Another "was this my first LD?"

A colleague at work told me about his LD and I have been fascinated by lucid dreaming ever since. I have been trying to get a LD myself for a few months. Each morning I recall my dream(s) and initially I tried the breathing technique. I never had any success and stopped trying so hard but still kept the “am I dreaming?”-mentality. Last night this paid off, so here goes:

I was sitting at a balcony and in the distance I saw a huge plane parked next to a boat, so the plane was standing on the water. This was where I thought “this can’t be real, I am dreaming!” To confirm this I immediately jumped off the balcony and started flying, using my arms as wings :D I flew past the plane and touched it’s nose, then I flew over and through some trees and marveled at how real they looked. I started getting really excited but concentrated on staying in flight. Next I wanted to meet some people so I arrived at some kind of harbor with lots of people and music playing. Sadly this was where it ended because it sounded so real I thought “there must be somebody in my room playing music!” and I woke up, off course nobody was there :(

Some questions for you pros ;):
When I woke up it was 6:30 and before I started my LD a normal dream had already passed (which I can completely recall) is this normal or should an LD start at the beginning of a normal dream?
It felt like I didn’t have complete control in my LD, it wasn’t as if I could control every part of my body, I didn’t even look at myself. Also I didn’t do any checks besides jumping off a balcony :D. For my idea it still had a dream-like feel to it, not like you are really awake in your dream and time passing like it does in real life. For instance there are still some gaps like how did i get from flying to the harbor? I must have landed somehow but i don't remember how, should you remember every detail as if it really happened? The question that I’ve come down to is: “Was I perhaps dreaming that I was having a LD?” Or was this the real deal?

Thx!

yup sounds like you had a lucid dream, congratz! yup memory gaps are common even in lucid dreams and usually the passage of time is different since the brain wants to skip over the boring parts. The question is- did you feel like you "gained consciousness" in the dream? Even if that feeling wasn't apparent it still counts as a lucid.

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Originally Posted by rub

When I woke up it was 6:30 and before I started my LD a normal dream had already passed (which I can completely recall) is this normal or should an LD start at the beginning of a normal dream?

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I've found that most LDs begin in the middle or ends of dreams. It just depends on how quickly you catch on, but the closer you are to being awake, the more likely you'll be to know you're dreaming.

[/quote]It felt like I didn’t have complete control in my LD, it wasn’t as if I could control every part of my body, I didn’t even look at myself. Also I didn’t do any checks besides jumping off a balcony :D. For my idea it still had a dream-like feel to it, not like you are really awake in your dream and time passing like it does in real life. For instance there are still some gaps like how did i get from flying to the harbor? [/quote]

Gaps and jumps happen all the time in dreams for most people. I'm rarely in the same place or with the same people for more than a few minutes. Something is always going on and sometimes I'll be on the highway and then suddenly find myself in a jam shop :D

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I must have landed somehow but i don't remember how, should you remember every detail as if it really happened? The question that I’ve come down to is: “Was I perhaps dreaming that I was having a LD?” Or was this the real deal?

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If you knew you were dreaming, and it sounds like you did, that was an LD! :D Congratulations!

next time you jump off a balcony, you better be 100% positive it's a dream =)

Yeah, that was a full fledged lucid.

Becoming lucid and controlling it are two completely different things.

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Originally Posted by rub

I was sitting at a balcony and in the distance I saw a huge plane parked next to a boat, so the plane was standing on the water. This was where I thought “this can’t be real, I am dreaming!” To confirm this I immediately jumped off the balcony and started flying, using my arms as wings :D I flew past the plane and touched it’s nose, then I flew over and through some trees and marveled at how real they looked. I started getting really excited but concentrated on staying in flight. Next I wanted to meet some people so I arrived at some kind of harbor with lots of people and music playing. Sadly this was where it ended because it sounded so real I thought “there must be somebody in my room playing music!” and I woke up, off course nobody was there :(
The question that I’ve come down to is: “Was I perhaps dreaming that I was having a LD?” Or was this the real deal?

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How could jumping off a balcony and flying not be a LD? lol. This was by far a LD, and a damn good one by my standards. Congrats on your first.;)

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Originally Posted by rub

When I woke up it was 6:30 and before I started my LD a normal dream had already passed (which I can completely recall) is this normal or should an LD start at the beginning of a normal dream?

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There are no set rules as to what a "normal" LD is b/c it doesn't matter whether you become lucid at the beginning, middle, or end of a dream b/c in the end, they're still LDs. Of course its probably preferable to become lucid at the beginning so that you'll have a longer LD.

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Originally Posted by rub

It felt like I didn’t have complete control in my LD, it wasn’t as if I could control every part of my body, I didn’t even look at myself. Also I didn’t do any checks besides jumping off a balcony :D. For my idea it still had a dream-like feel to it, not like you are really awake in your dream and time passing like it does in real life. For instance there are still some gaps like how did i get from flying to the harbor? I must have landed somehow but i don't remember how, should you remember every detail as if it really happened?

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I doubt that many people, if any, can remember every single detail of their LD. I may be wrong but I, for one, realize that I forget a lot of the details of my dreams so don't sweat it if you do.

Nice ppl here :D

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Originally Posted by yuriythebest

...The question is- did you feel like you "gained consciousness" in the dream? Even if that feeling wasn't apparent it still counts as a lucid.

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I wouldn't say i gained full consciousness but definitely more conscious than a normal dream. At least this time i had the ability to ask myself the question if i was dreaming and perform a reality check. Sometimes during a dream I have a vague idea that i'm dreaming but don't act on it.

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Originally Posted by Amethyst Star

I've found that most LDs begin in the middle or ends of dreams. It just depends on how quickly you catch on, but the closer you are to being awake, the more likely you'll be to know you're dreaming.

