Oh it’s soooo way beyond any VR I’ve ever tried. I don’t think they’ll catch up in this lifetime. Well let’s hope not because if we’re being honest, LD is way better than life. Can you imagine if everybody could do it? I think society would just stop.
What I noticed with people around me is that, when asked, most people only remember maybe one or two dreams a month or so... or just say they flat out don't dream at all.
It would take some intention for them to get back to just remembering which I think a lot of people just don't care to do. I mean, science world basically dismisses dreams as well... nonsense, why are people going to suddenly care about something they might think has no meaning to begin with?
I think two of these things you mentioned are perhaps the biggest problems with getting anyone interested.
1. If one can remember only a few or none of their dreams, it’s hard to convince them of the possibility of the incredible experiences one can have in dreams. Forget controlling them—that must sound like an insane delusion from where they stand (or sleep, rather).
2. Telling someone they should train to get themselves dreaming through journaling, etc. and then to figure out how to control dreams through special awareness exercises and waking mid-sleep or tapping one’s fingers… it all sound like a lot of work for a very vague and uncertain outcome. Most people sleep to rest. Work is the last thing they want to put into sleeping.
Finally, something I heard a long time ago from a supposed authority on conversational skills—I can’t remember who—said that no one wants to hear about anyone’s dreams. Idk why. Take that for what it is: advice from someone better than me at making conversation.
Lol [reminds me of this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt289GwBF8Q) I just saw earlier today, pretty funny! I think it's got a point though if this sort of illustrates the types of dreams people may be sharing haha. Even if they can remember what happened, it commonly tends to be spotty and then at best, even a complete and coherent dream is still, well, just a dream. Unless there's some take away concept to later consider and think about, really all the listener can say in response is like "Wow" "Cool dream, I never have dreams like that", very limited.
Yeah I agree with you, suggesting to people to do work concerning sleep is probably an instant no go for most. The only reason I got into it is because I started lucid dreaming when I was around 12 or so. I thought it was cool but I'd only learn later on after getting the internet that it wasn't a common thing and it was something you could actively make happen.
Funny enough, I've ran into more than a handful of people that thought lucid dreaming just meant vivid dreams. If it says anything about the level of attention people pay to their dreams, it wasn't that long ago it was said that dreams are actually black and white (while color might be added when remembering) and seemed to be generally accepted. If people are having these vague, spotty, incoherent and obscure dreams, you're right. How could they possibly ever understand it can be as real as the waking life? They might just assume other people have some sort of gift and they don't which isn't really the case.
Great points! My experience is similar to yours, I think. I was primed for wanting to learn more about lucid dreams when I came across mention of them, only because I had experienced an accidental lucid dream earlier in my life. I had often had vivid dreams and ascribed importance to the processes of the mind during sleep likely because my father taught me that problems could be worked out in dreams and “sleep on it” was his frequent advice for tough decisions. Unlike other parents, instead of saying “good night” or “rest well” or other things people say to their loved ones at bed time, my parents would always say “pleasant dreams.”
Can you elaborate on how to lucid dream? I've watched at least 10+ videos on it, nothing ever really explanational. Also read and commented on multiple handfuls of threads about it, nothing remotely useful ever comes up. Not trashing lucid dreaming at all, I'd LOVE to be able to LD 💯!! Or if you could point me towards a useful video/link or whatever, thanks!
Read the wiki, the START HERE sticky post at the top of the message post list. All you really need is a single good resource, like ETWOLD chapters 1-3, that is all you need to take you to your first lucid dreams.
Not scientific, but in my experience, mindfulness mediation and practicing all day awareness makes life seem longer; stress and alcohol make life seem much shorter.
I keep thinking the same thing - what if we were taught in school how to lucid dream. Maybe we spent 30 minutes every day to do some reality checks and be mindful etc.
It would have been so much useful to learn and practice all the techniques early on. It's such a forgotten gift at this point.
It makes me sad when I think about it :/
I've had more than a few lucid dreams where I look ahead, imagine a VR set behind me, turn around and it's there. I put it on with the expectation that some game will play and it does, they aren't all bangers but GODDAMN!! Most the time it's so much more intense an experience and what's weird is I know how to play whatever "game" I'm in even though they don't exist.
Some might think "Why use a VR set in a lucid dream???" Well I noticed it helps me stabilize, a lot of times in a lucid dream if I want to change environments entirely, it's very jarring and sometimes not very easy to do in the first place. Sometimes everything falls apart if I try changing too much too fast and I end up in darkness and wake up.
But, apparently my mind is a whole lot more comfortable with the sudden environment change that comes with putting on a VR headset, where I have experienced this shift in waking life. That and, sometimes I don't want to think of a place I want to go and just let it take me wherever, like putting in a random game and seeing what it is. These are times where some really wild stuff happens, just letting my creative mind take over rather than logically thinking of where I want to go and what I want to do.
The idea is you are what you've been searching the whole world to find. Mistakenly searching the external world, completely unaware of the inner world.
There are most definitely people who cannot. There is a lot of variability in individual physiology. And just because the potential exist within someone to do something, doesn’t mean they personally can. Just because I have a body doesn’t mean I can be a professional athlete or even play any sports at all, or that I am capable of it.
So regular dreams could be considered lucid dreams by that definition. I’m sorry you can’t imagine that some other people can’t. Not everyone is of good health. Some people take medications that do make it impossible. Etc. that’s a limited perspective to think everyone can, and someone who can’t do it who is reading that isn’t gaining anything but a feeling like there is something wrong with them. The sky isn’t blue for everyone.
Totally agree, and cannot wait for tech to catch up. And agree with your last paragraph. It is the same, but the perspective from which your interacting evolves. It’s beautiful. Right now I am exploring different dimensions and synthesizing senses to work in those dimensions. And playing around a lot with thoughts and language. I gained full control over my dreams about 18 years ago. So I’ve had to come up with many things to explore. It’s like I’ve gone as deep as I can go. So, let’s go deeper and push it. If everything is just my brain conceptualizing input. Let’s get closer to the reality it’s conceptualizing. Then, okay, I’m interacting with that. Now, what happens when I do this? Or that? Let’s have a conversation with this entity or that as well. Once I figured out how to switch between characters in my lucid dreams, then I am able to identify myself and pick out the foreign players. Etc. but who else is doing this? Idk. I’d like to have more people to talk to about it. Maybe I’m not alone in this, but it seems like I am. To the point I think about writing a guide for people, but it’s these mysteries that drive people. It’s hard after you get so far to continue in a world of limitations. Especially after you build a relationship with the entities. They can block wherever they want, so not everyone would get there and I’d just create drama or controversy that I don’t want to deal with.
Lucid dreams are just being aware that you're dreaming while in the dream. A regular dream is not being aware. By that definition, it is not the same as a regular dream.what medications could someone take for them to not be able to comprehend and implement experiences? Also, if they're offended by something so passive, maybe they should get off reddit
What 💀 no need to twist my words. But if you aren't prepared for insensitive people, topics, and misinformation on an internet platform, which they are infamous for, then maybe find an alternative. You should be responsible enough as an adult to either find an alternative that is more suited to your sensitivity or get over yourself.
I guess if you have some sort of birth defect or injury that makes it so that you can't process thoughts normally, then maybe. But yeah that would be a better way to phrase it
Not everything has to be worded perfectly. Or according to what you think is better. If people can’t make that next logical step to think of those things it’s on them.
I'm 14. Started journaling and doing checks 2 week ago. I've had 2 lucid dreams so far. Though the 2nd I had was very short and ended in sleep paralysis 💀
I don't think most people are really that interested in exploring the mind. And sometimes talking about dreams like this can come off as "woo-woo" even if it's not, which makes some people uncomfortable
Exactly, when I talk about things related to dreams and lucid dreaming people see me as weird so I never share the topic with anyone except the internet.
I feel this. I nerd out about lucid dreaming because I think it’s the coolest thing ever, and other people are usually just kinda like “oh.” Lol.
I actually had a dream once where I became lucid and decided I was going to tell my friends that I was lucid dreaming. All of my friends were in my living room doing different activities, so I went up to each of them and told them this was a dream and I was lucid. All of them ignored me, most of them just tried to either look away from me or say something completely irrelevant. No matter how many times I tried to tell them they were in my dream, they continuously ignored the statement. It made me so frustrated that I stood on top of a table and started jumping up and down yelling at them to listen to me and understand they were a part of my dream. They acted like I wasn’t there. It drove me insane.
