Last MILD doubts to clear up before striking for lucidity

Posting this because my working schedule has just changed: I have around 11months of regular sleep schedule (5 days per week going to bed/waking up at same hour). Due this is my intention to finally clear up any remaining doubts about the method I'm going to choose so I can steady practice 7 days a week

- Traditional MILD from what I've read, is using a mantra like "I will become lucid when I next dream". But how does this works if when we dream we think that we are awaken? Just the simple wanting to become lucid will act as a done reality check and instantly give us lucidity, or the intention will at most make us wonder if we're dreaming? Because these non-visual mantras seem easier for non-experienced ppl The one I was thinking is "next time I dream, I will RC"

- My dream Recall went bad. I'm not concerned just need to get an alarm that doesn't require me to move, but I shouldn't mix my MILD mantra with "I will remember my dreams" right?

- Which one seems to be more effective after 6 hours of sleep and considering 8,5 hours of sleep:

a) 2-5mins WBTB and MILD for 2,5 hours
b) 1 hour WBTB and MILD/WILD for 2,5 hours
c) 30mins medidation + 30mins focusing on goal (that's 1 hour on complete darkness) and MILD for 1,5 hours.

I know I will probably have to test them, it's just I haven't a clue about WBTB. I once did WBTB (the one refered on LaBerge book where he says don't sleep for 2 hours, MILD intensely and then enjoy increased REM) without the MILD and had a very long non-lucid, but when I tried shorter WBTBs...I really have no clue, since I'll be doing MILD I shouldn't worry about doing longer WBTBs since I can't always mantra for a bit and then fall asleep normally right?

ps: the theory of "wbtb enough to stay awake and short enough to be able to fall asleep" doesn't seem to apply me to me :cheeky: I can be awaken for 2mins and can't fall asleep again, or be awake for 1 hour and easily fall asleep 0o don't know if it has anything to do with exposing myself to light.

apologizes for the wall of text, just want to finally get totally serious about lding without having to stop to wonder if I'm doing the things in the right way :)

- What is most important is to have strong intentions of getting lucid. The mantra will help you, but just like it says, it's supposed to "strengthen" that resolve and you're trying to assure yourself that you're actually going to get lucid. What you say isn't very important, but make sure that you believe in the words you choose. Whenever I have done mantras I just spontaneously get lucid like that. I always use the mantras: "I'm dreaming" or "I lucid dream." They're both short and effective for me when combined with visualizations.

- You can have more than one mantra, but I suggest you stick to one to really focus on it. But like I said, it's more the intentions than the words themselves that count.

- Your WBTB's can be around 1-50 minutes long. This is completely individual and you should try out different amount of times and see which one suits you. I myself found out that after 40 minutes of staying up, I had a little hard time falling asleep. 25-35 minutes is perfect for me. The longer you stay up the higher chance of getting lucid, but smaller chance of falling back asleep. You should do the WBTB at 4½ hours or 6 hours into sleep. After 7½ hours you can wake up practicly whenever since you're almost always in REM at the later part of sleep.

Those days you can't go back to sleep, sounds like your body has had enough of it already. Try physically exhausting yourself or doing a REM rebound the day before and you should fall right back to sleep.

Good luck!

I wouldn't recommend WBTB after 8.5 hours, because the average person doesn't sleep that long (usually), and I would definitely have an issue getting back to sleep if I did!
When MILDing I've found that with a mantra try to imagine a scene of you becoming lucid, this varies from person to person dependent on visualization ability!
To add on what Matte said, if you cant get back to sleep, perhaps don't stay up as long, for me I only need to stay up for about 5 -10 mins before I become too awake.
Hope it helped, ;)

I said after 6 hours arch ehehe :cheeky:

I had a lucid doing 2,5 hours of WBTB the night after posting this, but I think it's too much. Tried one today but didn't work, I was worried about job so stress made me wake up several times breaking all my focus on the mantra.

I wonder if that situation described in LaBerge book works for you guys?

wake up at like 4,5 hours after going to bed
staying up for like 2-3 hours
go to bed: you should have increased REM

I think this may be the method that works for me, because after those 2,5 I was so tired and sleepy but all I could think of was my mantra, I guess that's why I had the lucid. I just don't know if you actually gain the REM time back from those 2 hours of being awaken 0o