Thread: 1 year, not a single LD

Laurelindo has good points.

I would like yo add, if you keep doing the exact same thing every night for a year. You are expecting to fail each night. Change things around little by little. Expect things to work.
Your subconscious expectation seems to be that you are not going to LD. When dealing with lucid dreams, subconscious expectation is a biiiiiiiig deal. Maybe the most important thing to lucidity.

Also, what are you doing for recall right now?

Originally Posted by Laurelindo

Do you find the quest for lucid draming fun?
Make sure you feel that it's something you actually look forward to and feel excited about, not just as something you "must" achieve.
If you try too hard then you will be more focused on the frustration itself, and this makes it harder to focus on actual lucid dreaming.

Also, I recommend that you sit down right now and make a list of things you want to experience in your first lucid dream.
One very common mistake is to strive for "a lucid dream" - what's that?
A "lucid dream" is not a concrete event, it's just a term, so make sure you specify exactly what you want to dream about or imagine an actual scenario.
One relatively easy affirmation or "mantra" could be to imagine yourself jumping into the air and flying, and then you can imagine that scenario while you are falling asleep and repeat firmly to yourself "I jump, and fly away..." or something similar that feels concise and to the point.
I actually recommend "I jump, and fly away..." because I like the sound of that mantra, it has a pretty nice ring to it.

Of course, it might feel like repeating a mantra will "only" lead to dreaming about something without becoming lucid - but you could actually become lucid from the event itself, since you might recognize it and suddenly say to yourself "hey, this was my lucid dreaming goal!".

I already have goals that i really want to achieve when LDing
they are goals that i will never forget, so my subconscious won't too

Originally Posted by BrandonBoss

Laurelindo has good points.

I would like yo add, if you keep doing the exact same thing every night for a year. You are expecting to fail each night. Change things around little by little. Expect things to work.
Your subconscious expectation seems to be that you are not going to LD. When dealing with lucid dreams, subconscious expectation is a biiiiiiiig deal. Maybe the most important thing to lucidity.

Also, what are you doing for recall right now?

what do you mean "doing for recall right now"?

Originally Posted by Iriba

what do you mean "doing for recall right now"?

What are you doing to recall dreams? I don't understand what you mean. Do you not practice recall?

Have you tried just taking a break completely from trying to lucid dream? That is actually how I had my first lucid dream. I had studied lucid dreaming for a long time and just like you I was determined to have one, but after a few months of no success I decided to take a break from everything except writing down my dreams in the morning. No techniques, WBTB, RC's, nothing. Then, one or two nights later, I just so happened to realize I was dreaming randomly in a dream and had my first LD.

Originally Posted by BrandonBoss

What are you doing to recall dreams? I don't understand what you mean. Do you not practice recall?

Yeah i recall dreams but, you mean doing something
what do you mean exactly?

Originally Posted by 10mesp

Have you tried just taking a break completely from trying to lucid dream? That is actually how I had my first lucid dream. I had studied lucid dreaming for a long time and just like you I was determined to have one, but after a few months of no success I decided to take a break from everything except writing down my dreams in the morning. No techniques, WBTB, RC's, nothing. Then, one or two nights later, I just so happened to realize I was dreaming randomly in a dream and had my first LD.

i really dont feel like taking a break, i am really determinated to do it
and i have to have one no matter how much time it will take

One "strategy" that works really well for me is to go to bed early, preferably around 9-10 PM, and decide for yourself that you are going to wake up after a dream and remember it as much as you can - then fall asleep again, and while falling asleep you repeat to yourself that you are going to recognize whatever dreamsign you may have spotted earlier.
Really make sure you are determined about it, and repeat firmly to yourself that you are going to recognize your dreamsigns if they appear in the next dream.

You could even use a "mental mantra" in a sense, where instead of using words you imagine yourself seeing your dreamsigns and exclaiming "this is a dream!" by association - almost a bit like acting.
You pretend that you see a dreamsign and then try to convince yourself that you are actually surprised by it, like an actor, and tell yourself that this is a dream, since you saw that dreamsign.

Also, make sure that you actually believe in yourself.
If you feel that you have been unsuccessful for a year then you are probably doubting your own skills.
You need to convince yourself that you can in fact become lucid, and expect to spontaneously tell yourself "I'm dreaming now!" in your next dream.
It might not work instantly, but if you keep believing in it then your brain will be like "wtf, he believes in this so much that it must be true".
Placebo effect!

Originally Posted by Laurelindo

One "strategy" that works really well for me is to go to bed early, preferably around 9-10 PM, and decide for yourself that you are going to wake up after a dream and remember it as much as you can - then fall asleep again, and while falling asleep you repeat to yourself that you are going to recognize whatever dreamsign you may have spotted earlier.
Really make sure you are determined about it, and repeat firmly to yourself that you are going to recognize your dreamsigns if they appear in the next dream.