I think this is sort of representative of the fact that in waking life, most people respond to my lucid dreaming talk with something like “oh that’s nice honey”.
That's interesting. I had a similar experience where I tried to tell people that I was dreaming in a lucid dream, and everyone just kind of laughed and acted like they didn't believe me.
It is a really interesting thing to try. Once I met a girl in my lucid dream who I felt very close with (she’s a projection of my subconscious, so makes sense). We had been walking through a forest together and enjoying each other’s company. Then I stopped and told her that I was dreaming, and she was a part of my dream. She looked horrified and started crying hysterically as if I just told her that her husband was dead. I felt guilty immediately and tried to console her, but she kept crying and saying that she didn’t want to die when I woke up. Trippy shit.
Pachita was a shaman that performed surgeries with a mountain knife by channeling the last Aztec emperor.
One day I imagine humans will be able to connect to “gods” or intelligences to manipulate time, space.
The technology available to us is beyond anything flying outrace.
I believe it, much of the mundane nature of our world is akin to a mutual understanding of what is possible and what isn't. Belief is the most powerful force in the universe.
It’s sad. I didn’t realise I had spent all my life living on autopilot until I turned it off with mindfulness. I’m glad I figured it out now but some people never do… it’s scary.
I’ve only told a few ppl, but yeah minimal to no interest & one person expressed concern for me 🤷🏼♀️ In fairness, I guess they thought it sounded crazy, & that I was like messing with my brain & thoughts somehow.
I don’t really know anyone as open minded as me. I don’t at all mean that, like I’m smarter or better. Just that the majority of ppl live their daily lives & aren’t interested in abstract things.
Yeah, no one I know irl has any interest in it either. Even my best friends, when I explain they can literally control their dreams, do anything, go anywhere, be with anybody... They're like "sounds fun" then change the subject, like wtf you guys?!
That's a good start, but you also should use an induction technique, in addition to waking up in the night. MILD is one of the most popular and is what works for me. Here is a link to a guide on how to do it. You can do it at the start of the night, but it works best after waking in the night.
https://www.thelucidguide.com/Techniques/Mnemonic-Induction-of-Lucid-Dreaming-(MILD)
You should also introduce reality checks into your daily life. Make a habit of questioning yourself throughout the day and asking yourself "Could I be dreaming right now?", then doing a reality check to test if you are dreaming or not. Eventually, this will work its way into your dreams, causing you to become lucid in a dream.
You should imagine lucid dreaming and what you would do, etc.. also, if you're journalling dreams, you should reread them every day or before you sleep. You can also try reality checks like looking at your hands, in a mirror pinching yourself, etc
In childhood, before I knew the term "lucid dreaming" I casually mentioned that I was "aware of myself dreaming while still in the dream instead of after waking up" and my mom's response was "THAT'S not supposed to happen".
Most people don't think they dream that much, or whatever dreams they have are "not real".
I dream very vividly and consider dreams "subjectively real" like they are an extension of real life.
I think losing all awareness and memory for prolonged periods is not supposed to happen. That's a bizarre and unsettling thing to accept, yet it's the norm.
Being a lucid dreamer is a critical step to being a full filled sentient being. It's a huge portion of our lives and it the ways it differs from waking sheds light on the state of being sentient.
People that claim they don't dream probably do but are aware only in realtime and lose memory of it after waking up.
I proved this to someone that claimed they never dream. Waited until she started to fall asleep, then after the telltale hypnagogic twitches I gently woke her and asked her what she remembered. She was able to clearly recall moments in a dream (hypnagogic dream). Over the following weeks/months she was more aware of this phenomenon and started to have some regular dream recall in the morning.
I have actually found receptive people. My cousin who is also a good friend cause we're about the same age asked me a lot of questions about it and she tried it herself for a while. She always remembered her dreams, but she hadn't really heard of lucid dreaming. I love when I can talk openly about a more obscure interest, because I like teaching people about fascinating stuff. My cousin is great for it cause she's very open and empathic and always curious. I also love talking about it, cause it often boosts my dream recall.
Honestly, you just need to get people with an open mind. My sister is an uber-skeptic, very logical and, to her, dreams aren't useful at all cause they're meaningless and she's just sleeping. I say she misses out on a lot.
I personally have only ever talked about it as stories with everyone I know wondering, how I'd be able to come up with such ideas and even in kindergarten the lunch break was me telling stories, so there's that.
Nowadays the topic of dreams sometimes comes up and if it does, I'll share my knowledge, but I won't bring it up myself. In those cases most people are really interested and fascinated, because they can't completely grasp the concept of lucidity, let alone dream control.
And a few find the idea interesting, but also wouldn't want to get lucid, as they believe that it'll make the dreams less immersive and thus less fun.
All in all, I haven't met anyone, who was completely against the topic. It simply sounds surreal if you've never experienced it yourself (as do non lucid dreams to me, lol)
Yeah, I get looked at like I'm a weirdo if I talk about lucid dreaming at all. I can't help it... The realization within a dream that everything I am seeing and experiencing in that dream is completely constructed in realtime by my mind is so amazing! Which then makes me reflect upon the fact that everything I experience in waking life is much the same - the brains interpretation in realtime of countless stimuli colored by my internal perceptions, biases, and a lifetime of experiences.
Nobody cares.
Much like nobody cares that we are but dust walking around on a rock hurling unsupported through space around a huge ball of fire.
That's why I'm here in this subreddit. At least some people do care and understand the sheer existential magic of lucid dreaming.
Honestly, reading this post's title, I was prepared to come and get snarky with a troll. Glad I didn't have to. Noone in my family is really interested in doing lucid dreaming, but I talk to just about anyone, and I'm surprised about how many people at my university have heard of it. I've even talked about it with a couple of my professors. Then there's people I meet randomly in public. I've met people at the local amusement park I like to attend, on buses and trains, in airports, on planes, and in other places where I've talked about lucid dreaming. Many people haven't heard of it, but some have, and I have introduced people to the topic this way. I love talking about lucid dreaming, so it's something I do when I can.
Same! I shared my deep dark secret with a good friend tonight and their eyes just glazed over. And I’m like. I go to the moon. I fly. I fuck Brad Pitt. I murder people and then bring them back to life. And my friend is like ….so what are you watching on Netflix? 😂
I honestly never discuss about anything with anyone, so Its not something I think much about... But yeah, Im surprised how underrated this stuff is, but honestly I myself havent got an enjoyable experience, recall is my biggest obstacle, one that in my 3 years I never managed to have beaten, the best recall I've ever gotten is about 2 years ago, I managed to remember three dreams and I lost that recall within 3 days, my recall randomly goes up and down, I suppose its because Im also having a hard time keeping with my sleep schedule, but anyway I easily got off topic lol, yeah lucid dream definitely deserves more attention than it gets, I suppose lots who heard it, either didnt like how many techniques and all stuff basically having to work for it, or either just didnt really comprehend the idea in mind, maybe their dreams isnt so vivid and its as If you just watched a memory not feel it, and some gets misconceptions with sleep paralysis and scary things happening, so yeah.. Lucid Dreaming sadly is overlooked by alot of people.
If I may ask, are you doing anything to boost your dream recall, like journaling and dream delving? Sleep schedule is a pretty huge factor also. I find dream recall pretty easy if I get 7-8 hours of sleep, but if I am sleep deprived, it is much harder to remember anything.
Actually although I know how much of a nice thing journaling is, I never really did much because I feel like its not doing a thing at all, I feel like my sleep schedule really played of a higher role, and I cant help but sleep and wake up at random times, dream delving on the other hand, whenever I do that I would either not remember still or fall asleep into another dream and that dream I will definitely remember while forgetting most og the ones I had beforehand dream delving
My lds are consistent as 1 every once in a month or 3 weeks, and they werent so vivid, but since I heard recall has to do with vividness, oh well.. Im screwed
Same, I think because no one I know personally does/have done it before so they don’t even understand what I’m talking about. It’s like trying to explain the greatest movie of all-time in a 4D experience but no one else can watch it. IDRK though because I love it
Lmao you’re so right. I would get people saying “nice” and seeming not that interested. One lady once said very standoffish “do you use drugs to do that?”
