Problem with lucid dreaming...

[Bynx]

Ok, this is my problem. I'm not really sure if I know I'm dreaming or not when I'm dreaming. I can usually do whatever I want, like if I feel like it, I can jump up and fly or whatever. But my dreams are ALWAYS strange, like every single place in my dreams is a mixed-up representation of the real one. Like there will be a place that is "my room" but it will be completely different from my real room.
But my problem is this -- I don't FEEL like it's different. In my dreams, I have different memories and a different life. Everyone says to try to notice the little differences in your dreams to help you know you're dreaming, but how do you notice the HUGE differences when they feel like they're supposed to be that way because they've always been that way?
Hopefully I didn't just confuse everybody... I don't know if anyone will be able to understand my problem, but if you can, please help. Thanks.  

By the way, I remember my dreams almost perfectly every morning, so I have no problem with that. And that "reality check" thing doesn't work very good either. I'll do it in my dream, but I'll just think "Oh, I'm floating. That's completely normal, I've always been able to do that."
PLEASE help!

[Teh]

thats completely normal as far as i know. i have loads of lucid dreams where im standing in front of some bizzare scene that would never happen in real life, and thinking its perfectly normal.

for instance a few nights ago i was standing on a pier at the southernmost part of britain and could see germany across the water somehow... i thought hmm theres no way i can see germany from there, and became lucid. then i saw 2 cargo ships collide head on in the water, do some crazy acrobatics and sink almost instantly. all the time i wasnt aware it was the slightest bit unusual.

[Bynx]

Hmm... So how do I actually realize I'm dreaming? I've only been able to know I'm dreaming a few times, and it's always random. How do you get yourself to think "Hey wait a minute... I think I'm dreaming?"

[Syke]

Well first off... dreams are weird.. that's the way they're meant to be. If everyone realised they were dreaming when something out of the ordinary happened then everyone would lucid dream all the time.

It's getting your mind to KNOW it's not right.

When you reality check during the day dont just go "Hmm i cant levitate that car, so im not dreaming.. oh well"... Really try to do something.. Push your mind to except that without a doubt you have to be awake.

If you are to check reality by looking at your hand, don't just glance at it.. Really stare at it.. Concentrate for a good 20 seconds on it, turning it, looking at how it moves and its shape.
Just because it doesn't melt away at first glance doesn't mean you shouldn't continue.

It generally takes me about two weeks from when i start doing reality checks to my first lucid dream. But everyone is different and sometimes i get one on the first night.
So be patient and really try.

Good Luck
-Syke

[Bynx]

Thanks. Yeah, maybe I'm not just trying hard enough. I'll try to concentrate more.

[Draege]

Ya there's two paths to take here. The first is getting into the reality checks seriously hardcore.. The second path is to try and have lucid dreams without reality checks. And by that I mean after you already wake up in the morning to try and fall back into a dream consciously. You have to immediately try to do it upon waking. Ideally before you toss/turn or move any body parts and before you get too awake. Just relax your body and mind relax and feel yourself falling. You'll likely get vibrations, possibly sleep paralysis, and all you have to do is roll off your bed.

[Bynx]

I'll try going back into a dream tomorrow morning and see if it works. One thing I was wondering, what if you aren't doing what you think you're doing, and you actually roll out of bed? How exactly do you know when to do it?

[Draege]

You just kind of know.. when you're truly awake you know it without a doubt whereas when you're dreaming sometimes you don't know. I can at least say I've never heard of anyone being unable to tell and ACTUALLY rolling out of the bed accidentally.

[Bynx]

Ok. ^_^ I was worried about that. I actually slept on the floor last night because I wanted to try, but I was scared of actually falling off my bed (my bed's pretty high up, and I have a big metal lamp next to my bed... it would hurt if I really fell...) but I couldn't find out if that would even work, because I found out that I have another question. How do you turn your alarm clock off? Or do you have one that doesn't stay on? I use my phone as an alarm to wake me up in the morning, and if I don't turn it off, it keeps going off.
Well, I guess I don't have to sleep on my floor again... Thank you SO much for helping me, by the way. There's probably so many stupid people on here that ask stupid questions. I'm sorry if my questions sound stupid, I DID spend hours reading everything I could find on here, trying to answer some of my questions without asking people who have heard those questions way too much.
I'm not one of those people who just think this sounds like a cool idea and wants to try it for a couple days and then give up and never think about it again. If I want something, I'll do anything. I've never really given up on anything before, and this is something I REALLY want to do. I guess I'm just telling you this because I wanted to let you know that I appreciate your help, and your help isn't going to be wasted.