ber5897's Workbook

Hi! I'm Brad, and I'm 15 years old, almost 16. I live in the United States.. Pennsylvania, to be more specific. I heard about lucid dreaming for the first time a couple of years ago, but haven't really tried to learn until a few months ago. I found Dream Views sometime around the beginning of December, 2012.

I have only had one lucid dream before, which occurred on December 15, 2012. It wasn't really a "good" lucid dream, because it only lasted maybe 20 seconds at most. It was a DILD that was induced by a false awakening. Ever since then, I have been keeping a dream journal. When I first started learning more about lucid dreaming, and about all of the techniques, my initial thought was, "Hmm, DILD seems more like a game of chance". That is why I have been trying to induce lucid dreams through WILD, and all of the variations of WILD. So soon after I learned more about all of the different techniques and everything, I got very excited, and just started doing everything that I could, that I thought would induce a lucid dream. I didn't really set my mind on a specific technique. I was really interested in WILD, so I would try that, along with WBTB, and I would attempt DEILD as well. I didn't really have my mind set on just one thing.

After a couple weeks of that, I stopped and told myself that this is never going to work. I have to set my mind on one technique, and keep with it for a while. Around this time, Christmas break was coming up for me. I decided that from then all the way through Christmas break, I would practice WILD. Once I started practicing WILD, I stopped doing reality checks. It didn't really work out well for me. So towards the end of Christmas break, I decided that I would try a new technique, since I didn't get any success with WILD. I figured I would try DEILD for a while. Up until now, I have been practicing DEILD, still with no success. I actually also tried FILD a few times in there, and started practicing ADA a little bit, although I stopped doing that as well.

So here I am. Still not much success, and I feel like I haven't made much progress either, other than that one short lucid dream, and the fact that I keep a regular dream journal now, so maybe a little bit better recall. Because of this, I have decided that I am going to go right back to the basics. I haven't had a successful lucid dream, so I am not going to try any of the more complicated techniques like WILD. I am going to do what everyone recommends for beginners, and I am going to focus on DILD, because I really want my first few lucid dreams.

I have heard of the DVA, but was never really sure exactly what it was, until now. I looked into it, and found the DILD section of the DVA. I don't really know a ton about DILD, since I haven't practiced it as much, so I figured this would be a good place to start my journey into lucid dreaming! :cheeky:

Welcome to DILD class, Brad!

OK, so it seems that you are being too hard on yourself. The 20 sec lucid you got was much longer than majority of first lucids of people here on DV. Mine was about 3 sec long. And most of the LDs is in a 5 min range or less, even after you already have some experience.

If you have it in your had that this one was not good and you obviously can't do it, than that's what your mind will give you - can't do it. Intent and believing knowing that you can do it without any doubt is THE most important thing in lucid dreaming, right next to awareness.

Your mind is you. It's your guide and helper. If you say "I can't", your mind takes it literally and it will not help you get LDs, since it understands it as you can't, don't want, don't have.

So positive attitude is the key. Not just thinking or wishing that you can, but knowing without doubt. Just as you will notice in your lucids, how you control the environment with just your thoughts, same way your thoughts shape your waking life, only it takes a little longer to recognize it's effect.

My first DEILD was my 4th LD. I didn't say "I'm gonna DEILD tonight". But I read a tutorial on it and when I was waking up from a DILD that night, I remembered what I had read and pulled it off. So it's ok to be prepared to perform other methods, if the situation presents itself. Read as many tutorials as you can. You will be surprised, when in your lucid, or when in altered state of mind while almost asleep, you will remember things you have read that you would not recall consiously.

It's important to keep a dream journal. It's the act of you thinking about your dreams while writing them down, that will help you in every way. It will let your mind know, that dreaming and remembering them is important to you and it will help you achieve it both.

Daytime awareness is something that helps with every single aspect of lucid dreaming. Helps to have more of them, makes them longer, more vivid, detailed, with better control. If you just going through your day without paying attention to details, as if on auto-pilot, your dreams will be the same.

Here is an explanation about daytime awareness. It's part of Sageouse's WILD class, but it applies to all techniques. If you have not read this tutorial yet, I really recommend you read the whole thing. It explaines WILDing better than any other tutorial.

This is an article about different sensations you can get when WILDing. Sensations and types of entry into WILD.

And here is an article about everything you need for DILDs. Collection of techniques for DILD.

I recommend you concentrate on DILDs. Do RCs, awareness and mantras. (Make some reminders if you need to remember to RC and DJ.) I posted links to WILD, just so you know what to do in case you find yourself in WILD situation. But do aim for DILDs.

