Thread: How to go Lucid the First Time

If you can relax easy enough, I would suggest trying the WILD technique, in which you jump straight into a Lucid Dream from being awake. Its hard, and not everyone can do it, but it does get easier with practice.

If you haven't read up on it yet, heres a good thread about it:

http://www.dreamviews.com/community/...ad.php?t=30783

That, along with Auto-Suggestion, I find really help with becoming Lucid.

Other than that, keep doing reality checks, and you should have a dream soon.

When you go bed, try to make it a point to tell yourself "I will do a reality check when I wake up.". I've found that, by doing that, it increases my chances of doing one during a dream, or sometimes, if I have a false awakening, I can do them during those and become lucid also.

Ok, great, I'll try that. Now I just need to be able to keep myself awake after I get up to WILD. =P

Autosuggestion as Tao suggested. But also make a consistent effort: try a WBTB as often as you can, and, think about lucidity, (or MILD) as you are going to sleep, every night. The more effort you put in, consistently, the more lucids you will have.

WBTB increases your chances hugely. In my opinion, it is the #1 thing you should be doing to get lucid. Of course, combine it with all the daytime methods that keep lucid dreaming on your mind.

Exactly. WBTB is the easiest thing you can do. You actually don't even have to think about dreaming (but it's better chance if you do) and it will come itself. I'm trying it myself right now too, that's why I'm up! Going back to bed soon!

Okay, I'm trying a WBTB technique now, but I have a problem. I'm not sure of the time that I'm actually able to fall asleep. I think that I may have only actually gotten 4.5 hours of sleep. I'm not sure how mich this will affect my chances...I suppose just being in bed really relaxed won't cut it for my lucid dreaming attempts. Oh well, tomorrow I'll make sure to give myself an extra hour to fall asleep before I WBTB. Sorry if I'm rambling, by trying the technique I mean I'm actully, currently doing it, and I'm slightly asleep. Ah well, I'm off to try a WILD technique. Goodnight!

Hiya!

I have your problem too, I can't fall asleep or I don't know when the acceptable limit is. I'll give you a little tip if it helps. Going to bed an hour earlier isn't all that necessary, and it sometimes can make matters worse, the best way to fall to sleep better is by forgetting the fact you have to wake up. When I was into trying WBTB I used my mobile phone's alarm to wake me up at about 3:00am. Now, every time I tried this, I never fell asleep, this was because my was too focussed. I tried forgetting about but still, deep down I knew it was about to alarm me and wake me up. I noticed that real alarms usually let me fall to sleep faster, proper alarms that are used to actually wake up in the mornings.

My advice is, if you haven't got your dad or mother or any other family member in your room, or the room next to it, try a digital alarm, one that stands on your cupboard. This will take things off your mind a little. Try it.

My other tip is that, don't try it again for a while, I'd say about two days or so. Your mind needs to relax and not be so worked up over WBTB, so leave it for a while.

Ugh, I'm not typing this up on my normal browser so I can't use spell checker, so I apologize if I've made a few typos or whatever, I've proof read it anyway. Anyway:

Hope I've helped mate, happy lucids!

Well, that didn't work.

After doing the WBTB technique, I attempted to do a WILD as outlined in this post "The Real (Easy) Way To WILD", but when I attempted it, after staying still for long enough, I eventually get this very strong urge to move and change my position. The signal to do so is so hard to resist that eventually I have no choise but to change position, which Is apperantly Bad. Anyways, I ended up havin no dreams at all I can recall, exept for a vague memory of doing somehing or other in a dream to go lucid, which had failed. '

Oh well, I'll try it again in a few nights.

Originally Posted by The Tao

When you go bed, try to make it a point to tell yourself "I will do a reality check when I wake up.". I've found that, by doing that, it increases my chances of doing one during a dream, or sometimes, if I have a false awakening, I can do them during those and become lucid also.

Good advice "The Tao", I'm going to try this myself from now on. Thanks for the idea.

Originally Posted by Alexor

Well, that didn't work.

