# Lucid dreaming as therapy for SA



## Nibiru (Jan 23, 2017)

Sorry, I don't know where to put this thread.

Maybe some of you heard about lucid dreaming. If not, check it on google. 
If you have any SA problem, especially if it really complicating your daily life, I think it's worth a try. When you learn how to control your dreams - you can do whenever you want in them. That's why I think it's genius way to cure such problems. You can train your social skills in your own mind. You can overcome your fears. You can talk with people which you know in RL or with strangers, go on a date, make a speech, dance in a club... I don't know why it's so unpopular thing since it doesn't require any drugs or money (oh wait, maybe that's why). Anyway I suggest to all of you to read about it and start making your own therapy. It's not dangerous in any way... Please don't believe in this. Dreams are natural and controlling them can help you in many ways. It's a hobby for some people. Of course it can be addicting and you may want to live only there but I guess it can't define it as something bad (you can kill someone with a knife or make him a sandwich with it). It's not easy either, you probably won't be able do this tonight - it's a skill which you must learn for some time. Also it's just fun and creative way to spend unaware night.

Tell me what you think about it. Maybe you tried it? Or maybe you think it's crazy?

_"What you think you create, what you feel you attract, what you imagine you become."_


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## SwtSurrender (Nov 24, 2014)

Yeah, I love the rare occurrences that I get to lucid dream, but even then it's not the place that I would like to be in when it happens. As you explain it, yes I would love to start lucid dreaming during a dream about giving a class presentation, but I need to be there when I become lucid. Or find a way to get out of the place that I start to lucid in and find the presentation dream, or other kinds like talking to strangers. Throughout-out my dreaming, I have dreamt of talking to strangers and I was all like wow I was able to talk to some sexy girls and we had so much to share and they were so nice. So yes, I agree with you that our own dreaming mind if we really looking into it with passion for our self-growth and understanding and also as self-therapy, it will reward us immensely. But maybe people experience more lucidity and control during marijuana, I know I did, and that was way easier, you just basically hallucinate while being awake in real life. Haven't tried giving a class presentation under marijuana influence though, I wonder if anyone else has? 

Dreams are so calming, I always feel so good remembering my dreams, especially when they offer me with insight about how to approach an SA situation. When I used to be in college, or just before the classes would start, I would keep dreaming about going to class unequipped with my proper materials. No paper, no backpack, no books, **** bro. Sounds like some anxiety. Then I would miss a class in the dream and get lost, also crowded halls and elevators, many sexy people but it feels so real in the dream. Sometimes I wish I was lucid all the time, but then that would make me confused in my real life. I wonder, do the normies dream like us, do they dream they go to school without their all their supplies as well? Do they dream they get separated into groups and have to pick a group to be in? I guess everyone dreams about different anxieties they have. That's basically all dreaming is I believe, answers to your SA difficulties or what have you trouble with in real life. Not many ppl are interested in dreams, but I sure am. I love the sex and kissing ones, omg, please I want some more and also never end okay.


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## SwtSurrender (Nov 24, 2014)

In a way you can also use video games as a lucid dream, think that you're dreaming when you're in an MMORPG or any other and then do what ever the heck you please, without any SA or what have you restraints. Maybe if you do that then you can get into lucid dreaming easier or also try the marijuana influence thing.


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## Xenacat (Oct 20, 2015)

Nibiru said:


> Sorry, I don't know where to put this thread.
> 
> Maybe some of you heard about lucid dreaming. If not, check it on google.
> If you have any SA problem, especially if it really complicating your daily life, I think it's worth a try. When you learn how to control your dreams - you can do whenever you want in them. That's why I think it's genius way to cure such problems. You can train your social skills in your own mind. You can overcome your fears. You can talk with people which you know in RL or with strangers, go on a date, make a speech, dance in a club... I don't know why it's so unpopular thing since it doesn't require any drugs or money (oh wait, maybe that's why). Anyway I suggest to all of you to read about it and start making your own therapy. It's not dangerous in any way... Please don't believe in this. Dreams are natural and controlling them can help you in many ways. It's a hobby for some people. Of course it can be addicting and you may want to live only there but I guess it can't define it as something bad (you can kill someone with a knife or make him a sandwich with it). It's not easy either, you probably won't be able do this tonight - it's a skill which you must learn for some time. Also it's just fun and creative way to spend unaware night.
> ...


I had one last night but I didn't do it on purpose. I will check it out. I am into hypnosis.