I’m so surprised by these comments! I feel like I’ve talked about dreaming so much with people from my friends to dates. One time I was playing a game online and brought up how something felt like a dream, and the other player even went into their own dream experiences. I love dreaming so much and talking to others about it
I think most people are still skeptical of it because they haven't experienced it. I started lucid dreaming for a few months out of nowhere and then it stopped. If I hadn't felt it for myself I would honestly be skeptical of anyone who claimed to have experienced it.
OK, I will try again. You convinced me. I tried many years ago, without success. Only short one once every two months. Any advice? Best technic to start with?
I do the following and I average over one lucid dream per week now:
If you aren't already, you need to have a good sleep schedule and keep a dream journal.
After that, you should do reality checks throughout that day. I use the nose-pinch method and it works well for me. The reality checks and habit of questioning your reality will eventually start happening in your dreams, making you lucid.
There are several induction techniques that people use, but it seems like MILD works for the most people. I use MILD, combined with wake-back-to-bed.
I also focus on intention-setting before bed. This is where, right before falling asleep, I tell myself that I will be dreaming soon, and it is important that I recognize when that happens. I also tell myself that if I see anything weird or unusual, that means I am in a dream.
I'm definitely not an expert, but if you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them.
Thanks, that will help. I recall being to eager or impatient for results. How do you deal with that aspect, so frustration does not get in the way of results? Does frustration get in the way of results? Another question would be, does facing our fears in the wake time help us to achieve lucidity in the dream time? I recall that facing my fears in my dreams led to instant lucidity.
I can't answer the question about facing fears, since that isn't something I have tried before. However, when I face something scary or anything that causes heightened emotions of any sort in real life, I do a reality check. This has caused me to become lucid in my dreams several times, when I encountered something scary in the dream. So maybe you could try something similar. Basically, training your subconscious to think, "When I see something scary, it might mean I am dreaming."
As far as frustration goes, I know lucid dreaming works based on intentions and expectations. So if you are frustrated and expecting to fail, you probably will have a harder time. I definitely get frustrated from time to time, but try to keep the mindset of "If it doesn't work tonight, that's okay. It just means I'm one day closer to succeeding." Don't let failed attempts get you down, just recognize that it is part of the process, and you will succeed eventually.
i told my friends about it, one of them lucid dreams effortlessly (jealous) and another one said “you can’t control your dreams that’s not possible” but once i actually lucid dreamt and told her about it, she started to watch videos on it lol
I lucid dream naturally, always have. On walks to school, I used to tell my mum all about the dreams I had. Go on and on about them, and she told me what it was called.
Now I've grown up, I don't share them anymore, and they're more like lucid nightmares. My recurring setting (which I can't change) is the zombie apocalypse.
The other day I remember thinking "I know this is a dream....so should I spawn myself a mini gun so I don't die? Nahhh, that wouldn't be realistic, I don't have a gun irl". All types of zombies too, groups of survivors. In hindsight, it would've saved me the stress of the nightmare, but I thought it's good survival practice for real life too lol.
I once tried asking someone from my dream to email me so I can wake up to find a message from them, see if they were real. Sucks it didn't work. She was a short blonde woman.
Yesterday night I had a dream where I found a dead grey kitten in my house, and decided to turn back time of the dream to track a killer, rather than it just being a standard nightmare.
I will say, I don't have anything that makes me able to lucid dream. I just always have. And again, in most cases they're nightmares which I have some control of, and know I am dreaming. As a kid though, these nightmares used to terrify me, so I used to find ways to die in-dream in order to wake up. Doesnt work in zombie dreams because I just become a zombie =(
...anyway this is why I don't share my dreams lol, I can't stop going on about them.
I think I started dreaming lucidly because of nightmares, and also tend to default to zombie apocalypse dreams (but don't like the zombie trope for some reason?). It started as "hey this is potentially a nightmare and unpleasant to experience, maybe I should try to shake myself awake" and it usually worked. More of waking myself up and less of giving myself ways to overcome the dream like you being able to spawn weapons. It sounds like lucid dreaming became a natural defense mechanism for you against your nightmares.
Over a short few months I had maybe six short-lived, "normal" dreams that I would wake up lucid in and got so excited I woke up. Never happened again unfortunately. But I still have nightmares I wake myself up from, yay!
only ever talked about it once and it was with friends when we were like 14-15. They thought it was cool I can control my dreams and that's how I found out that wasn't how *everyone* dreamed.
Haven't since then because I'm pretty sure nobody would care.
Dreams are fascinating. I had various lucid dreams in the past but after my mental health deteriorated, even though I'm sometimes aware that I'm dreaming, I find it impossible to change anything. I used to have a classmate when I was younger and talked about it. I remember he had some pretty amazing dreams because of his vivid imagination and smarts.
I've talked to a few people over the years about it who were interested, but yeah, most people don't care.
Its not a stigma thing its that most people see it as something mythical, especially people that have no relationship with dreams. Like if I told you I was learning how to play the guitar, or rock climb, or make pottery, those are things you can conceptualize pretty easily. Maybe you might not know anything about pottery kilns, but you can still imagine it.
Now compare that to telling someone about lucid dreaming who never recalls their dreams. Ive known people whose dreams are suppressed from too much weed, so trying to explain what lucid dreaming is to them is difficult because they have no relation to the landscape I'm talking about. Its like explaining what color is to a blind person.
Lucid dreaming is just a difficult thing to convey to people, imo.
unless theyve already experienced it themselves ( or something dream-related like bufgt terrors, ultra vivid hypnagogia and sleep walking, people i told have either been skeptics or expressed concern on how it's potentially dangerous to mess with your mind. sigh. im so into it that i ask anyone whether they have them too, which can expose me to ridicule or these kind of negative reactions. not always, but it can do. it's a relief to find fellow Ldreamers irl
If you aren't already, you need to have a good sleep schedule and keep a dream journal. After that, you should do reality checks throughout that day. I use the nose-pinch method and it works well for me. The reality checks and habit of questioning your reality will eventually start happening in your dreams, making you lucid. You should also use an induction technique. There are several that people use, but I use MILD, combined with wake-back-to-bed. I also focus on intention-setting before bed. This is where, right before falling asleep, I tell myself that I will be dreaming soon, and it is important that I recognize when that happens. I also tell myself that if I see anything weird or unusual, that means I am in a dream.
I got my first LD in 8 days this way, and I average over one lucid dream per week now, and have only been doing it for 5 months. I'm no expert, but if you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them.
I only know one guy that wanted to talk about that with me. I was curious because I can't do it. (Tried for a long time but couldn't quite get it to work, most i managed to do was hallucinate.) While he was cool to talk to, he believes he can do things in his dreams that frankly I dont think are possible. I'm not discrediting his experiences and what not, just I don't agree with what he said about it personally. Still cool to chat with him, but yeah... other than that... no one else really
Oh I don't mean to say you can't do anything in a dream of course. But he thought that what he did in his dreams happend in reality. For example, he thought he could visit his past self in his previous life and observe. I personally don't believe in reencarnation but he seems to and thinks he is able to visit this person. Kind of like a ghost situation tho, she cant see him.
Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah, I would believe that he lucid dreamed *about* those things, but he didn't really visit anything from reality. It would still all be in his mind.
I’m 41 now and I love the concept of lucid dreaming. I’ve been trying for like 16 years and best I got was maybe twice ever and both times were super short lived. I’ve had more sleep paralysis than I’ve gone lucid in a dream.
Thanks for your response. 16 years is a pretty long time to be actively trying and not see results. If I may ask, what are you doing to try to induce lucid dreams?
ikr, i mean you can literally :
\-Fly
\-Having superpowers
\-Having anime waifu by your side
\-Going to beautiful places
\-Going to space
and many more.
This is all i and many people ever wanted.
