Really need some help - feeling like I don't know how to improve from now on

Hello everyone, this is my first post here on Dream Views, but I've been reading a lot of topics for a while and wish to congratulate you all for this awesome community you got here. Also, excuse my english, it's not my native language.

So let's cut to the chase. I've been dedicating some time to lucid dreaming for a couple months, and as far as I can remember I've had around five or six lucid dreams so far. They were short and I had only a little control over them.
This is what I've done so far:

- keep a dream journal: this is becoming a questionable one for me. Even if I update my journal almost everyday as precisely as I can remember a dream per night, it didn't help me finding dream signs. I only have one good DS, but I know I shouldn't depend only on that one to achieve lucidity. Should I stop keeping the journal?

- doing RC's during the day: I always RC whenever I remember to do them (I have a cellphone wallpaper that reminds me to do it). But even if I RC a lot in the awake life, I never RC during a dream. The only times I got lucid were when I randomly questioned my state upon seeing something strange (even though a LOT of weird things happen everyday in my dreams, but I almost never question them) and them did the RC and it confirmed I was dreaming, or I saw the only dream sign I've found out so far.

- tried WILD, but no success so far: yeah I tried it just for shits and giggles, but I was actually kinda afraid it would actually work. it seems like a very scary experience. My question is: What exactly is the connection between WILD and sleep paralysis to lucid dreaming. How is SP going to get me lucid? Are those absolutely necessary?

So, I'd like to ask you how should I proceed now, since I feel I've been stuck on the same level for quite some time, not improving at all and have no idea what techniques should I try now or if I should continue doing what I've been doing so far. Here are a few questions:


- Do I need to change something, or try a different induction technique since it's been so hard to me to question my state during a dream and actually get lucid? Most of my LD's only happened due to a random occurrence that led me into questioning my state.

- Even my lucid dreams felt very vague and not vivid at all. They didn't feel any different from other dreams I have. Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to turn these lucid dreams into a more "real" situation?

- This technique kinda helped me get some results. It led me into a LD once.
Any advice on how to improve with it or is it not good at all?

tl;dr - I feel like I'm not improving much at all with just RC's and a DJ, need advice.

Okay well firstly you are tackling LDing kinda wrong. The way to become good at DILD is by awareness, every time you remember question reality and pay notice to all your senses. Look up the ADA or SAT tutorials.

Wild isn't scary, if you eckspect it to be scary it will, I love the sensation.

Yeah thanks for the advice. I'll also try your tutorial. I have a feeling it will help me a lot

My best advice to you is to focus on your awareness. I don't know how it worked I just know that it did... So sorry for not being able to describe why :)

Reality checks is an important thing, but I don't really need to look on my hands or pinch my nose in order to realize that I am lucid, I somehow just remember the feeling of my awareness in a dream.
When I started I didn't remember a single dream... Then I started to focus on my dreams and suddenly remembered a fragment perhaps that it was about me in a school or what ever.
Then I remembered one whole dream and eventually started doing this routine which made me remember even more dreams! (Although not whole dreams but more scenarios in detail)
http://www.dreamviews.com/f15/if-you...ams-try-93005/

When I remembered that many dream scenarios the next step was to not having to recall the dreams anymore, instead you already remember them becuase you experienced it and not because you recall them, if that makes sense.

Then I started to feel like I was awake but another person so I was sort of half schizophrenic and I controled my actions although I didn't knew I was dreaming.

Eventually this awareness was enough to suddenly think "What am I doing? Oh I am dreaming".

So use your dream recall as a meassurement of awareness. More vivid dreams and better recall indicated that you are close to actually become lucid.
Don't aim for the lucid dream aim for general awareness in your dreams, everything become so much more simple.

This is how the steps looked for me, perhaps your steps will look different.

I read a thread that suggested that memory practice increase the chance to lucid dream, so I guess that's one theory behind this, although I like to refer to it as awareness. Also look in my Dream Journal for Reece Jones Five Layer of Lucidity which makes you meassure your lucidity easier as well.

Good luck :shadewink:

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Originally Posted by gndiego

- keep a dream journal: this is becoming a questionable one for me. Even if I update my journal almost everyday as precisely as I can remember a dream per night, it didn't help me finding dream signs. I only have one good DS, but I know I shouldn't depend only on that one to achieve lucidity. Should I stop keeping the journal?

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I know it may not seem worthwhile if you can't become lucid through identifying your dream signs, but a dream journal is much more than that. It not only helps you identify common themes in your dream, it also helps you build more awareness each day. Although, it may not be the type of awareness you're seeking, it does help in the long run in making sure you're mind makes recalling dreams like second nature.

