Lucid Dreaming

[JBGoode]

I used to lucid dream a lot as a child. I often chose to either fly or have Spider-Man powers but just when I was getting started, I would always end up falling from the sky or from the web and wake up. I still lucid dream on rare occasions but I think it's been quite a number of years since the last one.

 

[user_xyz]

Can anyone here lucid dream? I read about it a few days ago and I've been reading about it since. For those that don't know, lucid dreaming is when your brain becomes aware that you are dreaming and you are then able to take control of your dreams and do whatever you want.

If anyone here is able to lucid dream, do you have any tips? I've read that you should make a habit of doing something during the day so that when you do it in your dreams you will be able to tell you're dreaming. I've also read that you should keep a journal of what you dream about so you will be able to recognize what you dream about frequently.

I do it all the Time!

 

[Huntn]

Lately I have been experiencing what I believe are lucid dreams on a fairly regular basis now, usually when I wake up in the morning before I’m ready to get up. I might make a trip to the toilet, then go back to bed, close my eyes, and I can knowingly slip into something that feels like a dream, I am seeing images, I’m doing things, and I have much more control in what happens and the dream seems relatively stable as compared to a normal dream, where the slightest interference, makes it go poof. If there is a noise that say wakes me, it’s not that hard to slip back into it, at the same dream spot.

 

[Gutwrench]

As a kid I commonly had reoccurring anxious dreams of falling or being chased by a threat. I developed the ability to ask myself if it was a dream and could stop them.

Today I still have a particular reoccurring (theme of a) dream but only at the rate of once a month or so. I’m not able to stop them as I once could.

My theory is that as a kid the dreams felt long in duration and detailed. That gave me the opportunity to finally question myself if it was real or a dream. Today the dreams are short and intense. Not enough time under stress elapses to make me challenge the reality. Lol, that’s my theory.

 

[Huntn]

As a kid I commonly had reoccurring anxious dreams of falling or being chased by a threat. I developed the ability to ask myself if it was a dream and could stop them.

Today I still have a particular reoccurring (theme of a) dream but only at the rate of once a month or so. I’m not able to stop them as I once could.

My theory is that as a kid the dreams felt long in duration and detailed. That gave me the opportunity to finally question myself if it was real or a dream. Today the dreams are short and intense. Not enough time under stress elapses to make me challenge the reality. Lol, that’s my theory.

When I’m having an uncomfortable dream, they are never nightmares per say, but when I reach a certain point, I bail. It’s not like I think “enough of this dream”, it’s like almost at a subconscious level I snap out of it.

These lucid dreams, I am conscious I’m dreaming but there are limits, I can’t teleport myself to anywhere I want to go, I’m tied somewhat to a framework I can’t control and don’t understand, and sometimes I slip into a deeper state where I forget I’m dreaming.

I have no idea what led to this other than reading about it in this forum!

 

[Huntn]

I had an unbelievably clear, first person dream last night, surrounded by it, it almost felt like reality, yet I knew it was a dream. The content is not important, or the setting (ordinary), but the clarity, stability, and my awareness was a first. I remember thinking how long will this last before it dissolves, hard for me to identify a length. Of interest it did dissolve (of course )and then briefly returned.

 

[throAU]

Can anyone here lucid dream? I read about it a few days ago and I've been reading about it since. For those that don't know, lucid dreaming is when your brain becomes aware that you are dreaming and you are then able to take control of your dreams and do whatever you want.

I've heard about this, i don't dream a heap these days (at least, i don't remember much significant) but when i was a kid i could generally control things.

Back to a young age. Not sure what that means, but i never thought much of it, i never thought that controlling your dreams was abnormal.

Very rarely ever had nightmares as a result. Or rather, if they started, i'd bail out before they got too bad

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Why would I want to control my dreams anyway? Isn't the whole point not being able to do that and hence experience something completely different to everyday life - where's the difference to any day-dreaming then?

Well... my dreams were always not like real life, but i could control the flow and basically guide things.