If you like WBTB, it will enhance you chance for a DILD too. I like to do morning naps. Even if WILD is not your goal, if you try to WILD for let's say 15 minutes and then just go to sleep normally for a DILD, you have a good chance for a DILD, since you already gave your mind a signal that you want a lucid. But if that gets you too excited, then just do mantras as you falling asleep.

Give yourself at least a months practicing this, but don't set it as a deadline in your mind. People report that the more they want, less likely are they to succeed. Replace the "want" with "I do", have confidence, excitement, and you will succeed. Make a list of things you want to do in a lucid, write that in your DJ, draw a picture of it, look up some similar videos on youtube and envision yourself "there".

Keep me posted of your progress. Happy dreams:alien:

Wow, thank you for the elaborate response! This is exactly what I needed, as I wasn't quite sure what to even start doing for DILD, except reality checks and awareness.

I will definitely keep up with my dream journal, and I will also put much more effort in to ADA/self awareness and reality checks. I have never really used mantras before, but I will try using them now.

Also, now that I think about it, when I had my first LD, I did do a WBTB that same night. I completely forgot about this, and I haven't done very many WBTBs ever since. I will definitely also make sure I do WBTBs whenever I can, though that will probably be limited to weekends, because of school.

I will keep you updated with my progress! :D

You know, for a DILD, if you don't have time for a WBTB, just 2 min of mantras and RC after the trip to restroom should do the trick. Sit on your bed and RC+mantra, then repeat your mantra as you falling asleep. It's important for a mantra to be last thing you think about before you fall asleep.

My first mantra used to be this classic:
Next time I'm dreaming, I [look at my hands and] realize I'm dreaming.

While saying this, I would look at my hands and count my fingers. This got me lucid in first 10-20 LDs. Good luck:alien:

I think that is what I will do, just a short WBTB like that with RC and mantras, since I have school. I will start doing that tonight.

"Next time I'm dreaming, I look at my hands and realize I am dreaming". This is the mantra that I have been using for the past couple of days because I saw it in your "Collection of Methods and Techniques for DILD" thread. I will definitely try doing a short WBTB tonight.

On the weekends when I don't have school the next day, is it better to do a longer WBTB?

Longer is not necessarily better. Only stay up, until you can think straight, but you still sleepy enough. Do a few math problems in your head that will make you think. Get out of the bed a put the lights on. But keep in mind, that you going back to sleep, so your mind doesn't switch to "ready for the day" mode. Anything from 5 min - 60 min. Occupy your mind with mantras, write down what you wanna do in LD, draw a picture of it, watch some inspiring video on youtube. (if you wanna battle zombies in a castle, find a vido of french castles, for example.)

If you can (if you have time, and if you are able to fall asleep again), morning naps are excellent for LDs. This is from Steven laBerge's sleep study:

1. Get up 90 min before your regular wake up time.
2. Stay up for 90 min.
3. Last 10 min do MILD in bed. (just a mantra with looking at hands)
4. Repeat mantra (without looking at hands) till you fall asleep. If it keeps you awake, stop the mantra, fall asleep normally and try to squeeze it in a few times when you almost asleep.
5. Take a 90 min nap.

My version:

1. Get up at any time between 7-9 am
2. Stay up anywhere from 1-3 hours
3. Watch TV on sofa till almost asleep
4. TV off, repeat mantra till asleep for DILD

I use this method primarily for WILDs, but I got a few DILDs out of it as well.

You are most likely to get a DILD in last hours of sleep, when you are already waking up. The longer you sleep, the better, because by morning, your REM is taking up almost the whole sleep cycle and you are getting close to awareness. Happy dreams:alien:

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Originally Posted by gab

You are most likely to get a DILD in last hours of sleep, when you are already waking up.

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This is why I have always thought that it is less likely to have a DILD when you have to wake up early for school in the morning. I have to wake up by 6:30am. I am usually not naturally starting to wake up for at least a couple more hours.

Other people have told me that it actually helps when you have school, because it is keeping you on a more strict sleep schedule. I am not really sure.

Anyways, I am going to do at least a short WBTB tonight. On Wednesday and Thursday, I can sleep in a little bit because my finals don't start for a couple hours after school would normally start. Then I have a long four day weekend. My point is, after tomorrow, I have many days to sleep in, so I can have a better chance at DILD :D. I will let you know how everything goes over the next few days.

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Originally Posted by ber5897

This is why I have always thought that it is less likely to have a DILD when you have to wake up early for school in the morning. I have to wake up by 6:30am. I am usually not naturally starting to wake up for at least a couple more hours.

