Hello, another Newbie here =)

Hey everyone, i am so excited that i found this website. i was always wanted to be able to dream, and control what i do. It seems amazing. But what i was wondering is about "reality checks" and "journals" and everything. I understand what a reality check is, but i don't know how to do it. Well, before i even know how to do that, i have to practice lucid dreaming =P I am really excited though, and i would love to get into it right away, which i know is not possible, but as quick as possible i would like it. Thanks everyone, any newbie links would be helpful -)

Here are the tutorials. :)

A dream journal is (obviously) something you use to record your dreams. Especially if you're just starting, it is very important to keep one, and write down every single detail you can recall...this will strengthen your dream recall greatly. Before attempting lucid dreaming, it is a good idea to get to the point that you recall at least one dream per night on average. While you wait to build recall, though (usually takes only a week or two), you can get in the habit of reality checking. A reality check, simply put, is a tool used to aid in attaining lucidity. There are many variations of RC's...I recommend a combination of the nose-pinch (pinch your nose shut and try to breathe through it. If you succeed, you are dreaming), the finger-through-palm test (self-explanitory), and the biggie, awareness. For the awareness RC, which is, in my opinion, the most important and most accurate, see if you can think back five minutes. If you are having trouble recalling, you are dreaming. Pay attention to your environment and search for any oddities. Question the very fabric of reality. Convince yourself that you could very well be dreaming at this very moment, then use reality checks to temporarily disprove the notion (you could still be dreaming, after all, and just be having trouble realizing it. ;)) Whatever you do, do NOT fall in the habit of absent-mindedly doing RC's, and do NOT skip them simply because you're "Positive that you aren't dreaming."

LaBerge, the author of ETWOLD (the lucid dreamer's Bible), recommends that you perform these RC sets about 10 times a day, at least, if it can be helped. Eventually, this practice will carry over into your dreams, and you will find yourself becoming lucid from this technique. This is known as a DILD. If you have the time and willpower, you can also add affirmations into the mix...affirm to yourself that you are dreaming, you will realize you're dreaming, etc. This is known as a MILD, which I recommend highly. Think of it sort of like a DILD with greater odds. :)

Good luck to you!

Oh, and whoa...man, your name reminds me of BillyBob. First Jen777, then Ninja, then you...man, this is getting spooky. :shock:

EDIT - Looks like Mario beat me to the punch. Oh well, if you dont mind redundancy then read on. ;)

Welcome to DreamViews. I'll go ahead and give you a few tips and then post some links to point you in the right direction. If you need any help along the way, feel free to pm me or post a topic asking for help (the search feature will likely get you instant info, though).

Okay, I'm assuming that you know lucid dreaming is when you are aware that you are dreaming while you are within the dream. Full lucidity is where you recall your waking life and have control over your motivational and intellectual abilities (according to Charles Tart, and I agree on that). This would mean that you don't just think "I'm dreaming" and go along with the dream and lose lucidity, but that you can think clearly and do what you decide you want to do.

To achieve this, you need to be able to recall your dreams, which is the main purpose of the Dream Journal. By recording your dreams after you wake up from them, you both ensure the preservation of those dreams and make it more likely you'll remember future dreams. I think the most helpful in terms of getting the dream down fully is a notebook used as a journal, but the most motivating is an online journal that people can comment in (if they comment).

There are a number of ways to get lucid, some of which are techniques that you can do before bed and others are lifestyle changes. In the waking life techniques are reality checks, which you understand to be making sure you are awake. My personal favorite way is to block the back of your throat with your tongue. If you do it right, you shouldn't be able to breathe while you are awake but you will when asleep. Another RC is trying to push your thumb through your hand. Both of these are favored for their subtlety. In the before bed techniques are MILD, where you repeat to yourself that you will have a lucid dream, WILD, where you transition from wakfulness directly to sleep, and WBTB, where you get up in the middle of the night to wake your brain up a little and increase your odds of lucidity.

The techniques above (as well as some I didn't mention) can be found in the tutorials section here.

That's the basic rundown on it. I normally wouldn't go into detail in the intro thread, but you seem new to the whole dreaming thing altogether, so I figured I would give you the rundown. Hopefully I didn't underestimate what you already know. Like I said, enjoy your stay, and if you need help, ask.

All the best,
rR