This has probably been done before, but i think it would be interesting to see any link between age and time taken to have your first lucid dream.  What age did u start attempting to lucid dream, and how long did it take for you to achieve your 1st LD.  I started when i was 17 and had my 1st after about 3 long months.

Let's see, I was 17 as well, and I had my first lucid dream the night I first learned of them.

I had a spontaneous LD when I was 26 - one of the greatest I've ever had (could be described as an OBE, I guess). When I started working seriously at LDs it took two or three months to have a nice long one. I was 35 then. (But I had a few lucid flashes which woke me up right away in the first few weeks of trying).

I had spontaneous LDs in my youth, from as far back as I can remember - but I didn't know what they were and they were tolerated, not exploited or enjoyed.  All occurred in a bizarre empty void with featureless floor and ceiling but no walls.  These experiences faded as I reached my 20's and were completely gone by 25.

I re-discovered lucid dreaming at 45 years old.  My first lucid occurred within a few days of reading about them.  At first, I was having lucids three or four nights a week.  The frequency has reduced considerably, but I still manage on the average of one per week in between dry spells.  I'm 47 now.

:( I don't want to talk about it.

I had lucid dreams for as long as I can remember into my youth.

But more importantly, I've always heard people saying "oh yeah, I had some of those way back when I was younger. I never seem to get them anymore."

Quote from: Moonbeam on April 27, 2008, 11:17:13 AM >:( I don't want to talk about it.

LOL!

(sorry, I'm just trying to get my post count up)

Bleh, I was little, I had loads of dreams. Very, very bad dreams, as well as many good ones [but often the bad outweighed the good]. I'd become lucid from having all these dreams, but, being to young to understand, I merely kept running from the bad, not knowing that with lucidity came power, I was too scared to even try. [trust me, if you knew my childhood dreams, I would probably be considered a morbid child].

When I was older, around 8 or so, I stopped having dreams on purpose. I didn't want those ebony nightmares chasing me about, nor the terror and pain of them [funny thing is, I never was into horror or stuff like that so who knows what influenced them]. Later on I'd resort to insomnia to prevent dreams [as I was an avid dreamer by nature it appeared].

Finally, I grew tired of it. Tired of not sleeping, tired of the dreams that'd end in death, murders, darkness, clammy fear that left one gasping awake. I searched, I went through dream dictionaries, interpretations, etc. The dreams slowly subsided, the lucidity came back.

Afraid it was a sign that my "Dark Ages" would resume, I looked for what it was. To my relief, not a cycle of tragedy, but rather, something enjoyable. I embraced it and enjoyed it, looking about to find all I could of it off and on [for I didn't fully understand them still, so I didn't really try to cause them, I just embraced them when they came about on their own].

When I hit my teens, lucids became more infrequent as stress and such seeped into life. And that's when I was fully aware of lucid dreaming was and tried to purposely achieve it. [After stumbling onto a few good sites, a few good books, and so on and so forth]

There, now you have both forms of first lucid dreams. The kind from natural occurrence, and the kind purposely induced. Ish. Sorry if it turned into a rant.

Came across Dreamviews during an ICT class when I was 11 or 12. Starting pretty much from scratch (I hardly even remembered any dreams before then) I started trying to have Lucid Dreams I think it took a couple of months before I had my first one.

I don't think I had any lucidity in my dreams before then; the only dreams I remember are a couple of nightmares that I had years and years ago.

I first learned about lucid dreaming when I was 20 or 21, but thought nothing more about it other than it was some kind of druggie or shamanic practice of the Yaqui indians.  I had my first as a spontaneous LD at the age of 30 and enjoyed a few random ones per year.  About the time I turned 40, I really became interested in them and found DV just before I turned 42.

Well I first heard about Lding when I was 22 and I had my first LD on the very night of hearing about it lol I was so excited to try it I guess

I had several LDs as a kid, but they were very rare (like maybe two a year or something).

I found out about lucid dreaming when I was about 12. I'm not sure how long it took me to have my first LD after that because I didn't keep records, but I'm pretty sure it took the better part of a year. It was very slow going for me at first.

I've been lucid dreaming since a kid, but later learned that there was actually a name for it and something not everyone could do naturally. That was back in 2004 about a week before I joined DV.