It was never to the degree of "i imagine a red car at this location, doing this particular thing" - all those sorts of details were filled in, but more a case of me knowing i could do whatever i like (e.g., the classic "Falling" dream people speak of - i would just dream that i was able to fly), and normally switch to a different scene or place if i felt like it.

e.g., if i was having a "bad" dream i could/can just stop dreaming about it and imagine i was somewhere else.
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Well, you can use it for more utilitarian purposes beyond using it as a sexual/flying simulator. The benefits largely fall in the gaining a better sense of self category, but I've also used it to gain a fresh perspective on how to solve challenges encountered the real world. For example, at times it's given me a fresh perspective on how to best approach writing (computer) code or music. Figuratively speaking however, it can be used as an opportunity to slay the demons that may haunt your waking world.

I have woken up in the middle of the night after dreaming about how to solve problems, written it down and solved them.

Code/algorithms, mechanical problems with car modifications, etc. Not often (see: being more fun as a sex/flight/whatever simulator) but if something is really bugging me, i end up thinking about it and possibly fixing it...

Nikola Tesla apparently could build and simulate his inventions in his mind. I think he likely had some sort of super lucid dreaming ability, and perhaps even to do it while awake (he only slept a few hours a day apparently, so likely had some sort of method for daytime naps, or his brain otherwise somehow adapted to little sleep and that ability was a consequence - some sort of dream-like state while being functionally awake).

 

[Huntn]

I've heard about this, i don't dream a heap these days (at least, i don't remember much significant) but when i was a kid i could generally control things.

Back to a young age. Not sure what that means, but i never thought much of it, i never thought that controlling your dreams was abnormal.

Very rarely ever had nightmares as a result. Or rather, if they started, i'd bail out before they got too bad

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Well... my dreams were always not like real life, but i could control the flow and basically guide things.

It was never to the degree of "i imagine a red car at this location, doing this particular thing" - all those sorts of details were filled in, but more a case of me knowing i could do whatever i like (e.g., the classic "Falling" dream people speak of - i would just dream that i was able to fly), and normally switch to a different scene or place if i felt like it.

e.g., if i was having a "bad" dream i could/can just stop dreaming about it and imagine i was somewhere else.
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I have woken up in the middle of the night after dreaming about how to solve problems, written it down and solved them.

Code/algorithms, mechanical problems with car modifications, etc. Not often (see: being more fun as a sex/flight/whatever simulator) but if something is really bugging me, i end up thinking about it and possibly fixing it...

Nikola Tesla apparently could build and simulate his inventions in his mind. I think he likely had some sort of super lucid dreaming ability, and perhaps even to do it while awake (he only slept a few hours a day apparently, so likely had some sort of method for daytime naps, or his brain otherwise somehow adapted to little sleep and that ability was a consequence - some sort of dream-like state while being functionally awake).

My problem usually when I’m figuring things out in a dream, like studying systems of an airplane, is that everything is topsey turvey, with little reality to an actual aircraft system.

 

[MandiMac]

Lately I have been experiencing what I believe are lucid dreams on a fairly regular basis now, usually when I wake up in the morning before I ready to get up. I might make a trip to the toilet, then go back to bed, close my eyes, and I can knowingly slip into something that feels like a dream, I am seeing images, I’m doing things, and I have much more control in what happens and the dream seems relatively stable as compared to a normal dream, where the slightest interference, makes it go poof. If there is a noise that say wakes me, it’s not that hard to slip back into it, at the same dream spot.

This. I used to set an alarm (say around 5am), and then be awake for around 1-2 minutes. Then, going back to bed and setting a few more alarms (one every 10 minutes or so) worked wonders for lucid dreaming. It's a PITA for partners sharing the same bed, so I stopped doing this eventually. But it's still working when I do it.

 

[rem2]

In my younger years, used to lucid dream on a regular basis and quite enjoyed the idea of being awake at the same time as dreaming. And knowing that fact. Many times would wake up to both my eyelids glued shut with some form of crystalline substance. Had to walk blind to the bathroom and lightly wash my eyes with water. Can’t seem to lucid dream as well as before.

 

[Huntn]

In my younger years, used to lucid dream on a regular basis and quite enjoyed the idea of being awake at the same time as dreaming. And knowing that fact. Many times would wake up to both my eyelids glued shut with some form of crystalline substance. Had to walk blind to the bathroom and lightly wash my eyes with water. Can’t seem to lucid dream as well as before.

