I have been trying this for a long time but from a spiritual side. I have been somewhat successful at it. I say somewhat simply because lucid dreaming is not the main goal.
One of the tricks that I like is, don't laugh, to pull a finger. In a dream, this one will stretch without any difficulty. I has never failed me but once. Once I gain lucidity, I usually jump in order to fly. And yes, it is an amazing experience. By the way, from my experience, consciousness in a dream is not binary (ie., you have it or you don't). I have observed that the degree of consciousness varies depending on several factors. Some depend on your health, mentally and physically. But other factors seem to be more important, at least for me, but these are of spiritual nature which I won't discuss here.
I believe that one of the main problems on why is so difficult to become conscious in a dream is the possibility that the mind is another entity than yourself or something like that. I remember reading something along those lines when searching for meditation. I believe that Buddhism teaches something like that but I really don't remember. I was able to experience this disconnect once in a dream. I distinctively remember looking at an event which I knew was not possible, but at the same time I had a thought that said that it was possible.
Having experienced this, I know try to learn more about it. No long ago there was an post here on HN about research regarding how cutting between scenes, in a movie for example, affects memory- I think. Sadly I don't have the link. I find this very intriguing since many of my dreams are like movies where viewpoints and scenes change without me questioning it. I must admit that I have watched a lot of TV in my life and I am constantly trying to limit the amount or stop it completely. I would throw the TV out if it was up to me but it's not.
One of the tricks that I like is, don't laugh, to pull a finger. In a dream, this one will stretch without any difficulty. I has never failed me but once. Once I gain lucidity, I usually jump in order to fly. And yes, it is an amazing experience. By the way, from my experience, consciousness in a dream is not binary (ie., you have it or you don't). I have observed that the degree of consciousness varies depending on several factors. Some depend on your health, mentally and physically. But other factors seem to be more important, at least for me, but these are of spiritual nature which I won't discuss here.
I believe that one of the main problems on why is so difficult to become conscious in a dream is the possibility that the mind is another entity than yourself or something like that. I remember reading something along those lines when searching for meditation. I believe that Buddhism teaches something like that but I really don't remember. I was able to experience this disconnect once in a dream. I distinctively remember looking at an event which I knew was not possible, but at the same time I had a thought that said that it was possible.
Having experienced this, I know try to learn more about it. No long ago there was an post here on HN about research regarding how cutting between scenes, in a movie for example, affects memory- I think. Sadly I don't have the link. I find this very intriguing since many of my dreams are like movies where viewpoints and scenes change without me questioning it. I must admit that I have watched a lot of TV in my life and I am constantly trying to limit the amount or stop it completely. I would throw the TV out if it was up to me but it's not.
Hopefully someday I will become an oneironaut ;)