LD'ing- Now, or previous? Touch? Smell?

[penguin]

This title is pretty much self explanatory. Now that I think of it, I don't think I've had a LD before. I'm asking everyone who LD's (pretty much everyone here) if you FEEL & KNOW that you are currently sleeping and this is a LD, or do you wake up and just REMEMBER the LD? Do you have all of the sensations as the ones in real life, meaning you cannot tell the difference between a lucid dream and real life? I need a comparison of real life and a lucid dream... the likes and differences. Please&thank you! I want to keep it all in mind when I realize I have had my first lucid dream!

[Bonsay]

Yes that's how I usually classify them. By memory and current experience. It's easier when you wake up from the LD directly. You're like "I'm waking up" and stuff. If you really want to see the difference, do a WILD. That's the best. You can watch yourself from the normal waking state, through hypnagogia and into a dream. There is no loss of consciousness and you can comment what you experience to yourself to prove the consciousness...you know "I think therefore I am" kind of stuff.

[Dizko]

In a lucid dream im like, "Wow hang on..this isnt real. I am currently sleeping in my bed" Its a 'current' , real thing. If thats what you mean. Its not all based on memories but that is a very important part. Many times i wont remember a full size lucid dream as soon as a wake up.

[penguin]

@BONSAY: Aaaw, that sucks. So basically you recalled the lucid dream from memory? And how long do lucid dreams usually last? Short, or long from your perspective? And aren't doing WILDs dangerous? I don't want to hurt my body ;x @DIZKO: Wow, that's really cool for you. So you actually feel the time going by, you feel that you're in the dream? So basically, you do feel like you're asleep in your bed when it happens, but must rely on memory to remember it when you come back to real life. Interesting. More insights, please :]

[Bonsay]

@BONSAY: Aaaw, that sucks. So basically you recalled the lucid dream from memory? And how long do lucid dreams usually last? Short, or long from your perspective? And aren't doing WILDs dangerous? I don't want to hurt my body ;x More insights, please :] As I said. Sometimes LDs "feel" as normal dreams, but that's just because I only remember them after hours have passed. In essence LDs happen now, that's the point. You're thinking about it and do whatever you want inside the dream. You can see that the most if you wake up from the dream directly, right after a LD. You fell yourself waking up, usually you fight it though. I gave the WILD as an example of what to do to really prove LDing to yourself. You go from waking life directly into the dream. They aren't dangerous, you have a "WILD" every night, just without the "LD" part, meaning that you're not conscious. If you add consciousness, then you have a real WILD. The worst thing that could happen is that you could get scared a bit. Be brave, lol! Besides, it's your mind, believe that and control everything. It's the best way to stay out of "truble", remember that you're in charge.

[penguin]

As I said. Sometimes LDs "feel" as normal dreams, but that's just because I only remember them after hours have passed. In essence LDs happen now, that's the point. You're thinking about it and do whatever you want inside the dream. You can see that the most if you wake up from the dream directly, right after a LD. You fell yourself waking up, usually you fight it though. I gave the WILD as an example of what to do to really prove LDing to yourself. You go from waking life directly into the dream. They aren't dangerous, you have a "WILD" every night, just without the "LD" part, meaning that you're not conscious. If you add consciousness, then you have a real WILD. The worst thing that could happen is that you could get scared a bit. Be brave, lol! Besides, it's your mind, believe that and control everything. It's the best way to stay out of "truble", remember that you're in charge. That's very cool. Literally, I suppose, if you did a WILD, your mind is 'going to another world or dimension', with all the sensations as real life has, including awareness of your body is 'asleep'. *Repeating my question, how long do they last? Does it all rely on your focus, or what? And with doing WILDs, I suppose this would be something to experiment with on the weekends, yes? Do you "get" your rest, or not? Also, do you have the ability to 'wake up' from your lucid dream voluntarily? I hear from several members that they close their eyes and open them back up and they are back in the real world. And yes, I am a little nervous about WILDing! This is so going to be my summer hobby.