I’d describe lucid dreaming as natural relaxing escapism with some control.

 

[rem2]

I’d describe lucid dreaming as relaxing escapism with some control.

Yeah, my wording didn’t convey what I really experienced. Thank You.

 

[Huntn]

It's been awhile since I've had such a dream, and felt the need to write about it, but... early this morning I had the most incredible lucid dream. It was full screen, full color, it felt larger than life, with me in it, and I knew I was dreaming, but I looked around with caution as typical dreams can be very perishable.
I was a young adult, basically my mental state anyway, I don't think of myself as being old, just physically old. The people around me where young adults. I was in a large interior, nicely furnished space and I was walking down stairs observing the scene, kind of in wonder. I was like, don't do anything sudden or this might go away. I determined I could move and interact without fear of it whooshing away. I determined that a blond haired fellow was my cousin. We were discussing some plans we had. There was a woman looking at herself in a mirror, possibly putting on makeup, whose skin color changed several times, with normal human skin tones and another woman who entered the room who I quickly realized, I was intimate with by the way we interacted with each other.

About this time, I knew it was time to wake up (leave my dream state), but I lingered a while longer, didn't want to go. And I did not have the where with all to say "good bye, I plan on coming back", maybe because it was like a secret I was keeping from them. But I hope I do. It was a pretty incredible experience, despite it's routine nature.

Based on past experience, these dreams happen in the morning, possibly because I remember them when they happen in the morning, close to the time when I would get up, so I kind of rise a little from being asleep, realizing I'm in bed, and then drift back into the lucid state of dreaming. It does not seem to be something that can be willfully qued up. The transition can happen quickly. The lucid dream is not watching yourself in a movie, it is you being able to make some choices while in the movie, you have just partial control, but the important part is you realize this is a dream while it's happening.

It's also different from a bad dream where you wake yourself up. In those cases for myself, there is a very brief time while in the dream, you are able to recognize and say "I've had enough of this dream" During the entire lucid dream, I realized where I was and was enjoying it as a little adventure, even though on the face of it, it was nothing special other than the novelty of the experience. Nothing like flying an airliner through the woods dodging trees, or being downtown, realizing there is a bomb about to go off, yelling at people to run, while running yourself, and jumping behind a barrier, just as it goes off, and witnessing quite a cinematic event.

Lucid dream - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

How to Lucid Dream: Expert Tips and Tricks

During a lucid dream, a sleeper becomes aware they are dreaming and may be able to control what happens. Learn science-backed tips for inducing a lucid dream.

www.sleepfoundation.org

 

[jbachandouris]

Wife left 2.5 years ago. Divorce still not finalized. I dream of her still multiple times a month. Not really sure how 'lucid' they are but I always wake up sad that it's not actually real.

 

[Huntn]

Wife left 2.5 years ago. Divorce still not finalized. I dream of her still multiple times a month. Not really sure how 'lucid' they are but I always wake up sad that it's not actually real.

I’m sorry you’re experiencing this. Significant things in our lives are subject to dream manifestations. I was in the Navy, lived on Guam for 3 years, 40 some years ago and still have Guam dreams, Navy Dreams, not bad persay, but nothing like Guam was, not to mention frequent airport, airplane dreams (retired pilot).

Lucid dreams are different, like interactive dreams that you know your dreaming while it’s happening, mine have had startling fidelity, and you do have some low level of active choice in what you do. As far as I know you have no direct control over what others do in your lucid dream, although your desires may manifest indirectly in the actions of a character in your dream.

 

[ScanTheNavian]

For me the "look at hands and fingers" trick worked the best. Though I never really managed to keep the dream stable for long. Maybe if I had kept up training.

 

[Huntn]

For me the "look at hands and fingers" trick worked the best. Though I never really managed to keep the dream stable for long. Maybe if I had kept up training.

What do you mean, look at hands and fingers, is the trick for what?

The thing is I don’t know how to train, and there is no reliable way for me to induce this state. If it happens, and I remember it, it’s during the late morning just prior to getting up.

 

[ScanTheNavian]

What do you mean, look at hands and fingers, is the trick for what?