For some people, it's really hard to do that because they don't have enough discipline. I try my best to keep a daily dream journal, no matter how little the details, no matter how random the dreams may be, I try my best to add every single detail that can come into my mind. Dream journals may not be required, but it is a huge supplement to remember the experiences of when you were lucid.

To me, keeping a dream journal is just something I want to maintain to keep up with looking forward to the days where I can lucid dream often. I've only had a few lucid dreams every since I joined this forum, and had moments where I wanted to give up, but it would just put all the efforts in vain if I did that. Think about it this way, even though the dream journal may not seem it's helping you with finding your dream signs, it is your effort in remembering something at least, and that's better than not remembering any of your dreams at all.

If you stopped keeping up with your dream journal, you never know if you may have forgotten a dream where you were lucid. A dream journal is one of the most important fundamentals, in my opinion, because if you can't constantly remember your dreams, you'll just be back at square one.

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- tried WILD, but no success so far: yeah I tried it just for shits and giggles, but I was actually kinda afraid it would actually work. it seems like a very scary experience. My question is: What exactly is the connection between WILD and sleep paralysis to lucid dreaming. How is SP going to get me lucid? Are those absolutely necessary?

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Try going here: http://www.dreamviews.com/f156/what-...d-here-133091/

If you read on other people's experiences, you may find solutions to what you're having trouble with, and some may have had the same dilemma as you.

Quote:

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- Do I need to change something, or try a different induction technique since it's been so hard to me to question my state during a dream and actually get lucid? Most of my LD's only happened due to a random occurrence that led me into questioning my state.

- Even my lucid dreams felt very vague and not vivid at all. They didn't feel any different from other dreams I have. Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to turn these lucid dreams into a more "real" situation?

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Think of it this way, when you're dreaming, you assume you are in reality, and when you're lucid, you feel like you're in a dream. If you want to have a more "real" situation, maybe if you shift your thinking to that instead, then you might start paying attention the dream signs in a different way.

Quote:

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- This technique kinda helped me get some results. It led me into a LD once.
Any advice on how to improve with it or is it not good at all?

tl;dr - I feel like I'm not improving much at all with just RC's and a DJ, need advice.

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I'm not a really avid lucid dreamer myself, but I do still try to recall as many dreams as I can, and in as much detail as I can, because I know that eventually, I'll find something that will click to trigger it. :)

It's really a battle within, trying to filter out where your mind will trick you through false awakenings, dream logic, things of that nature. You're shifting to something that you were unconscious of most of your life, it will take perseverance, but you can do it.

There may be people who can lucid dream naturally, but just know that practice will always help with consistency, and the efforts will give you a more rewarding experience than those who have it given to them without any effort.

Wish you the best.

Hello gndiego,

Keep up the dream journal as the others are urging you to do. I once went a week without keeping a journal just to see what would happen, and I think I remembered one or two dreams the entire week. When I write in my journal as soon as I wake up(it's literally the first thing I think of in the morning and the first thing I complete) I can recall up to 5 dreams a night. A lot of times there are common themes within all my dreams throughout a single night, so when I begin writing about one dream, something causes me to recall a second dream. I would advise to never stop with the dream journal.

Im in the same boat as you on the reality checks. I've never done a reality check such as reading or trying to fly or putting my fingers through my palm. I agree with dutchraptor and mastermind when it comes to awareness. I practice ADA with my reality checks. 2 of my 3 lucids so far were a result of ADA. I look for strange events or changes in my waking life and then ask myself if I'm dreaming, then I try to find proof that I'm awake. This has carried over into my dreams several times.

Lastly, don't be afraid to WILD. I've attained one lucid (possibly 2, I couldn't tell if one of them was a dream or not) through WILDing and it they have produced the best experiences for me. I've posted the visualization method I use for WILDing in the attaining lucidity forum. When wilding, try not to focus on sleep paralysis. Instead focus on visualization.

Good Luck!

http://www.dreamviews.com/f12/lucid-...-guide-135939/

Try that.

@MasterMind: So, I'll follow your advice and read those All day awareness threads. Also, i'll try your advice on dream recall.

@LinkZelda: Good thread on Wild attempts. Reading all those testimonies sure will clear out a lot of my questions.

@Chung: So you're saying ADA is easier to carry on to dreams than the reality checks themselves? That's unexpected.

@Daban: Thanks for the advice, I almost always sleep around 1am-3am, and have never practiced mantras. In all honesty, I don't even have an idea how to pull them off.

Yea, I never LD when I go to bed at 1-3 am. I dont even expect to.
Try go to bed at 10 and fall asleep before 11.