Thread: New approach to lucid dreaming?

I've tried using mantras in this manner before with a bit of success and have been recently been thinking about trying it again, just to prove to myself that I have free will during my non-lucid dreams.

One time, I tried this by repeating I'm dreaming over and over while falling asleep in an attempt to say I'm dreaming during the dream. I actually did successfully incubate saying "I'm dreaming" during the dream, but a DC replied "No you aren't," and I said "Okay!" and never became lucid.

I think this has potential, but the main problem I've found with it is that many times it takes me a lot of time to fall asleep while repeating a mantra, and frankly I find it a bit of a pain repeating a mantra. I think these problems are fixable though, so I'm trying to figure how to fall asleep faster while repeating a mantra. I think that will be my project tonight.

Originally Posted by dolphin

I've tried using mantras in this manner before with a bit of success and have been recently been thinking about trying it again, just to prove to myself that I have free will during my non-lucid dreams.

One time, I tried this by repeating I'm dreaming over and over while falling asleep in an attempt to say I'm dreaming during the dream. I actually did successfully incubate saying "I'm dreaming" during the dream, but a DC replied "No you aren't," and I said "Okay!" and never became lucid.

I think this has potential, but the main problem I've found with it is that many times it takes me a lot of time to fall asleep while repeating a mantra, and frankly I find it a bit of a pain repeating a mantra. I think these problems are fixable though, so I'm trying to figure how to fall asleep faster while repeating a mantra. I think that will be my project tonight.

Iv noticed the last thing you think of before you sleep can have an effect.....maybe close your eyes and do whatever you do to get closer to sleep and when you feel comfortable and like your close to falling asleep maybe then say the mantra....i think maybe just saying it like 10.yimes before you sleep and do it everytime you sleep should help i think.Good luck dolphin and let me know if you have any luck =)

There may be a small flaw in your approach, Clidu.

Remembering your sleeping body is meant to be a method to use after you are lucid, to strengthen your lucidity by reconnecting your access to memory during the dream. In addition to that all-important access, by tapping your short-term memory in such a way you are reminding yourself that the world you are currently navigating is not real, and that your physical body is actually right where you left it, lying in bed fast asleep, and this heightens your self-awareness/lucidity. So, because this technique doesn't come into play until after you are lucid, I really don't think it would work very well as an induction method.

Plus: as Dolphin already sort of suggested, repeating a mantra (or setting an intention right before sleep sets in) about remembering your sleeping body might result in a NLD where you do indeed remember your sleeping body, but are never lucid. In a sense, by doing this you would incubate a dream about remembering your sleeping body.

I would recommend using other methods to become lucid, and save remembering your sleeping body for after lucidity sets in, so that you can access memory, remind yourself that the dream is not real, and generally improve your experience.

Oh, and here is a tidbit you might not like: if you are attempting to remember where your sleeping body is during a LD, and cannot, you might not be lucid, or at best, your lucidity is extremely weak. The reason remembering your sleeping body is a good technique is because it is a very easy thing to remember, given that lying in bed to go to sleep is your most recent waking-life activity. If you think are lucid and can't remember this, there is an excellent chance you are simply dreaming that you are lucid and trying to remember your sleeping body. All is not lost, though: if you can remember that you ought to be able to remember your sleeping body easily, then that extra bit of remembering might just bring on actual lucidity.

tl;dr: I suggest that you save remembering your sleeping body until after you are lucid, when doing so can help you access memory and strengthen lucidity. Doing so before you are lucid might lead to NLD's about remembering your sleeping body (or about not being able to remember where you left it).

I see your point exactly and iv had some lucid dreams where i know exactly where my body is and what time it is in waking life which is a string lucid but then like you say iv also had weak lucids where i dont know where my waking body is.
Ill fond my path eventually....just figuring my way to lucid all the time exites me aswell as normal dreams which keeps me going =) thanks for the reply =)