*Sigh* Help is what I need

I don't mean mental health, either. For many...MANY weeks now, I've been trying to realize I'm dreaming in hopes of controlling my dreams. Yet, for reasons unknown to me, I can't.

I've tried everything except for the dream machines. I don't want to spend my hard earned money on buying a commercial one, and I'm none too good with a soldering iron. I've kept dream journals but I stopped doing that because I don't have a problem remembering my dreams. I've listened to the brain-wave stimulators but that just ended with 4 Advil and a cold washcloth. I've tried taking naps, but that just ended with me waking up on my floor at 6 in the afternoon wondering how long I've been asleep. I've read about Lucid Dreaming before going to bed, I've read about Lucid Dreaming after waking myself up in my sleep, I've written down that I was going to Lucid Dream and signed my name. It seems like I've done everything but to no avail!

Well, I shouldn't say that. I think I lucid dreamed once, but I don't think it was. If anything, it was a dream that I was changing the things around me, as if I was lucid dreaming.

As I sit here, I can imagine myself in a dream and focusing really hard, then finding out I'm dreaming but when I actually get to bed, I can't do it. When I dream, I'm seeing in first person AND third person. When I look at my surroundings, it's through my own eyes. But when I do anything, it's as if I'm watching myself do it, like I have no control. I feel like I'm not even thinking, like I have no mind.

I know I'm not the only newbie here with problems, but I'm starting to get a bit aggravated. All I want to do is fly and give Keira Knightley a hug and never wash myself after that.

Well all I can say is keep working at it, start doing Reality Checks if you arent already doing that. Keep your DJ and look to see If you have some recurring theme or something.
Also, I lmaoed when I read that part about Keira Knightly :D

Lol. One reoccuring theme I have is famous people. I had a dream I was playing Guitar Hero on my computer with Martin Luther King JR. The song was also written by him. Then I had a dream that I was playing Ghost in the Graveyard with JFK.

Btw, The Beatles = Awesome.

lol, help goes with the topic. The beatles always help.

I need somebody! Help! You know I need someone... >_>

Yeah, I kinda feel like no matter what I do, I won't be able to get an LD. Knowing myself, I'll get into the habit of doing my RC's (Putting my thumb to my palm, plugging my nose) but when and if I actually do it in my dreams, I'll just blow it off.

I can't do the whole checking the time and looking for broken electronics. It's a rare occasion when there's actually any electronics in my dreams. Most of the time I'm doing something (fighting, running, talking) that doesn't involve it.

I'd focus more on reality checks and doing them properly. Also, do you watch anything to motivate you? I have a huge collection of youtube clips that are related to my dream goals, and I watch them usually once a day to just get myself all pumped up. How much sleep do you get?

Well, my sleeping is a bit different.

Sunday through Thursday - 6 hours or so.

Friday and Saturday - Anywhere from 10-12 hours. It's sad, I know. I've tried setting alarm clocks on the weekends, but I always wake up at the same time with the alarm clock off. Then I get the image of turning it off, but I can't remember waking up. I should try and use that to my advantage >_>

I'll try for to find some videos, but right now I have to get to bed.

Use a light that goes of every half an hour. Get those plug-in dimmers or lamp with dimmer attached and of course a plug-in timer(dial type of minimum 15 min segments/slots) and you have a Nova dreamer. Principle is this...light goes off and you are still dreaming, you will know it's the light. Two things can happen 1) You know it's the light and you carry on dreaming ignoring it. 2) You know it's the light and you remember you are in bed sleeping and you become lucid. It'll work better after 6 hours of sleep.

IMJ

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Originally Posted by imj

Use a light that goes of every half an hour. Get those plug-in dimmers or lamp with dimmer attached and of course a plug-in timer(dial type of minimum 15 min segments/slots) and you have a Nova dreamer. Principle is this...light goes off and you are still dreaming, you will know it's the light. Two things can happen 1) You know it's the light and you carry on dreaming ignoring it. 2) You know it's the light and you remember you are in bed sleeping and you become lucid. It'll work better after 6 hours of sleep.

IMJ

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Thanks, I'll have to try that. <3

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Originally Posted by Raevan

Thanks, I'll have to try that. <3

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You may also want to try this way. It does not give you lucid dreams but you can fix the dream theme. You say you want to fly and hug Keira Knightley which is easier than what I want. So all you have to do is print out a picture of her frame it up on your bedside or leave her on your computer wallpaper when you sleep. When you wake up, have a good look without getting up and without turning on a light which you would have to have a small light for viewing. What may happen is this...after 5 or 6 hours of sleep you will have a dream that has her inside. But what happens between you and her is a variable..although that can be controlled to a certain extent(complex).

IMJ

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Originally Posted by imj

You may also want to try this way. It does not give you lucid dreams but you can fix the dream theme. You say you want to fly and hug Keira Knightley which is easier than what I want. So all you have to do is print out a picture of her frame it up on your bedside or leave her on your computer wallpaper when you sleep. When you wake up, have a good look without getting up and without turning on a light which you would have to have a small light for viewing. What may happen is this...after 5 or 6 hours of sleep you will have a dream that has her inside. But what happens between you and her is a variable..although that can be controlled to a certain extent(complex).

IMJ

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You know, I love helpful people. I'll probably do that tonight.

I've been able to "program" my dreams before, but I couldn't choose how they panned out. All I did was think about it a lot before I went to bed and during the day. Although the things I thought about were more in general and not as specific as a person.

Thanks a lot, IMJ.

