first stage of lucid development {the DREAM recall}. Lots of exercises include visualisation skills. I cant visualise well. Lots of exercies need to remember what I was dreaming about. But as the alarm clock fires. I cant remember anything. You know. I really want to explore the world within. I always loved to dream as a kid and now, as I grew a little older, I see the bariers. DO I HAVE TO LEARN VISUALISATION FIRST? HOW CAN I ORGANISE MY THOUGHTS JUST AFTER I WAKE UP? (When I have IQ like an idiot ). Am I not thinking too much? Plz. You experienced, or maybe you first time dreamers. Plz help me with your precious experiences. BTW: How do you motivate yourself?

[Sugarglider11]

Hello welcome to dreamviews Well I Think you should work on the dream recall, when you wake up have the intention of remembering your dreams, and when you get up record your dream. You probably wont want to get up and rite down your dream but do it anyway, its worth it. As for the visualization, I dont really know, all I do is reality checks and listen to subliminal messages.

[adraw]

One more think. Sorry i didnt tell you about my dream motivation. Actually. Why do I want to learn lucid dreaming? Maybe its a story like everyone has. Maybe not. I always loved to have some sort of control over myself. Always learning something new. Getting new knowledge, improving and so. This way I grew up. Everything went more and more complicated within. And that made me frustrated. I always loved simplicity. Childish simplicity. And it disappeared slowly. Using Lucid dreams, I want to find the spot where I will find peace with myself. A spot where i may play and where all the "childish" dreams come true. I want to establish inner dialog with myself this way. I want to understand myself. ANd maybe if it comes.. I want to understand waking world this way too. And now to my dreamviews motivation Its superb to find a community full of people trying to have their own lucid dreams and trying to help the noobs {such as me}. I belive, that with your help My inner dreams will come true and overtime, I will help the others to have their lucids. Maybe I am a little naive, but thats the way my head works. Everything given must be repayed. Dreamviews is a superb project even from my first-time point of view. Full of positive work. Beeing glad I could join. Thanx in advance

[Oneironaut Zero]

Welcome to Dream Views, Adraw. First off, I wouldn't say that you're thinking too much, but maybe thinking a little too dramatically. Enter the world of lucid dreaming with a mindset to simply enjoy what you are doing. Do not make a mountain out of a molehill. Everyone is different and some people catch on to lucid dreaming easily, while others struggle. Ironically, it's usually the ones that make the biggest deal out of it, and become filled with so much anxiety about trying to have a lucid dream, that have the hardest time doing it. If you're not trying to get into the game of dream control yet, which is different from lucid dreaming, itself, then don't worry about working on conscious visualization. That visualization comes to you, anyway, in the way of REM periods. Don't get too caught up in all the red tape, at first. Just work on asserting to yourself that you will remember your dreams. Keep track of your sleep habits and make sure you are getting enough sleep, and that you're not sleeping too deeply. As far as waking up, don't worry about your alarm clock breaking your concentration. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. It is just something that you will have to condition yourself to deal with. Wake up, turn off your alarm and then take the time to sit there in bed and think about what you have dreamed. Trace back your steps. What was the last thing you remember doing? Sit there for a minute or two and try to recall your dreams. If you can't think of them the first few days you try, just shrug it off and try again the next night. In short. Have fun with it. Don't make it too much of a big deal, because anxiety is your enemy, in everything from lucid dreaming to dream control. You have to relax and be comfortable with the experimentation. Hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to ask around.

[adraw]

Thanx for this superb reply. I know I have to write the journal. And It is superb what you write. Its all about the intention. But that could be the problem of mine. The wery core of my problem. How to build the intention? Now to the visualisation. It is quite connected with what you have said. Nearly every motivation technique I know builds on visualisation. ANd that is what I am not good at. They say: Imagine yourself being happy about awaking in a lucid dream. I want to, but I cannot imagine myself. I have strong internal dialogue. Still I cannot see the images. And this is the way, where all my attempts end. I cannot motivate myself to do some short term tasks, even when I want to do lucid dreaming {which is long term}. Is there any way how to feel, when you want to motivate yourself to stand up. What do you do when you are falling asleep? {Please, tell me the answer like you would say it to an alien, who doesnt understand now to motivate himself). Please answer deeply from the core of your hearth, as this question is vital to me in all parts of my life. Thanx really...

[Mrs. Jones]

step 1: RELAX, SON!