After doing the WBTB technique, I attempted to do a WILD as outlined in this post "The Real (Easy) Way To WILD", but when I attempted it, after staying still for long enough, I eventually get this very strong urge to move and change my position. The signal to do so is so hard to resist that eventually I have no choise but to change position, which Is apperantly Bad. Anyways, I ended up havin no dreams at all I can recall, exept for a vague memory of doing somehing or other in a dream to go lucid, which had failed. '

Oh well, I'll try it again in a few nights.

Hi Alexor,

You should know that many people have difficulty with WILDing at first, especially the techniques that advocate remaining motionless for a long time. I don't say this to discourage you, quite the opposite. Just know that you shouldn't draw too many conclusions about LDing from having a "failed" WILD attempt. I don't even like to call it "failed" because every attempt gets you closer -- it's a journey that takes a little work. It's like if I have to walk one mile to get to where I want to be. I don't take one step and say, "I failed." Rather, I've succeeded in getting one step closer to my destination. Lucid dreaming is like that, you have to go through steps to reach each new milestone, the "failures" are actually helping you learn how to do it.

Anyway, some suggestions straight from LaBerge's "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming," and that other members have suggested, that give high probability for having a LD, which you are already well on your way with:

1. Keep a dream journal
2. Look for dream signs in your dream journal
3. During the day, perform reality checks (RCs), especially those that are spurred by dream signs if you can.

a. Choose an event that happens regularly during the day or in your dreams, and perform RCs whenever that event occurs, or whenever anything else unusual happens. Note that unusual does not have to be upside down cars, it could be as simple as noting the shape of a flower, the color of the sky, the placement of something in a room you didn't expect.

b. Really question your reality. If you perform an RC and determine you're awake, wonder to yourself "What would this have been like if I were dreaming? How would I feel? What would things look like? What might have happened?" and so on.
c. Tell yourself, "The next time I'm dreaming, I want to remember to recognize I'm dreaming."

d. Do this a dozen times a day or more.

4. Just before you go to bed, give yourself some kind of positive autosuggestion, such as, "I'm about to enter a different reality, the reality of dreams. I'm going to recognize when I'm dreaming, and I'm going to remember my dreams when I wake up." Imagine yourself dreaming, what the images in your head look like. Imagine yourself recognizing that you're dreaming. What will that be like, what will you do?

5. Do WBTB whenever it strikes you. Personally, I don't wake to an alarm in the middle of the night. All of us wake up in the middle of the night, we just don't always recognize it. When I wake up naturally, I get up to go to the bathroom, and go right back to bed. Sometimes it's 3 hours after going to sleep, sometimes 5 hours, it doesn't matter. Usually I wake a couple of times a night, even if it's just a brief awakening. When I go back to sleep, I do the autosuggestion again, or I try a WILD method. Note there are MANY variations of techniques for WILDing, you might want to try some others, especially those that aren't quite so regimented about requiring you to remain motionless until SP sets in.

All this stuff puts lucid dreaming in your mind, it's bound to give you one eventually. Don't sweat it too much, you'll find what works for you. Remember, every step you take is getting you closer. If you keep it up, you're going to start seeing hints that you're getting there (better dream recall, false awakenings, missed obvious dream signs, brief feelings of awareness, and so on). Then you're going to have a brief LD, then a longer one, then a longer and more vivid one, then one where you can control things a little better, and so on.

One last bit of important advice: all the time, while awake, be AWARE. Pay attention, don't veg out like we are all so naturally inclined to do. Look around, listen, realize that YOU are where you are. Notice your own breathing, notice what you are doing, what is going on around you. For example, think to yourself, "I am sitting in my living room reading right now." Then look around, look to see if there is anything unusual or notable around you. Do this as much as you can. I am working on this constantly, it's hard, but it's paying off in real life and in LDs. Like they say, you can't be aware in dreams if you aren't aware in waking life.

Good luck!

Alexor,

The advice in the above post by Pale Rider is spot on! If you follow his suggestions you are bound to succeed.

I just want to supplement what he said with one comment; keep your dream journal next to your bed, and every time you wake up throughout the night jot down a few key words or phrases about the dream you just had. Then flesh them out in the morning. You will increase your dream recall dramatically this way.

The more dreams you recall, the more you will think about dreaming. The more you think about dreaming, the more lucids you will have.