I've been intriguid by dreams since I was young. I had read a number of books on dream interptetation and the like ...   So when I had a few spontaneous lucids at 30 I knew what they were. I was interested in learning more and bought EWOLD. This book actually didn't help me much. My success was mediocre with a few more lucids thereafter.

When I was 38 I rekindled my interest. By now, DV was up and I was exposed to such a wider range of info (eastern techniques, technology, lucid aids ...). I dived back in with a lot of success this time. I'm 40 now.

Just goes to show you, you need to find what works for you.

I started taking notice of my sleep paralysis when I was in my early teens.  It took me a few years to even figure out what questions to ask and what books to pick up. By the time I graduated high school I was pretty proficient in dreaming.

I'm 27 now.  I can't believe that was 10 years ago.  The dreams certainly don't come as easily now as they did then :(

I was around 22, I was reading a book called "Would Buddha Wear a Walkman" It had all these mind machines and tools for exploring consciousness. Anyway Stephen LaBerge who I never heard of that time had a 3 page section on Lucid Dreaming. I had never heard of this and didn't know it was possible to control your dreams. That night after reading it and going to bed I had a lucid, pretty strong one at that for a first one. I had to say I was blown away what I experienced and was hooked ever since.

I'm now about to turn 39 ughhhh!

Quote from: phoenelai on April 30, 2008, 11:23:00 PMI'm now about to turn 39 ughhhh!

Is it your first time?

I never attempted it, just had them since I was a kid.

Quote from: Moonbeam on May 01, 2008, 07:11:35 AMIs it your first time? Thats funny.  I'm going to steal that.

Quote from: Robot_Butler on May 02, 2008, 02:27:23 PMQuote from: Moonbeam on May 01, 2008, 07:11:35 AMIs it your first time? Thats funny.  I'm going to steal that.

I stole it, so it's justified for you to.

I started around 15 or 16 after having read Carlos Castaneda's books. I didn't even know the proper term "lucid".  I'm 32 now, and haven't noticed any link between age and lucid dreaming.  My lucids are the same as they always were.  Any increase in frequency has been due to how much time I spend thinking about it.

Quote from: Moonbeam on April 27, 2008, 11:17:13 AM >:( I don't want to talk about it. Neither do I. :( I think I was over 50, oh wait, better make that over 90 since my age just recently doubled.

Quote from: iadr on May 08, 2008, 06:15:30 PMI think I was over 50, oh wait, better make that over 90 since my age just recently doubled.

Did you just switch over to the metric system of something?

Quote from: The Cusp on May 08, 2008, 05:37:02 PMI started around 15 or 16 after having read Carlos Castaneda's books. I didn't even know the proper term "lucid".  I'm 32 now, and haven't noticed any link between age and lucid dreaming.  My lucids are the same as they always were.  Any increase in frequency has been due to how much time I spend thinking about it. I wonder if I thought a lot on it and was less stressed if it'd come to me more often...

I feel like the awkward duckling, knowing lucids young, but not what they were, then trying to regrasp onto them now that recall's gone down and possibly frequency too. I'd normally have had 1-2 by now, it's almost the 10th of May O.O

Quote from: The Cusp on May 08, 2008, 06:58:46 PMQuote from: iadr on May 08, 2008, 06:15:30 PMI think I was over 50, oh wait, better make that over 90 since my age just recently doubled. Did you just switch over to the metric system of something? Something like that.  It's called the Mortal Mist age falsification system.

I've always loved dreams, ever since I could remember a really great one I had when I was about 5 or so. I never knew about LDs until 8th grade when we were reading about Harriet Tubman. I was looking up her "Fainting Spells" on the internet one night in Feb. 2006, and I saw an ad for the Lucidity Institute. So I looked into the subject further, and I stumbled upon DV. I believe that was when I was 14, and I'm 16 now.

I started, I think, when I was 5-6 years old and am 61 now. Of course, as I suspect, many of us that started very young didn't know that it wasn't done by everyone but didn't take it seriously since the grown ups never talked about it.

Last year when I went to visit the Kogi tribe in Colombia I saw the children who are talked to about this and the adults do take it seriously.  What wonderful children (and adults).

