Trouble focusing.

**LittleStar** · 09-06-2012 12:03 PM

I have trouble focusing on one thing when attempting to WILD or WBTB, or even just practicing my visualisation.

I see an image or a scene, and think my brain makes an endless amount of pointless and bizzarre connections which lead into a different scene or new memory, which then puts me in a new one from there. It's an endless loop until I fall asleep into a normal dream. My brain has worked this way for as long as I can remember, even in waking.
I try to focus on my breathing or heartbeat, but get distracted by one of the images and so spoil my attempt at staying awake.

I managed to Attempt a DEILD last night for the first time, woke myself up from a dream and realised as I was doing it, so I stayed still, my eyes did open briefly, but I felt the heaviness in my legs and tried to picture my dreamscape... I couldn't focus on anything because alli saw was an endless incredibly quick stream of flashing images. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't steady the picture to create a scene.

Are there any tips for improving focus, or is this normal. Do I just need to try harder, put more effort into focussing on something??

**paigeyemps** · 09-06-2012 01:06 PM

Hmmm I haven't had this kind of problem, so I can't say for sure. But I did a bit of research and I found this.
FAT - Focus Attention Technique - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

Hope this helps, good luck!

**~~MasterMind~~** · 09-06-2012 02:10 PM

I am very philosophic so I like to THINk alot more than my mind needs...
So what I did to get to a peaceful non-thinking state was to do the opposite

THINK!

I used a method called "Image Streaming". You basically chose a posture that you don't lose consciousnes as easily in like a sitting position in the bed, then you just let your thoughts flow but everytime you think of something new, you try to see it with your mindseye and just describe it in detail so detailed so that if you talked to a friend on the phone he or she would be able to see the image in their mindseye just as you do. The key is to talk aloud, so mumble what you see, don't scream it, it might be something embarrassing "Ok I see a girl and I look down and I see big juicy uhm ORANGES in her hands..."

Haha. You get the picture (literally)... Anyway you have to say it out loud otherwise your mind will wander like crazy. If you see a dog and think "nah I don't need to describe it" then you are wrong! Describe EVERYTHING you see. After some time you might see stuff that you didn't consciously thought about yourself like the solution to a problem you have been trying to solve for some time.

So why should you do all this?

1. It's an IQ increasing method.
2. You practice your visualization skills.
3. And three you practice your ability to focus and learn how to enter a meditative state.

When I first did this I got to a point where all my thoughts were gone and even if they were still there they were very distant and far away hard to describe, a monk would probably call it Zen.

Good luck

**LittleStar** · 09-07-2012 09:47 AM

These are both very interesting ideas. Am definately going to try the FAT technique, at the least it will be a good visualisation and thought exercise. Thanks.
But, mastermind, again good advice and help. I would imagine this is exactly the solution to my problem, keeping a mental link to the thoughts is perfect for me. I shall most definately be practicing this technique as part of my routine.