I'm working on that at a detailed level. So far my dream themes are 2 part composites. The base elements which are the location or people I knew which are both from reality. And then there is the other part which is the variable or 'fantasy' because they are either absurd or not part of my waking life routine. I can control the reality base elements but have not yet been able to control the variable part because it is random and difficult. So far had some tangible results though....the outcome or desired variable/'fantasy' is another composite of 2 elements....do a similar reality based activity and I insert the other unreal element or think of like say your dreamgirl. And the dream merges the two. It's hard to explain but yeah it's complex. Maybe for you you can watch flying video of people hand gliding or flying through clouds...that's as good as real I guess. And you use the picture of the dreamgirl where you look at when you find yourself awake from sleep.

IMJ

Another thing that I'd say, is that part of your problem might be the manner in which you do RCs and the way that you stopped doing your DJ consistently.

The DJ is only 'mostly' to increase recall. It's also to help bridge the gap between conciouss and unconciouss minds. All of the most successful LDers I've met here have never stopped keeping a DJ. Ever, unless they wanted to stop LDing.

And the RCs aren't just done by habit hoping that by doign them enough you'll do them in dreams. As you said, whenever that has happened you've just blown them, (the RCs,) off within the dream. The reason your dream self blows them off is because the RCs are just rhetoric and habitual and hold no weight.

As the late Billybob would get across, RCs should not be just going through the motions. Neither should they ever be done just because you haven't done one in awhile. They are only done when you see something quizzical or out of place. But by the same token, you should never 'not' do a reality check when you see something odd.

This is a better habit then random RCs as it trains you to use RCs as a way to think critically with reality checks.

I would recommend any dreamer who wants to induce his dreams to reacd this beauty.

http://dreamviews.com/community/showthread.php?t=55740

Trust me, I think it will help alot.

How unusual should the thing be to do an RC? If my dog barks for no reason, should I do one? If a shampoo bottle falls without me touching it, should I do one?

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Originally Posted by Raevan

How unusual should the thing be to do an RC? If my dog barks for no reason, should I do one? If a shampoo bottle falls without me touching it, should I do one?

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Actually, you want something that IS normal, that way you will see the "normal" thing more often in your dreams and therefore do more RCs while dreaming.

Man, I really ought to just keep this saved somewhere hahaha people always ask:

RC when you:

-see/think about your dream signs
-wake up (FAs)
-see a digital clock
-experience deja vu or deja reve
-suddenly understand what someone means when you've been having trouble understanding
-ask "what?" to yourself or out loud
-some sort of electronic device doesn't work
-whenever you realize a coincidence has occurred
-whenever you hear the word 'dream' or think about lucid dreaming
-etc etc etc.

Hmm... I geuss this is where I have a little discrepency with some of the other RC opinons.

(Although I do agree on RCing upon waking up, an electronic device doesn't work, experience deja' vu, or you can't read.) I would definitly suggest against doing an RC whenver you think of it. I'm with Billybob on this one. I would say...

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Do a reality check only when you see something that makes you wonder if your dreaming at that moment.

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You should reality check only as often as you notice things around you that seem out of place. Theres no set amount of reality checks that should be performed daily.

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But there are varying opinons on this topic so I suppose pick the idea which suites you best.

HOWEVER the constant RC thing (40 a day didn't you say?) doesn't seem to be working for you...

If you agree with my view on RCs, (the constant RC thing never worked for me,) I would say that something which makes you do a double take. For example, the shampoo bottle thing might cause you to make a second glance. That obviously seemed a little out of place to you.

Well, that's my suggestion at any rate.

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Originally Posted by spockman

Hmm... I geuss this is where I have a little discrepency with some of the other RC opinons.

(Although I do agree on RCing upon waking up, an electronic device doesn't work, experience deja' vu, or you can't read.) I would definitly suggest against doing an RC whenver you think of it. I'm with Billybob on this one. I would say...


But there are varying opinons on this topic so I suppose pick the idea which suites you best.

HOWEVER the constant RC thing (40 a day didn't you say?) doesn't seem to be working for you...

If you agree with my view on RCs, (the constant RC thing never worked for me,) I would say that something which makes you do a double take. For example, the shampoo bottle thing might cause you to make a second glance. That obviously seemed a little out of place to you.

Well, that's my suggestion at any rate.

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When I do my RC's (they haven't become a habit yet. I'm really trying to do it so eventually, I don't even really have to remind myself) I always think hard about whether or not I'm dreaming.
You know, I find weird things on the internet or on TV that I want to do but I usually never do it because of money/time problems. I don't really have the money to learn to fly a small airplane, jump out of it, and then get back in the plane as I'm falling. With LD's, though, I feel like I can attain it. Frankly, I think it's cooler to LD than to skydive. If I wanted to, I could skydive in my dream.

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Originally Posted by Shift

RC when you:

-see/think about your dream signs
-wake up (FAs)
-see a digital clock
-experience deja vu or deja reve
-suddenly understand what someone means when you've been having trouble understanding
-ask "what?" to yourself or out loud
-some sort of electronic device doesn't work
-whenever you realize a coincidence has occurred
-whenever you hear the word 'dream' or think about lucid dreaming
-etc etc etc.

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The bolds will really help me. Before, I was just doing RCs every time I remembered and whenever I looked at a clock or something I'd double check it. I say "what" to myself quite a bit. I don't think the one about hearing/thinking about lucid dreaming would help me, because I'd do it quite a bit. I figure that until I'm actually able to do it, that's all that's going to be on my mind.

Thanks for your guys' help :D Sorry if I post to much, I feel awkward doing it.