So I’ve been doing pretty well memorizing my dreams, and writing them down. But I am a little reluctant to try and MILD techniques because of sleep paralysis. But I have been reminding myself throughout the day to remember lucid dreaming, that I’m going to do that tonight. I‘ve also told myself to do reality checks throughout the day. But I still notice when I have a dream, I’m not really aware that I’m dreaming and can’t control it. Is that my mind being weak? Also, it’s not that clear of a dream. I started trying to lucid dream 2-3 days ago. I’d appreciate some tips on this!!
Hello there, and welcome to the forum! 😊
First of all, well done for making such good progress in 2-3 days. Second of all: No, this is absolutely in no way, shape, or form your mind being weak! Lucid dreaming is difficult -- it's a hard skill to master, and takes time, patience, and effort to develop. Like Daniel Love so often says, it's comparable to learning to play an instrument, or learning a new language when it comes to timeframe and effort needed.
You're very new to this, so at the moment, I think I'd advise you to focus mainly on dream recall. Once you have roughly at least one dream a night recalled, you're better prepared to get to the lucidity aspect. I think that, with practice and a little while of focus on dream recall, you will probably find that you remember your dreams more clearly in general.
Regarding MILD, I'd strongly advise you to watch Daniel's most recent video if you haven't already:
"MILD Technique - The ORIGINAL & Correct version (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams) Lucid Dreaming" -- https://youtu.be/r-0ImWP2FCQ
Regarding sleep paralysis, my tip would be to remember that it's a completely natural phenomenon, and not harmful at all. I'm no expert on this topic, so I can't explain it as well as Daniel would, but essentially, sleep paralysis is just a "mistiming" of the paralysis of our limbs during sleep. Sleep paralysis is a safety gurard, so to speak: our limbs are paralysed during REM sleep, because if they weren't, we would start acting out our dreams with our physical, sleeping bodies, and risk hurting ourselves! So sleep paralysis while awake is nothing to fear -- again, it's just that our brains sometimes get the timing for this phenomenon slightly wrong. If you do end up experiencing sleep paralysis at any point, try to remind yourself that what you're currently experiencing is natural, and completely harmless, even if it can feel uncomfortable. This approach helped me immensely 😊
Good luck! 😊
Thank you so much for replying!! Lots of helpful information. I’m super excited for lucid dreaming. Once you get lucid, do you start instantly being able to control your dreams or does that come with time after you become lucid? Also, does a lucid dream feel really real? And is it really clear even when you wake up? Or does that also come with practice to get clearer? I’m sorry for all the questions, I’m just super excited about dreaming, and how real it can feel, it’s so fascinating! It feels like your living another life lol
@BeginnerDreamer No problem! 😊 That's a really good question you've just asked, and a very important one -- so well done! You're right, lucid dreaming and dream control are two separate skills: as Daniel always says, dream control is something you learn after you've started to get the hang of lucid dreaming itself.
Here's a link to an absolutely fantastic introduction video to lucid dreaming as a whole by Daniel -- highly recommended if you haven't watched it already!
"Lucid Dreaming: the ULTIMATE Guide? - (Intense!) - How to Lucid Dream for Beginners": https://youtu.be/-QB1P5I1moo
As for your question about the clarity and how real a lucid dream feels, yes, I'd say the vast majority of lucid dreams feel shockingly realistic.
You mention waking up, which is another important aspect. Have you heard of false awakenings? These are essentially the dreamer dreaming of waking up. This is why it's so important to perform a reality check once you wake up, and especially straight after a lucid dream -- if you're lucky, your awakening is just your brain trying to trick you, and another reality check would then help you extend the lucid dream!
You're asking some really good questions, so I think you're on the right path! I'd advise you to go back and watch Daniel's older videos, and also read his book if you can! If you do, you'll be in good hands 😀
Ok, thank you! I will go do that right now!