my quest for a lucid dream

[faceshed]

I'm trying to lucid dream at will and I'm also after astral projection.
this is something that means everything to me I'm willing to do anything I can think of to have regular lucid dreams but I will attempt to exhaust the least crazy options first.

So far I have had about 10 lucid dreams a few of witch I found I had power over when I said "it would be funny if" I haven't tested this to much but thats the only way I have had luck changing anything in my dreams.

Right now I'm trying the 'go to sleep with your eyes open' trick mentioned here http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...ucid-dreaming/ and not getting anywhere, I have however been having good luck with my dream recall, I have been remembering no less then one dream a night from the past 2 or 3 weeks not in great detail at times but enough to say that if I had a lucid dream I think I would remember it.
In addition to trying to sleep with my eyes open I'm also going try celibacy in hopes that all my dreams will reflect my desire and I would recognize them as dreams.

So if any of you are still reading and you know anything about the subject I have a question in regards to remembering dreams, just a few minutes ago I was playing a game and watching TV at the same time something I do often when the show was over I realized I had no idea what I just watched, like a dream I knew I was there for most of it but I can't think of what it was.
The question is would remembering TV shows when playing games help me practice or would it build a bad habit of losing focus?

any advice or bed time reading material you can offer I would love even if you have no experience in the subject I would greatly appreciate anything.

[Jae]

Hello faceshed,

Dream journals are fantastic things, I'd recommend you keep one if trying to improve with dream recall and lucid dreaming. There are a number of different ways to learn how to lucid dream. Reality testing can work. Basically make a habit during the day to stop and check your suroundings. Check if what is happening sounds possible. One thing I've found useful is in dreams, clocks have this odd tendancey not to stay at the same time, objects move around and of course if you see someone flying past chances are pretty good you're not awake If you get into the habit of doing this, you may find you start noticeing odd and inconsistant things in a dream setting that tip you off to the fact you're asleep. So for example check your watch then look at it again.

Another I've had a bit of sucess with is what's probably a form of dream incubation, in that when you wake from a dream you can go back to sleep with the intention of continuing the dream and remembering that you have decided to do this. You can use that intent without the going back to the dream (as more of a "I will lucid dream" before going back to sleep kind of thing), I haven't had quite as much sucess with that one but it can work.

There's a number of different techniques around, sorry don't have much time today but from memory there was some helpful pointers on this site Lucid Dream Induction Techniques.

Good luck
~Jae

[faceshed]

thanks a ton for to reply and infact I tryed the going back to sleep after a dream just a few hours ago before I got here to read this.
and I know a lot of reality tests but I have trubble getting a lot of them to work, like pinching yourself I remember trying that one or two times and thinking that it hurt even though it really didn't. The only reality test I have much luck with is trying to fly and I don't like haveing to jump around a lot thoughout my day - it looks a little funny.

[Jae]

Originally Posted by faceshed

The only reality test I have much luck with is trying to fly and I don't like haveing to jump around a lot thoughout my day - it looks a little funny.

*grins* yeah I can imagine that, whatever works though I guess . Maybe try some of the other techs that are around as well, might find one that works particularly well for you.

[Blueskied]

The only method that worked for me so far is Wake Back to Bed.
You get up after 5h sleep, stay awake some time, then back to bed.
Detailed infos:
Wake Back to Bed (WBTB) - Dreamviews forums

[wolfgang]

The things I have tried are asking yourself during normal waking hours, "Am I dreaming?". If you do that enough that question will arise while dreaming and help you become a lucid dreamer.

Reality testing when in a dream I've heard of would be testing light switches. They might not work in the dream world or work differently. This could also be something that you do while in normal waking state - remind yourself when you use a light switch that you are testing reality and weather or not you are in a dream.

[faceshed]

all light switchs work in my dreams in fact a lot of things work normaly in my dreams I don't really know why.
but I had 2 importand dreams in the past 2 nights I will share with you guys.

the night before last I was playing a game on the computer in my moms room and my older brother came in and I forget exactly why (I think he was bugging me and I told him to go away) but we had a knife fight (it would be really odd for me and my brother to fight though, we have only fought about 3 times in all our lives) he cut me some and I cut him some (just enough to get him to leave me alone) and walked away from the fight but as I left to my room he came in after me and cut me again and I ended the fight with a stab to his throat and as I pulled my knife out blood came out of my mouth and as he walked out of my room (with a sort of 'I've been beaten but whatever' atatude) I could feel a bit of my throat in my mouth.
I think that dream as something to do with me pressing myself really hard because I have been doing that to get lucid dreams.

anyhow last night I got up and went back to bed 2 or 3 times and the dreams got closer to being lucid each time, I even tested myself for dreaming 2 times but I didn't do the tests right and it didn't get to me that I was dreaming.
this is a problem I have had befor that I assumed the dream tests would tell me I'm awake and I also didn't pick a steady test so I ended up testing myself in a way that I know wouldn't work.
but this is some real progress for me and if the same thing happens tomorrow I think I will be real for it and really get a lucid dream.

[Adrianus]

hi, a good way to know if you're having a lucid dream is to make it a habit thinking " stop " once in a while. I tried it and when i'm dreaming, everything around me just freezes. I had my first lucid dream with this, it also gives u some time to calm yourself when everything around u stops, cause too much movement could make you nervous and wake you up.

[faceshed]

thank you all for your insight and feedback but it is now Painfully clear to me that I must do this quest alone.

Good luck on your personal quests.