Thread: Trying To Figure Out Best Method For Me...

Originally Posted by bluefinger

I've been reading up on a lot of tutorials here, and started a dream journal and everything in order to improve dream recall. Since I've started the dream journal, I'm remembering a lot of dreams I've had before, ones that have slipped my mind and now that I starting writing them down, they've been coming back to me. I've been trying to figure out the best dreaming method/preparation in order to help me achieve more lucid dreams. Firstly, I gave several attempts at WILD through a couple of afternoon naps, one time I managed to SP, even got some vibrations and a really good falling sensation. Second time, I ended up with getting pain in my left eyebrow... both times I failed to fall asleep (though that was partly due to noisy flatmates). I tried a WBTB, though that only got me a very vivid dream, though considering I'm a very heavy sleeper, and find it hard to get up in the mornings, I don't think I'll get very far using methods which require me to wake up early in the morning in order to get myself more aware (mornings are the worst times for me). I've tried a little bit on MILD, though only on getting myself to remember more dreams. First time, I got to remember three dreams in a row, and second time, only one dream.

I'm still trying to improve mental focus, and get into the habit of doing reality checks, but I guess I am going through a stressful time in the year (final year exams and assignment deadlines approaching), so I can't expect much from my dreams.

I feel that I kinda need to decide on what I need to focus on first, but I know my dream recall is alright, now that I have a dream journal, it isn't bad at all. I frequently have vivid dreams but of course, I've only had a couple of LD's in the past. So anybody can suggest a plan of action for me? I plan to take a slow but steady approach, since with exams and assignment deadlines, stress is gonna be making my life hard so I don't expect to be having LD's straight away.[/b]

Hi, sounds like Ur in-line with LDing.....I like that step by step approach... The following was the steps I used to have a DILD....I gave up at number 3 and focused on WBTB but U might want to try them.... Everyones different.

1) U have dream recall

2)* Look for dreamsigns or create one if U don't

3)#Train Ur mind to recognise the dreamsign and ask if Ur dreaming or not followed by an RC (might take quite long)

* One very good way to create a dreamsign is to choose something Ur very passionate about like a hobby or Ur GF . Just before U sleep....try thinking about that dreamsign...

# This is the tricky part...U have to 'invent' Ur own way to tag or incoporate the dreamsign with asking if Ur dreaming or not and do an RC. What I used was the differential dreamsign method...it's simply being able to tell the difference between the dreamsign in reality and the dreamsign in the dream. Most likely they will be different in certain aspects like in the case of a car the driver seat might be somewhere else or if U collect stuffs then U'll be seeing something exotic U don't have in reality...things like that. I had a few close calls.

IMJ

Well, let me see:

- You have pretty good dream recall, and quite a bunch of them are vivid dreams
- You hate/have a hard time getting up in the middle of the night/early morning, and you shouldnt be anyway because it disturbs your hard-needed sleep
- You have been succesful with a suggestion/incubation method like MILD, although not for LDs
- You've got loud roomies (sometimes anyways?)

Now if I look at both your situaton and your experience so far, the first thing I'd say that it would be better for you to focus on becoming lucid while already dreaming, rather than entering an LD consciously as that usually requires some hours of sleep first and no disturbances (so naps dont really work either because during the day there are a lot of things going on). So I wouldn't count on WILD too much right now, as WILD can be especially useful to people who wake up a lot during the night or to reenter dreams, but that doesnt seem to suit you.

I'd say, try MILD. Train your incubation techniques by first repeating what you did before, to recall more dreams. Then move on and try to incubate a certain theme into your dream, and also, lucidity. My personal take on MILD is that whats extremely important is that you are very conscious and aware of everything you incubate in your mind. So simply loading yourself with - I will become lucid, I will become lucid- a 1000 times as you fall asleep will usually get you nowhere and might even result in dreaming about you saying it, but not even become lucid

-Try pondering the nature of LDing and what exactly it means to be lucid, and while you're at, check if you are dreaming right now? And dont just check your clock and do an RC but carefully study your environment and use both logic and feeling to determine whether you are dreaming or not.
- Visualise yourself within a dream (possibly one with a recurring theme) and imagine yourself recognising the dream, attaining lucidity. And again, awareness is important. As soon as an exercise of any kind becomes too automated and mindless, the chance of having a dream about trying to become lucid grows. And those dreams are annoying!

