First LD (!!) or dreamt I had it :(?? Help!

[travelgirl]

Ok, last night I think I had my very first lucid dream ()!! But I'm not sure if it was real or if I dreamt I had it, which sucks. When I had it, I remembered it all and it was pretty vivid. I remember thinking "I should write this all down so I don't forget any of it" but must have either been too tired to write anything down. Then later, at 5:30am I really woke and looked at my dream journal and nothing was written (I was hoping I wrote at least a few notes about it). By then, I had forgotten part of it. Here is the part I remember: I looked at my hands and they were blurry (kinda like double vision) and so I thought, "I'm dreaming!". I stayed calm though because I didn't want to wake-up. Then I was thinking of what I should do and then did a spin to make sure the dream stayed vivid. I decided to experiment and change my hair color so I thought of a color and shook my head and my hair changed neon pink and got longer and thicker. Then I changed it to shiny metallic colors. At one point I also remember trying to fly, by doing different jumps, but didn't manage to stay in the air. Do you think that it was a real first LD or is that too thought out to be a first time? I hear of a lot of people's first LDs where they just wake up right away, so that makes me think that this was just me dreaming it. But, I think it could be real because when I really woke up and got my journal, it was 5:30 am and I usually wake up earlier than that to write down previous dreams. Any thoughts? I really want it to be real but I'm just not 100% sure.

[travelgirl]

I forgot to mention that I'm a total newb to this and have only been trying dream recall for not even a week (although I do remember 1-3 dreams per night). I also just started doing hand reality checks in the last 2 days, so it's all so new to me. Maybe I am a fast learner?

[mitch3590]

Yeah i think this was a lucid dream, you seemed to have quite a bit of control for your first time. When i started lucid dreaming i had dreams similar to what your talking about where i wasnt sure if i was lucid or if i was dreaming that i was lucid. In your case it sounds like this really was a ld though. Also i have noticed that when i have a LD and then go back to sleep without writing it down, it seems like i was less lucid than i was at the time just because my memory of it is hazy, which is not necessarily the case. If you have been doing RCs and reading about lucid dreaming a lot, that also helps speed up the process in my opinion. Its just cramming a whole bunch of new information into your subconscious and that seems to help initiate lucid dreams (just like if you get a new job and after the first couple days, you will dream that you are working. Lol i have had those a few times and its quite miserable i can assure you .)

[travelgirl]

Thanks Mitch, glad to know someone else has also had the same experience. Yes, I have been reading a lot about LD and have been thinking about it quite a bit so I guess that has really sped it up. I haven't even been trying to have a LD though so it was a shock! My main goal so far has been to work on my dream recall for a few weeks first before I attempted a LD; I think that's why I questioned if this was a true LD. Wow, how exciting if it happened that fast! Has anyone else had the same type experience of wondering if it was a real LD or a dreamt one?

[no-Name]

and so I thought, "I'm dreaming!". You were lucid. If at any time you are aware you are dreaming, you are lucid. It was a fairly nice lucid dream, at that. Congratulations.

[Mariano]

mmm I'm not sure. we talked about these things a lot. one can say and think "I'm dreaming" and start doing things, but that's doesn't mean she's lucid. Travelgirl, to know if you were lucid or not, just think about the definition: a dream in where one is aware that he/she is dreaming you were aware that you were dreaming? yes or no? you are the only one who can answer this question. the only reason to post a thread questioning a LD is because you don't understand or don't get the right definition. bye, and hope you understood =)

[travelgirl]

Good point Mariano. I do know the definition and I did know I was dreaming during this. I think the reason I had doubts is because I didn't wake-up enough to write it down right away so by the time I did, I forgot parts of it. I also wasn't planning on LDing; simply recalling my dreams was my main goal. It just happened so easily and I was able control some things - I thought that took time to develop. The parts I remember were so vivid though, like seeing my hands in front of me but they were all blurry and I was squinting to make sure I saw them correctly. And when my hair changed to pink and got longer, I put my hands in it and could feel the thickness of the hair. Anywho, I now believe it was real and I'm excited!

[Mariano]

ok, but remember, the only who can answer that question is you! and be honest with you. but if you think you were lucid then congrats! how much time did it take you? also, try to do more RC in case one fails. now, you will start to have more LD's, take that for sure...in little time you will have another lucid dream