Lucid Dreaming - LONG

[Coquelicot]

First things first- only read this if you have a little bit of time and energy to devote to thought, otherwise it'll all seem like mumbo-jumbo. And figure, it took me a lot longer to write it then it will for you to read it.

For those of you that know what lucid dreaming is, cheers. For those of you that don't, wikipedia it, please. I could define it here, but I don't want to depreciate its wonder with a one sentence explanation. I believe lucid dreaming is one of the most amazing and profound natural phenomenons in the world, if not the. Most people only have 1-3 in their entire lives, but most people don't know that there are techniques to encourage lucid dreaming.

Anyway, if you glance at the wiki page on lucid dreaming (Are links aloud?), you'll see the term "reality test" a lot. A reality test is a SIMPLE test to determine if you are in "reality", or in a dream. It is NOT a lot of work to train your mind to experience lucid dreams, as I learned this morning while sleeping in. By far the most realiable reality test is checking the time, or reading some text, then looking away, and looking back at it. Studies show that if you are, in fact, dreaming, the time or text will change when you look back 75% of the time, and if it doesn't, look away and look back again, and 95% of the time it will change by then. I'll tell you more on how to utilize this bit of information later.

Here's the story. Although I can remember having 2 lucid dreams in my early childhood, I only learned what they were about 6 weeks ago. When I learned about lucid dreaming, I was amazed because it explained an extremely mystical, jaw-dropping sleeping experience I had while on vacation about 6 months ago, that left me wondering. So ever since I learned about lucid dreaming, I read all about it and about techniques to induce lucid dreaming. The first technique I tried was semi successful, on my very first try (I was baked, and that helps.). The obscure technique I tried was going from awakeness into REM sleep with unbroken consciousness. This can be achieved (can be quite difficult) simply by COUNTING YOUR BREATH as you fall asleep. Sometimes, your mind will stay awake while your body falls asleep and you'll start dreaming consciously (This is what happened while on vacation, accidentally. It was actually terrifying, as I had no idea what was going on.). When I tried that technique after reading about lucid dreams, I simply experienced some strange hypnogogic imagery and noises and perhaps a false awakening (but I can't be sure about the false awakening, that's the funny thing.). (Note: I suggested to my friend to try that technique, and he did, and on his second try he experienced sleep paralysis with intense hallucinations. You can actually dream with your eyes open, in a sense, using this technique.)

Now I'll describe a far better technique, that's essentially effortless, that worked for me. The hardest part, and perhaps the most important, is to improve your dream recall. Simply think about dreams more often. Think about dreaming and dreams that you've had before going to bed and when you wake up. It sounds too simple, but a month ago I was remembering about 1 dream every month or so, and now I remember bits and pieces from dreams almost every night. Also, you must perform the reality test that I spoke of earlier AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN REMEMBER during the day. I do probably 3-50 times a day, depending on how obsessive compulsive I feel that day (haha). It's simple, and no one will think you're a freak. just look at a clock, look away, and look back, as often as you remember. After your brain gets used to doing this, which may only take a couple days, you're likely to perform the test while dreaming. Our waking habits extend into our dreams, as well. That's simple enough, right? Well this next tip is almost equally as important, even though it sounds like pure superstition. As you're falling asleep, set an intention on becoming lucid! It's that effing simple! Whisper to yourself (quietly, your wife will think you're weird), "I will remember to perform reality tests while I dream. The reality tests will fail, proving that I'm dreaming. Upon becoming lucid, I will remain calm and not wake up.", or something along those lines. I swear that is key, I've been doing reality tests for about 6 weeks, and I kinda gave up on lucid dreaming halfway through these weeks, but last night, I just whispered that to myself, and remembered to perform like 20 reality tests yesterday, and I actually had a lucid dream this morning. (It's easier to have lucid dreams when you're sleeping in, because you wake up and doze off frequently, and your brain starts having trouble distinguishing the dream world and the waking world. Tricky stuff.) More proof of the effectiveness of simply setting an intention as you go to sleep is that the first time I ever did so, I said to myself (and wrote it down, couldn't hurt) "Upon waking up in the morning, I will NOT open my eyes. I will keep them shut, and think about remembering dreams I had that night", and, sure enough, I woke up to my terribly annoying alarm clock in the morning and the first thought that came to me after "I'm awake." was "Keep my eyes shut.", and I did so. That's the first time I've woken up and kept my eyes closed in years, normally they're open instantly.

That's as much information as my little fingers wanna give you on the science of lucid dreaming and techniques, but, as you can see, it's enough. hahahaha.

