Introduction/my first lucid experience

[SigSegV]

Hey everyone at Dreamviews! Im not sure whether this belongs in lucid experiences or introductions so maybe a mod can help me move it later. I am a newbie and not just 10 minutes ago I had my first lucid experience. I have done a lot of research on the topic of lucid dreaming and I started really attempting LD since around march of this year without much success. As per my conceited usual self, I was too overconfident in my abilities and attempted to go into a lucid dream straight from an awake state. Different research gave me a lot of different results and I chose what seemed to be the easiest for me(Im lazy ). I decided to forgo the keeping of a dream journal and opted instead to follow a post I saw that said to remain completely still in bed for a period of around 30minutes-1hour which meant not moving, scratching any itches(as that was the bodies method of testing whether you're awake), and to wait for sleep paralysis. This didnt work for me and I kept at it persistently until a month later when I lost motivation and did it less often. And then today. I had a dream about me being in a large US city, I think NYC. I was pretending to be (or maybe i just was?) a famous actress stepping out of a car into sort of a 99cent store/garbage collection hybrid setting. I asked for vip treatment and was snubbed then i proceeded to the casino next door. Then somewhere I realized im supposed to be a guy not a girl after walking around in uncomfortable heels. So i went back to the store and bought NB sneakers for $36. And then I strolled around the casino and saw old high school classmates getting ready to go into an event. Feeling like I didnt belong, I walked away and then met another group of HS classmates and then sat down with them to reminisce about fun times we had. A few of them served in the military in real life, and then suddenly in the dream they were attacked by posers in cop uniforms. An epic battle ensued where I threw projectiles at their projectiles, fighting desperately for me and my friends safety. Suddenly it was like I became a third person as the fake cops ignored me and only my friends were left fighting. I tried to hit the enemy but it seemed to go right through and they just ignored me. I random girl I have never seen in my life is destroying these cops while im just staring. After defeating the cops she runs away and I chase after her. Shortly after beginning to chase her I realize, "im dreaming". Then everything starts to lose focus, becoming like a low resolution computer display. Desperately trying to prolong it, I remember the advice from my extensive research, spin round and round and rub your hands! I did both in that order. I thought it didnt work. It felt like I was just laying in bed with my eyes closed. Time perception is kind of questionable in these states but it felt like a few seconds later I was experiencing the symptoms of sleep paralysis! This was on of my early goals that i tried so hard to reach! To elaborate, I only felt the effects of SP as i tried to open my eyes. I was fully expecting these noises and braced myself when i first started out in order to prevent myself from getting scared. However I was still kind of.. surprised.. at how loud it was every time I tried willing my eyes open. It sounded like how i would expect my house to sound if there was an earthquake. Lots of pounding and bumping and hissing. Between these attempts I remember seeing static or something similar that seemed to enlarge in a form of a rectangle, much like how old televisions used to turn on. Heres where I wish i followed with the general advice to practice dream recall and reality checks as I didn't really open my eyes it was a false awakening!! I woke up in my room and it felt completely normal. I was disappointed that i failed to have a lucid dream but i didnt know i was already in one! My mom was in my room and that should have been a sign since my mom is not home in the mornings due to work. She had just bought a large tylenol pill the size of my hand with a grocery price tag stuck on it for my sister who was sleeping on top of my side table! All i could see was her head with her body nowhere to be seen/covered by my lamp. There were so many things wrong but it just felt so normal. Makes me kind of regretful that i was so close to having a longer lucid dream. And that is my experience. Can anyone tell me why spinning brought me to sleep paralysis instead of a new dream scene? Maybe it just failed and my brain just proceeded on to the next dream? Also, does anyone have any advice for me, in particular the DEILD method which is supposedly the most definite and efficient? TLDR; Im newbie nice to meet you. Had a dream became lucid then lost it immediately. Spun around in circles and rubbed hands to try to prolong dream (but failed?). Then Sleep Paralysis and a false awakening.

[HawkeyeTy]

Spinning doesn't work for everyone, in my first lucid experience, spinning caused a sort of double vision, and I woke up. I recently had a longer Lucid dream, in which I tried feeling my surroundings, which helped a lot more. But it's all about what works for you, you'll have to experiment. I've heard ADA works very well, which I've started practicing. Check this post. There are many people on here you can look for, who would be more than willing to help. You can message me or other people if you would like to know more. Happy dreaming, and congrats on the first lucid dream! **Fixed the link for you** - melanie

[melanieb]

Congrats on the first lucid and false awakening! I'll leave your thread here but you are welcome to create a post in the Introduction Zone. Many will welcome you and become familiar with your efforts there. Spinning doesn't work for everyone but at least you didn't lose the whole experience. It's okay to do what works for you. We have a DEILD Tutorial in our WIKI. It may help. From experience I find DEILD works best when you're partially awake in bed but don't need to get up yet (like on a weekend morning) and you just lie still and allow that peaceful dream-feeling to wash back over you. Try not to open your eyes or become overly aware of your surroundings. The brief awareness which occurs in this hazy half-asleep state should carry you back into a dreaming state. Hope that helps. The SP could be real or part of your dream and the expectation of it. Only you can know for certain.