Hi Tony,

Thanks for your note! I appreciate your acknowledgment. When I first
began participating here, I was the one who had all the questions and
problems, and the good folks here helped me out a lot. I guess gradually
over time, I've grown, and I'm pleased I'm able to help out others now, in
the little ways I can.

Regarding your questions, yes, I found that the best mental state to
induce lucidity is one of restfulness and stresslessness. So, getting
enough sleep will definitely help.

Regarding problems encountered in lucid dreaming, most of the ones I've
experienced were during the early stages, when I first began actually
becoming lucid. The first time, I was so surprised that I woke up almost
immediately. (It really is a shocking realization, but in a good sense,
like getting totally surprised at a surprise party.) But I quickly
overcame this initial feeling of surprise, and was able to stay in the
dream longer and longer.

Also, sometimes lucidity begins to fade in a prolonged dream, and I can
feel it coming to an end. There are ways I've learned to prolong
lucidity, and one is "spinning" ... that is, to imagine myself spinning
around and around, faster and faster. It's a remarkable technique that
really works. By spinning, I can quickly re-establish lucidity and
prolong the dream, often to new depths. I don't know why it works.
There must be a physiological reason, because it is so effective and
always works for me.

In general, though, all my lucid experiences have been very positive.
Indeed, sometimes, my lucidity saves me from what would have been a
frightening nightmare. For example, my dream may start out normal, and I
would get into a bad situation, like falling off a cliff or being attacked
by some vicious animal, etc., but then I would become lucid, and I could
easily laugh at the apparently dire situation and turn it into a pleasant
adventure. Falling off a cliff - no problem - I just soar away into the
sunset. Vicious animal attack - no problem - I just turn it into a cute
puppy. Lucidity has always given me control over the dream, and I've
always thoroughly enjoyed them. It's an extremely liberating ability.

It's funny ... when I told my dad about lucid dreaming, he was immediately
suspicious. He's a religious man, and he believed lucid dreaming was an
opening for demon possession. So, at first, he was very resistant to the
idea. Well, it turns out that he himself enjoyed a lucid dream after a
short time, and he reported it was quite a nice experience. He didn't
pursue it, though, because it is not important to him. But he feels less
suspicious about the whole concept in general now.

The best lesson I've learned from lucid dreaming is lucid living. Yes,
lucidity during sleep is quite fun, but far more important is living life
lucidly.

Well, let me know if you have other questions, but if not, I wish you the
best in your life and dreams,

HF