Need help ...

[vanilla]

So for a good 6 months now I've been keeping a dream journal off and on, for the most part it's been going good but i sometimes find myself in a rut unable to recall previous night's dreams, so i stop for a while then go back to it. I've only been lucid a handful of times these 6 months, and I'm trying not to stress about it. As of now i have pretty good dream recall but I can't seem to become slightly lucid at all. I even have a big sign that i put beside my clock that says 'YOU'RE DREAMING' . This doesn't seem to help much, even though i awake for short periods of time early in the morning and glance over to see what time it is. anyways, I'm wondering if some more experienced LD'ers could help me out.

[Burns]

Originally posted by vanilla So for a good 6 months now I've been keeping a dream journal off and on, for the most part it's been going good but i sometimes find myself in a rut unable to recall previous night's dreams, so i stop for a while then go back to it. As of now i have pretty good dream recall but I can't seem to become slightly lucid at all. It's a good start to even have become lucid at all. A lot of members have never had a LD. Firstly, get into the habit of recording every single dream in your dream journal. No exceptions! I've become lucid a few times only because I start thinking in my dream that I need to remember this dream so I can record it in my journal! You need to get into the habit of always recording dreams, too, so you can establish dream signs and characters. There's no way you're going to remember details of dreams you had months ago without writing them down. This is the only way you can spot patterns. So that's my biggest piece of advice for you at the moment. My next piece of advice would be to read through all the tutorials and try a few techniques. Then update us on what you're having trouble with, so we can narrow down how to better help you. Good luck!

[vanilla]

Thanks Burns. What I meant by that was during my 'rut' stage, it was next to impossible to remember dreams so for that short while I didn't write much down due to lack of things to write down. As of now I'm consistently (5/7 nights per week) remembering and writing down dreams. I just feel after all this time I should have more luck being lucid. I will thoroughly read through the tutorials and come back with something a bit better for you experts to chew on

[cybereality]

Keeping a dream journal is the most important aspect of strengthening your dream recall. Make sure to write down every dream even bits and pieces. Even if you just remember one word or image, start writing it down. Soon the rest of the dream will come back to you. The key is to not get out of bed. Make sure you keep your journal right next to the bed with a pen handy. As soon as you wake up, focus on a key scene at the begining of the dream. Dont try to remember the whole dream yet. Hold onto that frame and grab your dream journal. Move as little as possible. If you get out of bed or move too much its easy to forget. When you write down the dream, make sure to put in every single detail you can remember. Things to remember are time of day, was it hot or cold, brightly lit or dark, colors of things, emotions, actions etc. Once you get in the habit of remembering details its easier to remember the big picture. In terms of going lucid, you want to try to recognize your dream signs. Re-read your dream journal at least once a month and try to find patterns. You might notice you are with certain dream people or at dream places all the time. If there are any recurring themes, try to look for these. Doing reality-checks frequently will help to get you in the right mindset. Other than that its just practice. // cybereality

[vanilla]

Thanks, I haven't been doing that many RC's lately so that's something I'll improve on. Also, starting today I've set my alarm to go off an hour before I get up, in addition to its regular time, so I'll have the chance to get out of bed and do an RC or two then hop back into bed and try for a lucid 8)