[adraw]

Welcome to Dream Views, Adraw. First off, I wouldn't say that you're thinking too much, but maybe thinking a little too dramatically. Enter the world of lucid dreaming with a mindset to simply enjoy what you are doing. Do not make a mountain out of a molehill. Everyone is different and some people catch on to lucid dreaming easily, while others struggle. Ironically, it's usually the ones that make the biggest deal out of it, and become filled with so much anxiety about trying to have a lucid dream, that have the hardest time doing it. If you're not trying to get into the game of dream control yet, which is different from lucid dreaming, itself, then don't worry about working on conscious visualization. That visualization comes to you, anyway, in the way of REM periods. Don't get too caught up in all the red tape, at first. Just work on asserting to yourself that you will remember your dreams. Keep track of your sleep habits and make sure you are getting enough sleep, and that you're not sleeping too deeply. As far as waking up, don't worry about your alarm clock breaking your concentration. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. It is just something that you will have to condition yourself to deal with. Wake up, turn off your alarm and then take the time to sit there in bed and think about what you have dreamed. Trace back your steps. What was the last thing you remember doing? Sit there for a minute or two and try to recall your dreams. If you can't think of them the first few days you try, just shrug it off and try again the next night. In short. Have fun with it. Don't make it too much of a big deal, because anxiety is your enemy, in everything from lucid dreaming to dream control. You have to relax and be comfortable with the experimentation. Hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to ask around. Thanx. This was really what helped. Everything can be done if it is not taken as a problem. There was one thing which interested me. YOu have written, that I shouldnt sleep too deeply. How did you mean that, and how can i control this aspect of dreaming. Thanx in advance.

[adraw]

step 1: RELAX, SON! Too dramatical is too bad. I want to be lucid guru overnight thats the point. ANd that takes me nowhere. {Fucking films in TV. Heroes there gain their powers in 90 minutes - Live is so different}

[Oneironaut Zero]

Well, think about it: Emotions are, essentially, the same. They vary from one thing to another, but the initial feelings are pretty much universal. Think of something that has made you happy in the past. What have ever done that you have felt proud of? Have you ever played a video game and died at the same spot over and over and then, finally, gotten past it? Have you ever felt a feeling of accomplishment after finishing anything that you've struggled with? That feeling of accomplishment is universal. Just think about how good that feeling is, and remind yourself how good it would feel to feel that same sort of accomplishment, in regards to having a lucid dream. Don't worry about visualizing what's going to happen, because you've never experienced it. Sure, some of us can visualize things, but it is not absolutely necessary. Just approach the problem from another angle. How would you feel if you found yourself in a world that you could do anything? What do you think you'd do if I told you that, right now, you can do anything you want, free of consequence. How would that freedom make you feel? I'm sure you can imagine that. That, in itself, should be your motivation.

[Oneironaut Zero]

Well, basically that means that if you go to sleep and you are dead tired, whether from partying or whatever, your choices of dreaming heavily and remembering them go down. So a good night's rest, of normal, gradual sleep, is your best bet.

[adraw]

Well, think about it: Emotions are, essentially, the same. They vary from one thing to another, but the initial feelings are pretty much universal. Think of something that has made you happy in the past. What have ever done that you have felt proud of? Have you ever played a video game and died at the same spot over and over and then, finally, gotten past it? Have you ever felt a feeling of accomplishment after finishing anything that you've struggled with? That feeling of accomplishment is universal. Just think about how good that feeling is, and remind yourself how good it would feel to feel that same sort of accomplishment, in regards to having a lucid dream. Don't worry about visualizing what's going to happen, because you've never experienced it. Sure, some of us can visualize things, but it is not absolutely necessary. Just approach the problem from another angle. How would you feel if you found yourself in a world that you could do anything? What do you think you'd do if I told you that, right now, you can do anything you want, free of consequence. How would that freedom make you feel? I'm sure you can imagine that. That, in itself, should be your motivation. THanx for this. I think, I am starting to understand. If I understand it well. I should connect dreaming with my past. As nothing new cannot arise from itself. Maybe it was the problem, that I forced the ideas of motivation to come into my conscious mind. I shouldnt. So I will take a rest and think about something nice what I lived in a past or think about what I expect of lucid dreams and tell my self it is worth it. BUT I CANNOT FORCE MYSELF. Am i correct. It will come from itself. The motivation. Is it like that? I am pretty unexperienced in motivation. Than you for your past replyes.

[adraw]

One more thing: How did you made Lucid dreaming your daily habit? You know. Sometimes you have to go to school {my point} at 9:00. Sometimes at 7:00. Sometimes you dont have time for recording your dreams. How do you deal with unregularities?

[Oneironaut Zero]

You are correct in saying you shouldn't force yourself. That's not to say that some people that do force their self don't actually succeed, but I, myself, find it a lot harder when I'm trying too hard. And as far as making it my daily habit, that came with keeping a dream journal. When I started recording my dreams and realizing how interesting they can be, it became a habit. Still, like you said, sometimes I have to get up and go to work and whatnot, and I can't always write in my journal as soon as I wake up. What I'll do is, I'll write down notes. I will replay the dream in my head and write down key words that will help me remember the timelines of the dreams. This only takes a few seconds. Then, whenever I have time, I will go back over those key words and write out my dreams, in full. Sometimes I lose some of the details, over time, but it's better than nothing. Then, aside from that, sometimes I just take a break. You can't expect to take the time to write down dreams every day. Sometimes you just can't. Again, this is ok. It happens. Just write them down on the days you can. On the days you can't, don't. Just don't spend too much time worrying yourself over it, and do it whenever you have time. Eventually, you will start remembering your dreams more, and you will probably realize how interesting they are, and that will help increase your motivation, by itself.