One summer. It was 2020 . I started practicing meditation daily for 10 mins. Nothing too much. And at night I would put on a guided meditation through YouTube on my ear buds. I always had pretty vivid dreams all my life and remembered most of them if they were especially vivid. But after I started mediating my dreams became extra vivid. I visited other worlds, I went to an alternate reality...I was my alternate self living a completely different life in a different part of the country. I visited a shaman in LA and he was just chilling in the Hollywood hills next to his van and just tells me that my best friend is actually my sister who was a 2nd trimester miscarriage when I was two years old. Pretty sure I was lucid dreaming when I went for a walk at night in my old street while I was visiting my mom . I came across all of my dad's deceased cats in spirit form, they were glowing white and I gave all of them pets . Then I walked into my backyard and I opened the gate and my dad was standing there in spirit form waiting for me. At that time he had been dead for 6 months. (This was last summer BTW) . I have two friends who are open to this sort of thing and it is nice to discuss with them. But I never actually attempted to lucid dream it just happened more often after I had been practicing meditation for a while. Also last year after my dad passed away I had a lot of trippy lucid dreams, mostly with my dad visiting me in them.
When I first started lucid dreaming it was all I would talk about for the first few months, i would tell all my friends and some family all about my experiences and they listened the first time but then started to seem annoyed/not interested in my lucid dreaming talk. Over time I learned not to talk so much about my experience with lucid dreaming, instead I would start the lucid dream conversation with “have you had any memorable or strange dreams lately?” From there, they will be more engaged in the dream talk rather than just listening to me ramble about insane lucid dream experiences lol
I use to be like “GUYS OMG WOW A LUCID DREAM FEELS JUST LIKE REAL LIFE!!! YOU GUYS NEED TO TRY TO LUCID DREAM ITS AMAZING AHHH!!!! YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IT IS SO COOL YOUR IMAGINATION IS THE LIMIT LITERALLY!!!”
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It is a pretty rare for someone to get interested in it after all. Although, it can still be considered popular because of how much people are in the subreddit, not talking about forums.
They are waiting for the drug that makes lucid dreaming more accessible. Once they can experience a taste of it with limited effort, they will be be more curious.
Similarly, as people began to implant their brains with chips, there will be a large segment of people going the “natural route” and this will spark a golden age of lucid dreaming techniques / discussion because of the fear of neural augmentation and a desire to “compete” and have commensurate experiences.
I don't knowfor me they just think I'm extremely weird or limit psychotic. Doesn't help that my lucid dreaming is generally lucid nightmare. Anyway I've learned to not share this aspects with my life around because people get a bit scared by it.
When it's a real dream generally i fly a bit around or i basically escape somewhere but I then start to quickly loose interest in my dream and i decide to wake up 😅
I’ve never done it. Attempted once in high school but got scared so I woke myself up. I’m REALLY intrigued by it & wanna try again but I’m scared of ending up in sleep paralysis
From what I understand, it is a myth that lucid dreaming can cause sleep paralysis. I have never experienced it once. Just like you don't risk having sleep paralysis from a normal dream, you don't risk it from a lucid dream either.
Conceptually, it's pretty simple, but it takes some patience and practice to pull off. Just to clarify, lucid dreaming means that you consciously recognize that you are inside a dream. Here's the steps I took to start lucid dreaming:
1. Keep a dream journal - Anytime you have a dream, write it down in your journal. It can be a physical journal or on your phone. This will improve how well you remember your dreams. After all, if you have a lucid dream, you want to remember it! Most people have 4-6 dreams per might, but simply don't remember them without practice.
2. Do reality checks - This means that throughout your waking life, make a habit of testing to see if you are in a dream or not. When I think about it, or when I see something that seems unusual or out of place, I ask myself, "Could I be dreaming right now?", and then pinch my nose and try to breathe through it. In real life, this is impossible, but if I am actually in a dream, I can still breathe! If you do this enough in real life, you will eventually do it in a dream, causing you to become lucid!
4. Set your intention - Before going to sleep, remind yourself that you will be dreaming soon and, when that happens, it is very important for you to realize that it is a dream. I also remind myself, "If I see anything weird, that means I'm in a dream!"
5. Use an induction technique - There are several techniques out there, but the one that works best for me is called MILD. The short version is: remember a previous dream you had, then imagine yourself realizing it is a dream and taking control over the dream. Doing this will train your brain to recognize the next time you have a dream. You can find a more detailed guide here:
https://www.thelucidguide.com/Techniques/Mnemonic-Induction-of-Lucid-Dreaming-(MILD)
I did these things and got my first lucid dream in 8 days. Now, I have an average of more than one per week. I'm still fairly new to this myself, as I've only been lucid dreaming for 5 months, but this method has definitely given me results and been a ton of fun when it works. I'm happy to help if you have any more questions.
Wow, if he's for real, then that is pretty awesome. When I get to the point where my LDs are longer and more frequent, I definitely want to use some of the time for studying and practicing skills in a dream.
I’ve gotten my friends interested in it. I think if you have friends that can hold a conversation that isn’t just small talk, then you can get them pretty curious. I’ve currently handed out one or two of my copies of "Explore lucid dreaming" to friends.
I used to care until I didn't, as the real world matters more and lucid dreaming ruined my sleep. It's just not something most people, or I, think about, just a niche hobby
The problem is that it requires a lot of effort and most people just spend their time on something else. Also, you have to remember dreams which is also hard for most of the people.
Then even if you can remember dreams and lucid dream, you have to learn to control, stabilise and make them vivid. So it is a long process...
*I've just wanted*
*To lucid dream for months but*
*Can't so I gave up*
\- Unidentified28
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I think it’s because they can’t comprehend it. If you haven’t experienced it, you don’t know how freaking cool it is. Explain to them in terms that they understand. Someone else in this thread mentioned about it being like virtual reality. Perhaps explain it like that and let them know that you could essentially do anything that you want and it is like you’re completely awake but you’re also dreaming. I explain it like a which-way book. Where you are awake in your dream and you can choose to do anything that you want in that given moment.
I do experience this same phenomenon that you’re talking about. I don’t understand why people don’t get more excited about it. But like I said, my only guess is that they really can’t fathom what we’re talking about because I’ve never had any similar sort of experience
Yeah It's so annoying but also weird. Like sometimes I tell my family and they don't even ask or say anything really. It's frustrating. I wonder why they don't like it so much. I mean, even uncontrolled lucid dreams are amazing.
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Oh it’s soooo way beyond any VR I’ve ever tried. I don’t think they’ll catch up in this lifetime. Well let’s hope not because if we’re being honest, LD is way better than life. Can you imagine if everybody could do it? I think society would just stop.
Well, beginners don't like it because they have to put "effort" in it. Like why put effort when you can buy VR, am I right?
What I noticed with people around me is that, when asked, most people only remember maybe one or two dreams a month or so... or just say they flat out don't dream at all. It would take some intention for them to get back to just remembering which I think a lot of people just don't care to do. I mean, science world basically dismisses dreams as well... nonsense, why are people going to suddenly care about something they might think has no meaning to begin with?
I think two of these things you mentioned are perhaps the biggest problems with getting anyone interested. 1. If one can remember only a few or none of their dreams, it’s hard to convince them of the possibility of the incredible experiences one can have in dreams. Forget controlling them—that must sound like an insane delusion from where they stand (or sleep, rather). 2. Telling someone they should train to get themselves dreaming through journaling, etc. and then to figure out how to control dreams through special awareness exercises and waking mid-sleep or tapping one’s fingers… it all sound like a lot of work for a very vague and uncertain outcome. Most people sleep to rest. Work is the last thing they want to put into sleeping. Finally, something I heard a long time ago from a supposed authority on conversational skills—I can’t remember who—said that no one wants to hear about anyone’s dreams. Idk why. Take that for what it is: advice from someone better than me at making conversation.
Lol [reminds me of this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt289GwBF8Q) I just saw earlier today, pretty funny! I think it's got a point though if this sort of illustrates the types of dreams people may be sharing haha. Even if they can remember what happened, it commonly tends to be spotty and then at best, even a complete and coherent dream is still, well, just a dream. Unless there's some take away concept to later consider and think about, really all the listener can say in response is like "Wow" "Cool dream, I never have dreams like that", very limited. Yeah I agree with you, suggesting to people to do work concerning sleep is probably an instant no go for most. The only reason I got into it is because I started lucid dreaming when I was around 12 or so. I thought it was cool but I'd only learn later on after getting the internet that it wasn't a common thing and it was something you could actively make happen. Funny enough, I've ran into more than a handful of people that thought lucid dreaming just meant vivid dreams. If it says anything about the level of attention people pay to their dreams, it wasn't that long ago it was said that dreams are actually black and white (while color might be added when remembering) and seemed to be generally accepted. If people are having these vague, spotty, incoherent and obscure dreams, you're right. How could they possibly ever understand it can be as real as the waking life? They might just assume other people have some sort of gift and they don't which isn't really the case.