You could even use a "mental mantra" in a sense, where instead of using words you imagine yourself seeing your dreamsigns and exclaiming "this is a dream!" by association - almost a bit like acting.
You pretend that you see a dreamsign and then try to convince yourself that you are actually surprised by it, like an actor, and tell yourself that this is a dream, since you saw that dreamsign.

Also, make sure that you actually believe in yourself.
If you feel that you have been unsuccessful for a year then you are probably doubting your own skills.
You need to convince yourself that you can in fact become lucid, and expect to spontaneously tell yourself "I'm dreaming now!" in your next dream.
It might not work instantly, but if you keep believing in it then your brain will be like "wtf, he believes in this so much that it must be true".
Placebo effect!

to be honest i don't really worry about MILD or mental mantras
or even dream signs
my true objective is to train awareness, i am actually training it
if i can hold my awareness through all day i also will do on my dreams.
and if i see something out of common on my dream, i will be very aware i will make a RC, and then i'll notice that i'm dreaming

of course that it will take a lot of time
idk why but the hardest i try to get aware of things the worse it is
and less time i can be aware

(sorry for bad english)

Originally Posted by Iriba

i really dont feel like taking a break, i am really determinated to do it
and i have to have one no matter how much time it will take

Okay that is fine, no doubt you will have one sooner or later Just don't let yourself get stressed out over it or worry about it too much, I've found that to be counter-productive to lucid dreaming. Hell, I usually can't even lucid dream at all when school is in session because I'm constantly worrying about what assignments are due the next day or what performances I have to give next week, etc.



Best of luck!

My brother's friend has been practicing LDing for a year and a half. He practices very well, but when he knew my brother was also a LDer, he asked for tips(but he already knows and .does everything), and my brother told him about his awesom 6 LDs he had. His friend was gonna kill himself. Next day, his friend told him that he had his first LD!! After a year and a half! He only needed a push of motivation(in this case, listening to my brother's LDs). I'm sure you only need a motivation push.
Good luck!!

Remember, though, that awareness and critical thinking are two different things.
In order to become lucid you need to develop a questioning attitude, and suspect that you might be dreaming whenever something even remotely bizarre happens in waking life.
I actually had a dream last night that was so realistic that I failed several reality checks and eventually gave up and said "okay, I must be awake then", and I probably gave up too soon - so don't feel certain that you are awake until you have done many reality checks thoroughly.

Originally Posted by Laurelindo

Remember, though, that awareness and critical thinking are two different things.
In order to become lucid you need to develop a questioning attitude, and suspect that you might be dreaming whenever something even remotely bizarre happens in waking life.
I actually had a dream last night that was so realistic that I failed several reality checks and eventually gave up and said "okay, I must be awake then", and I probably gave up too soon - so don't feel certain that you are awake until you have done many reality checks thoroughly.

I know that
that's why my style involves ADA + reality checking

while "ADA'ing" i try to be aware as possible (although its still very little time lol)
and through the day i also do reality checks + ADA
i stop to see if there is something out of normal and ask this questions:

- What if this is a lucid dream now?
- Where am I?
- What am i doing here?
- What was i doing in last 15 minutes?
- Why am i here?
- How did i get here?
- Are things around me normal?

Then i start to look around and see if something is uncommon or out of normal.

i think i know why i don't get lucid much, because my concentration level
to try get as aware as possible is very little, i only can get aware 1 minute maximum
then i forget the awareness.

http://www.dreamviews.com/dream-sign...ompendium.html

paired with:
Dream Journal Tutorial - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

This is a good way to figure out what works for you in terms of recall. If you raise your recall, your awareness and vividness should go up as well, thus increasing lucidity probability. Straight up daytime awareness doesn't mean that you are going to just keep it in dreams, or all paranoid people would be lucid all the time. :/ You will do the same things in dreams that you do in waking life though, so as long as you are doing ADA right you are bound to have lucids.

Don't be hard on yourself if you have one though, be happy. It is awesome, even if only for a minute or less.

Originally Posted by BrandonBoss

http://www.dreamviews.com/dream-sign...ompendium.html

paired with:
Dream Journal Tutorial - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views

This is a good way to figure out what works for you in terms of recall. If you raise your recall, your awareness and vividness should go up as well, thus increasing lucidity probability. Straight up daytime awareness doesn't mean that you are going to just keep it in dreams, or all paranoid people would be lucid all the time. :/ You will do the same things in dreams that you do in waking life though, so as long as you are doing ADA right you are bound to have lucids.

