How am I supposed to...

How am I supposed to be able to tell myself that I'm dreaming even though I can't even control what I think in a dream in the first place.

I just don't understand how looking for dream signs will cause me to do this.

For Example, one thing that I notice alot In my dreams is the inability to run.
It happens quite a bit but I can never force myself to realize it's a dream.


I've only been doing this Dream Journal thing since last night so obviously I'm no where near to having a good dream recall but I'm still confused about how I'm supposed to tell myself I'm dreaming.

Can someone explain?

I suggest that you practice during the day. Look around and imagine that you are dreaming. Try to get yourself at least partially doubting that you are awake. Then do a RC (or a few).

You should also think of past dreams. Try to make the imagining as vivid as possible -- to relive them. Then, when it feels as real as possible, do a RC and imagine the excitement of realizing it is a dream.

I can already see your a skeptic :( Lets use an example to show you how you will notice your dreaming. Every time I walk through a doorway I take a look around me and think about what I'm doing. Is this real? normal? Of course it is I'm just using the restroom. Then i reality check a couple times. Try to move something with my mind? Not even noticeable to friends/family. After a while you develop a habit and it carries into the dreamworld when you sleep. Just like how you'd react to a person saying HEY! You'd say HEY! back right? If you get this habit burnt into your mind its likely that in your dream you'll probably say HEY! That's not real...There is a unicorn outside my house...And on that note you should realize your dreaming and hopefully you don't too excited and wake up :(

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Originally Posted by pumpkinhead8

How am I supposed to be able to tell myself that I'm dreaming even though I can't even control what I think in a dream in the first place.

I just don't understand how looking for dream signs will cause me to do this.

For Example, one thing that I notice alot In my dreams is the inability to run.
It happens quite a bit but I can never force myself to realize it's a dream.


I've only been doing this Dream Journal thing since last night so obviously I'm no where near to having a good dream recall but I'm still confused about how I'm supposed to tell myself I'm dreaming.

Can someone explain?

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Think about the past dreams you have had, and how passively you took part in the dreams. You probably thought, and spoke, and worried, and did things, but you weren't consciously doing things. In a lucid dream, your mind is awake and you are able to consciously take part in your dream.

Here is a screwy analogy. I'll try to think of a better one and post it later: Go get your brush or comb, and run it through your hair. You will naturally run it through the appropriate way, with the correct pressure and angle and direction, to brush your hair. Now try it with your non-dominant hand, which you probably don't do often. Do you see how brushing your hair has simply become a reflex that you've learned over your life? You could just sit there and brush your hair without even thinking about it. OR, you could focus on every aspect, and be aware of every single strand of hair as you are brushing. This is sort of like lucid dreaming. You can use a lot of things as analogies, like walking for or scratching your face. We usually don't pay attention as we are doing them, but you could focus on the angle of your foot, how high you raise your leg, etc. Lucid dreaming is taking that subconscious interaction in a dream, and raising your own awareness of the fact that you are in a dream.

So the point of dream signs, and just raising your awareness in general, is that eventually in a dream you will be doing something ridiculous like taking your pet hippo through a carwash. And instead of worrying about whether or not the suds are going to sting his eyes, you are going to say "Hmm. This is strange. I don't have a pet hippo. No one has a pet hippo! And even if I did, why would I take him through the carwash? The car wash is for cars. And I've never been to this carwash before. Where am I? OH! I MUST BE IN A DREAM!"

At that point, you will become lucid, or aware that you are dreaming, and be able to consciously participate in your dream, rather than doing crazy things like flossing a hippo's teeth. :cheeky:

Say your dream sign is water. Or, like you said, the inability to run. Maybe the suds stung the hippo's eyes and started a stampede, and you started trying to run but couldn't. And while you were trying to run you said to yourself, "Hmm, usually I can run and not being able to run is one of my dreamsigns. Am I actually in a dream RIGHT this moment??" Then you would realize you were, and you would become lucid.

I dunno, this post isn't very clear and I'm about to get hit by a hurricane, but I hope I helped a little lol. If you need me to clarify something, just ask :)