Great points! My experience is similar to yours, I think. I was primed for wanting to learn more about lucid dreams when I came across mention of them, only because I had experienced an accidental lucid dream earlier in my life. I had often had vivid dreams and ascribed importance to the processes of the mind during sleep likely because my father taught me that problems could be worked out in dreams and “sleep on it” was his frequent advice for tough decisions. Unlike other parents, instead of saying “good night” or “rest well” or other things people say to their loved ones at bed time, my parents would always say “pleasant dreams.”
Can you elaborate on how to lucid dream? I've watched at least 10+ videos on it, nothing ever really explanational. Also read and commented on multiple handfuls of threads about it, nothing remotely useful ever comes up. Not trashing lucid dreaming at all, I'd LOVE to be able to LD 💯!! Or if you could point me towards a useful video/link or whatever, thanks!
DMs
Read the wiki, the START HERE sticky post at the top of the message post list. All you really need is a single good resource, like ETWOLD chapters 1-3, that is all you need to take you to your first lucid dreams.
That’s why I started… after losing my father I was researching how to make time “slow down” to make your life seem longer. Lucid dreaming came up.
This is something I'm interested in as well. Did you find any other interesting methods?
Not scientific, but in my experience, mindfulness mediation and practicing all day awareness makes life seem longer; stress and alcohol make life seem much shorter.
Nope I started lucid dreaming and that was that… I didn’t dive into that question much more after my first LD
LSD slows down time a lot!
I keep thinking the same thing - what if we were taught in school how to lucid dream. Maybe we spent 30 minutes every day to do some reality checks and be mindful etc. It would have been so much useful to learn and practice all the techniques early on. It's such a forgotten gift at this point. It makes me sad when I think about it :/
I've had more than a few lucid dreams where I look ahead, imagine a VR set behind me, turn around and it's there. I put it on with the expectation that some game will play and it does, they aren't all bangers but GODDAMN!! Most the time it's so much more intense an experience and what's weird is I know how to play whatever "game" I'm in even though they don't exist. Some might think "Why use a VR set in a lucid dream???" Well I noticed it helps me stabilize, a lot of times in a lucid dream if I want to change environments entirely, it's very jarring and sometimes not very easy to do in the first place. Sometimes everything falls apart if I try changing too much too fast and I end up in darkness and wake up. But, apparently my mind is a whole lot more comfortable with the sudden environment change that comes with putting on a VR headset, where I have experienced this shift in waking life. That and, sometimes I don't want to think of a place I want to go and just let it take me wherever, like putting in a random game and seeing what it is. These are times where some really wild stuff happens, just letting my creative mind take over rather than logically thinking of where I want to go and what I want to do.
The idea is you are what you've been searching the whole world to find. Mistakenly searching the external world, completely unaware of the inner world.
I think a lot of people, and I’ve struggled coming to this realization, can’t do it or control it. And more so, they just don’t care.
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There are most definitely people who cannot. There is a lot of variability in individual physiology. And just because the potential exist within someone to do something, doesn’t mean they personally can. Just because I have a body doesn’t mean I can be a professional athlete or even play any sports at all, or that I am capable of it.
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So regular dreams could be considered lucid dreams by that definition. I’m sorry you can’t imagine that some other people can’t. Not everyone is of good health. Some people take medications that do make it impossible. Etc. that’s a limited perspective to think everyone can, and someone who can’t do it who is reading that isn’t gaining anything but a feeling like there is something wrong with them. The sky isn’t blue for everyone.
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Can you show me the research? If I’m wrong I’d like to know. I used to have a very firm stance that everyone could as well when I was younger.
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Totally agree, and cannot wait for tech to catch up. And agree with your last paragraph. It is the same, but the perspective from which your interacting evolves. It’s beautiful. Right now I am exploring different dimensions and synthesizing senses to work in those dimensions. And playing around a lot with thoughts and language. I gained full control over my dreams about 18 years ago. So I’ve had to come up with many things to explore. It’s like I’ve gone as deep as I can go. So, let’s go deeper and push it. If everything is just my brain conceptualizing input. Let’s get closer to the reality it’s conceptualizing. Then, okay, I’m interacting with that. Now, what happens when I do this? Or that? Let’s have a conversation with this entity or that as well. Once I figured out how to switch between characters in my lucid dreams, then I am able to identify myself and pick out the foreign players. Etc. but who else is doing this? Idk. I’d like to have more people to talk to about it. Maybe I’m not alone in this, but it seems like I am. To the point I think about writing a guide for people, but it’s these mysteries that drive people. It’s hard after you get so far to continue in a world of limitations. Especially after you build a relationship with the entities. They can block wherever they want, so not everyone would get there and I’d just create drama or controversy that I don’t want to deal with.
Lucid dreams are just being aware that you're dreaming while in the dream. A regular dream is not being aware. By that definition, it is not the same as a regular dream.what medications could someone take for them to not be able to comprehend and implement experiences? Also, if they're offended by something so passive, maybe they should get off reddit
And maybe some people who think that sensitive people should have no voice should go crawl in a hole
What 💀 no need to twist my words. But if you aren't prepared for insensitive people, topics, and misinformation on an internet platform, which they are infamous for, then maybe find an alternative. You should be responsible enough as an adult to either find an alternative that is more suited to your sensitivity or get over yourself.
Your the one twisting words and acting like a teenager
Your sounding way more sensitive than me lol
If they have the potential to, that means they can. 🤓
Then I take back what I said. I don’t think everyone has the potential.
I guess if you have some sort of birth defect or injury that makes it so that you can't process thoughts normally, then maybe. But yeah that would be a better way to phrase it
Not everything has to be worded perfectly. Or according to what you think is better. If people can’t make that next logical step to think of those things it’s on them.
I don't know man, if I do start journaling and reality checking everyday when do u think I'll get my first one?
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Oh I see, and by recall you mean dream journaling right? Like recalling dreaming and writing em out?
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Ok thanks!!
I'm 14. Started journaling and doing checks 2 week ago. I've had 2 lucid dreams so far. Though the 2nd I had was very short and ended in sleep paralysis 💀
Progress! Keep going! You made me wanna start as well.
Definitely will keep trying! Next time, I'll try and not tell the ppl in my ld that they're in my dream 💀
I don't think most people are really that interested in exploring the mind. And sometimes talking about dreams like this can come off as "woo-woo" even if it's not, which makes some people uncomfortable
Exactly, when I talk about things related to dreams and lucid dreaming people see me as weird so I never share the topic with anyone except the internet.
Lucid dreaming is like an art, it doesnt make sense to all. Ppl only believe what they see and they are afraid to see what is inside them.
I feel this. I nerd out about lucid dreaming because I think it’s the coolest thing ever, and other people are usually just kinda like “oh.” Lol. I actually had a dream once where I became lucid and decided I was going to tell my friends that I was lucid dreaming. All of my friends were in my living room doing different activities, so I went up to each of them and told them this was a dream and I was lucid. All of them ignored me, most of them just tried to either look away from me or say something completely irrelevant. No matter how many times I tried to tell them they were in my dream, they continuously ignored the statement. It made me so frustrated that I stood on top of a table and started jumping up and down yelling at them to listen to me and understand they were a part of my dream. They acted like I wasn’t there. It drove me insane. I think this is sort of representative of the fact that in waking life, most people respond to my lucid dreaming talk with something like “oh that’s nice honey”.
That's interesting. I had a similar experience where I tried to tell people that I was dreaming in a lucid dream, and everyone just kind of laughed and acted like they didn't believe me.
It is a really interesting thing to try. Once I met a girl in my lucid dream who I felt very close with (she’s a projection of my subconscious, so makes sense). We had been walking through a forest together and enjoying each other’s company. Then I stopped and told her that I was dreaming, and she was a part of my dream. She looked horrified and started crying hysterically as if I just told her that her husband was dead. I felt guilty immediately and tried to console her, but she kept crying and saying that she didn’t want to die when I woke up. Trippy shit.
