Any thoughts on lucid dreaming?

Question

what's it like? anybody doing it? how is it best induced? is it hard to learn? any idea what I'm talking about?

Answer 1

Too many times I'm doing stupid stuff like draw circles in the air or stretching dream characters. It usually takes me a minute to remember what I really want to do.
I think it's awesome. I'm only successful about once a week, but I'm getting better. =)

The above advice about dream journals, dream spinning, and reality checks are all very helpful although, most of my lucid dreams were before I started a journal and I still don't have the best recall. Also, remember to tell yourself that you are dreaming as you spin. It's very possible that you will lose lucidity as you spin or if your dream scene changes.

I've gone through several web sites including dreamviews.com and lucidity.com and have found ld4all.com to be the best. It has everything those other sites have and more.

The best way I know of, that works for me and many others, is the Wake Back to Bed (WBTB)method. It's where you sleep for about 4-5 hours, get up for about 20 mins then go back to bed while telling yourself several times (some go to sleep repeating themselves) that you are going to have a lucid dream or that you are dreaming. This is the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD) method.

The Wake Induced Lucid Dreams (WILD) method is my personal favorite, but I have only used it successfully once.

Lucid dreaming is possible. Good luck to you.

Answer 2

I discovered lucid dreaming quite by accident. When I was quite young I had the recurring nightmare about falling endlessly into the abyss. It would always start with me flying. My flying skills were weak so I could levitate and do the Superman pose but as soon as I tried to turn I would lose control and eventually begin to fall.
I'd always wake up before I hit "bottom" and that, I discovered later, is an important key element, waking oneself.
I don't remember exactly when I started it, but at some point I started speaking aloud to myself in my dreams an telling myself I am in a dream.
Well, back to the nightmare. So there I was flying again and I tried a turn and by now I had gotten pretty good at it and I made it! But I still wasn't as good as I needed to be and I eventually lost control and started falling again.
As I said I don't remember at what age this all took place, I was around 9 or maybe eleven, but as I fell I picked up speed and the adrenaline and fear mounted because I sensed the bottom rushing at me to ... what?
"This is a dream", I said aloud to myself.
Anyway the result was my fall slowed and I regained control. I landed softly on the "bottom" and I've been flying like a bird ever since.
I don't have nightmares per se, anymore because I choose what I will dream as soon as I arrive in "dreamland" (for a lack of a better term) I always recognize the choices and I mostly choose to not go where I know the "nightmares" are.
Later in life I read some articles about lucid dreaming and I found them interesting but I never wanted to participate in any tests or surveys or whatever. I have a micro-cassette recorder and a note pad and pencil that I keep on the nightstand next to my bed, I regularly record the memory of my dreams and I have a "ton" of material that I'm working into really cool short stories etc.
So, have you noticed that you recognize you're in a dream when you're dreaming?

Answer 3

I tried for years to do it unsuccessfully. Women are many times better at it than men. They say it is quite something.
I read all the books and even went on a weeklong retreat with Stephen LaBerge at Esalen Institute many years ago. It’s very, very hard to do. Here are some pointers:

1) Become more aware of your dreams – write them down –all of them.
2) Make some new “thought habits” – create a new way of thinking about reality – constantly ask your self; “Is this Real? Is this really happening? Am I awake or am I dreaming? They say once you make a habit of this kind of questioning, you will also do it in your dream and realize it is a dream!
3) The people who succeed tell me that in order to maintain that lucidity/awareness and actually do something different in your dream: [I have been aware several times I was in a dream, but did nothing about it]. Is this: when you become aware you are in a dream – spin around. Just spin yourself in the dream and you will have more conscious control of what is happening in the dream!

I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 4

It's over rated. It's just like being awake but in another place. By Going to sleep. I'm not sure it's something that can be taught. That's implied.

Answer 5

I'm doing it now. And it is not hard at all, you just be.

Answer 6

sorry not a clue :(