[Bonsay]

That's very cool. Literally, I suppose, if you did a WILD, your mind is 'going to another world or dimension', with all the sensations as real life has, including awareness of your body is 'asleep'. *Repeating my question, how long do they last? Does it all rely on your focus, or what? And with doing WILDs, I suppose this would be something to experiment with on the weekends, yes? Do you "get" your rest, or not? Also, do you have the ability to 'wake up' from your lucid dream voluntarily? I hear from several members that they close their eyes and open them back up and they are back in the real world. And yes, I am a little nervous about WILDing! This is so going to be my summer hobby. It sure does feel like traveling into another dimension. It's quite a powerful and mind opening thing. I was once a "strong atheist", now I'm much more open-minded and interested in just about anything. I have no doubt that my (unintended) first LD via WILD did that. I'm a very bad LDer. My longest LD must have been something <10minutes. Add that to my bad dream recall (I stopped writing a DJ after 2 weeks) and you get sucky stuff. Most of my LDs end involuntarily after just a few minutes... I have a personal issue regarding dreams in general. I always fight something/someone in my LDs. For example, I try to fly away into the sky (have fun and relaxation), but something grabs me and drags me back into a black void, after which I quickly end up waking up. I think I some dream phobia/anxiety that I must resolve. There is no ease other LDers here seem to have regarding dreams. I have some experience in LDing nonetheless. I'm not the one to ask when you want to know if you get some rest after a LD. I'm no more tired. Usually you feel more awake (since you were already awake in your dream). I wake up tired most of the time due to my bad sleeping habits. I have never voluntarily woken up from a LD . Don't be nervous. Just try. Whatever happens, you can always wake up.

[penguin]

Thank you for your replies. I'm looking for someone who has had a nice & long lucid, anyone out there? Also, if you haven't replied, can you please answer all my questions on this page? <3

[penguin]

Bump... replies please?

[AjL227]

Bump... replies please? I'll give you a full analysis after I wake up tomorrow. I'm attempting WILD right now, see yaaaaa.

[bobthemonkey]

Generally LDs for me are similar to dreams where I've had good recall except I'm in control rather than just "watching". e.g. my most recent LD (fairly short) I thought I was awake until I tried to turn on my light and, when it didn't work, did a RC and realized I was dreaming. In terms of perspective it's generally very similar to being awake except sometimes things are more or less vivid that waking life. Yes, it is like time is passing when you are LDing. You don't just wake up and remember it (for me anyway).

[Shift]

I absolutely actively act in my dreams after I realize I am in a dream (I only DILD). Once I realized I was dreaming in a hallway in my house and ran into my sister's room because I wanted to tell her DC that I was dreaming. Since I told myself she would be there, she was. I couldn't control her actions (well I could, I just didn't try to), but I could control mine. Then I thought about what I wanted to do, and thought through my memories of before I went to bed to try to remember what it was I said I would do in my next lucid. I have trouble accessing memories like that in lucids, though. Once I was having trouble controlling a DC. So I said to myself, "This is JUST a dream. I am lying in my bed, and I am asleep, and my consciousness is in control of this dream!" And then the DCs started to listen to me. It is easy to lose lucidity if I get distracted, so I try to keep my focus on the fact that I am dreaming. The dream world is just... different from real life, at least for me. I don't usually have a sense of smell, taste, or touch in my dreams, which I am working on. Everything looks absolutely real, but scene don't progress as they do in real life, instead it seems like the world exists like a strobe light, jumping from one thing to the next with no transition. Things only exist that I am paying attention to, you don't have that peripheral vision of things to your side, only what your vision is focused on at the moment. What I'm trying to say I guess is how in real life, you'd say, "I could just feel that there was something behind me." I don't have that sense in my dreams because there is no "behind me". I'm sure if I concentrated on making it so, I could create a room behind me. It just doesn't happen naturally. Anyway, a lucid dream is basically by definition that you realize that you are dreaming while you are in a dream. Making it very much an active process. You can easily forget this, then later recall it as any other dream, except you should recall it the same way you recall what you did last night before dinner. As something you actually, actively, and consciously did.