Thread: Lucid Dreaming Fundamentals -- With Q & A

Hi Sageous,

I’m a bit confused about 2 things:

1. You say that if you practice RCs and RRCs properly during the day, you may not even need them in the dream. Why is this exactly? Is it because when you do them regularly, you develop some kind of ‘mindset’ that helps with lucidity? I understand that expectation and having LDing on your mind plays a part, as you said, but I’m not really sure why it is that you can often become lucid without ever needing them in dreams (particularly RCs).

2. You say that self-awareness helps with lucidity because it helps you to realize that you are connected with your (dream) world and that it is “you” or a creation of you. I’m not sure I understand this, or why exactly this helps you with lucidity (if this mindset begins to accompany you in your dreams)….

For example: I had a very vivid NLD once where I was walking around my house. What was unique about this dream was that I fully knew where I was (minutes ago), I was thinking about what I was going to do later, I even had a full sense of what time and day it was! It genuinely felt as if I was awake and just going about a regular day! The only thing I didn’t know, was that I was dreaming! But the thing is, I’m not sure how being highly self-aware would’ve helped to realize I was dreaming that time. Or if I had even taken a moment to do an RRC, I probably still wouldn’t have thought it was a dream. So I’m not really sure how or why it helps to feel 'connected' with your reality.

Thanks in advance

Originally Posted by Eamo24

1. You say that if you practice RCs and RRCs properly during the day, you may not even need them in the dream. Why is this exactly? Is it because when you do them regularly, you develop some kind of ‘mindset’ that helps with lucidity? I understand that expectation and having LDing on your mind plays a part, as you said, but I’m not really sure why it is that you can often become lucid without ever needing them in dreams (particularly RCs).

The same goes for regular RC's, BTW. I believe the practice of these things has more to do with daytime mental prep than they do with developing a "thing you can do during a NLD to make you lucid."

Why? Well, yes, doing RC's and RRC's with regularity and sincerity will indeed have an effect on your mindset, and that mindset will follow you into the dream. The often overlooked irony of RC's is that you do not use them until after you realize you are dreaming, pretty much in every case. Their real value as a LD'ing tool is to get your head in a place that is prepared to ask the question, "Is this a dream?" or to notice the odd, and then to confirm that you are dreaming. RRC's are similar in that regard, though their value is less on confirming that you are lucid than they are in helping you to more deeply appreciate that lucidity, and get more out of the LD itself -- which is why it's important to practice both.

2. You say that self-awareness helps with lucidity because it helps you to realize that you are connected with your (dream) world and that it is “you” or a creation of you. I’m not sure I understand this, or why exactly this helps you with lucidity (if this mindset begins to accompany you in your dreams)….

I don't just say it, Eamo, it's true!

Self-awareness equals lucidity, as I've said many times, so anything you do to improve your sense of self will also improve your lucidity. The RRC's specific goal of wondering about your interaction with reality is very helpful toward doing what you said -- elevating your sense that this dream is really you, and therefore, as a part of you, you are limited only by your imagination as to what you can do here. But that is only a part of the whole picture, as self-awareness is how you realize that you are dreaming, the very source of your lucidity. When you are self-aware, you are also able to better access memory, so achieving your goals is much easier as well.

For example: I had a very vivid NLD once where I was walking around my house. What was unique about this dream was that I fully knew where I was (minutes ago), I was thinking about what I was going to do later, I even had a full sense of what time and day it was! It genuinely felt as if I was awake and just going about a regular day! The only thing I didn’t know, was that I was dreaming! But the thing is, I’m not sure how being highly self-aware would’ve helped to realize I was dreaming that time. Or if I had even taken a moment to do an RRC, I probably still wouldn’t have thought it was a dream. So I’m not really sure how or why it helps to feel 'connected' with your reality.

I think I mentioned this myself in one of those very long posts above, but yes, the regular practice of RRC's (& RC's) can lead to non-lucid dreams based on the day residue of doing them, and also on your expectations of maybe doing one in the dream to "make me lucid." It is very possible, and I think fairly common, to have a NLD about being lucid, or about doing RC's or RRC's. And yes indeed, if you have a level of self-awareness on hand when this happens, you will know that you are dreaming, because you will have the sense to actually remember that your actual body is asleep somewhere else, and to recognize the significance of this. Also, if self-aware, you will have the sense to test the "reality" of the RRC you are doing in the dream, and say, "Hey, wait a minute, that is not where I was a few minutes ago, because I'm in bed asleep; this is a dream!" Also, the reason you must truly wonder about the answers to those questions in a RRC, to not just state where you were, where you are, and where you will be, is because it helps develop that mindset that understands where you really are right now.

I know that sounds simplistic, but it is that simple, Eamo. Self-awareness is a solid connection to your "actual" state of being, and if you are making that connection in a dream, you will have no trouble recognizing where and who you really are. You will likely still have NLD's about LD'ing, that's pretty much unavoidable -- I still have them myself. But strong self-awareness will allow you to confirm that you are dreaming (or not), simply because you are much more aware of your true place in the moment.

Sageous,

Originally Posted by Sageous

doing RC's and RRC's with regularity and sincerity will indeed have an effect on your mindset, and that mindset will follow you into the dream. The often overlooked irony of RC's is that you do not use them until after you realize you are dreaming, pretty much in every case. Their real value as a LD'ing tool is to get your head in a place that is prepared to ask the question, "Is this a dream?" or to notice the odd, and then to confirm that you are dreaming. RRC's are similar in that regard, though their value is less on confirming that you are lucid than they are in helping you to more deeply appreciate that lucidity, and get more out of the LD itself -- which is why it's important to practice both.

For daytime practice, I’ve began to do RCs more frequently and with more stability, however, when I try to include the RRC, things get a bit difficult…

Like with the RC, I would ask questions like, “where was I a few minutes ago? “Where am I now, what am I doing?” “What will I soon be doing?” etc., and I approach it with a mindset of trying to figure out if this is a dream or not.

The thing is, if I try to do a RRC, I find myself asking exactly the same questions, except with a mindset of trying to build self-awareness rather than trying to figure out if this is a dream. Sometimes it gets a bit confusing or muddled as to which one I’m even doing.

So I understand they’re different exercises completely, but the initial questions are same for both, I think. So I had the idea of using the RC as my main daytime practice, but keep the ‘wondering’ part of the RRC as something to do generally or whenever I think of it. Maybe this isn’t a good plan, but I’m not really sure how to formulate some kind of strategy that includes both without confusion. Would you have any sort of advice? Also, don’t RCs build self-awareness as well, and help with the mental prep required? But maybe just not to the same extent as the RRC…

Thanks for your help.