New here: question

[v1sceral]

Hey guys. I just found my way to this site today. In the past I think I sorta "knew" i was dreaming and I could actually wake myself and open my eyes during nightmares - like physically wake myself up, prying my eyes open as hard as I can. Would this be a lucid dream and how could I improve on it?

[Gwendolyn]

I think you could be on the outer edges of an LD. It depends on what you do to intensify that feeling of 'knowing' that you are dreaming. I think that with a bit of work, you could master a full blown LD easily.

[Tornado Joe]

Hey Visceral, Well, if you know for sure you were awake (and not experiencing a moment of false awakening), then I'd say it could also be that the nightmare itself raised your level of excitement to the point of consciousness - waking up. In the past I think I sorta "knew" i was dreaming [/b] The basic question regarding whether you were lucid really comes down to whether you remember actually saying to yourself "I am dreaming" or "this is a dream". There's really no "sorta" - it's mostly a matter of remembering (recall). I believe we ALL go through this lucid stage every night both on our way into sleep then back up out of it. It's just part of the process. Yet, we hardly ever remember it (and it's likely we don't spend enough time in this state - we just go right on to waking up). To improve on this, you should work on your dream recall - and that starts with keeping a dream journal and training yourself to remember your dreams.

[v1sceral]

Hey guys, thanks for the help. Please check out this thread! http://www.dreamviews.com/forum/viewtopic....p=310260#310260