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## Nibiru (Jan 23, 2017)

SwtSurrender said:


> As you explain it, yes I would love to start lucid dreaming during a dream about giving a class presentation, but I need to be there when I become lucid. Or find a way to get out of the place that I start to lucid in and find the presentation dream, or other kinds like talking to strangers.


When you learn how to be lucid in your dreams by yourself you can do everything. Fly, teleport, summon people/animals/things, change the environment, have superpowers etc. So you will be able to be in any of those situations just by thinking of it. I'm usually in my bed when I become lucid but it doesn't matter, you just open any door and you're on the beach or whatever. You must work on your dream stabilization, do reality checks and many other things to stay there aware. Because most of the people are getting too exited about it and wake up or lose lucidity. And that's also ok because you have to learn it somehow.



SwtSurrender said:


> But maybe people experience more lucidity and control during marijuana, I know I did, and that was way easier, you just basically hallucinate while being awake in real life. Haven't tried giving a class presentation under marijuana influence though, I wonder if anyone else has?


I don't think that marijuana can improve your dreams in this way, as I know it rather disturb. You must improve your memory for lucid dreaming and weed doesn't seem to be helpful with it. Also with awareness. I don't know what you were smoking but you don't hallucinations after weed  I didn't have any LD after that and people who are into this stuff never advise this method.



SwtSurrender said:


> When I used to be in college, or just before the classes would start, I would keep dreaming about going to class unequipped with my proper materials. No paper, no backpack, no books, **** bro. Sounds like some anxiety.


As I know "normal" people also have these dreams. It's pretty common.



SwtSurrender said:


> Sometimes I wish I was lucid all the time, but then that would make me confused in my real life.


It wouldn't. There are people who have only lucid dreams or have them daily and they're fine. You are aware when you are dreaming and when not. You always can make reality check, for example try to take a breath while holding your nose - if you can't it's real life, if you can them look around because probably that's a dream.



SwtSurrender said:


> I love the sex and kissing ones, omg, please I want some more and also never end okay.


Haha you can make them too. But that's not easy, you can wake up very easily from them.



SwtSurrender said:


> In a way you can also use video games as a lucid dream, think that you're dreaming when you're in an MMORPG or any other and then do what ever the heck you please, without any SA or what have you restraints


It can help if you are pretending that you're dreaming maybe. It trains your awareness at least. But that's only like exercise for me.



Xenacat said:


> I had one last night but I didn't do it on purpose. I will check it out. I am into hypnosis.


That's always a nice surprise when you doesn't even try to make one ;p Check it definitely, it's a cool experience. Especially if you find out that you're dreaming not by _accident _but because you learnt how to do that.

(damn those quotes!)


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## SwtSurrender (Nov 24, 2014)

@Nibiru 
Wow, thank you for these techniques, very helpful, I will definitely try harder this time round.


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## SwtSurrender (Nov 24, 2014)

This last night I had a dream that I was looking at some fireworks and then after some time I took my phone out to record them in video like I always do in real life haha. But then the fireworks took longer to come back after they stopped, but they did and I was able to record them on my phone! I always have these dreams where I am using my phone to record stuff in video form, and then I wake up and wow nothings there. I can use my phone as that thing that guy in Inception used to tell the difference between real life and dreams, yeah, yeah.

Anyway, the more I anticipate something the more chances I will dream about that thing or things. Like if I had a set date to go back to college or something like that, then yes I would start dreaming about classes, about going to class without my supplies, about groups and tables and classmates. So if you want to practice something you have to keep anticipating and trick your mind, scare it, but I don't know if it would work if you don't actually have a set date for something.


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## ScorchedEarth (Jul 12, 2014)

I've had lucid dreams, back when I was trying techniques. Both actively and passively. Getting them is one thing, and they're definitely more vivid that normal ones. Control may be difficult though. They're unstable and this doesn't combine well with the rush of having total freedom and no consequences. Best to have a specific plan going in.


