I had my first LD last night. I am 32 years old. I have always had some sense in my dreams that they are not real. Usually when I realize it completely, I wake up. Yesterday I was reading about how to have a LD so for the remainder of the afternoon, I did some reality checks. Then last night when I went to sleep, I told myself to remember my dreams as I was falling asleep.

My son woke me up during the night and I tried to remember if I had been dreaming. I remember something about water, but nothing else.

So at about 4 a.m. I went back to sleep and this time I KNEW I was dreaming. I didn't get super-excited or anything. I remained calm and tried a few things. I jumped really high and did several flips in the air. I jumped through a window and was falling. I ended up falling into a body of water head first. Oh, and before I jumped through the window, I made a man appear and, well...you know. That was the most real part of the entire dream.

After falling in the water, I was back in the same room again (which I don't remember other than the digital clock which was my reality check). I thought I wasn't dreaming anymore but every time I checked the clock, the numbers were changing so I knew I was still dreaming.

Finally somehow I woke up, although I don't know how.

The thing that was weird was that the whole dream was very...how to explain it...abstract or faded. I don't remember any colors in the dream or any details about the room. I do remember touching the man, though - he was the only thing that I actually "felt". I was hoping that LDing would feel more real - like real life.

Is this normal or are there varying degrees of "vividness" or lucidity?

I told my husband about it this morning. I think he thinks I'm nuts!!

Catherine