First lucid dream?

[warpadice]

Last night when I dreamed about meeting one of my friends outside the gym in the evening he said something totally foolish (I can't remember what he said or if I didn't understand him at all) and I suddenly realized that I was dreaming. I didn't begin to think as rationally as I had thought I would have, but I felt a little like I was awake. Remembering the file CurseLucidDreams2, I just took a giant leap and set to the sky. I flew a while over the city. The buildings were dark grey and the sky was black, filled with stars.

However, the dream didn't last long at all (or I might have slipped back to regular dreaming) and it takes a while before I can totally recall what happened.

So, my question is:
Can one have an ordinary dream about having a lucid dream (and thus I didn't really have one)?
Or are lucid dreams merely harder to control in the very beginning (since this was my first one)?

[runstop]

Sounds to me like you're on the right track. I occasionally have lucid dreams (only when I nap during the day, oddly enough), and I can tell you from experience that yes, you can slip in and out of the "lucid" aspect, and sometimes there are still parts you can't control.

I would have been surprised if you had a "perfect" lucid dream the first time. It all gets easier with practice, so the more lucid dreams you have and the more you get accustomed to the "feeling," the longer they can last, and the more you can remember.

Good luck!

[0turner0]

Yes, lucidity in dreams in often walking the razor's edge - if you don't concentrate on it enough, you'll never realize you're dreaming, but if you focus too much you'll end up waking yourself up.
It's helpful to have some sort of mental trigger to get into a routine of doing, if you're looking to become consistently lucid in dreams.
For example - every time you look at your watch or your hands, do a reality check: see if you're awake or dreaming.
You'll find yourself performing this action in dreams, realizing you're not really awake, and you can go lucid quite easily.
Then it's just the matter of enjoying it and controlling it while maintaining a certain sense of calm detachment - too much excitement can pull you out [or in] as well.
For help remembering your dreams, go over them first thing when you wake up - otherwise they're much more easily forgotten. Even better is keeping a dream journal beside your bed if you've got that kind of time.
I really miss this stuff, I was a great lucid dreamer several years ago... then life [read: drugs] happened, and I'm trying to regain my skills.
Quick affirmations of your desires to lucid dream before bed are also very helpful.
Anyway, that's my two cents worth of advice on the matter.

[warpadice]

THX, that was very couraging. I'll try the thing with the watch; I've read about reality checks, but combined with watches they'll probably work better, because I use the watch as my main timepiece. The watch itself might also work as a reality tester, because watches tend to not work properly in dreams.

During my striving for lucidity (which has now lasted for about three weeks), I've actually recorded my dreams on paper when I woke up. I've also tried [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dreams#Wake-back-to-bed_.28WBTB.29]this[/url] method a few times, but without success. It gave me some exciting non-lucid dreams, though.

0turner0, I grieve for you losing your dreams to the drugs. Hope you'll regain your skills!