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Sounds like a good explanation!

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Originally Posted by hellohihello

next time you jump off a balcony, you better be 100% positive it's a dream =)

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LOL!! Yes you're right i think this is where i need to make some improvements. I haven't really taught myself any reality checks. This time i was in luck because i was at a balcony and remembered that in a dream you could fly so i didn't hesitate and jumped. But usually i see something that doesn't make sense and the idea crosses my mind that i might be dreaming, but because i don't know any reality checks on the ground, so to speak :D the idea fades. The most difficult part would be to act after you have the idea that you're dreaming while you are dreaming :)

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Originally Posted by The Cusp

...Becoming lucid and controlling it are two completely different things.

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Ah! I was convinced a dream was only really lucid if you had full control, but that would be the next step?

I had success again :D!! This time i managed to control and talk to people!!
I didn't get too much sleep the night before because of a party so i was really tired when i went to bed last night. In the middle of the night i woke up and got a drink, bothered by the fact that i couldn't recall what i had dreamt. I went to sleep again and had some dreams which i do recall, really weird stuff but it didn't convince me i was dreaming.

Right at the end of the final dream we were sitting in a group around a bucket, it was boring and this was where it hit me. I got up and said "This is a dream" and walked out. I entered a staircase of an apartment building and started walking down. I wanted to prove i had control so i randomly entered a apartment, it was rather small and decorated. I got out again and when i reached the ground floor i met an old man (he kinda looked like my grandpa but fatter), he was smiling but i walked out the door because i wasn't gonna waste my time talking to a grandpa (sorry :P). It was light outside and i took off flying! It felt as if i reached a ceiling and couldn't get any higher, also i was slowly descending so i landed and took off again. This time i looked down and it was dusk, i saw some cars and buses driving with their lights on. I noticed a man walking on the sidewalk, at first he looked up at me surprised but then he smiled. I landed at a mall and went inside some kind of a bakery. I was looking at a corner and thought "When i turn around Angelina Jolie will be there", i turned around and there were a few people including her! She was wearing a flower dress so i walked up to her and took her hand and went outside. I asked her "Are you my dream guide?" (i read somewhere that such a thing could exist) she smiled and said "No I'm not, sorry". Next to the bakery there was a sauna (LOL) so we entered that, you can guess what my intentions were...:D She said she was ready or something but i had to go to the toilet first. So i went, but as i stood there ready to take a leak i hesitated because i was afraid i was gonna wet my bed if i did :embarrassed: Not sure what to do i woke up.

First off: I don’t have an Angelina Jolie-obsession, not the slightest :D It was the first thing that crossed my mind because i had seen her on TV with Jeffrey Sachs the night before.
When i woke up it was 6:33, i did a double check in case i had a WTB. I think i’m making progress, this LD was much longer and i actually felt i was in control. Still i'm not satisfied with myself, i had the weirdest dreams before my LD but it never crossed my mind i was dreaming then :angry: It seems Amethyst Star is on to something because i'm only able to realize i'm dreaming when i'm close to waking up, better than nothing i guess. Also i find it takes some guts to say "I'm dreaming!" when you're dreaming, feels like you are betraying somebody.

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Originally Posted by rub

LOL!! Yes you're right i think this is where i need to make some improvements. I haven't really taught myself any reality checks.

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Just keep in mind that most of the time, reality checks are merely a confirmation that you're dreaming. You knew that you were dreaming first and then thought about doing an RC, and that's how it normally is. There's an RC Tutorial you can check out which has some good ideas to help you know you're dreaming, but ultimately it's the fact that you realize that something is out of place that makes you lucid :)

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Originally Posted by rub

When i woke up it was 6:33, i did a double check in case i had a WTB. I think i’m making progress, this LD was much longer and i actually felt i was in control. Still i'm not satisfied with myself, i had the weirdest dreams before my LD but it never crossed my mind i was dreaming then :angry: It seems Amethyst Star is on to something because i'm only able to realize i'm dreaming when i'm close to waking up, better than nothing i guess. Also i find it takes some guts to say "I'm dreaming!" when you're dreaming, feels like you are betraying somebody.

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You are making progress, great progress! :D Keep it up!

If you're finding that you're waking up fairly quickly after becoming lucid, there are a couple of tricks. The main thing is to focus on the dream world instead of the real world and you can do this by rubbing your hands together, singing, walking, etc. Do something that makes you focus on the sensations of the dream (touch, sound, smell, etc.) when you think you're waking up. Those also help increase the realism of the dream as well, so give it a shot.

That's some good advice. I find myself rushing into things like flying, summoning, controlling etc. without actually focusing on the dream world e.g. by rubbing my hands.
Didn't have much luck last night, i have an important exam on monday so i'm stressed right now. Even though i had a huge dreamsign --i showed up late for this exam and i had to report to the teacher but i walked out instead :P-- in my mind nothing snapped. It's strange, when there's lots of weird stuff going on in my dream i never get lucid, it's simply one event follwed by the other all making perfect sense in a dream-context but in waking life totally absurd. Other common dreamsigns i've had are being naked and my teeth falling out, i never got lucid that way even though i know it's a dreamsign. However, when my dream is going 'slow' (nothing is going on at that moment) i get lucid. Like my mind pauses and i get some time to think for myself, really short and i have to focus on my actions at hand to stay lucid.

Does this make any sense :D

If so, how can i improve my chances of getting lucid even though i have know idea what REALLY induced the two LDs i've had so far? The only similarity that i can find is that in both cases i was sitting and taking a rest, could that be a valid dreamsign to look for? Perhaps that marks the end of a dream i.e. that the dream is nearing its end and you're preparing yourself to wake up...