How to have lucid dreams.

I had vivid dreams my whole life. Every morning I would recount my dreams during breakfast. Many years later my mom gave me a book, which came with a CD, on how to have lucid dreams. I could recall my dreams well; there was no reason to write them down. Within days, I could do it. I just kept telling myself, as I fell asleep, to realize I am dreaming.
My first lucid dream was being near a party, I was a few blocks away. Standing on the corner there were three people across the street. I couldn't see their faces but felt they were a threat. It was at that moment I knew I was in a dream.
Then I thought... I can do anything! The hard part was making things happen. I wanted the people across the street to go away so I chose, as if I were awake, a more creative way to get rid of the threat I felt. I held my head and literally had to will them away. It felt like it took a lot of energy. It worked though, I looked up and as they were being drawn far away from me they were turning into black smoke.

I was ready to go to the party and started walking and looking at everything I could see. Then I thought, I don't have to walk. I thought of a different way to get there. I decided I wanted to kind of float and glide there. I had to do the same thing as before, hold my head and concentrate and then I would float. Floating to the party, I remember the lights and people I didn't recognize.

I remember red beer cups on tables. As I was gliding I realized how much of my dream I couldn't see. Having to concentrate took so much energy the clarity of the dream was weaker. As I progressed, concentrating wasn't as difficult, then more of my dream I could see and that is what took practice.

When I first started having lucid dreams the morning after was strange. Physically I felt fine but in some way it made me feel like I never slept. I was well rested but I had memories of it being as if I were awake a whole day. My life was one part normal and another part like that of a movie. After the first few nights I decided if I wanted to continue. It was leaving me mentally burdened. "Will it happen even if I don't want it to?" "Now I have to get rid of this dream".

I was still curious and continued even though it was draining. This time I was in the desert. I was alone and it hit me, I'm awake in my dream. Even though it was amazing I wasn't mentally ready to be in full control of my dreams. First thing I decided was I wanted my sister with me. I held my head again and willed her there. My sister is standing in front of me, with a smile, saying to me, "So what's going on"? And in my dream I told her what I was doing and she went along with me. We were talking to each other and not once did it feel like the words coming out of her mouth were from me.

It was as if I were having an actual conversation with her, fully aware I was dreaming. Then we decided we needed a car. I held my head again and willed it to appear. There it was a truck. I didn't pick the kind of car I just focused on the word car. We went to get in the truck and all the doors were locked but the windows were down. We climbed through the windows. The truck was funny looking, like a Picasso painting but it ran. Sometimes it looked like an ordinary truck and other times it looked like all the shapes and colors in a kaleidoscope spilling out and forming whatever you want.

Several months later I decided to stop. I ended up feeling like I was awake all the time but without the sleep deprivation. On the night I decided to not have a lucid dream, the thought in my mind was, I want to be in a dark quite place. I woke up the next morning without remembering any dreams. Now when I sleep I don't always remember my dreams but when I do they are still vivid.

There have been times where I have nightmares. During those times I may not have been lucid but to some degree I felt more in control of my more scarier dreams.The experience alone had changed the way I dream. Maybe someday I will try it again but for now I would rather just let my mind do what it wants.

Sweet Dreams,