This morning, when I became lucid in my dream, I was in a grass field on top of a hill in a rich neighborhood with a huge ocean view at night and with 2 friends. The instant I remembered to do a reality test I thought "Oh my goodness, this one could fail". So I looked at the 5x oversized version of my real life alarm clock sitting on a desk or a box in the middle of the field (I didn't find that strange), and the time was blank. I looked away, looked back, it read something like 7:42. After passing hundreds, maybe thousands, of reality tests in the past month or two, failing one for the first time is MIND BLOWING. I kept looking away and back at the alarm clock really fast, getting a kick out of the constantly changing time. I looked at the grass and tried to compare it to real life. It was damn convincing. I looked at the horizon and some houses that were there were gone, and once I noticed that, they appeared again. Then I looked at the palm of my hand and something was wrong. I realized my right eye was half open and I opened my eyes instantly (not intentionally). I honestly don't know if I actually woke up, or if it was a false awakening. My memory jumps to me getting out of bed and telling all the people at my house about the lucid dream (there was no one at my house. I was still dreaming, even more vivid this time.) I looked at the palm of my hand, it was too realistic. One friend said "That's awesome, go back into it!" but I said, "Nah, it's really difficult."

I know this is long as hell, but I swear I'm unable to write about something I'm interested in without shitting out some 3 page long paper. If this thread doesn't die quick (please don't. hahahaha.), I think it would make a great sticky in the spirituality and philosophy forum, as dreams are some of our only direct insight into our subconscious, and lucid dreaming is the most profound view into our minds imaginable.

Feel free to tell about lucid dreams you've had, or just comment. Whatever. Just don't let this thread die, it took way too long to type .

[srsly_stoned]

I've been trying to start doing it recently, and the tips shown here will really help, thanks.

[metalstonerking]

Wow thats awesome

Ive always wanted to start going lucid, but i think this will finally give me the little push i need

[naughtyneighbor]

haha yeah i'm in training too, so far i can only recall about a dream a week but im trying

[astro_righteous]

i remember having lucid dreams as a kid. i think thats why people talk and do things in their sleep that its just like their body isnt asleep but their mind is and so they are doing muscle memory things. like i remember the last 2 dreams i had was back in marine bootcamp. i was yelled at one day for not being loud enough when we had mailcall and so i was trying to make sure i didnt mess up again and i was just running over and over in my head to make sure that when we have mail call to be loud. very simple. but then that night while in the rack the drill instructor was passing by and was whisping shit to us as he passed by. was funny, some of the things he would say. but then i was asleep and so when i heard him say something i snapped back at the top of my lungs Mail Recieved, AYE AYE sir. and then some of the other guys around me got up and laughed a bit. that was about it. then a few nights later i am on firewatch and one of the guys just sits up indianstyle on his rack and doesnt say anything. i go over to him and make sure he is all good to go and he tell me to shush and be quiet cuz he is in a school circle. and i kept trying to tell him he was sleeping but he wasnt having it. then i touched him and he woke up. he was obviously having a lucid dream. then the last one i have had was about 2 weeks after i got out of bootcamp. the only thing i really remember is one of the DIs told me to say my name and i did but they didnt hear me kinda thing and so i screamed it real loud and my mom heard me and asked what the hell that was about. cuz i had woken myself up when i did that. i have been close to doing what you said and relax your mind and just become one with the sounds and just let the images run through your head. i have also tried that on acid and i think that if you ever wanted to experience a trip and a half and yet come up with some really crazy ideas and think about your life and all that jazz then try taking acid and then try going to sleep after like 4 hours. its nuts. trippy visuals if you listen to very soft tones like soundscape music.

[Ars moriendi]

the trick I found to lucid dreaming

are as follows

valarin root (sp?)
damaina leaves
st. johns wart
5-htp


theres tons more like melatonin and assorted mushroom brews that when combined with the clock/lightswitch/thought focus aids laid out in basic lucid dream books produce intense dreaming with full control

[jagfan]

I've learned to recognize the different stages of sleep well, but i've never been able to stay lucid for long. Whenever i would (/do) become lucid i quickly become nervous because of how real it seems and cause myself to wake up. i've only been lucid once or twice and been able to control it

[Coquelicot]

Originally Posted by Ars moriendi

the trick I found to lucid dreaming

are as follows

valarin root (sp?)
damaina leaves
st. johns wart
5-htp


theres tons more like melatonin and assorted mushroom brews that when combined with the clock/lightswitch/thought focus aids laid out in basic lucid dream books produce intense dreaming with full control

Yeah, I shoulda mentioned that. There are tons of things you can take to encourage lucid dreaming. The most popular is "Calea Zacatechichi" or something. and vitamin B12, or maybe B6, also helps.



I think the most important thing in having lucid dreams is not to pressure yourself, just relax. It might take a while, but it's really not hard to practice. I'm gonna keep practicing and hope I have one soon that lasts longer than my last.

[Ars moriendi]

^ I check the clock as I doze off if I 'wake' to see some insane time shift I test out the dream/reality shit by say pinching myself or trying to make the tv turn on with my mind lol

[briangumble]

I've wanted to try lucid dreams. Has anyone ever predicted anything or had any premonitions(sp) in a lucid dream?

[BCRazzle]

Hmm I think ive experienced the exact opposite of lucid dreaming. Like I'm sleepin and I wont be able to tell if Im awake or if im just dreaming that i am awake. For instance, I will be able to see stuff like my cat or a person while I am asleep and I will try to open my eyes to see it but my body wont let me and honestly its pretty scary. It actually happened this morning, the 2nd time Ive ever had it happen. Could someone try and explain that? or is that just another form of lucid dreaming. By teh way, this shit is really interesting and that wikipedia entry was a really good read.