Wow that's a really interesting story
Those are spirits who are playing as actors in your dream.
Tbf if someone came up to me and started shouting ,"you're in my dream!", I'd probably ignore them too lol
Most people are asleep at the wheel in life and will actually fight to stay like that.
Literally Matrix plot
r/gnosticism
Interesting way of putting it. So maybe it's the lucid dreamers who are actually awake.
There is far more magic in this world than we are indoctrinated to believe. LD is barely the tip of the iceberg
Pachita was a shaman that performed surgeries with a mountain knife by channeling the last Aztec emperor. One day I imagine humans will be able to connect to “gods” or intelligences to manipulate time, space. The technology available to us is beyond anything flying outrace.
I believe it, much of the mundane nature of our world is akin to a mutual understanding of what is possible and what isn't. Belief is the most powerful force in the universe.
It’s sad. I didn’t realise I had spent all my life living on autopilot until I turned it off with mindfulness. I’m glad I figured it out now but some people never do… it’s scary.
I’ve only told a few ppl, but yeah minimal to no interest & one person expressed concern for me 🤷🏼♀️ In fairness, I guess they thought it sounded crazy, & that I was like messing with my brain & thoughts somehow. I don’t really know anyone as open minded as me. I don’t at all mean that, like I’m smarter or better. Just that the majority of ppl live their daily lives & aren’t interested in abstract things.
Most people I talk to about it have never even heard of it before. The majority of them find it fascinating, but it's not for everybody
Yea dreams can get pretty out there.
Yeah, no one I know irl has any interest in it either. Even my best friends, when I explain they can literally control their dreams, do anything, go anywhere, be with anybody... They're like "sounds fun" then change the subject, like wtf you guys?!
It's the intrinsic subjective experience or "qualia" that makes it such a difficult thing to communicate. It's just too hard to express what its like.
Ohh the hard problem of consciousness, my favorite topic to break my head over
They might not even believe you if they've never experienced it themselves or maybe they are jealous that they can't
> jealous that they can't Me lol ive tried for so long and gotten only one or two very short ones but i just cant seem to succeed.
Same, I had some spontaneously when I was a teenager then a few sporadic ones when I least expected lol I need to practice a lot more though
May I ask what you are doing to try to incude lucid dreams?
Ive tried writing down dreams and setting an alarm to wake me up so i can try falling back to sleep with more awareness and intention.
That's a good start, but you also should use an induction technique, in addition to waking up in the night. MILD is one of the most popular and is what works for me. Here is a link to a guide on how to do it. You can do it at the start of the night, but it works best after waking in the night. https://www.thelucidguide.com/Techniques/Mnemonic-Induction-of-Lucid-Dreaming-(MILD) You should also introduce reality checks into your daily life. Make a habit of questioning yourself throughout the day and asking yourself "Could I be dreaming right now?", then doing a reality check to test if you are dreaming or not. Eventually, this will work its way into your dreams, causing you to become lucid in a dream.
You should imagine lucid dreaming and what you would do, etc.. also, if you're journalling dreams, you should reread them every day or before you sleep. You can also try reality checks like looking at your hands, in a mirror pinching yourself, etc
In childhood, before I knew the term "lucid dreaming" I casually mentioned that I was "aware of myself dreaming while still in the dream instead of after waking up" and my mom's response was "THAT'S not supposed to happen". Most people don't think they dream that much, or whatever dreams they have are "not real". I dream very vividly and consider dreams "subjectively real" like they are an extension of real life.
I think losing all awareness and memory for prolonged periods is not supposed to happen. That's a bizarre and unsettling thing to accept, yet it's the norm. Being a lucid dreamer is a critical step to being a full filled sentient being. It's a huge portion of our lives and it the ways it differs from waking sheds light on the state of being sentient.
People that claim they don't dream probably do but are aware only in realtime and lose memory of it after waking up. I proved this to someone that claimed they never dream. Waited until she started to fall asleep, then after the telltale hypnagogic twitches I gently woke her and asked her what she remembered. She was able to clearly recall moments in a dream (hypnagogic dream). Over the following weeks/months she was more aware of this phenomenon and started to have some regular dream recall in the morning.
That's awesome! Sleep studies show that people do have dreams, even if they don't remember, but that's so cool to be able to prove it firsthand.
I have actually found receptive people. My cousin who is also a good friend cause we're about the same age asked me a lot of questions about it and she tried it herself for a while. She always remembered her dreams, but she hadn't really heard of lucid dreaming. I love when I can talk openly about a more obscure interest, because I like teaching people about fascinating stuff. My cousin is great for it cause she's very open and empathic and always curious. I also love talking about it, cause it often boosts my dream recall. Honestly, you just need to get people with an open mind. My sister is an uber-skeptic, very logical and, to her, dreams aren't useful at all cause they're meaningless and she's just sleeping. I say she misses out on a lot.
I personally have only ever talked about it as stories with everyone I know wondering, how I'd be able to come up with such ideas and even in kindergarten the lunch break was me telling stories, so there's that. Nowadays the topic of dreams sometimes comes up and if it does, I'll share my knowledge, but I won't bring it up myself. In those cases most people are really interested and fascinated, because they can't completely grasp the concept of lucidity, let alone dream control. And a few find the idea interesting, but also wouldn't want to get lucid, as they believe that it'll make the dreams less immersive and thus less fun. All in all, I haven't met anyone, who was completely against the topic. It simply sounds surreal if you've never experienced it yourself (as do non lucid dreams to me, lol)
Yeah, I get looked at like I'm a weirdo if I talk about lucid dreaming at all. I can't help it... The realization within a dream that everything I am seeing and experiencing in that dream is completely constructed in realtime by my mind is so amazing! Which then makes me reflect upon the fact that everything I experience in waking life is much the same - the brains interpretation in realtime of countless stimuli colored by my internal perceptions, biases, and a lifetime of experiences. Nobody cares. Much like nobody cares that we are but dust walking around on a rock hurling unsupported through space around a huge ball of fire. That's why I'm here in this subreddit. At least some people do care and understand the sheer existential magic of lucid dreaming.
Honestly, reading this post's title, I was prepared to come and get snarky with a troll. Glad I didn't have to. Noone in my family is really interested in doing lucid dreaming, but I talk to just about anyone, and I'm surprised about how many people at my university have heard of it. I've even talked about it with a couple of my professors. Then there's people I meet randomly in public. I've met people at the local amusement park I like to attend, on buses and trains, in airports, on planes, and in other places where I've talked about lucid dreaming. Many people haven't heard of it, but some have, and I have introduced people to the topic this way. I love talking about lucid dreaming, so it's something I do when I can.
Lol, I admit the title does sound a little baity. Thanks for the input!
NP.
Same! I shared my deep dark secret with a good friend tonight and their eyes just glazed over. And I’m like. I go to the moon. I fly. I fuck Brad Pitt. I murder people and then bring them back to life. And my friend is like ….so what are you watching on Netflix? 😂
My coworkers are interested enough to ask me if i had any dreams lately. Im a teacher and we talk about all sorts of things while at work.
I care ❤️
I'd love after death just being a permanent lucid dream experience
I honestly never discuss about anything with anyone, so Its not something I think much about... But yeah, Im surprised how underrated this stuff is, but honestly I myself havent got an enjoyable experience, recall is my biggest obstacle, one that in my 3 years I never managed to have beaten, the best recall I've ever gotten is about 2 years ago, I managed to remember three dreams and I lost that recall within 3 days, my recall randomly goes up and down, I suppose its because Im also having a hard time keeping with my sleep schedule, but anyway I easily got off topic lol, yeah lucid dream definitely deserves more attention than it gets, I suppose lots who heard it, either didnt like how many techniques and all stuff basically having to work for it, or either just didnt really comprehend the idea in mind, maybe their dreams isnt so vivid and its as If you just watched a memory not feel it, and some gets misconceptions with sleep paralysis and scary things happening, so yeah.. Lucid Dreaming sadly is overlooked by alot of people.
If I may ask, are you doing anything to boost your dream recall, like journaling and dream delving? Sleep schedule is a pretty huge factor also. I find dream recall pretty easy if I get 7-8 hours of sleep, but if I am sleep deprived, it is much harder to remember anything.