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## Cassoulet94 (Apr 3, 2014)

Nibiru said:


> Sorry, I don't know where to put this thread.
> 
> Maybe some of you heard about lucid dreaming. If not, check it on google.
> If you have any SA problem, especially if it really complicating your daily life, I think it's worth a try. When you learn how to control your dreams - you can do whenever you want in them. That's why I think it's genius way to cure such problems. You can train your social skills in your own mind. You can overcome your fears. You can talk with people which you know in RL or with strangers, go on a date, make a speech, dance in a club... I don't know why it's so unpopular thing since it doesn't require any drugs or money (oh wait, maybe that's why). Anyway I suggest to all of you to read about it and start making your own therapy. It's not dangerous in any way... Please don't believe in this. Dreams are natural and controlling them can help you in many ways. It's a hobby for some people. Of course it can be addicting and you may want to live only there but I guess it can't define it as something bad (you can kill someone with a knife or make him a sandwich with it). It's not easy either, you probably won't be able do this tonight - it's a skill which you must learn for some time. Also it's just fun and creative way to spend unaware night.
> ...


Lucid dream is certainly nice but I don't think it can be useful as a form of therapy. Your dream cannot be compared to a "reality simulator" since it's a form of reality only made with what you know/you want. So in the case of a social anxious person, who has a distorted view of social interactions, I don't see how a dream would help him challenge this toxic thoughts. He will not confront them to reality. And even since in the dream, let's say the date experience is overly positive, it won't be of great help because it's won't be close from any real date with its share of unexpected. Plus even in lucid dreams, self consciousness is diminished and you tend not to feel social anxiety. Again, in real life it would be completely different.

So really I'm skeptic.


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## ljubo (Jul 26, 2015)

I had many lucid dreaming in the normal way. I also had lucid dreaming through meditation and DMT ( DO NOT TRY IT without a very good mentor), it was cool but it did not help my anxiety.

This is very close to what i saw when i had lucid dreaming through meditation and DMT:
http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/members/ljubo-672314/albums/n-n-dimethyltryptamine/


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## GODxPUPPETxMAR (Jul 12, 2016)

Exactly what I've been working on. Just trying to get better at controlling the dream so I can summon the right situation to simulate the socially anxious scenario.


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## Almalutz (Feb 7, 2017)

A lucid dream is any dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming. In relation to this phenomenon, Greek philosopher Aristotle observed: "often when one is asleep, there is something in consciousness which declares that what then presents itself is but a dream". The concept of lucid dreaming remains controversial, and alternative explanations have been given for the phenomenon. It may be that lucid dreamers are not actually sleeping but may be in a daydream-like state of semi-wakefulness. Can Lucid Dreaming be Used for Psychotherapy?


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## Stayinsane (Apr 27, 2013)

I'm what others call a natural lucid dreamer which basically means I taught myself how to do it at a very young age before I even knew what lucid dreaming was! This has allowed me to have them very frequently.

I mostly use lucid dreaming to try out different super-powers because I love being able to control things in the dream. On the occasion I have used it for social anxiety basically just to brush up on social skills and overcome fear by approaching people. But what I found is that it doesn't really transfer very well over to real life. I believe the reason for this is because whilst dreaming you have greater access to your subconscious but when you wake up that access is cut off again. Lucid dreaming is also a very fleeting thing, most people will be lucky if they have more than 3 lucid dreams in their entire life and so it is a skill that has to be regularly dedicated to and even then a lot of people struggle getting lucid dreams to last longer than 10 seconds.

Nether the less, I invite you all to join us fellow lucid dreamers at www.dreamviews.com/forum and www.ld4all.com/forum.


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## SwtSurrender (Nov 24, 2014)

Wow, a couple days ago I dreamt some muscly guy and I had sex after I got out of an elevator, wow felt so real! Then he came in me, like okay thanks man, but I was panicking in my dream. Then another night, I was kissing a hot, tall native man, oohh ahhh, it was like in a bathroom stall, that was sweet, felt so real! And also in the same night, I dreamt I was sitting in this guy's lap and we were vibrating together and I was feeling his hard one under me. Beautiful men, all of them, anyway these sex and kissing and touching dreams really make me feel great and loved up all day long when I wake up. Bring them on please and thank you! I keep deciphering my symbols with dream dictionaries and dang, it's like I'm reading my life day by day, and I am dreaming what I am becoming - not pregnant but like new ideas and new projects in my life and stuff man.


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## sad1231234 (Jul 10, 2016)

I tried but eventualy gave up, i'll definately keep trying because this post makes me want to do it lol. Although i've always questioned the vividness of lucid dreams.


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## Nibiru (Jan 23, 2017)

sad1231234 said:


> Although i've always questioned the vividness of lucid dreams.


You must practise vividness and stabilization in LD as well. On the beginning it's often dark/blurry. So keep trying and you'll be surprised after some time ;3 Memory is also important (so Dream Journal is "must have"item). When I'm into dreams and journaling every day my dreams are very vivid and clear, sometimes just like real life.


