Help! I'm having a 4-month dry spell, and don't know what I'm doing wrong

I was first introduced to lucid dreaming this past winter. I experienced three lucid dream in quick succession and a fourth one a month later. Since then, zilch...
I do my RC's regularly during the day. I practice MILD and WILD almost daily. At some point I realized I was mostly waking from very long dreams, probably at the end of my REM cycles, and changed my mantra to waking as soon as I start dreaming, which hasn't changed much so far.
I've even purchased a REM-dreamer.
My dreams burst with potential dream signs that I analyze when I wake up. No matter what I do, my dreaming mind stays on dumb auto-pilot.
I should also say that I fall asleep very quickly. If I do relaxation exercises and let go, I say my mantra five times and I'm out. When I try to stay awake a bit longer, my mind begins to wander. When I try to focus on a mantra for a longer time, my mind starts feeling as if I were meditating, and I can't fall asleep.
Any suggestions? Thanks!

I would shoot for a DEILD. When you wake up naturally from a dream in the middle of the night try visualizing that very same dream as you drift off... all the while reminding yourself that you will become conscious in the new dream. For me this rarely sends me right back into the same dream but does seem to increase the odds of become lucid.

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

I'd agree with faceonmars, although if you fall asleep quickly maybe WILD could be your thing :)

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Originally Posted by michalginter

I was first introduced to lucid dreaming this past winter. I experienced three lucid dream in quick succession and a fourth one a month later. Since then, zilch...
I do my RC's regularly during the day. I practice MILD and WILD almost daily. At some point I realized I was mostly waking from very long dreams, probably at the end of my REM cycles, and changed my mantra to waking as soon as I start dreaming, which hasn't changed much so far.
I've even purchased a REM-dreamer.
My dreams burst with potential dream signs that I analyze when I wake up. No matter what I do, my dreaming mind stays on dumb auto-pilot.
I should also say that I fall asleep very quickly. If I do relaxation exercises and let go, I say my mantra five times and I'm out. When I try to stay awake a bit longer, my mind begins to wander. When I try to focus on a mantra for a longer time, my mind starts feeling as if I were meditating, and I can't fall asleep.
Any suggestions? Thanks!

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I'm pretty much in the same boat as you, minus the length of your dry spell. I've been sticking to my daily WBTB+MILD technique but I either fall asleep after repeating the mantra just a couple times and don't even make it to visualization, or my mind wanders to other things and by the time I bring myself back I feel like it's too late and I've sort of corrupted my chances. I would probably fare better doing WILD, but I live in a household where I'm lucky if there's even 5 minutes of silence (I asked somebody if they'd walk quieter on the floor upstairs and they said they don't make any noise, I was wrong and it was all in my head :?).

For the last couple of days I've been performing MILD while sitting up for about 5 minutes, and then I go lay down and continue the exercise. It at least let's me get the mantra in my head a bit and I feel more in control of my visualizations while sitting up. Maybe this would be worth a try for you?

Ahoj Michal,

have you tried some daytime awareness techniques? I believe that's the key to becoming lucid.

I would recommend you read about awareness in WILD class. It is good for all induction techniques, not just WILDs.
Happy dreams:alien:

I'd suggest double checking that you're not just going through the motions on RC, mantras etc Really feel the RCs, make sure the mantras have the gravitas to get into your dreaming mind.

When we're learning something new and exciting, it can be easy and lucid dreams can just flow. But after that we need to put in that little extra effort :)

As people have suggested, you can try different techniques, just to shake things up a little bit if nothing else if you feel you're in a rut.

Thanks, Milliecake! You've probably hit the nail on the head. I guess the first few LD's were, in part, dumb luck, but I remember being really excited about the whole process while now I approach it with a bit of trepidation and performance anxiety. I need to change my attitude.

Thanks for your support, everyone. Finally had a LD last night! Yipee!

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Originally Posted by michalginter

Thanks for your support, everyone. Finally had a LD last night! Yipee!

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That's awesome, congrats! What was it? DILD?

Thanks!

I intended to have a WILD but ended up with a DILD. :-)

I would try taking a break. Sometimes I get frustrated and decide to take a break for awhile. Then I get a lucid when I'm on break.