Advice on Method

[Gunslingermonk]

Hi guys, I know this has probably been brought up many times but I was hoping for like one on one sort of information. I am brand new to the idea of lucid dreaming but am fascinated by it and would like a decent routine to work through. I am trying to go through the MILD technique, for example I am spending 5 minutes laying in bed before sleep relaxing and trying to chill out. I then start my mantra, currently for remembering dreams, ‘I will wake after my dreams and remember them’. I have only been doing this for a week and haven’t had any results, I am guessing that this may take some time. I thought I would ask and check whether I am going about this correctly and whether there are any improvements I need to make. I’m thinking, when my recall becomes better to then change my mantra to ‘I will become lucid when I am dreaming’. I also choose three object/activities in the morning when I wake up, I then do a RC whenever I perform these tasks. Is there anything you guys can suggest to help me on my path to lucidity! Thanks.

[Zoth]

Have you tried given a read to the recently made MILD tutorial? In it, you can read that the deal of the mantras is not about the words, it's about the connection you make between the sentence and your intention. If you were disciplined on your goal, even a mantra of "Banana" could do the job, as long as it clearly reminded your of your wish to lucidity. And in case you ask, don't use "banana" as your mantra We use specific related sentences/words because they make the though redirection/memory retrieval process much easier/faster. As the tutorial itself mentions, there is no fixed time for a lucid dream occurrence. It depends on so many factors (I'm sure that many of them are still unknown to us) that is literally impossible to guess. Some people take a few days, others take weeks, others take more than a month. You can indeed speed up the process by focusing harder and increasing the frequency of your exercises/practice, but in the end, you're merely increasing the odds, not achieving a granted occurrence. Besides, you're mostly stressing yourself if you dwell too much on this issue. Relaxing and just keeping the practice up seems the best way to induce lucid dreams. Besides, stress kills recall and lucidity Here's some questions of things that might appear obvious, but many people forget to check: - Are you still questioning yourself? Doing reality checks? - Is your amount of sleep time decent? - Is your recall good? - How much time a day are you taking to think about lucidity? Do you remember your intention as soon as you wake up? For last, 1 week is by no means a huge amount of time. In an experience I once did, achieving lucidity only by the use of reality checks (not even questioning or dream journal) it took 21 days to get a lucid. On other occasion, it took me 3 days. Other occasion, it took me 1 week. As you can see, it varies a lot, unless you maintain a steady practice based on habit formation, which can take quite a while.

[Gunslingermonk]

Thank you for your detailed response. I believe that the passion I have to want to become lucid is coming through when i say my mantra. I dont say it out loud, I repeat it in my head while visualizing the dream I wish to be taken on. I do have a sense of belief in my words though. I think ultimately I knew this wasnt going to be a set in stone thing and am aware there is no time scale. I think I'm just looking for a bit of guidance on my method and technique. i.e dream recall mainly as mine is not very good. Do you have any suggestions? I reality check all day currently, as i have an office job I sit and think about why I am checking and what would happen to my hand if I was dreaming. I then imagine what dreams I would like to have, literally to the point of day dreaming. The memory of my intention in the morning is definitely something that I need to work on. Also what are the relaxation methods that you use?

[Zoth]

dream recall mainly as mine is not very good. Do you have any suggestions? You can always refer to our Dream Recall Compendium for detailed information. Here's some tips: - Fixed and regular sleeping schedule. Not only your body get's better quality sleep, you'll also have an easier time identifying whether you were in REM or not, and can make proper adjustments (also pretty useful for WILD); - Dream journal: work on it. This means don't stop at writing down your dreams. Interact with them, look for dream signs, read them twice a day, get used to identify possible ways to recognize you're lucid. Don't remember your dreams: doesn't matter, still write on your DJ about your situation. - Improve memory by paying more attention. ADA is a pretty nice technique that can also help recall, as it's based on the concept of mindfulness. - WBTB is a good way to increase recall, and a big aid to MILD as well. The memory of my intention in the morning is definitely something that I need to work on. All memory honestly As you can read in the MILD tutorial, prospective memory (which also relies on retrospective memory) is one of the core principles of many DILD techniques. Becoming more aware of yourself (especially in times of distraction: a dull moment on office might not be as big challenge as a family dinner for example), will not only improve your memory but also give you the ability to recognize your position on the current reality. Hope this helped

[Gunslingermonk]

Yeah again fantastic response thank you. Couple of questions, so, If I dont remember any dreams in the morning still write down that there was nothing I can remember? Also what is ADA, I am fairly new to this so am not in tune with all the different techniques. Thanks.

[gab]

Couple of questions, so, If I dont remember any dreams in the morning still write down that there was nothing I can remember? Also what is ADA, I am fairly new to this so am not in tune with all the different techniques. If you don't remember anything at all, write something positive, like "my memory is good and recall getting better every day". This will serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy and will let your mind know, what do you want. But if you remember something, even if it's just certain feeling, or color, or "there was something about something", write it down. You will build up on that. And ADA is one form of practicing daytime awareness. Which is crucial for a lucid dreamer. I really like the explanation of awareness in this article http://www.dreamviews.com/wild/13181...prep-part.html. Good luck

[Gunslingermonk]

Brilliant thank you. Just as an update, last night I remembered two full dreams and I put that down to all the practice. Ive been reality checking 15-20 times a day properly and have been using meditation techniques before bend. When I am on the verge of sleep I have been saying my mantra in my head. This morning I woke up and wrote a whole page for each dream I had. A massive improvement for me and I have not felt this happy and refreshed for a long time. Just hope it continues to improve.

[Zoth]

Keep going that's the spirit! Sometimes you may experience extreme positive results and negative results on pair (one day after the other), but just keep going, you're body will get used soon enough to relax when you wake up and you'll have an easier time focusing on dream recall