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## SwtSurrender (Nov 24, 2014)

I've also been getting these classroom dreams, one of them I was at a table with 3 other classmates and my name was written on the board in chalk, but it wasn't Alex it was Maria. That was strange. And another dream - very faint, where I was sitting in the middle of/surrounded by so many desks and other classmates, it was very crowded. That makes me feel super self-conscious, thanks dream!


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## SwtSurrender (Nov 24, 2014)

I found a nice video of lucid dreaming, it's a short documentary called Wake Up! Exploring the Potential of Lucid Dreaming (2009). Really like what they say about asking dream figures about the meaning of the symbols, once you're lucid you can talk to them in a deeper context! Lucid dreaming is awesome - you can break boundaries you have in real life and also learn to expand them by experimenting in your dreams and improve your life! I also really like the lucid living aspect of it that Beverly D'Urso describes! -- That's me all the way babey! There must be a connection as why I can become aware (lucid) in my dream that I am asleep & dreaming and also why I can become aware in reality that I am dreaming & awake.


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## SwtSurrender (Nov 24, 2014)

Cassoulet94 said:


> Lucid dream is certainly nice but I don't think it can be useful as a form of therapy. Your dream cannot be compared to a "reality simulator" since it's a form of reality only made with what you know/you want. *So in the case of a social anxious person, who has a distorted view of social interactions, I don't see how a dream would help him challenge this toxic thoughts. He will not confront them to reality*. And even since in the dream, let's say the date experience is overly positive, it won't be of great help because it's won't be close from any real date with its share of unexpected. *Plus even in lucid dreams, self consciousness is diminished and you tend not to feel social anxiety. Again, in real life it would be completely different*.
> 
> So really I'm skeptic.


Wow, nice things to say! Maybe the socially anxious person can experiment with his/her diminished self consciousness during lucid dreams! That way I hope he/she finds it more exciting to be able to engage in social situations in lucid dreaming! So then in real life the socially anxious person will remember their dreams and maybe they will inspire them to try them out in reality?!?!?!!?!?!?!


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## SwtSurrender (Nov 24, 2014)

*This Thread is more than 167 days old. It is very likely that it does not need any further discussion and thus bumping it serves no purpose.
If you still feel it is necessary to make a new reply, you can still do so though. 
I am aware that this Thread is rather old but I still want to make a reply.*

I have been studying the sleep stages and basically we all have 4 through 5 sleep cycles a night! Which means REM dreaming chances about 5 times a night each fragment getting longer. You gots to check it out yourself, it's so frikkin' cool!

Last night I had a lucid in my dream, I felt it in my bones in my dream that I was dreaming and that it was a dream. I actually had a dream within a dream, it's weird how I can figure that out or probably it is a way to say that I had a dream and now I am having another one on top of that. Probably dreams don't follow in lines, probably they get stacked? So I was going down on an escalator with my daddy and I was feeling lucid and excited and I confronted him telling him that this moment is a dream because last minute I was dropped off in the back of a store and next minute I am here with him. Then I told him let's hug! But he was looking like he was in disbelief and ignoring me. That was it.

But to be able to remember my dreams and that I was lucid and that I also had a dream within a dream is such a major skill yo! I don't even try to wake up on purpose to remember, it just happens! That was 8 hours sleep. Hope I can become lucid with other dream characters and situations so I can do more practicing.


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## Sapphic Galaxy (Aug 31, 2017)

I've actually tried this a few times before. I'm a restless sleeper, so I occasionally have vivid/lucid dreams randomly. Now, trying to actually control what happens in the dream is very difficult and I haven't really had any luck.


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## AntiguanGiant (Aug 8, 2017)

Awh wtff, didn't even realize there was a thread on lucid dreaming lmao. I've had two so far; I didn't even think to try to put myself in a social situation, despite me knowing about how lucid dreams can be used to get better at things. 

I just tried not freak out while experiencing my first lucid dream, so I decided to go along along with what was happening. I then flew around for a bit (which was f**cking insane) and later lost the ability to fly, then just spent the rest of my time in the dream wandering.

My second lucid dream failed. Lost lucidity before very long at all.

Sleeping schedule's much too all over the place to attempt a third, but once I'm able to (and have gone to space lmao), I'll be sure to put effort into trying overcome sa via lucid dreaming.


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## SwtSurrender (Nov 24, 2014)

When I dream maybe I wake up in someone else's life! - Evanescence
Maybe what I'm experiencing isn't even me.... No way. It's mostly like sensory deprivation and you're paralyzed and asleep so of course you'll hallucinate during paradoxical sleep, whereas when you're awake you're flooded with senses so there's no need to hallucinate, unless you have too much dopamine? Wow. Those weird chemicals in our brains waking us up and sending us back under every day. 

I see all these charts of sleep cycles and they go from midnight to 6:30 am or to 7 or 8, so maybe if I go to sleep at midnight, I will have all of these stages that they're showing on the charts. Maybe if we wake up from an REM, that'll help us remember dreams. It's weird, I feel like I am remembering my dreams in the seconds when awakening to the alarm clock. Or probably I am then dreaming or replaying the dream, sucking strange. It always feels like I'm remembering the dream again when I'm trying to wake up.

A strange one today, I kept waking up hour after hour and only slept about maybe 5 and a half - 6 hours, YES! I bet having sleep experiments to wake up earlier will help remember dreams more. I was in bed with one guy and he was doing me, hot.... In the same bed another girl with another guy!!!! Hey man, I never had foresomes before! Why this weird dream? I didn't want to see her riding him man! Jelly! Then we went on an elevator and the guy and girl from the bed foresome were there too! I actually saw that girl who was in the bed with me and I greeted her! Then we all went on a train and reminded me of Divergent, strangely the guy I was with looked like that Four! Hot.... I actually talked with him! We were riding the train away from a little city. I told him that this reminds me of Divergent. Ahh, f that movie man, it came in my fdream! I haven't watched it in ages, how dare it!? But amazing experience! See what happens when you wake up after about 5 and a half - 6 and a half hours of sleep? Wow!!!

Yes, I experienced hardcore sleep inertia, but when I have to go somewhere important I have awesome dreams to give me some momentum to face the day.


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## truant (Jul 4, 2014)

This thread just makes me sad. I've been trying to have lucid dreams for about 27 years now. I've been remembering my dreams (often multiple dreams) every night for years now, and interpreting them, and in my entire life, after countless thousands of remembered dreams, I've only had two that were lucid, and one of those only lasted a couple seconds. That was after about 3 years of doing lucid dreaming exercises virtually every single night. I've read at least half a dozen books on lucid dreaming.

I've been trying to gain control over my dreams because I have so many nightmares. Almost every night I have dreams that range from "mildly disturbing" to "terrifying". (Though ofc most of them are just frustrating or irritating experiences. It's very unusual for a dream to be a positive experience for me.) I've been trying to learn how to be lucid so I can stop my nightmares before they get too bad but I seem to be all but incapable of lucid dreaming.

Both drugs and money would be far easier for me to acquire than a single lucid dream. :laugh:


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## Rains (Jan 20, 2016)

Idk. I have lucid dreams very easily, I can pretty much just will myself to have one and it'll happen (this has been the case since childhood). But I don't really see how this is going to help SA though. As is, I almost never experience SA in my dreams anyway.


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## AntiguanGiant (Aug 8, 2017)

truant said:


> This thread just makes me sad. I've been trying to have lucid dreams for about 27 years now. I've been remembering my dreams (often multiple dreams) every night for years now, and interpreting them, and in my entire life, after countless thousands of remembered dreams, I've only had two that were lucid, and one of those only lasted a couple seconds. That was after about 3 years of doing lucid dreaming exercises virtually every single night. I've read at least half a dozen books on lucid dreaming.
> 
> I've been trying to gain control over my dreams because I have so many nightmares. Almost every night I have dreams that range from "mildly disturbing" to "terrifying". (Though ofc most of them are just frustrating or irritating experiences. It's very unusual for a dream to be a positive experience for me.) I've been trying to learn how to be lucid so I can stop my nightmares before they get too bad but I seem to be all but incapable of lucid dreaming.
> 
> Both drugs and money would be far easier for me to acquire than a single lucid dream. :laugh:


Both of my lucid dreams were achieved using MILD; it's said that lucid dreams achieved through MILD tend to last longer. If that's a technique you already use regularly, then it might be best to attempt WILD if you're okay w/ sleep paralysis. It's essentially a near guaranteed way to lucid dream if done right, from my understanding anyway.

Have you made a habit out of performing reality checks? It seems as though dream recall isn't the issue you should be focusing on.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

Yeah I don't get the part where you do it on purpose. I dream when I dream and I usually don't remember them. And my dreams I do remember are usually dumb.


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## truant (Jul 4, 2014)

AntiguanGiant said:


> Both of my lucid dreams were achieved using MILD; it's said that lucid dreams achieved through MILD tend to last longer. If that's a technique you already use regularly, then it might be best to attempt WILD if you're okay w/ sleep paralysis. It's essentially a near guaranteed way to lucid dream if done right, from my understanding anyway.
> 
> Have you made a habit out of performing reality checks? It seems as though dream recall isn't the issue you should be focusing on.


I've used both techniques extensively. I've used MILD more times than I can remember. I've been doing it on and off for decades, sometimes for months at a time. The WILD technique I've tried a couple hundred times. "Near guarantee" is not an accurate description. I've never even come close, I don't think. If I hadn't had a lucid dream already, I would assume that all the claims about it were complete bunk, because I haven't been able to induce them at all.

Note also that I'm an experienced meditator. I can induce states of deep relaxation fairly easily (it's my primary form of self-medication, since I can't afford drugs), but that's about it. I've also done a lot of experimentation with self-hypnosis. So it's not like I don't understand how this stuff works.

Ofc, I also suffer from insomnia, which means that I'm lucky to get to sleep at all. And even luckier if I sleep for more than a couple hours at a time. These days I have to meditate just to fall asleep.


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## AntiguanGiant (Aug 8, 2017)

truant said:


> I've used both techniques extensively. I've used MILD more times than I can remember. I've been doing it on and off for decades, sometimes for months at a time. The WILD technique I've tried a couple hundred times. "Near guarantee" is not an accurate description. I've never even come close, I don't think. If I hadn't had a lucid dream already, I would assume that all the claims about it were complete bunk, because I haven't been able to induce them at all.
> 
> Note also that I'm an experienced meditator. I can induce states of deep relaxation fairly easily (it's my primary form of self-medication, since I can't afford drugs), but that's about it. I've also done a lot of experimentation with self-hypnosis. So it's not like I don't understand how this stuff works.
> 
> Ofc, I also suffer from insomnia, which means that I'm lucky to get to sleep at all. And even luckier if I sleep for more than a couple hours at a time. These days I have to meditate just to fall asleep.


Well then I guess you just need to try to sort out your sleep schedule, as difficult as that might sound. Can't see any other way around it. I haven't been able to have another lucid dream for months now due to my inability to form a decent sleeping schedule. You could also try to do exactly the same things you did when you had successful lucid dreaming attempts, if that's not something you're already doing.

Are you 100% sure you're doing WILD properly? I used WILD to attempt my very first lucid dream and it succeeded, but I woke up immediately out of excitement and was paralysed with spiders all around me lmao. That was the only time I ever attempted WILD.

Btw sorry if it seems like I'm talking down to you; I'm just trying to help, and considering all the misinformation about lucid dreaming that's out there, these are questions I feel need to ask.


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## truant (Jul 4, 2014)

@AntiguanGiant The problem isn't that I don't understand _how_ to induce them (theoretically); it's that my anxiety prevents me from having them.

One of two things happens: either I remain indefinitely awake (because I can't fall asleep to begin with) or I'm so exhausted from lack of sleep that I just fall straight to sleep. But I rarely sleep for stretches longer than about 2-3 hours. Either some external noise wakes me up, or I have a nightmare.

I've had insomnia my entire life, because I've had anxiety and nightmares my entire life. "Sorting out my sleep schedule" isn't going to happen, short of an addiction to tranquilizers. I tried having a regular sleep schedule both for school, and for work. I went to bed the same time pretty much every night for 13 years when I was working fulltime and it didn't seem to affect the likelihood of my falling asleep. At this point, I have to meditate before bed so that I can relax enough to fall asleep.

I'm sitting in front of a computer, in my room, by myself, and my anxiety is so bad my heart is literally racing. That's my normal experience. When I lie down, my heart tends to race even more, partly because my mind is free to dwell on all my problems, and partly because I'm afraid of what I'm going to dream about. I can reduce my anxiety through meditation, but I haven't been able to use meditation to enter a lucid dreaming state because when I DO get that relaxed I just fall asleep.

Anyway, it's not your job to fix me. I'm just ranting. I've just always been envious of people who were able to achieve it with any regularity. I'd probably just have really horrifying sleep paralysis experiences anyway. The few I've had haven't been very pleasant.


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## TheInvisibleHand (Sep 5, 2015)

All my lucid dreams turn into some freakish sexual encounters.


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