Don't be hard on yourself if you have one though, be happy. It is awesome, even if only for a minute or less.

of course it will be on dreams.
Because i will make it as a habit
and normally my dreams has habits on them
i'm very time in school and home.
if i train ADA that will also become a habit and carry it on
my dreams.

Originally Posted by Iriba

of course it will be on dreams.
Because i will make it as a habit
and normally my dreams has habits on them
i'm very time in school and home.
if i train ADA that will also become a habit and carry it on
my dreams.

Well as long as you are doing it right it will work, if you have tried for a year and no progress, then you either dont recognize progress (which will lead to more progress) or you are doing it wrong. If you have progress and reject it, than your mind will think that it isn't doing it right and it won't do it again.

Originally Posted by BrandonBoss

Well as long as you are doing it right it will work, if you have tried for a year and no progress, then you either dont recognize progress (which will lead to more progress) or you are doing it wrong. If you have progress and reject it, than your mind will think that it isn't doing it right and it won't do it again.

well, due to that trains i had some signals of awareness so i
progressed
but they rarely happen.

Hey Iriba, I've also struggled to have a lucid dream and I've been trying for a year and three months now. Lately I've been taking a lot of breaks from attempting to lucid dream as I had lost motivation. But finding your post and seeing how much you're trying has really made me get back into trying to lucid dream and the dedication you've shown has made me want to never give up on trying to get my first lucid dream.

You just gotta completely believe that you CAN and you WILL be able to lucid dream.

Wow there are some great things that have been said. I will just add my two cents.
Practically all of my posts of this forum are the same because usually every problem having to do with lucidity (or the lack thereof) have to do with the basics.
So pretty much the basics are:
1. Get enough sleep every night (it depends on the person, but its anywhere from 6 to 8 on average)
2. Write in your dream journal every day (yes, every day)
3. Do reality checks during the day when convenient.
4. Dont worry about it too much. It will come in time.

I promise that that if you do these 4 things you are guaranteed to have a lucid dream. Seriously. Its science man! I applaud your tenacity. It took me 8 months of hard work and being consistent. I was extremely consistent for about 3 months when I finally had my first LD. YOU CAN DO IT!

Originally Posted by FluBB

Wow there are some great things that have been said. I will just add my two cents.
Practically all of my posts of this forum are the same because usually every problem having to do with lucidity (or the lack thereof) have to do with the basics.
So pretty much the basics are:
1. Get enough sleep every night (it depends on the person, but its anywhere from 6 to 8 on average)
2. Write in your dream journal every day (yes, every day)
3. Do reality checks during the day when convenient.
4. Dont worry about it too much. It will come in time.

I promise that that if you do these 4 things you are guaranteed to have a lucid dream. Seriously. Its science man! I applaud your tenacity. It took me 8 months of hard work and being consistent. I was extremely consistent for about 3 months when I finally had my first LD. YOU CAN DO IT!

Yeah i've been doing this 1 year. no LD

Update: just got 1 lucid today, it felt like a normal dream again.

really, i can't understand what i'm doing wrong.

Originally Posted by Iriba

Update: just got 1 lucid today, it felt like a normal dream again.

really, i can't understand what i'm doing wrong.

The only thing you are doing wrong right now is that you think of everything as failures.
Why not feel encouraged by the fact that you had a lucid dream instead?

Originally Posted by Laurelindo

The only thing you are doing wrong right now is that you think of everything as failures.
Why not feel encouraged by the fact that you had a lucid dream instead?

of course i am, but it makes me angry
knowing other people could make a dream similar to real life
maybe in 2 or 3 weeks

Originally Posted by Iriba

of course i am, but it makes me angry
knowing other people could make a dream similar to real life
maybe in 2 or 3 weeks

Maybe you have set the bar too high perhaps?

Originally Posted by Iriba

Really, i don't know what to do anymore.

Start trying real hard to NOT have lucid dreams.

Use the mantra, "I WILL NOT BECOME AWARE I'M DREAMING"

It's like the "try not to think of a pink elephant thing."

Originally Posted by Nailler

Start trying real hard to NOT have lucid dreams.

Use the mantra, "I WILL NOT BECOME AWARE I'M DREAMING"

It's like the "try not to think of a pink elephant thing."

What's the point of doing that?
i've been telling myself i would have a lucid dream, and i passes tough times.
if i deny it now, i will have to start over.

Originally Posted by Nailler

Start trying real hard to NOT have lucid dreams.

Use the mantra, "I WILL NOT BECOME AWARE I'M DREAMING"

It's like the "try not to think of a pink elephant thing."

Originally Posted by Iriba

What's the point of doing that?

Just do it a couple of times as an experiment.
See: Overcoming Distractions by Confronting Them

N.