Thread: categorizing levels of Lucid dream experience

Measuring LD skill levels with a count system might indeed not be the best of ideas. It may sound counter-intuitive, but I've known more than a few markedly inexpert LD'ers who were aware that they were dreaming hundreds of times, but didn't really do much to tap the potentials of LD'ing in any of them (or even knew to do so). I would go more with a ranking of quality instead.

Here is an off-the-cuff list of LD'er quality levels that you might consider (assume, of course, that each new level includes the qualities of the previous levels):

1. Beginner: never had a LD, period.

2. Newbie: Had at least a few "Ah-ha!" moments where they realized they were dreaming, but immediately lost lucidity or woke up.

3. Novice: Was able more than once to realize they were dreaming, maintain some stability, and actually participate in their dream (i.e., influence content, independently explore the dream, attempt "dreamy" things like flying or walking through walls).

4. Intermediate/active dreamer: Gains lucidity consistently (i.e., perhaps, with every one in five attempts), is able to remember and act upon goals, can successfully do "dreamy" things without great effort, and stabilization is not difficult. At this level, the dreamer is actually comfortable with LD'ing, and can maintain enough control to attempt goals and successfully alter dream schemata.

5. Expert: Can gain lucidity with almost every try and maintain it without thinking about, much less needing, stability techniques. Is able to access waking-life memory and maintain self-awareness throughout the dream, and control is just another tool. Deeper introspection, self-healing, creative experiments, and advanced entertainment can be touched at this level.

6. Advanced: Uses LD'ing as a tool for exploration. Dreams have become a place for a dreamer to, say, explore her inner self, build new worlds/persistent realms, seek transcendental experiences, meditate deeply, and take time to really explore her imaginative powers.

7. Very advanced/master: probably doesn't matter because they'll likely feel no need to talk to you anyway!

That's what I can think of off-hand, I hope it helps; good luck!