Beginner here, with some first-timer questions

i had a quick look around for anything like this in the forum but found nothing, so if i’m repeating something, please inform me :smile:

okay here we go…
my first problem is that when im dreaming, i actually do a “reality check” to get me OUT of the dream. ive done this since i was a child. if im having a bad dream, someone is chasing after me etc… i spin quickly or shake my head and that wakes me up, same thing with rubbing my hands.
so how do i do a reality check, if the reality check just wakes me?
also, before learning the how-to’s in lucid dreaming, i would sometimes realize “wow, im dreaming arent i?” and the moment i realize it, ive lost the dream completely, and am just lying there in bed with my eyes closed hoping for something to come back, which it doesn’t.
i just dont know where to draw the line, i mean if i know its a dream, my body wakes me up. so i generally just go with the flow in my dreams all the time so to not lose them completely.
and im not sure about this “after 5 minutes you’ve lost 50% of your dream” thing… because i remember all my dreams the FOLLOWING night, when i lie back down in bed. thats when i can take out my pen and paper and get writing! (not always, but generally thats what happens if i think i have not had a dream).

i think im just way off on becoming lucid, im not trying to force myself into it or anything, so i know im not trying too hard.

anyone got some tips for me?

can you tell more about what you do to check your reality that wakes you up?

that’s great you can remember your dreams the following night :happy: Does it mean you can’t remember them when waking up, or do you still remember them then too? it’s almost like your mind tunes into your dreams or something when you go to sleep, if i read that.

i dont know what more i can say about the reality checks waking me up, they just do… i was actually surprised to see those motions being suggested to use so that you keep the dream going, while knowing you’re dreaming…
i guess i can say that when i am afraid in a dream, i have a hard time gaining control because im overcome with fear, and i shake my head back and fourth, or spin around and it wakes me up!
does that explain it better?

as for remembering my dreams, that is something ive always been able to do easily. if i dont remember them right away while waking up, it will come to me later that day, most likely when im going back to bed.

alot of the time, a dream will stick in my head all day, and i wont be able to get it off my mind!

ok, how about this, if you are afraid and realize it’s a dream, do not shake your head or spin, but stand still and turn around, (if something is chasing you) or just hold your ground, maybe pinch your thumb fingernail into your index finger (that helps for me to “stay there”).

i’m still not sure if i understand what is happening, do you already realize you are dreaming when you shake your head or is it to make you realize you are dreaming?

and have you ever become lucid in non scary situations?

lucky you can recall your dreams so well :smile:

From what I have understood from what you have written, you are shaking your head and stuff to, on purpose get excited and wake up.

I can’t see how regular reality checks can have the same effect.

i will try the thumb fingernail thing the next time, maybe it is enough to re assure myself its a dream and i can stay and take control. i may not have another scary dream like this for weeks though, but i will try to remember this!

yes, i realize in the dream that it IS in fact a dream… but since im afraid, i still have a hard time gaining control because of the fear… so like movieme said, i shake around and spin myself as a way to get excited and wake myself.

i thought thats what i read was a reality check to keep yourself in the dream etc… so i thought “how will this work for me”… you know?

i guess there must be some different way of doing it?

ive rubbed my hands together in dreams for the same effect also. and i wake up and am rubbing my hands together for real… lol

is it possible that im just a light sleeper?

first of all welcome to the forum RxQueen! :smile:

some people do find that rubbing their hands or spinning will wake them up, which is why they employ other techniques of prolonging dreams instead such as focusing on an object or using voice commands. This is not reality checking though, it is a prolonging technique. A reality check is when you do something to confirm that it is a dream, shaking your head will not confirm that for you.

Do a search for Watch RC or DILD technique to find out what a reality check really is. The other thing i would like to point out is that when you are doing this to wake yourself up, you are doing it with the intent of waking up. I can quite easily force myself awake just by closing my eyes and intending for it to happen.

I also think that your emotions are whats causing you to wake up. When you are scared, you get so scared that it forces you to wake up. When someone is having a really bad nightmare, they will wake up from it because they get too scared. I think this may also apply with when you first become lucid and realise its a dream, you may be getting to excited or shocked.

"Spinning
If you feel the dream fading use this technique. Twirl around your own axis (you won’t get dizzy) and repeat to yourself:“When I stand still I’m still dreaming.” or “When I stop I’m [insert place you want to end up]”

okay, i think this is what i got confused with “reality check” i now understand what a reality check really is… it really does make better sense!

but i found the “spinning” thing in the section of how to stay in the dream…which is still opposite for me, but not a huge deal, i will give a go with the voice commands ( and hopefully i dont wake up my bf by talking in my sleep!) or focusing on an object.
i still would like to find an easy way to keep the dream going with my control…isnt that what we all want?
sexy dreams for all!

lol

thank you for the welcoming wishes Eonn :smile:

you should try to get a lucid dream at all and to somehow stay in it for 1 minute or so.
keeping your dream lucid is your excerise, if you’re already an advanced one, so i don’t think you should think about that too much. just make “real” reality checks and stop shacking your head in your dreams :3, i doubt that will keep you asleep :razz:

Spinning around wakes me up too. Just try to focus on the dream as hard as you can and don’t think about the fact that you are actually lying in bed. Also don’t ever think that you’ll lose the dream (cuz you will if you do that). And when you become lucid stay calm. When I first started I just did everything at once and forgot to prolong the dream. Just remember it’s your world and you control it. :astral: