Hey, nice place you got here ^.^

**Jenny5** · 08-30-2011 02:35 PM

I mostly just wanted to introduce myself. Hi!

I started getting interested in lucid dreaming about two years ago but was in a stressful situation so I never really followed through with the practice side of things, despite reading a few books on the subject. This past week I have renewed my interest.

It was kind of funny because the first book I picked up this week to get back in the swing of things was "The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep" and within the first few pages I felt sufficiently chastised for my failure to practice. I do have a tendency to collect knowledge on some subjects without applying what I learned. So, knowing that, I think I am in a better place to succeed this time.

I have had one lucid dream that I remember (when I wasn't even trying to become lucid). I was walking down the street, blowdrying my hair, when it occured to me that a) I do not blowdry my hair outside and b) no blowdryer has a cord a mile long. Suddenly I was lucid and decided to fly. At first I flew as high as I could but that got weird because there was nothing but blue all around me and a weird verticle rainbow that I could never quite reach so I went back to the ground. I saw some friends and tried to swoop down and surprise them but on my second swoop I crash landed and woke up. That experience gives me hope that I can succeed, no matter how long it takes to have another lucid dream.

I know that my other barrier to lucid dreaming is also my dream recall. I have a tendency to wake up in a rush and by the time I try to remember my dream it went *poof*. But this week I have been working hard on my dream recall and have remembered at least one dream a night all week. This is (at long last) where my newbie question comes in. As I've looked back, in half of my dreams this week I was nothing like myself. In two of them I was a guy and in three others I looked completely different. I guess this could be a dream sign for me but it never seems weird at the time. Is it normal to be someone different in your dreams? Does anyone else on here ever experience that? I feel like I could understand it happening occassionally but 50% of the time seems excessive. It didn't seem weird when I wrote it in my journal but when I saw the frequency it weirded me out a bit.

Sorry for the ubber long introduction... I hope that wasn't too much information.

Happy lucid dreaming everyone!

**Matte87** · 08-30-2011 05:24 PM

Hi and welcome to DV! We all dream differently, and there's nothing abnormal in you being someone else in a dream. I've even dreamt I was a woman a few times haha. Just keep practicing that recall, it'll get better and better. If I have to wake up by an alarm, I usually set it 5 minutes before my usual time, and snooze for 5 minutes. During those 5 minutes I don't actually snooze, but try to recall what I've dreamt. I just lie still and think of nothing, letting the dreams come to me. When they do come I "probe" them. Try to stretch your memory and remember as much detail as you can, then write them down. The snooze is to make sure I don't fall asleep.

If you keep on dreaming that you're someone else, you could make it into a dreamsign. I suggest you Reality Check during the day, and question if what you're doing is how you would normally behave.

If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

**nito89** · 08-30-2011 05:42 PM

Wow, essay!! .
Welcome to dreamviews, Jenny5
I know how you feel with not putting knowledge into practise, sometimes i can be quite lazy with everything .

Anyway just wanted to say hello and wish you well with your dreams. Need anything, then just ask. Everyone here is lovely!

**Jenny5** · 08-31-2011 01:46 AM

Thanks for the welcome!

Haha... essays (aka rambling) are my specialty Nito. You ask me to talk and suddenly I go mute but email me a quick question and I'll answer it with a book. (joking by the way... hopefully I am not *that* bad)

Thanks for the advice and the reassurance Matte. I still find the differences between my 'concious self' and my 'dream self' ('unconcious self'?) slightly disturbing. But I guess it has always been like that and I just didn't know because I wasn't remembering my dreams. Thank you for the tips. I have been reality checking while concious but have not yet managed to do it while asleep. My one lucid dream was basically a fluke. I am determined to practice this time though.

**Enjyu** · 08-31-2011 02:24 AM

Welcome to Dreamviews!

Originally Posted by Jenny5

Is it normal to be someone different in your dreams? Does anyone else on here ever experience that? I feel like I could understand it happening occassionally but 50% of the time seems excessive.

I've had a few dreams where I was either someone else, or myself but very different looking. Like Matte said, this is perfectly normal. Some people experience this more often than others. This should get less eventually, though. I believe it has something to do with your dream recall, because the better my recall got, the less drems I had where I was someone else. But I'm not entirely sure if it was because of my recall getting better, or because of something else.

Anyways: Hi.

**BobbyLance** · 08-31-2011 11:10 AM

Welcome to DV my friend,

I suggest you go to http://www.dreamviews.com/f20/beginn...eaming-116237/ , it generally covers up basic info about this forum and Lucid Dreaming. If you have some questions, don't hesitate to ask. Hope this helps

**Jenny5** · 08-31-2011 01:57 PM

Thanks for the welcome and the help!

I did read The Beginner's Guide to Lucid Dreaming, it was very well written and informative.

And thank you Enjyu (and hi!), it is good to hope that I might start being more like me in my dreams with practice. I'll just keep working on my dream recall and see if that helps.

**Oneironaut Zero** · 08-31-2011 02:01 PM

Welcome to Dream Views, Jenny.

I haven't seen it suggested, yet (unless I've missed it), but I would really suggest starting up a dream journal, if you don't already have one. It could prove to be your most important tool, to getting better at gaining lucidity.

Again, welcome to DV! Make yourself comfortable, and if you have any questions, ask away!

**dakotahnok** · 08-31-2011 02:19 PM

Hello there!! Unzip your pants and make yourself at hoMe! Message me if you need any help with lucid dreaming or just want to chat!

**nito89** · 08-31-2011 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by dakotahnok

Hello there!! Unzip your pants and make yourself at hoMe! Message me if you need any help with lucid dreaming or just want to chat!

LOL!!!
Easy Dakotoahnok.... Easy

**Jenny5** · 08-31-2011 02:28 PM

Hahahahaha thanks Dakotahnok

And thank you Oneironaut (very appropriate name ^_^). I did start a dream journal last week, which was what led to my question.

**Pandabear** · 08-31-2011 02:35 PM

Hi and welcome!

Good luck with your Lucid Dreaming journey!

**Nephanim** · 09-01-2011 04:21 AM

Welcome! You're not alone - I have dreams from others' perspectives all the time. Sometimes the roles are recurring from night to night, too.

My robot dream character would approve of your avatar.

Symphony doesn't remember her dreams very well, though.

**Jenny5** · 09-01-2011 04:26 AM

Haha thanks Nephanim!! Wow... if I had a robot dream charcter I would not be complaining. That would be pure awesome! Well, I'm glad to know that I'm not alone. It just weirded me out because I'd never noticed it before.

Thanks again!