How do you lucid dream?

[Quo Animo]

Any tips or techniques? Please help.

[knightlight]

for me it just kind of happens.

[The Present Moment]

http://www.dreamviews.com/
http://www.lucidcrossroads.co.uk/

[Quo Animo]

I'm gonna try something called NST. Named Subconscious technique.

[Syke]

The technique that works best for me is Reality Checking.

I draw a symbol on the back of my hand, then every time it catches my attention it reminds me why it's there and I check to make sure everything around me is real.
Doing this then trains my mind to continuously check reality and therefore making me do it while dreaming.

To check reality i usually look and really concentrate on an object and attempt to move or change it with my mind. If it stays solid then I'm awake, but if it changes slightly I then go on to check other things.

I also look at my hands, mine never melt like others say theirs do, but instead they look really deformed. They look as if they have been burnt and started to rot. Most of the time it's really disturbing so I only look for a short amount of time.

If you have done all this and still aren't quite sure (usually a sign that you are dreaming, but still, during a dream you don't always think straight) try jumping as high as you can and staying up there. If you start to fly or float then there you go. You either defied the laws of gravity or are (most likely) dreaming.

-Syke

[Arie]

Give this a try.  I'm sure you've heard of the teaching that most of us don't have ld's because we have the habit of always assuming we're awake... which of course is true when we are.... but then we take that assumption or habit into the dreaming realm where it's false.

Instead of always trying to 'check your reality' so it will spill over into dreams... why not just focus intently that you are awake.  If you observe people through out the day... we are almost never highly conscious that we awake as opposed to unconsciousness or sleep.  We get caught up in movies, books, conversations, food... etc.  

I suppose this is similar to reality checks... but not really questioning your reality... just focusing on your awake state.  Perhaps this is what it boils down to... awareness... most people don't have ld's because most people aren't even highly aware when they are awake.  I'm a guilty party too.  lol  I just feel I always have to rush or 'get things done' when I'm awake.

Then again... maybe beliefs also play a part.  I only had my first highly conscious LD after I read up on them and opened my mind to the possibility of having one.  Who knows.  Have fun.

[Arie]

I think another reason alot of people don't have ld's is because of natural defense mechanisms.  It's almost like our deeper mind won't let us have them if we aren't ready for them.  Highly conscious LD's can be VERY intense and exhilarating... it does change you.  Other idea's?

[€]

I was wondering the same thing "how do you get lucid dreams?", but that was a couple months ago, now I have at least one a week.

I'm not sure why they started, but one thing I did was start monitoring how much caffeine I have during the day.

I never have caffeine less than 6 hours before bed, and avoid it as much as possible at all other times.  I drink maybe one can of caffinated pop every week now, and I never drink coffee or tea.  I used to drink a lot of caffeine all the time, and since I stopped, I've been naturally becoming lucid in my dreams.

I think it really makes a difference.  I tried for a long time to have lucid dreams back when I used to drink caffeine, and never had success, so I gave up.  Since I gave up caffeine, I have had so many LDs and I never even try.

[Arie]

That's really interesting.  Maybe I'll cut down on my caffeine intake.  

[-lines-]

For me, I have to concentrate intensely on the dream once I'm lucid. My body finds out that I'm aware that I'm dreaming and starts to wake me up, then I have to ignore my body waking up for as long as I can to stay in the dream, but once it tries to wake up, the dream ends quickly.

[€]

I know this is a little confusing, but it's a way I've had a lot of lucid dreams.

I have dreams where I dream that I'm trying to lucid dream and I succeed.  I know I'm in a dream (but I don't know that I'm in two dreams), but both the dream within a dream that is about lucid dreaming and the regular dream become one lucid dream.  

...now I'm doing math

One ordinary dream + one ordinary dream = one lucid dream!

Just remember that formula and you'll have a lucid dream.