Quick question.

[OutThisLife]

I've been able to 'think' in my sleep for a year now and I came across some lucid dreaming stuff and noticed that that's a technique to start lucid dreaming. I didn't know that, I just liked to stay conscious while I was asleep. It's very easy to do for me, but how do I enter a dream state?

[Hidden]

Wow, it sounds like WILD would be great for you. To get into a dream, you need to be in REM sleep. As the night goes on, REM gets longer. I'm guessing you're doing this at the beginning of the night; instead, try doing a WBTB. In short, wake up after 5-6 hours of sleep (give or take, this varies from person to person), then go back to sleep but stay conscious. Hopefully you'll get sleep paralysis then, and the dream will either start itself or you'll have to help it along, such as with VILD.

[OutThisLife]

I can actually trigger my REM, but you're right I do it from the start. I'm able to put my body to sleep without putting my brain to sleep. I'll try giving me some rest beforehand. Anything else?

[Hidden]

Hmm... So you've been in sleep paralysis? Any HH?

[OutThisLife]

Yes. Sorry, HH?

[Hidden]

Hypnogogic Hallucinations. They often (although not always) accompany sleep paralysis. Hearing and seeing stuff, feeling like you're being electrocuted, floating, and falling through the bed are a few examples.

[OutThisLife]

Oh, yeah. That happens every night when I do it, I'm used to it by now. I'm a psychedelic user, so I just figured it was something weird my brain was doin'. I can also make my brain feel as if it's entering a tunnel/vortex. That's.. weird, though.

[Hidden]

SP/HH is perfectly normal. It happens to everyone; most people are just unconscious during it. In that case... hmm... Try to get the HH to become a dream. Visualize a scene, or yourself doing something. Like walking through a forest. Imagine the feeling of walking and your feet on the ground, the sound of the leaves rustling, the smell of wood, etc. Put as much detail into it as you need. You aren't conscious for the whole night, are you? I'm not sure how you could not dream if that's the case. How is your recall?

[OutThisLife]

I'm conscious until I choose to sleep. My dream recall is actually pretty good but only if I choose to. I guess I have a lot of control, I just don't get how to dream So just.. use my imagination to its fullest?

[Hidden]

That's... really, really awesome! I've never met anyone who can do that. That's what I suggest you try, once you get into SP. That's all I can think of for now. Let me know how it goes.

[OutThisLife]

Lol okay. I'll try to manipulate the hallucinations (auditory/visual) to form something. Will post my results, if any. The only close-to-LD I've had that I can recall, at least, was where there were two me's. One was in black, one was in white. I was viewing from the one in blacks' perspective, meditating. The one in white came up to me and put his/my hand on my shoulder and said "you're good." Both me's were older, of course. It's probably my favourite 'LD' experience.

[Hidden]

That was a dream you had? If you knew it was a dream, then by definition you did have a lucid dream.