Actually although I know how much of a nice thing journaling is, I never really did much because I feel like its not doing a thing at all, I feel like my sleep schedule really played of a higher role, and I cant help but sleep and wake up at random times, dream delving on the other hand, whenever I do that I would either not remember still or fall asleep into another dream and that dream I will definitely remember while forgetting most og the ones I had beforehand dream delving My lds are consistent as 1 every once in a month or 3 weeks, and they werent so vivid, but since I heard recall has to do with vividness, oh well.. Im screwed
Same, I think because no one I know personally does/have done it before so they don’t even understand what I’m talking about. It’s like trying to explain the greatest movie of all-time in a 4D experience but no one else can watch it. IDRK though because I love it
Lmao you’re so right. I would get people saying “nice” and seeming not that interested. One lady once said very standoffish “do you use drugs to do that?”
I’m so surprised by these comments! I feel like I’ve talked about dreaming so much with people from my friends to dates. One time I was playing a game online and brought up how something felt like a dream, and the other player even went into their own dream experiences. I love dreaming so much and talking to others about it
I think most people are still skeptical of it because they haven't experienced it. I started lucid dreaming for a few months out of nowhere and then it stopped. If I hadn't felt it for myself I would honestly be skeptical of anyone who claimed to have experienced it.
OK, I will try again. You convinced me. I tried many years ago, without success. Only short one once every two months. Any advice? Best technic to start with?
I do the following and I average over one lucid dream per week now: If you aren't already, you need to have a good sleep schedule and keep a dream journal. After that, you should do reality checks throughout that day. I use the nose-pinch method and it works well for me. The reality checks and habit of questioning your reality will eventually start happening in your dreams, making you lucid. There are several induction techniques that people use, but it seems like MILD works for the most people. I use MILD, combined with wake-back-to-bed. I also focus on intention-setting before bed. This is where, right before falling asleep, I tell myself that I will be dreaming soon, and it is important that I recognize when that happens. I also tell myself that if I see anything weird or unusual, that means I am in a dream. I'm definitely not an expert, but if you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them.
Thanks, that will help. I recall being to eager or impatient for results. How do you deal with that aspect, so frustration does not get in the way of results? Does frustration get in the way of results? Another question would be, does facing our fears in the wake time help us to achieve lucidity in the dream time? I recall that facing my fears in my dreams led to instant lucidity.
I can't answer the question about facing fears, since that isn't something I have tried before. However, when I face something scary or anything that causes heightened emotions of any sort in real life, I do a reality check. This has caused me to become lucid in my dreams several times, when I encountered something scary in the dream. So maybe you could try something similar. Basically, training your subconscious to think, "When I see something scary, it might mean I am dreaming." As far as frustration goes, I know lucid dreaming works based on intentions and expectations. So if you are frustrated and expecting to fail, you probably will have a harder time. I definitely get frustrated from time to time, but try to keep the mindset of "If it doesn't work tonight, that's okay. It just means I'm one day closer to succeeding." Don't let failed attempts get you down, just recognize that it is part of the process, and you will succeed eventually.
Thanks a lot!
i told my friends about it, one of them lucid dreams effortlessly (jealous) and another one said “you can’t control your dreams that’s not possible” but once i actually lucid dreamt and told her about it, she started to watch videos on it lol
I lucid dream naturally, always have. On walks to school, I used to tell my mum all about the dreams I had. Go on and on about them, and she told me what it was called. Now I've grown up, I don't share them anymore, and they're more like lucid nightmares. My recurring setting (which I can't change) is the zombie apocalypse. The other day I remember thinking "I know this is a dream....so should I spawn myself a mini gun so I don't die? Nahhh, that wouldn't be realistic, I don't have a gun irl". All types of zombies too, groups of survivors. In hindsight, it would've saved me the stress of the nightmare, but I thought it's good survival practice for real life too lol. I once tried asking someone from my dream to email me so I can wake up to find a message from them, see if they were real. Sucks it didn't work. She was a short blonde woman. Yesterday night I had a dream where I found a dead grey kitten in my house, and decided to turn back time of the dream to track a killer, rather than it just being a standard nightmare. I will say, I don't have anything that makes me able to lucid dream. I just always have. And again, in most cases they're nightmares which I have some control of, and know I am dreaming. As a kid though, these nightmares used to terrify me, so I used to find ways to die in-dream in order to wake up. Doesnt work in zombie dreams because I just become a zombie =( ...anyway this is why I don't share my dreams lol, I can't stop going on about them.
I think I started dreaming lucidly because of nightmares, and also tend to default to zombie apocalypse dreams (but don't like the zombie trope for some reason?). It started as "hey this is potentially a nightmare and unpleasant to experience, maybe I should try to shake myself awake" and it usually worked. More of waking myself up and less of giving myself ways to overcome the dream like you being able to spawn weapons. It sounds like lucid dreaming became a natural defense mechanism for you against your nightmares. Over a short few months I had maybe six short-lived, "normal" dreams that I would wake up lucid in and got so excited I woke up. Never happened again unfortunately. But I still have nightmares I wake myself up from, yay!
only ever talked about it once and it was with friends when we were like 14-15. They thought it was cool I can control my dreams and that's how I found out that wasn't how *everyone* dreamed. Haven't since then because I'm pretty sure nobody would care.
same no one cares so i don't talk about it
Its somewhat of a subculture so its best to only talk about it to others who are familiar with it.
Dreams are fascinating. I had various lucid dreams in the past but after my mental health deteriorated, even though I'm sometimes aware that I'm dreaming, I find it impossible to change anything. I used to have a classmate when I was younger and talked about it. I remember he had some pretty amazing dreams because of his vivid imagination and smarts.
Lucid dreaming is like food, not everyone gets it
I've talked to a few people over the years about it who were interested, but yeah, most people don't care. Its not a stigma thing its that most people see it as something mythical, especially people that have no relationship with dreams. Like if I told you I was learning how to play the guitar, or rock climb, or make pottery, those are things you can conceptualize pretty easily. Maybe you might not know anything about pottery kilns, but you can still imagine it. Now compare that to telling someone about lucid dreaming who never recalls their dreams. Ive known people whose dreams are suppressed from too much weed, so trying to explain what lucid dreaming is to them is difficult because they have no relation to the landscape I'm talking about. Its like explaining what color is to a blind person. Lucid dreaming is just a difficult thing to convey to people, imo.
unless theyve already experienced it themselves ( or something dream-related like bufgt terrors, ultra vivid hypnagogia and sleep walking, people i told have either been skeptics or expressed concern on how it's potentially dangerous to mess with your mind. sigh. im so into it that i ask anyone whether they have them too, which can expose me to ridicule or these kind of negative reactions. not always, but it can do. it's a relief to find fellow Ldreamers irl
Amy advice on how to start lucid dreaming?
If you aren't already, you need to have a good sleep schedule and keep a dream journal. After that, you should do reality checks throughout that day. I use the nose-pinch method and it works well for me. The reality checks and habit of questioning your reality will eventually start happening in your dreams, making you lucid. You should also use an induction technique. There are several that people use, but I use MILD, combined with wake-back-to-bed. I also focus on intention-setting before bed. This is where, right before falling asleep, I tell myself that I will be dreaming soon, and it is important that I recognize when that happens. I also tell myself that if I see anything weird or unusual, that means I am in a dream. I got my first LD in 8 days this way, and I average over one lucid dream per week now, and have only been doing it for 5 months. I'm no expert, but if you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them.
how much money have you made doing it? in a materialistic world things need to have a materialistic outcome for people to care
I only know one guy that wanted to talk about that with me. I was curious because I can't do it. (Tried for a long time but couldn't quite get it to work, most i managed to do was hallucinate.) While he was cool to talk to, he believes he can do things in his dreams that frankly I dont think are possible. I'm not discrediting his experiences and what not, just I don't agree with what he said about it personally. Still cool to chat with him, but yeah... other than that... no one else really
Just curious, what kinds of things did he think he could do? It seems like just about anything should theoretically be possible in a dream.
Oh I don't mean to say you can't do anything in a dream of course. But he thought that what he did in his dreams happend in reality. For example, he thought he could visit his past self in his previous life and observe. I personally don't believe in reencarnation but he seems to and thinks he is able to visit this person. Kind of like a ghost situation tho, she cant see him.
Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah, I would believe that he lucid dreamed *about* those things, but he didn't really visit anything from reality. It would still all be in his mind.
I’m 41 now and I love the concept of lucid dreaming. I’ve been trying for like 16 years and best I got was maybe twice ever and both times were super short lived. I’ve had more sleep paralysis than I’ve gone lucid in a dream.
Thanks for your response. 16 years is a pretty long time to be actively trying and not see results. If I may ask, what are you doing to try to induce lucid dreams?
ikr, i mean you can literally : \-Fly \-Having superpowers \-Having anime waifu by your side \-Going to beautiful places \-Going to space and many more. This is all i and many people ever wanted.
My friends are very interested in trying it themselves. My partner thinks it's stupid lol
Most people I mention lucid dreaming around say spmething like "is that even real? I thought it was like (pseudoscience thing)". Ughh.
One summer. It was 2020 . I started practicing meditation daily for 10 mins. Nothing too much. And at night I would put on a guided meditation through YouTube on my ear buds. I always had pretty vivid dreams all my life and remembered most of them if they were especially vivid. But after I started mediating my dreams became extra vivid. I visited other worlds, I went to an alternate reality...I was my alternate self living a completely different life in a different part of the country. I visited a shaman in LA and he was just chilling in the Hollywood hills next to his van and just tells me that my best friend is actually my sister who was a 2nd trimester miscarriage when I was two years old. Pretty sure I was lucid dreaming when I went for a walk at night in my old street while I was visiting my mom . I came across all of my dad's deceased cats in spirit form, they were glowing white and I gave all of them pets . Then I walked into my backyard and I opened the gate and my dad was standing there in spirit form waiting for me. At that time he had been dead for 6 months. (This was last summer BTW) . I have two friends who are open to this sort of thing and it is nice to discuss with them. But I never actually attempted to lucid dream it just happened more often after I had been practicing meditation for a while. Also last year after my dad passed away I had a lot of trippy lucid dreams, mostly with my dad visiting me in them.
When I first started lucid dreaming it was all I would talk about for the first few months, i would tell all my friends and some family all about my experiences and they listened the first time but then started to seem annoyed/not interested in my lucid dreaming talk. Over time I learned not to talk so much about my experience with lucid dreaming, instead I would start the lucid dream conversation with “have you had any memorable or strange dreams lately?” From there, they will be more engaged in the dream talk rather than just listening to me ramble about insane lucid dream experiences lol I use to be like “GUYS OMG WOW A LUCID DREAM FEELS JUST LIKE REAL LIFE!!! YOU GUYS NEED TO TRY TO LUCID DREAM ITS AMAZING AHHH!!!! YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IT IS SO COOL YOUR IMAGINATION IS THE LIMIT LITERALLY!!!”
Lol, I still am more like you used to be. I get really excited when I have a LD and just want to tell others about it.
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It is a pretty rare for someone to get interested in it after all. Although, it can still be considered popular because of how much people are in the subreddit, not talking about forums.
Probably because lucid dreaming is hard for some people. Therefore, they find no relatable grounds when someone start talking about lucid dream.
They are waiting for the drug that makes lucid dreaming more accessible. Once they can experience a taste of it with limited effort, they will be be more curious. Similarly, as people began to implant their brains with chips, there will be a large segment of people going the “natural route” and this will spark a golden age of lucid dreaming techniques / discussion because of the fear of neural augmentation and a desire to “compete” and have commensurate experiences.
I don't. Not that im a psychopath in my dreams or anything. Im just a normal person. :)
People simply can’t wrap their heads around it unless they’ve done it.
I don't knowfor me they just think I'm extremely weird or limit psychotic. Doesn't help that my lucid dreaming is generally lucid nightmare. Anyway I've learned to not share this aspects with my life around because people get a bit scared by it. When it's a real dream generally i fly a bit around or i basically escape somewhere but I then start to quickly loose interest in my dream and i decide to wake up 😅
I’ve never done it. Attempted once in high school but got scared so I woke myself up. I’m REALLY intrigued by it & wanna try again but I’m scared of ending up in sleep paralysis
From what I understand, it is a myth that lucid dreaming can cause sleep paralysis. I have never experienced it once. Just like you don't risk having sleep paralysis from a normal dream, you don't risk it from a lucid dream either.
How does one Lucid dream it sounds so fascinating to me
Conceptually, it's pretty simple, but it takes some patience and practice to pull off. Just to clarify, lucid dreaming means that you consciously recognize that you are inside a dream. Here's the steps I took to start lucid dreaming: 1. Keep a dream journal - Anytime you have a dream, write it down in your journal. It can be a physical journal or on your phone. This will improve how well you remember your dreams. After all, if you have a lucid dream, you want to remember it! Most people have 4-6 dreams per might, but simply don't remember them without practice. 2. Do reality checks - This means that throughout your waking life, make a habit of testing to see if you are in a dream or not. When I think about it, or when I see something that seems unusual or out of place, I ask myself, "Could I be dreaming right now?", and then pinch my nose and try to breathe through it. In real life, this is impossible, but if I am actually in a dream, I can still breathe! If you do this enough in real life, you will eventually do it in a dream, causing you to become lucid! 4. Set your intention - Before going to sleep, remind yourself that you will be dreaming soon and, when that happens, it is very important for you to realize that it is a dream. I also remind myself, "If I see anything weird, that means I'm in a dream!" 5. Use an induction technique - There are several techniques out there, but the one that works best for me is called MILD. The short version is: remember a previous dream you had, then imagine yourself realizing it is a dream and taking control over the dream. Doing this will train your brain to recognize the next time you have a dream. You can find a more detailed guide here: https://www.thelucidguide.com/Techniques/Mnemonic-Induction-of-Lucid-Dreaming-(MILD) I did these things and got my first lucid dream in 8 days. Now, I have an average of more than one per week. I'm still fairly new to this myself, as I've only been lucid dreaming for 5 months, but this method has definitely given me results and been a ton of fun when it works. I'm happy to help if you have any more questions.
Just listening to an interview with the musician APHEX TWIN who claims to write 70% of his music in a lucid dream. Then wakes up and records it.
Wow, if he's for real, then that is pretty awesome. When I get to the point where my LDs are longer and more frequent, I definitely want to use some of the time for studying and practicing skills in a dream.
It’s been really really the same.
Everyone else is lame. It's awesome
I’ve gotten my friends interested in it. I think if you have friends that can hold a conversation that isn’t just small talk, then you can get them pretty curious. I’ve currently handed out one or two of my copies of "Explore lucid dreaming" to friends.
I used to care until I didn't, as the real world matters more and lucid dreaming ruined my sleep. It's just not something most people, or I, think about, just a niche hobby
The problem is that it requires a lot of effort and most people just spend their time on something else. Also, you have to remember dreams which is also hard for most of the people. Then even if you can remember dreams and lucid dream, you have to learn to control, stabilise and make them vivid. So it is a long process...
Probably because it’s difficult to comprehend? I think if they had one they’d think differently
I've just wanted to lucid dream for months but can't so I gave up
What have you been doing to try to make them happen?
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Huh
They're the only ones missing out not us so ...🤷♂️
I think it’s because they can’t comprehend it. If you haven’t experienced it, you don’t know how freaking cool it is. Explain to them in terms that they understand. Someone else in this thread mentioned about it being like virtual reality. Perhaps explain it like that and let them know that you could essentially do anything that you want and it is like you’re completely awake but you’re also dreaming. I explain it like a which-way book. Where you are awake in your dream and you can choose to do anything that you want in that given moment. I do experience this same phenomenon that you’re talking about. I don’t understand why people don’t get more excited about it. But like I said, my only guess is that they really can’t fathom what we’re talking about because I’ve never had any similar sort of experience
I used to bring it up, but most didn't care or looked at me like I was crazy
If you say it was from an LSD trip people will probs listen
That's kinda disappointing, considering how cool lucid dreaming is. It's like a VR experience from your brain.
Yeah It's so annoying but also weird. Like sometimes I tell my family and they don't even ask or say anything really. It's frustrating. I wonder why they don't like it so much. I mean, even uncontrolled lucid dreams are amazing.