Thread: Been trying for a month. Any advice?

Originally Posted by benj2514

I RC every time I hear a Christmas song or whenever I see a cat or dog

Are they your dream signs? I'd recommend RCing:

Originally Posted by Shift

Man, I really ought to just keep this saved somewhere hahaha people always ask:

RC when you:

-see/think about your dream signs
-wake up (FAs)
-see a digital clock
-experience deja vu or deja reve
-suddenly understand what someone means when you've been having trouble understanding
-ask "what?" to yourself or out loud
-some sort of electronic device doesn't work
-whenever you realize a coincidence has occurred
-whenever you hear the word 'dream' or think about lucid dreaming
-etc etc etc.

also,

Originally Posted by Shift

... do you watch anything to motivate you? I have a huge collection of youtube clips that are related to my dream goals, and I watch them usually once a day to just get myself all pumped up.

Try to think really deep to yourself that your going to have a LD tonight. None of those techniques mean anything if you don't go the extra mile and try to voice the idea to your subconscious.

My lucids are almost never VIA reality check.
They do seem to come when I put significant effort into MILDing.
I also make sure I fill in my journal.
For example I had 2 DILDs on saturday and 1 DILD of Sunday.
On both mornings I woke at 1:30ish, 4.30is, 6:15ish to fill in dream journal.

So my advice would be to stick to the MILD technique, but to really really make sure its the last thing you think about.

There is no technique that is superior to the others: which techniques work and which don't vary greatly from person to person. I've personally had the most success with WILDs and DEILDs as most of my DILDs seem to be very short. Others might be getting their best results with MILDs or DILDs. However, regardless of which technique you use, it takes time to learn to do it properly. Don't expect to jump right into a dream on your first WILD attempt. I practiced WILD for almost a month before getting my first successful one and I'm still nowhere near being able to WILD whenever I want. Most of my lucid dreams also seem to happen when my mind is completely blank while I'm falling asleep. I don't even focus on the intent of having a lucid dream. If you want to try WILDing or DEILDing, you might want to try it after about 6 or 7 hours of sleep; I personally have almost all of my lucid dreams early in the morning.

Just keep trying and experimenting to see what suits you best. It does require effort, but it's well worth it. Just don't get stressed over it: that will only be counter-productive for your cause.

The most important thing is to stick with a routine. Don't quit a technique, don't change techniques. Stay with the same one (pick a favorite, most comfortable, closest to your first lucid) and work with it for another month.

Originally Posted by Smarties

There is no technique that is superior to the others: which techniques work and which don't vary greatly from person to person. I've personally had the most success with WILDs and DEILDs as most of my DILDs seem to be very short. Others might be getting their best results with MILDs or DILDs. However, regardless of which technique you use, it takes time to learn to do it properly. Don't expect to jump right into a dream on your first WILD attempt. I practiced WILD for almost a month before getting my first successful one and I'm still nowhere near being able to WILD whenever I want. Most of my lucid dreams also seem to happen when my mind is completely blank while I'm falling asleep. I don't even focus on the intent of having a lucid dream. If you want to try WILDing or DEILDing, you might want to try it after about 6 or 7 hours of sleep; I personally have almost all of my lucid dreams early in the morning.

Just keep trying and experimenting to see what suits you best. It does require effort, but it's well worth it. Just don't get stressed over it: that will only be counter-productive for your cause.

Just to make sure it's clear for everyone, there are only two types of lucid dreams: a WILD, and a DILD. A DEILD is a specific method to induce a WILD, and it specifically focuses on the timing of your wild attempt- immediately after awakening from a dream. Likewise, a MILD is an induction method for a DILD. You use MILD to induce a DILD, basically by telling yourself to remember to realize that you are dreaming, and by setting such a goal, to keep your mind activating and seeking to accomplish that goal. So if you do in fact become lucid because of your use of MILD, you're still having a DILD. Not a MILD.

Originally Posted by Shift

Just to make sure it's clear for everyone, there are only two types of lucid dreams: a WILD, and a DILD. A DEILD is a specific method to induce a WILD, and it specifically focuses on the timing of your wild attempt- immediately after awakening from a dream. Likewise, a MILD is an induction method for a DILD. You use MILD to induce a DILD, basically by telling yourself to remember to realize that you are dreaming, and by setting such a goal, to keep your mind activating and seeking to accomplish that goal. So if you do in fact become lucid because of your use of MILD, you're still having a DILD. Not a MILD.

I would offer an alternative viewpoint.

You can have a DILD randomly without using Mnemonic Induction.
In which case it is indeed a dream induced lucid dream (DILD). The lucid is caused by events in the dream.

But if you use Mnemonic Induction and you have a lucid because of the same then its a MILD (Mnemonic Induced Lucid Dream).

So the two things might be distinct....even if the differences are too small to worry about.

I'm going to have to disagree with PSPSoldier. Supplements have been a godsend for me. Even if I concede that they do cost more and do limit your natural abilities a bit, in return you get high-level LDs with fantastic predictability. Every morning I take them (and Galantamine is the primary induction supplement) I can basically guarantee that I'll have a WILD, and these usually last an hour or more. I think the trade-off is worth it for higher quality, longer LDs on a regular basis.

Think about it this way...throughout human evolution our bodies have gradually developed a resistance to the paradoxical consciousness that is lucid dreaming for survival purposes (and dream recall for that matter). It doesn't pay (in survival terms) to constantly question whether the mental state you're in is reality or the dream world. To accomplish this, our bodies inhibit the accumulation of certain neurotransmitters like acetylcholine. This evolutionary precaution once served us well but is no longer necessary for the most part. Choline and (indirectly) Galantamine supplements just boost neurotransmitters that are naturally in your brain already. I don't see what's so troubling about that.

Originally Posted by moonshine

I would offer an alternative viewpoint.

You can have a DILD randomly without using Mnemonic Induction.
In which case it is indeed a dream induced lucid dream (DILD). The lucid is caused by events in the dream.

But if you use Mnemonic Induction and you have a lucid because of the same then its a MILD (Mnemonic Induced Lucid Dream).

So the two things might be distinct....even if the differences are too small to worry about.

But you're never going to know for a fact that it was a MILD, unless there is some sort of evidence. Whereas you can be positive it was a DILD. Suddenly remembering to realize that you are dreaming is probably going to appear to be just as random as just realizing that you are dreaming. It is more accurate to just call it a DILD, than to pretend that you understood why it happened or how.