Twice this week I became lucid while dreaming. Both times I had been looking at the ground in front of my while walking. The first time I realized I was dreaming (while still in my dream) I could feel myself sleeping in my bed. Knowing I was about to wake up I held off for a minute but then I woke up. The second time I knew I was dreaming and I started to be able to feel my physical body, I feel to the ground (in the dream) and almost woke up but somehow stopped it (then I decided I would fly around for a bit :D ). Has this ever happened to anyone else? Is there a way I can get better at it, or is it one of those "practice, practice, practice" things?
While practice does make it much easier to stay asleep, in your second dream you stumbled across how to stay in your dream without waking up when you fell to the ground. It's the same idea as spinning in place once you become aware. The sense of motion fools your mind and keeps you asleep. I'm sure someone can go into more detail how this works, but all I care about is that it works.
When I realize I'm dreaming and am also aware of my physical body in bed, I look at my hands and talk aloud. That usually anchors me in the dreaming world.
Your REM cycles are the most powerful before waking up, usually there is a better chance of you becoming more lucid at the end of sleep. You can hold off for a bit, but you eventually have to wake up. The best thing to do would be to learn how to become lucid earlier on in sleep, then you should be able to last longer.
I've learned that the most important thing is to keep your anxiety under cuntrol. The first times I becamse 'lucid' in a dream I was very very exited and that very exitement can apparantly kick you out of the dream.
So basically you have to realize that you are dreaming in a calm way, not thinking: "YES!!!!! YE-HESSS OH YESS!!!!! I AM DREAMING!!!! WOOOOHOOO!!!".
Instead, try to be kind of cool about it like: "Ah...it's a dream...nice, nice...let's explore a bit....".
That worked for me, although I'm not an expert.
Very true RD. I have bad anxiety myself which I am slowly overcoming. It has been a large obstacle in my spiritual development as it would sometimes completly stop me from whatever I'm doing, especially when staying focused in altered states of consciousness.
The first time I ever realized I was dreaming I used cheat codes. It kicked butt, there's no flying codes in Doom II though...
The second time I had a Doom dream I found naked girls, which is strange because there aren't any in the game... they were chained to the walls... I don't think I was lucid then though.
Quote from: TyciolThe first time I ever realized I was dreaming I used cheat codes. It kicked [edit], there's no flying codes in Doom II though...
The second time I had a Doom dream I found naked girls, which is strange because there aren't any in the game... they were chained to the walls... I don't think I was lucid then though.
Hahaha! You have had a dream about Doom?
I have to admit that I have played lot's of ID software games like Doom and the Quake series.
After a couple of playing hours I'd lay down in my bed and when I'd close my eyes, I could see that Quake/Doom type atmosphere but didn't have much control over it. I, however, never dreamt about it and remembered it.