New to LD, trying to find a method right for me

Before I start, I'd like to say that I'm new here and any help is greatly appreciated! =)

For now, I'm on a school schedule, going to bed around 10-11 and waking up at 6:30. For this type of schedule is it better for me to try one method over another? I would prefer to WILD because I'm under the impression that with the WILD technique you can choose when to LD. However, I will do either method.


Also, I have some other general questions:
1. When you first started to LD, what method worked your first time?
2. Which method is most reliable now?
3. Which provides the best lucid dreams for you?

thanks for anyone that can help ;)

Yo! Love the screen name, great Naughty by Nature song reference :shadewink:

To answer your ques:

1. DILD is working for me because I haven't gone directly into a lucid dream but have to recognize I'm dreaming before I gain lucidity. I have tried Wake-Back-to-Bed (WBTB) but not WILD yet. My schedule is similar to yours, a good time to try WBTB or WILD is during the weekends when you wake up then read, draw, write, do math, meditate etc to stimulate the mind for a while then go back to bed to try either technique.

2. I've been using a basic MILD strategy, and accomplishing my DILDs by using reality checks and setting my intention to "remember to recognize that I am dreaming." Also, about 4-5 times a day, I'll focus on becoming aware and observant of my surroundings to check for anything odd or out-of-the-ordinary. This "awareness of reality" carries over to my dreamworld, where I'll notice that certain things are out of place or they are changing in front of my eyes.

3. The "best" lucid dream I've had was before I came to the forums, it was another DILD where somehow I just knew I was dreaming instantly. I felt in complete control, I flew often, I explored the dreamworld, and had a lot of fun doing so!

Definitely read up on the different strategies, try them out on your own time - everyone is an individual, you may find that the most effective technique is a combo of 2 or a variation of any of the established ones. As Stephen LaBerge and Howard Rheingold write in Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming:

"All the many techniques and exercises presented work for some people, but how effective each exercise will be for you depends on your individual psychology and physiology. Experiment with the exercises, test them for yourself, and see what works best for you."

Sweet dreams!

-DC

Thanks the reply :) I'm trying out a new method I found called CANWILD where u wakeup midsleep with an alarm to enter a wild. Hope it works, it looks promising.

if you have time and you are really dedicated you could try the WBTB method for a week. i have only done it a few times, and i never got a lucid dream, but each time i did recall a lot more dreams (really vivid too). good luck!

If you're really worried about losing sleep, then yes, canwild is perfect. It's essentially a DEILD, and fast forwards the whole WILD process. If you fail, so be it, get your sleep and try again the next night. Good luck, and keep us posted!