Other people have told me that it actually helps when you have school, because it is keeping you on a more strict sleep schedule. I am not really sure.

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Having a consistent sleep schedule, like same bed time every day, not staying up too late, getting enough quality sleep, not drinking too much or smoking pot is beneficial to overall good and healthy sleep.

But sleeping in is in no way bad for lucid dreaming. Those extra hours are a goldmine for LDs, because to the REM. In fact, different waking time is the basis of another technique - CAT. Sleep cycle adjustment technique.

It's based on that, if you normally get up at 6:30 am, and then for a few days you still asleep at that time, you have a good chance for a LD, because your mind is getting used to waking up at 6:30. So if next time you still asleep at 6:30, your mind is getting ready to wake up and you are getting more aware, and that's a prime condition for a DILD.

Good luck with your finals and LDs. :alien:

Thanks for clearing that up.

I think I might have had a lucid dream last night, but I am really not sure. Either that, or I was dreaming that I was lucid dreaming :panic:.
I did the WBTB like you explained. I got up, did a reality check, went to the restroom, and then went back and sat on the edge of my bed. I then did my mantra while counting my fingers. After about two minutes, I crawled back in bed, and tried to go back to sleep, while repeating my mantra in my head. I at least tried to have my mantra be the last think that I was thinking of when I fell asleep.

I now realize that I didn't put this in the introduction post of this workbook, but I at one point, I actually had a DEILD/WILD/OBE. I am not really sure what it was. Anyways, when that happened, I felt a tingly sensation throughout my whole body. I had that same thingy sensation when I had my first LD, the DILD. I was definitely conscious when this happened, and when my whole body felt tingly, I "rolled" out of my body, and into my dream body. I didn't have any control though. I was completely immobilized, even in my dream body.

So what happened last night.. It did not happen because I was in a dream and I realized I was dreaming. I don't think I was even in a dream before this happened, at least I don't think I was. So I suddenly felt that tingly sensation throughout my body. When I felt this, I also realized that I was laying face down in my bed. What I did, is I just rolled out of my body again. I tried rubbing my hands together to try to stabilize the dream. Once I felt that it was stabilized, I figured I would try to fly, although I was still in my room. So I tried jumping, and I jumped quite high, maybe 15 or 20 feet into the air. I did this a few times, but that is all I could accomplish. I also tried jumping even higher, and going through my ceiling, but it didn't work. After a little bit of doing this, I heard someone coming up the stairs, and I just kind of knew that they were going to come to my room. So for some reason, I woke myself up from the lucid dream (I have no idea why I would ever do that, but I did). When I woke up, it turned into another dream, that started with my brother knocking at my door, just like I predicted, because I heard him coming.

So I am kind of thinking that it wasn't an actual LD, because when I heard that person coming up the steps in the LD, the person was still there when I "woke up" into the normal dream. Also, it didn't feel anything like my first LD, and it wasn't as vivid. Something just didn't feel right.

Well this is kind of confusing, so I hope you understand what happened. Do you think it was a LD? I am kind of doubting it..

Also, I know people will say, "If you know you are dreaming, it is a lucid dream" or "If you can control the dream, it is a lucid dream". Well I can't answer either of these questions. I have no idea.

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Originally Posted by ber5897

I did the WBTB like you explained. I got up, did a reality check, went to the restroom, and then went back and sat on the edge of my bed. I then did my mantra while counting my fingers. After about two minutes, I crawled back in bed, and tried to go back to sleep, while repeating my mantra in my head. I at least tried to have my mantra be the last think that I was thinking of when I fell asleep.

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That's perfect how you did that.

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Originally Posted by ber5897

I now realize that I didn't put this in the introduction post of this workbook, but I at one point, I actually had a DEILD/WILD/OBE. I am not really sure what it was. Anyways, when that happened, I felt a tingly sensation throughout my whole body. I had that same thingy sensation when I had my first LD, the DILD. I was definitely conscious when this happened, and when my whole body felt tingly, I "rolled" out of my body, and into my dream body. I didn't have any control though. I was completely immobilized, even in my dream body.

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If you mean that you were conscious before you rolled out, then it was either a WILD or OBE. If you just woke up from a dream (best from LD), then it could have been a DEILD. When you roll out, you are already in your dream/astral body. The tingling sensation (did it feel like vibrations? Like purring cat or stronger?) Next time if you can't move, yell "I have the power", "Now I'm walking to the door", or just mentally try and direct your motion, like "to the door".