The thing is I don’t know how to train, and there is no reliable way for me to induce this state. If it happens, and I remember it, it’s during the late morning just prior to getting up.

Lucid Dreaming/Reality Checks/Hands - Wikibooks, open books for an open world

en.wikibooks.org

I started habitually watching quickly at my hands during the day. Just now and then. It carried over to dreams as for some reason the brain has a problem making proper hands. They look all disfigured so you know it's a dream. There are similar "reality checks", but I found hands the easiest as I always have them with me lol. 🖐️

 

[splifingate]

'Round the Horizon,
Like so many other things.
I remember, though.

 

[decafjava]

Lucid Dreaming/Reality Checks/Hands - Wikibooks, open books for an open world

en.wikibooks.org

I started habitually watching quickly at my hands during the day. Just now and then. It carried over to dreams as for some reason the brain has a problem making proper hands. They look all disfigured so you know it's a dream. There are similar "reality checks", but I found hands the easiest as I always have them with me lol. 🖐️

Just like AI?? So we are AI or AI is alive...kidding but very interesting I will try to remember this.

 

[Huntn]

Lucid Dreaming/Reality Checks/Hands - Wikibooks, open books for an open world

en.wikibooks.org

I started habitually watching quickly at my hands during the day. Just now and then. It carried over to dreams as for some reason the brain has a problem making proper hands. They look all disfigured so you know it's a dream. There are similar "reality checks", but I found hands the easiest as I always have them with me lol. 🖐️

The interesting thing is that in my lucid dreams, there seems to be no doubt I’m dreaming. The most recent, the first thing I remember is seeing the scene, looking at a room from the top of stairs and thinking immediately “whoa, this is a dream,” and then worrying it would disintegrate immediately if I moved to suddenly or thought about it too much, but it did not, at least not for a while. 🙂 I may remember to check my hands, but I might be afraid I’ll jar myself out of it. 🤔

 

[Huntn]

I woke up this morning early, went to the bathroom , came back to bed, and images started flowing though my mind, when they did, I tried to focus them in a picture frame, and slowly they became clear, and my entire vision was filled with this dream, but I can’t say it was lucid and could not remember anything about it. 😐

I went online, and looked for a video on teaching oneself to do lucid dreams.

How to Lucid Dream Easily for Beginners:

• VILD: Visually Induced Lucid Dreams
• Dream Journal-Record you dreams, it helps reinforce and make dream recall easier.
• Reality checks- 10-15 reality checks per day- push finger through palm, hold you nose shut and try to breath through it. If you can push your finger through your othe hand, you are dreaming. Same if you can breath through your nose while it’s pinched.
• Design Dream- keep it simple, put on piece of paper.
  • Include reality check in your dream design. Author suggests writing on wall or floor write “reality check”. Because you need to remember to do this so you don’t lose awareness.
  • Option from next video: In advance, make a list of things you want to do in dream.
  • Put design in your pocket.
  • Get it out during the day when doing reality check to remind you of this dream
• Visualize you dream during the day- Close your eyes and visualize the dream you planned.
• Bed time technique- Look at paper, put it under your pillow, relax and visualize the scene along with the reality check.
  • If thinking too much clear mind with meditation before visualizing the dream.
  • If done correctly the scene will continue to visualized as you fall asleep.
  • If you Suceed, take a minute ot two to observe the scene, and try using your senses, touch, see, hear, smell.
• Stabilize the dream- Rub your hands together, spin in circles, do a reality check, do simple math in your head. 2+2=4.

In this video there are suggestions that show you the possibilities: fly, create an object, person, etc.
5 Steps for amazing lucid dreams-

 

[Huntn]

Lucid Dreaming/Reality Checks/Hands - Wikibooks, open books for an open world

en.wikibooks.org

I started habitually watching quickly at my hands during the day. Just now and then. It carried over to dreams as for some reason the brain has a problem making proper hands. They look all disfigured so you know it's a dream. There are similar "reality checks", but I found hands the easiest as I always have them with me lol. 🖐️

In your post, I had not checked your link and did not realize the importance of reality checks. Apparently they help keep you lucid and aware of your dream state, versus drifting off into them and losing control and awareness.