I have kept a dream diary on and off for many years. In that time I have experienced lucidity on three occasions. I was thinking about these tonight and found your site as a result. I have found the records I made at the time of two of these dreams and have enclosed them just now In case you want to include them in your archive. Be warned that both are just as written upon waking and were done with speed rather than grammar in mind.
Chip Shop (14/02/93)
God this is so amazing. I dreamed that I was in the "Kiwi" chip shop with a girl called Dolores, and suddenly ( just before leaving infact ) - I realised that I was dreaming and started to have a lucid dream. I've never done this before and I couldn't believe it was happening. In the Kiwi there was a really strong smell of burgers and onions cooking, and I reflected upon the fact that this was happening and it was only a dream. I looked at Dolores, and she was looking back at me, right into my eyes, and she was so real. She had a sort of half questioning, half pleased look about her. Then the onions started stinging my eyes and I said I'd have to go and wait outside. On the way out ( I was still holding the fact that I was dreaming clearly in my mind and had a really smug sort of smile that kept crossing my face involuntarily), I was thinking that it was odd that the smell of onions should go for my eyes because I was actually lying in sleeping in bed and my eyes should be shut and couldn't be hurt. This must have confused me or something because the lucidity ended there.
Light Switch Test (02/06/94)
After 13 days of trying for it I finally had a lucid experience, although it was rather confused and short lived compared with 14/02/93.
I was in my sister's room when suddenly I realised that I was dreaming because I shouldn't be there. I nearly lost it however because I became certain within the lucid dream that I was actually awake since everything was so clear (mentally). I became furious that I had woken up at such an important moment and tried to get back to sleep. Doing this nearly lost the lucidity as I was actually trying to let my consciousness go, but at the last moment I remembered that no matter how clear things were I couldn't actually be in my sisters room.
The buzz I began to feel is indescribable, an experience of such power and excitement mixed with achievement.
I kept telling myself to hold onto it because I could feel it slipping ~ I wanted to do something positive, and remembering Fred's book's light switch test for dream lucidity I staggered across the room to the switch.
I flicked it and right enough there was no change in the lighting. ( was this because I expected this after reading it, or because it is an actual fact? ) Certain of the fact I was dreaming, my mind began to race .... what did I want to happen???
Unfortunately I lost the thread shortly afterwards without bringing in any elements. One thing that has struck me is that lucidity itself may be nothing more than an illusion. How do I know that the consciousness experienced is nothing more than a dream itself, and that it simply feels as if consciousness is being experienced in the same way that regular dream features are experienced. If you can dream you have woken up, then surely you can dream that you are conscious within a dream rather than actually being in that state of consciousness.
Notes.
1) The "Kiwi" chip shop is real, but the girl "Dolores" has no existence outside the dream.
2) My sister lived in a different house, that's why I was so sure that I couldn't be in her room.
3) Fred is real .... a friend of mine who I had been discussing lucidity with.
4) The "light switch test" was something we had read about .... according to this book there was a constant factor in lucid dreams that light could not be switched on or off. This held true on this occasion .. but I must admit to being sceptical of it as a hard and sure rule given other dream experiences I have had.
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