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Originally Posted by ber5897

So what happened last night.. It did not happen because I was in a dream and I realized I was dreaming. I don't think I was even in a dream before this happened, at least I don't think I was. So I suddenly felt that tingly sensation throughout my body. When I felt this, I also realized that I was laying face down in my bed. What I did, is I just rolled out of my body again. I tried rubbing my hands together to try to stabilize the dream. Once I felt that it was stabilized, I figured I would try to fly, although I was still in my room. So I tried jumping, and I jumped quite high, maybe 15 or 20 feet into the air. I did this a few times, but that is all I could accomplish. I also tried jumping even higher, and going through my ceiling, but it didn't work. After a little bit of doing this, I heard someone coming up the stairs, and I just kind of knew that they were going to come to my room. So for some reason, I woke myself up from the lucid dream (I have no idea why I would ever do that, but I did). When I woke up, it turned into another dream, that started with my brother knocking at my door, just like I predicted, because I heard him coming.

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Hrm, so your brother was not at your door for real, only in first event and then in a dream afterwards, right? If so, them I'm leaning towards your first event being a WILD and second regular dream. It totally possible, to one dream continue into another one, especially that close to each other.

Now, if your brother actually was there IWL, than you had an OBE for sure. But, it could have been OBE, even if you didn't see real world. You know, rolling out, getting up, is most typical of OBEs. I had an OBE, in which I rolled out, and I also had what I believed to be WILDs, in which I rolled out/sit up and walked away.

Both, OBE and WILDs frequently start in your bedroom.

Best way to tell is to look at your bed. In OBE, many times you see yourself sleeping. But if you didn't exit into the astral plane that's closest to our physical plane, then it's possible not to see the sleeping body.

Another way to tell is to look at your hands. In LD, you normally have a body that looks like your WL body. In OBE, even if you for a little while see your hands, they will start to "melt away", or they look like made of energy.

In LD, you should be able to change things - color of the wall, or something similar. But in OBE, if you are in the astral plane closest to physical, I don't think you can change anything, because the stuff is real. Look at the details next time. Look at something, that you don't know and then wake up and check it out. Like if neighbours car is in the driveway, or something like that.

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Originally Posted by ber5897

So I am kind of thinking that it wasn't an actual LD, because when I heard that person coming up the steps in the LD, the person was still there when I "woke up" into the normal dream. Also, it didn't feel anything like my first LD, and it wasn't as vivid. Something just didn't feel right.

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You don't always have same clarity, vividness, awareness in every LD.

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Originally Posted by ber5897

Well this is kind of confusing, so I hope you understand what happened. Do you think it was a LD? I am kind of doubting it..

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It definitelly was something. Either WILD or OBE. Just couple of days ago, I started reading an OBE book and at night I woke up to my body floating above my bed. I mentally gave command to move, I wanted to stand up and explore my room. But by the time I stopped I was half way out the window, so I just continued on. Have no idea, if it was a DILD about me having OBE, or a OBE. I was lucid, but I'll be darned if I know what it was.

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Originally Posted by ber5897

Also, I know people will say, "If you know you are dreaming, it is a lucid dream" or "If you can control the dream, it is a lucid dream". Well I can't answer either of these questions. I have no idea.

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Yes, only in WILD, you don't get that "holly smokes, I'm dreaming" moment, because you enter it while consious, so there is no surprise from realization. And that is not true, you can have a LD without control. And in OBE, you can control your movement, but not so much the environment, since that is real.

So, good job, keep it up :alien:

How do you feel about OBEs? There is a thread in General lucid with links to download books from William Buhlman and Robert Monroe. Excellent info.

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Originally Posted by gab

did it feel like vibrations? Like purring cat or stronger?

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Well I guess it could have been vibrations. Vibrations are a sign of SP, right? I am not sure why, but I have just always thought of it as a tingling sensation. I felt that same sensation in all three of these events, or at least I think it was the same thing. Next time I have a LD, or whenever I feel that sensation, I will try to think if it is more like vibrations.

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Originally Posted by gab

Hrm, so your brother was not at your door for real, only in first event and then in a dream afterwards, right? If so, them I'm leaning towards your first event being a WILD and second regular dream. It totally possible, to one dream continue into another one, especially that close to each other.

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This is correct, he was not there in real life. So you think that what happened last night was a WILD? Because I purposely woke myself up from the WILD, and when I woke up, it was actually still in a dream, but not lucid. Also, how would this be a WILD if I wasn't conscious first? I don't recall waking up. I was just sleeping, and the vibrating/tingling sensation is what actually made me conscious, at least I think. Can a WILD just randomly happen during your sleep?

