Lucid Dreaming Stories

Every lucid dream can be separated into one of two categories:
DILD: The Dream-Induced-Lucid-Dream, a lucid dream in which the moment of lucidity occurs once the dream is already taken place. The dream is already in progress before the dreamer manages to realize that they are dreaming.
WILD: The Wake-Induced-Lucid-Dream, a lucid dream that is induced from the waking state. The dreamer prepares for sleep and is able to maintain consciousness while the body falls asleep, initiating a dream. This allows the dreamer to be lucid from the very beginning of sleep.

False. Sleep Paralysis is the paralysis of your body while you are awake. While it is similar to REM atonia (the paralysis of your body during REM sleep) in that it paralyzes your skeletal muscles, SP is distinct in that it only occurs while you were awake. If this question had asked about REM atonia instead of SP, it would only be partially true. Lucid dreams can occur during REM and N-REM dreams, so they could occur while the body was experiencing REM-atonia or during N-REM while it was not. In short, you do not need to be in any form of paralysis- SP while awake, or REM atonia while in REM sleep- in order to be lucid dreaming by WILD or DILD.

A dream journal is the most important thing for someone who wants to get DILDs. A dream journal helps build up your dream recall, so that you can actually remember your dreams and so that they are vivid. Keeping neat notes in your DJ will allow you to find out when in your sleep you have your dreams in case you want to plan a WBTB. Keeping detailed entries will let you become familiar with your dreams and will let you identify your dreamsigns

False. A Lucid dream is a dream in which you KNOW that you are dreaming. You may be able to use this knowledge to control the dream, or you may be powerless. However, as long as you know that you are dreaming during the dream, you are lucid dreaming.

Dream Signs are elements that typically show up in your dreams and thus signify that you might be dreaming. Things like common dream locations, characters, situations, emotions, etc.
Reality checks are tests that allow you to determine whether or not you are dreaming.
By learning to recognize your dreamsigns and ask yourself "Oh, my dreamsign- does that mean I am dreaming?" you can then use a reality check to test and learn if you are in real life or if you are in a dream.

False. Lucid dream devices are expensive so that their creators can make a profit and produce them. Devices themselves are NOT immediately going to give you lucid dreams. These devices work by providing the dreamer with cues during their dreams that they must recognize in order to become lucid. Many determine when you are dreaming and flash lights into your eyes, so that in your dream you see flashing lights. Just as you will blow off flying elephants and talking furniture during dreams, if you do not put effort into turning these cues into dream signs and reality checking to them, you will most likely blow off the cue provided by your dream device.

A WBTB, or Wake-Back-to-Bed, is NOT a type of dream. A WBTB is merely a short awakening that one uses in order to spend some time awake in the middle of the night to get the mind focused on lucid dreaming. During a WBTB, you can take lucid aids, write in your dream journal, read your dreamjournal, read lucid dreaming forums, or do WHATEVER YOU WANT. A WBTB is just a break from sleeping, but often times the period awake is spent focusing on thinking about lucid dreaming. After this, the dreamer can either go to bed normally and try to DILD (especially by using MILD) or can attempt to WILD.

False. A MILD is a Mnemonically-Induced-Lucid-Dream. This technique relies on your ability to use your prospective memory, your ability to remember to remember something, to remember to reality check to whatever cue you tell yourself to look out for. Just as you can go to the grocery store and say "I have to remember to get bananas." and then on the way out say, "I just know that I'm forgetting something. Oh, I need to get bananas!" you can train yourself to reality check and question your environment to either a dream sign or, if your prospective memory is good enough, anything you desire. "I will remember to reality check next time I see a person." is an example. Because the dream is already taking place when you question it and become lucid, this is a DILD, not a WILD.

False. A DEILD is a Dream-Exit-Induced-Lucid-Dream, and it is a type of WILD. There is no functional difference between DEILD and a 'regular' WILD. The distinction is that you use the DEILD technique upon awakening from a dream (regular or lucid), and immediately attempt to WILD while your body is still waking up from the last dream. In a sense, DEILD simply refers to a specific time during which you WILD- right after waking up from another dream.

This is absolutely NOT true. You DO NOT NEED sleep paralysis to lucid dream! While sufferers of sleep paralysis can TURN their frightening problem into a lucid dream, it's by no means necessary for anyone to WILD. If you get into it while WILDing, fantastic. If not, even better.

While WILD attempts sometimes result in Sleep Paralysis, sleep paralysis itself is NOT always accompanied by hallucinations. Hypnagogic hallucinations during your WILD simply signify that your body has begun to initiate the process of falling asleep. Unless you are physically paralyzed, you are not in sleep paralysis- even IF you are hallucinating.

Sometimes in your dreams, you'll reach the point where you notice things are unusual and begin to question whether or not you are in a dream. This can lead to a reality check or two if you've worked on them, but sometimes in dreams reality checks will fail. For example, you'll try to push your finger through your palm, and it won't go through. The logical assumption is that you're in real waking life, but you should NEVER accept one failed reality check! Always remember that it is possible for them to fail, and make sure to do AT LEAST three in order to catch this! Practice RCing properly during waking life so that you do it properly in your dreams.

Sleep Paralysis can be used to enter a WILD more easily.
Anchors are things that you use to 'anchor' your mind and keep it awake while you let your body fall asleep to enter a WILD, for example the traditional 'counting-sheep' method or listening to a fan in your room.
HH are hallucinations that occur when falling asleep and waking up, and by focusing on these hallucinations one can use them to form a dream and enter the dream lucidly.