RCs (which you say you want start using more) are great support tools for the MILD methods (whereas they are rather useless for people who prefer WILD). So keep doing them, and be sure to be creative and find many ways to check if your dreaming. Using the popular ones like checking the time all the time will fail and result in possible dreaming about doing an RC like I mentioned hehe. Use reasoning, and take a moment. What are you doing? Why are you here? Does that make sense? What time is it? Does that make sense? And, does everything around me make sense? Use feeling, does it -seem- like a dream?

Its important to customize known methods to your own needs and preferences This is simply what I learned and works better for me. To be honest, I tend more towards WILD and reentering a dream instantly when I wake up in the middle of the night (Id say 80% of my LDS are consciously entered) but everything I said works for me aswell. And checking every once in a while what the heck youre doing isnt a bad thing

Hope that helps, good luck!

Originally Posted by Lucius

Well, let me see:

- You have pretty good dream recall, and quite a bunch of them are vivid dreams
- You hate/have a hard time getting up in the middle of the night/early morning, and you shouldnt be anyway because it disturbs your hard-needed sleep
- You have been succesful with a suggestion/incubation method like MILD, although not for LDs
- You've got loud roomies (sometimes anyways?)

Now if I look at both your situaton and your experience so far, the first thing I'd say that it would be better for you to focus on becoming lucid while already dreaming, rather than entering an LD consciously as that usually requires some hours of sleep first and no disturbances (so naps dont really work either because during the day there are a lot of things going on). So I wouldn't count on WILD too much right now, as WILD can be especially useful to people who wake up a lot during the night or to reenter dreams, but that doesnt seem to suit you.

I'd say, try MILD. Train your incubation techniques by first repeating what you did before, to recall more dreams. Then move on and try to incubate a certain theme into your dream, and also, lucidity. My personal take on MILD is that whats extremely important is that you are very conscious and aware of everything you incubate in your mind. So simply loading yourself with - I will become lucid, I will become lucid- a 1000 times as you fall asleep will usually get you nowhere and might even result in dreaming about you saying it, but not even become lucid

-Try pondering the nature of LDing and what exactly it means to be lucid, and while you're at, check if you are dreaming right now? And dont just check your clock and do an RC but carefully study your environment and use both logic and feeling to determine whether you are dreaming or not.
- Visualise yourself within a dream (possibly one with a recurring theme) and imagine yourself recognising the dream, attaining lucidity. And again, awareness is important. As soon as an exercise of any kind becomes too automated and mindless, the chance of having a dream about trying to become lucid grows. And those dreams are annoying!

RCs (which you say you want start using more) are great support tools for the MILD methods (whereas they are rather useless for people who prefer WILD). So keep doing them, and be sure to be creative and find many ways to check if your dreaming. Using the popular ones like checking the time all the time will fail and result in possible dreaming about doing an RC like I mentioned hehe. Use reasoning, and take a moment. What are you doing? Why are you here? Does that make sense? What time is it? Does that make sense? And, does everything around me make sense? Use feeling, does it -seem- like a dream?

Its important to customize known methods to your own needs and preferences This is simply what I learned and works better for me. To be honest, I tend more towards WILD and reentering a dream instantly when I wake up in the middle of the night (Id say 80% of my LDS are consciously entered) but everything I said works for me aswell. And checking every once in a while what the heck youre doing isnt a bad thing

Hope that helps, good luck![/b]

Thanks... I'll definitely take that into account. I'm trying to get into the routine of reality checking and also listening to trance inducing mp3s before I go to sleep each night, so I can get into the mindset required for MILD. Either way, thanks for the tips!