Thread: Lucid dreaming?

I'm new in the forum and beginner with lucid dreams as well even if I've done research on the topic. Now when I know something, I can recall a few times, when I possibly have been lucid.
The first one (which I can remember) happened a few years ago when I was seeing a nightmare and suddenly realised that this is a dream and I should not be afraid. At that moment I thought I must be awake because I could understand that I was dreaming (I didn't know about lucid dreaming at the time and I would think I was actually still dreaming) and obviously I lost the image quickly after that. However, I haven't had many nightmares after that or if I have, I've been able to tell myself it's only a dream and in some cases even managed to turn the dream into a nicer one but waked up after doing so.
According to the facts I have gained about lucid dreaming so far, this seems capable of being it, but I'd like a confirmation from someone more experienced.

Hello Elwing and welcome to Dream Views!

Lucidity has nothing to do with "control" (meaning that you can be in a lucid
dream.. but still not be able to affect any changes).

Lucid dreaming is merely the "awareness" that you are dreaming WHILE you're
dreaming.

Have you ever said (or thought) to yourself, "I'm dreaming" and, once having said/thought that, BELIEVED it to be true? If so, then you were definately lucid.

Next time, if you're in doubt, do a "reality check". The reality check that has never failed me is the "plug my nose and see if I can breathe" reality check. It never hurts to do your favorite reality check a couple of times or even do two different ones.. just to really convince yourself.

If you realise that you are dreaming whilst in a dream then you become lucid. From then on it would count as a lucid dream, but if you woke up right away then it isn't really an LD.
It's sounds like a good start to me, however. Being able to realise you are dreaming is the hard part, and you can then learn ways to stabilize and prolong your lucidity.
A good way to do this is by staying calm, taking in your surroundings, staring at your hands or an object and grounding yourself into the dream. Once everything is stable you can go on to do whatever you want
If you want to learn some lucid induction methods, then a good place to start is the tutorials.

Originally Posted by Chris182t

If you realise that you are dreaming whilst in a dream then you become lucid. From then on it would count as a lucid dream, but if you woke up right away then it isn't really an LD.

Chris182t, I have to respectfully disagree.

If you realized that you were dreaming even if the dream ended right away.. I would still count that as a lucid dream (albeit a very short lived one). You still had a moment of lucidity.

Originally Posted by Clairity

Chris182t, I have to respectfully disagree.

If you realized that you were dreaming even if the dream ended right away.. I would still count that as a lucid dream (albeit a very short lived one). You still had a moment of lucidity.

Okay.. technically
I myself have had many where i have realized it was a dream, but i didn't even stay in it long enough to see anything - just blackness and then i was awake. Would that still be counted as lucid?

Originally Posted by Chris182t

Okay.. technically
I myself have had many where i have realized it was a dream, but i didn't even stay in it long enough to see anything - just blackness and then i was awake. Would that still be counted as lucid?

Ahh.. the "grey area"! LOL!!

Well you did became lucid. Did the dream go black the second you realized you were dreaming? If so, that's still a direct result of your recognizing the lucid dream state.

Honestly it would be a "personal" decision as to whether you would count it as a lucid dream or not.

Either way.. you got a taste of lucidity and it's an experience to build on and learn from.

Hello Elwing and welcome to Dreamviews..

I have to agree with Clairity in that once you become consious of the fact that you are having a dream whilst still asleep, you are Lucid.

Sounds like you are a natural LDer and now only have to learn the skills necessary to control the dream. It may take time and effort, or it may not, but I, and everyone else who has controlled a LD can assure you that it is a fantastic experience and well worth the effort.

I was exactly like you, never heard about Lucid Dreaming untill I had one although my first LD I was able to control. (to an extent and it only took 49 years to achieve). When I realised I was dreaming I got out of bed and went into the loungeroom to tell my wife that I had become vividly conscious that I was having a dream and it was not until I started "floating" in the loungeroom that I realised I was still dreaming and was able control it from there. That is an example of why you need to do regular reality checks because your mind cannot distinguish the difference between reality and a dream untill you do a RC.
Well thats the input from the old man of this site so once again, Welcome.

Good luck and best wishes.