I had a number of them in my youth, and to think of it now, I was once told by someone that "if I looked at my hand in a dream, I'd be able to control it". That thing alone gave me 2 or 3 LDs, summed up with a few other spontaneous ones.

Of course I never knew what they were, until I found out about them and joined DV, soon before turning 16. Now I get them less frequently than with my initial enthusiasm, especially due to stress, but I still do. I also VILD when I have an empty morning and ain't tired, which is somehow rare.

I stumbled upon DV at the age of fourteen, I think my first LD came at random about a month later, so I heard lucid dreaming in March 06, and had my first one April 06. I can't recall having ever had any random LDs during my childhood, I do however remember my brother telling me about one he had when he was young, that's what sparked my interest in lucid dreaming.

Its amazing to see the range of ages represented here.  How awesome is it that we have people spanning from their teens to their 60s?  Maybe I'm just not on the internet enough, but I think its pretty cool to have such open discussion between generations.

60s Robert? Surely you must be talking of 'nippers'? At 77 I still have lucid dreams (and incidentally still believe that I have a future) but my problem is in trying to induce them at will and hence membership of this forum plus the introduction by a guy who seemed to appreciate my style on another forum where I am certain he thought I was wasting my talent. There is a vast difference between longevity and senility. For example, as part of my twice weekly workout I still chase my wife into the bedroom (details supplied on request). Take a look at the photo in my profile, taken December last, to see if you can detect the zimmer.

PS I had frequent LDs early in infancy possibly around 3 years of age and maybe earlier; I simply cannot recall when they first appeared except that they seemed to be a regular part of my sleep from as far back as I can recall. During puberty their regularity returned but since, they have occurred spontaneously but only occasionally. I have had one short OBEE which I found delightful and liberating but, then, with a thud I was back into my body.

Quote from: Jennings on May 22, 2008, 02:37:05 PMThere is a vast difference between longevity and senility. For example, as part of my twice weekly workout I still chase my wife into the bedroom (details supplied on request). You tickle me!

Clairity, "I tickle you"? Move over darling!

I am into the 9th year of my second marriage but in both relationships I have always courted my wives; I never cease surprising them with gifts, usually small inexpensive but attractive or appealing ones and I take an interest too in how they dress including what's underneath. We regularly go to dinner dances where we are seldom off the floor; we simply enjoy the romantic side to the relationship. The good lady appreciates a couple of gin & tonics while I don't imbibe alcohol but it not only makes her romantic but removes her inhibitions entirely when it can be difficult trying to drive back home late evening. Sometimes, when retiring, I don't get the opportunity to remove my trousers but for some quaint reason young people don't think sex occurs in older relationships; I wonder who has been influencing them? It is surprising what goes on behind closed doors in all age groups.

I looked at those Rosy lips in your profile and the accompanying words so thought I would complete the thought:

"I'll see you in my dreams Hold you in my dreams Someone took you out of my arms Still I feel the thrill of your charms Lips that once were mine Tender eyes that shine They will light my way tonight I'll see you in my dreams"

If you like those lyrics then it sure is revealing of your maturity. I love my wife to bits but more, I care about her deeply.

Longevity is a gift and a pleasure.

I'd say that the younger you are, the higher your success, provided you have the proper motivation and methods. Before our twenties, the brain has still not fully developed. The younger you are, the more plasticity your brain has, and the more open you are to new ideas and the alteration of our old perspectives.

I bet a lucid dreaming kid would have much better control capabilities than us. We are contaminated with the tales of other lucid dreamers' failures. If a kid dreamer didn't know that "we can't read in dreams," I wonder what all-important scriptures the kid could bring back?

Quote from: Abra on May 22, 2008, 10:13:30 PMI bet a lucid dreaming kid would have much better control capabilities than us. We are contaminated with the tales of other lucid dreamers' failures. If a kid dreamer didn't know that "we can't read in dreams," I wonder what all-important scriptures the kid could bring back?

Who says that we can't read in LD's?? That is one of my tests to see if the information is coming from outside my little ego structure.  Haven't the rest of you been able to read in your LD's??

Or are you just joking?

Quote from: dallyup52 on May 22, 2008, 11:12:19 PMQuote from: Abra on May 22, 2008, 10:13:30 PMI bet a lucid dreaming kid would have much better control capabilities than us. We are contaminated with the tales of other lucid dreamers' failures. If a kid dreamer didn't know that "we can't read in dreams," I wonder what all-important scriptures the kid could bring back?