[astro_righteous]

you know now that i have been thinking about it. i do remember few times when i dreamt that i knew that it was a dream in my mind and i never woke up, but then i would make myself do some crazy shit. like i remember once that i was in the civil war like right up again a beach and i was one of the last guys on what ever side and i was in a building in the bathtub trying to hide and some guy came up to the room and i grabbed him and stabbed him with my bayonet blade and then the next thing i knew i was outside and on the beach running my ass of and i ran into the water and just went under, by this time i knew it was a dream and so i would start to breathe under water and for some reason it felt a lot better than just the regular air i was breathing. like i felt it more. but that was actually a reacurring dream that i would have and thats why i would know that it was a dream because it had happend before. and i also had one once that was really fucking crazy but so real. i was at a my elementary school that i lived by for like 15 years and in the dream i was about 13 or so, but i went to my friends house that was across the street from the school in some apartment complex and we were just chillin out and we went to the target that was right down the way and got some junk and on our way back the school was having a carnival or something with a little roller coaster nothing fancy, like the ones at the pizza places. but we get on that and all of a sudden i get flung from the car and then i look up and there is this big giant dude chasing us. no idea where that came from. then we run like hell and go behind the target and as im running i look back and he is like pretty far and so i slow it down and then the gian tguy gets real close so i start to book it again but then my legs start to get weak and i cant run for shit so i duck into the apartment complex and i see an exgirlfriend of mine and she was all like hey dont worry thats my brothers friend, he was just wondering if you wanted to smoke some with us. and i was all like hells yes.

what was it you said about how you can improve recalling dreams? what else can i do? i dont recall very many of mine these days. maybe once a month or so.

[Boosh]

Ahh lucid dreaming. I too have experimented with this over a year or two, and my very first intentional lucid dream started as a falling dream. I remember standing on top of a cliff, looking down and seeing the tops of pine trees. It was a forest of pinetrees. I fell of the cliff face first, and was falling into a clearing. Instead of falling and waking up as i came to the ground, i pulled up and found myself to be flying. Thats about all I can remember of the dream though

[Coquelicot]

Originally Posted by BCRazzle

Hmm I think ive experienced the exact opposite of lucid dreaming. Like I'm sleepin and I wont be able to tell if Im awake or if im just dreaming that i am awake. For instance, I will be able to see stuff like my cat or a person while I am asleep and I will try to open my eyes to see it but my body wont let me and honestly its pretty scary. It actually happened this morning, the 2nd time Ive ever had it happen. Could someone try and explain that? or is that just another form of lucid dreaming. By teh way, this shit is really interesting and that wikipedia entry was a really good read.

I'm not sure I understand the situation, but it could have to do with sleep paralysis. That's when your mind wakes up but your body stays asleep, and you can often open your eyes but can't move a muscle exept maybe your fingertips and eyes. My friend has this often. You can also hallucinate in this state, have waking dreams kind of.

Originally Posted by astro_righteous

what was it you said about how you can improve recalling dreams? what else can i do? i dont recall very many of mine these days. maybe once a month or so.

That's how I was a month ago. From what I've read, the key to improving dream recall is keeping in touch with your dream memory vaults while you're awake. Keeping a dream journal is recommended for this on many websites. When you wake up, think hard about dreams you may have had. if you can remember any, write them down in great detail. read them before you go to bed. The more your waking mind gets used to tapping into dream memories, the easier it is to do. Almost every day, when I wake up, I'll have a small grasp on what I dreamt about the night before. I remember memories of experiences that I know did not actually happen, and I know those are all dreams. If a deadbeat like me can do it, so can anyone.


Edit: This is something simple to try that, in my case, was semi successfull on my first attempt. I'm sure a lot of you get baked before bed anyways, and that helps. Just close your eyes and relax like you're going to bed, but calmly count your breath. It's likely to bring surprising results. The time when it worked for me, it took about 10 minutes, I believe.

Another thing! I shoulda mentioned this BIG tip. If you're determined enough to wake yourself up from your beauty sleep, this is a major tip. Wake up after a long nap or after you've been sleeping for 1-6 hours. 4 is like optimum. Then stay awake, reading your dream journal or just thinking about lucid dreams, then go back to bed after about 30 minutes using any technique you like. this makes you like 15 times more likely to have a lucid dream, and the time I accidentally had one on vacation was encouraged that way. After the long drive, I'd slept about 3 hours. Then I stayed up, looking up at the bright stars. I went inside to sleep and after laying down for about 20 minutes, I felt like I was outside again, looking up at the stars. It was SO vivid and I could even feel wind. It was terrifying cause I had no idea what was going on, so I opened my eyes and I couldn't see clearly for like 2 minutes cause my eyes were still in REM mode. To happen accidentally, that is rare. but if you count your breath as you go to sleep, esp. baked or after a few hours of sleep, that is not so difficult.

[SpringsStang]

i had my first self induced lucid dream last night...it was extremley short lived though