[adraw]

As this is the night after my first posting, Everything became clearer. Trully. I was thinking a little bit dramatical. I have had one or two vivid dreams {as far as i can remember} in my life. And lots of deep dreams, which had an idea. They made me feel, that dreaming is trully important and absolutely interesting. I tried to build recall myself maybe a half a year ago and started to write my own DJ. And it helped. In few days, everything became clearer and the dreams started to make sense. They were so butiful. Full of unnatural things. Superb. But Maybe in a week after few days of not success, I stopped to write the journal. And now i am here at the beginning again. Still it is much better to know, that i can share my ideas. Once I was talking with my friend in while travelling. ANd accidentaly we moved into dream discussion. He mentioned, that he tried Lucid dreaming too. That was superb. He told me about his experiences, and how he finds out that he was dreaming. He told me something about looking at his hands. That was interesting. We shared our contacts and moved our way. Maybe in two weeks, i had one dream, where I actually looked at my hands and realized That I am dreaming. just after a few seconds i woke up. But the feeling of achieving the goal made me feel like in heaven for next three days or so. I know this wasnt lucid, but still. Its superb to have prove it can be done. This was my first interesting episode in dream worl. The next one was. When i was ill and couldnt sleep well. It wasnt a good sleep. The dreams were somehow scary. Hard to describe. Maybe it was becouse of the illness, maybe not. I can remember standing on a hill and looking at the horisont realizing that I was dreaming. Somehow. I dont know how. But what came, that was trully the feeling nr. 1. Everything became much more colored. Maybe it was becouse I gave more attention to it. Maybe not. Still I was flying and just enjoying the colors. Colors, which were never there, and now.... Of course the dream faded after some time. But just the realisation I can see colors. That was multi-mega-superb. Now I know I can have colored dreams. Maybe they were lucid dreams, maybe not. But this low level of lucidity is enough to try it again and again and not to stop. I would like to thank you for your help. I will share my lucidity way with you guys here. It is worth it. Now I am pulling my DJ from drawer. As i will need it.

[mark]

well as far as things go I cant imagin a better person to take advice from. Oneironaut has had some incredible dreams. Hes right its best to relax. But I understand what you mean about the alarm clock. I have the same problem I very rarley remember dreams when woken by an alarm. I use MILD to tell myself to wake up after each dream or even drink a bit of water if worst comes to worst lol in terms of motivation I found what really got me going was reading other peoples lucids....the best ones I think are Moonbeams, Caradons and Oneironauts....or even watch a movie like matrix or superman lol or something that sparks your imagination

[adraw]

Thanx. This will help me going. I am going to read some dream journals.

[peppy]

I can't really add to what the others have said but, to Dreamviews!

[adraw]

Thanx all for your support. I am starting to sense som self motivation. It is becouse I am dedicating time to study others posts, DJs and pages. Today I am going to give me some sleep. Its superb to know, that sleeping alone can be adventurouse. It is interesting how fast we loose what we have been born with. Lets correct that mistake. Lets play with dreams. Today, I am going to play a little with recall. No dramatic thinking {according to your advice}. Just play... And lets see what it brings. Thanx peppy for welcomming me. Thx all.

[Oneironaut Zero]

Today, I am going to play a little with recall. No dramatic thinking {according to your advice}. Just play... And lets see what it brings. Exactly. It wasn't until I got into lucid dreaming that I really started to appreciate how amazing my non-lucid dreams are. Now, I really don't get too disappointed when I don't have lucids for a while. Just keeping track of my non-lucids, and being able to remember them, is often rewarding enough. It makes waiting for lucids much less frustrating, for me.

[adraw]

Thx oneironaut For me, just as for you are normal dreams superb. I love them simply. In days, when i got better recall, these were trully interesting. Deserts, Icy planes, buildings, people, communities. Everything was cool. I dont need to be lucid. I just want to dream. And that reminds me... Off to sleep Bye.

[Oneironaut Zero]

And that reminds me... Off to sleep Bye. See ya. Here's to some kickass dreams.

[rockinred]

Just a little tip about dream recall, if possible don't use an alarm clock. I find that the alarm waking me up either scares me or distracts me and I forget whatever I was dreaming.

[adraw]

Thanx for advice about not using a alarm clock. Well I am not in such controll not to use it. You know. If I dont stand up at maybe 6:00 I would have problems in school. BUt i have made some changes to ringtone. I have chosen something relaxing and using fade in when it begins. It helped. Now I may recall 1-3 dreams a day. Still I dont want to start LD, becouse the recall is not stabilized. And you know... Its hard to put effort on two things at the same time. So I am gonna make recalling a habit first, then move to some more advanced stuff. Some questions: After I wake up, I immediately loose majority of details of the dream. Trully it takes a lot of dissociated effort (or how to name it) to remember main parts of dream and sequence. What do you ... experienced dreamers do to increase vividness in your recall. You know. Remembering only fragmentary is not as satisfiing as to remember the details. I am actually interested if it will improve. Lots of people told me that the recall will improve with praxis, but i dont know, what it means... What will actually improve? What do you think about this? Thx in advance