Who says that we can't read in LD's?? That is one of my tests to see if the information is coming from outside my little ego structure.  Haven't the rest of you been able to read in your LD's??

Or are you just joking?

I'm sure you've heard some of the myths...

Light switches don't work. Mirrors distort your reflection. Text changes if you re-read it.

These are common myths. Disbelief is as contagious as belief. If someone (especially a beginner) hears that "flying is difficult," they may have trouble flying, too.

Your mind makes it real, Neo.

Awesomely timed quote, huh? ^^

Quote from: Jennings on May 22, 2008, 06:26:40 PMI am into the 9th year of my second marriage but in both relationships I have always courted my wives; I never cease surprising them with gifts, usually small inexpensive but attractive or appealing ones and I take an interest too in how they dress including what's underneath. You're quite the stud Jennings. Not only that, but you have a lot of good ideas on how to keep a relationship strong. I'm learning a lot from you.  Thanks!

A couple of points on the above posts. The mind of the young below the age of 15 may be malleable but ageing does not make it less so except through ill health or bodily abuse. If my IQ has decreased it would only have done so fractionally. It is a myth to believe that the elderly lose their faculties. Indeed, some do but not everyone does. I read extensively but not fiction; my primary fields of interests are pharmaceuticals and dietetics, and I also do some individual research so I am always learning.

If when at the advanced stage to life and one needs to see an MD s/he would probably dismiss what ails one as being due to age and one may not get proper treatment but if one went with the same problem say aged thirty the treatment is likely to be more appropriate and adequate.

My younger sister, aged 76, continues to be employed caring for geriatrics most of whom are younger than she yet she has been a smoker and drinker all her life. Give her and my wife a bottle of gin and they won't be seen for the remainder of the day yet they embrace life with gusto. Over the past 5 days my sister has been low with a viral infection but it is the first occasion she has ever been ill; she never previously knew what it felt like to be unwell.

All my life, since I became self aware, I was fascinated by the difference of the sexes. In my early childhood years it delighted me to see up the skirts and dresses of young girls (they did wear them then) and the WW2 air raid shelters provided to protect the public had other uses for inquisitive, venturous, and exploratory children who were out of view of their parents who thought they were at innocent play. From puberty to my mid 60s I was driven by powerful sexual urges which proved to be a hindrance to other aspects of life. After this stage my libido diminished so rather than having sex daily and twice on Sundays it is now down to around 3-4 times a fortnight but those prime romantic moments last longer which the good lady prefers and enjoys.

I gain pleasure from observing femininity but few woman today know how to dress attractively but when they do they sure are head turners. Femininity is one of life's artistic pleasures; I can never understand guys who gain pleasure from watching (rather than participating) in sport especially that of ball games or crying over a beer in some bar.

The poet Burns once said, "Every pulse along my veins tells the ardent lover" and who could disagree with this?

Grow old gracefully!

I do agree with Jennings. The majority of the elderly don't simply "lose their ability". Learning itself is a skill, something you learn to perform to a better or worse degree. What happens is that, when people grow older, they fall into senility, and thus don't exercise their learning abilities. That's why they lose it progressively. If you're constantly practising, there's simply no reason you'll have your abilities decrease.

Though I'd also say that, up to 14 years old, a person's mind is more malleable because they still haven't learnt all the basics yet. They are more "open minded", to put it that way.

When I grow up, I definitely want to be like jennings.

Nice to know that I am someone's idol (or is it just my vanity)! "Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be" (Can't recall who said it). There sure is a vast difference between chronological age and biological age.

Quote from: Jennings on May 22, 2008, 06:26:40 PMI looked at those Rosy lips in your profile and the accompanying words so thought I would complete the thought:

"I'll see you in my dreams Hold you in my dreams Someone took you out of my arms Still I feel the thrill of your charms Lips that once were mine Tender eyes that shine They will light my way tonight I'll see you in my dreams"

If you like those lyrics then it sure is revealing of your maturity. I love my wife to bits but more, I care about her deeply.

Longevity is a gift and a pleasure. Jennings, those are indeed beautiful lyrics and, from reading your posts, it's apparent that you love your wife dearly.