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Originally Posted by gab

It definitelly was something. Either WILD or OBE. Just couple of days ago, I started reading an OBE book and at night I woke up to my body floating above my bed. I mentally gave command to move, I wanted to stand up and explore my room. But by the time I stopped I was half way out the window, so I just continued on. Have no idea, if it was a DILD about me having OBE, or a OBE. I was lucid, but I'll be darned if I know what it was.

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Wow, very interesting haha.

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Originally Posted by gab

Yes, only in WILD, you don't get that "holly smokes, I'm dreaming" moment, because you enter it while consious, so there is no surprise from realization. And that is not true, you can have a LD without control. And in OBE, you can control your movement, but not so much the environment, since that is real.

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Ah, I think this may have been a lucid without control. Although I think that I may have controlled the part where I purposely ended the dream. Actually, I really have no idea. The dream was so vague, and for some reason I just can't really tell if I had control or not.

OBE's are definitely quite interesting. I was looking into them a little bit a week or two ago, because I wasn't sure what the difference between an OBE and a WILD were, but now I do :cheeky:. I'm sure I will experiment with them someday.

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Originally Posted by ber5897

Well I guess it could have been vibrations. Vibrations are a sign of SP, right? I am not sure why, but I have just always thought of it as a tingling sensation. I felt that same sensation in all three of these events, or at least I think it was the same thing. Next time I have a LD, or whenever I feel that sensation, I will try to think if it is more like vibrations.

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You can also get a tingly feeling when you are very relaxed. But it's different from vibrations. With vibrations, you can definitelly feel some kind of a movement, as if cells in your body vere shaking.

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Originally Posted by ber5897

So you think that what happened last night was a WILD? ...I was just sleeping, and the vibrating/tingling sensation is what actually made me conscious, at least I think. Can a WILD just randomly happen during your sleep?

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You don't have to lay there for half an hour or longer to try to WILD. I believe what you had was a WILD, because you say that the tingling made you consious, you realized you are face down (I'm guessing that was your dream body flipped around, not you sleeping face down), and then you rolled out. Even if it was just a few seconds, and not fully awake. If you had a dream before this, it would have been DEILD.

But no matter, what we call it. You definitelly had something, that you don't normally get. You are becoming more aware and thats great. You know, you had these sensations before thousands of time, but you just didn't notice them, because you were not trying to. But now you notice them and awareness is the key to having good LDs.
:alien:

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Originally Posted by gab

You definitelly had something, that you don't normally get. You are becoming more aware and thats great. You know, you had these sensations before thousands of time, but you just didn't notice them, because you were not trying to. But now you notice them and awareness is the key to having good LDs.
:alien:

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I knew that awareness is the key to LDs, but I have never really thought of it like this before. It is very true, and feels good to know that I am actually getting results, although it isn't that often yet.

The past couple of nights, when I do WBTB, after I get up and use the restroom and then do my mantras, I feel pretty awake. So I lay down, and I think to myself, Well I don't feel very tired now that I just got up. So I will wait until I feel like I'm about to fall asleep before I start saying the mantra in my head.. It doesn't work that way haha. I usually end up falling asleep very quickly. This is good though, because I used to not be able to get back to sleep at all after a WBTB.
I will just have to start saying the mantra right when I lay back down, so that it is the last thing I think before I fall asleep.

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Originally Posted by ber5897

The past couple of nights, when I do WBTB, after I get up and use the restroom and then do my mantras, I feel pretty awake. So I lay down, and I think to myself, Well I don't feel very tired now that I just got up. So I will wait until I feel like I'm about to fall asleep before I start saying the mantra in my head.. It doesn't work that way haha. I usually end up falling asleep very quickly. This is good though, because I used to not be able to get back to sleep at all after a WBTB.
I will just have to start saying the mantra right when I lay back down, so that it is the last thing I think before I fall asleep.

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Haha, you gotta do what you gotta do. But yes, if you fall asleep too soon, then start mantras as soon as you lay down. It can be different each time, though, so adjust as needed.

So last night I did another WBTB. I was awake for 4 or 5 minutes before I actually laid back down to go back to sleep, like usual. This time, though, I started saying my mantra again right when I laid down, but then I couldn't fall back asleep for the longest time.

Have you ever been trying to go to sleep, and you get these very vivid, weird thoughts in your mind, almost like a dream? That happens to me quite often, when I am getting tired and about to fall asleep. I will get these very vivid thoughts in my mind, almost like a dream, but I am actually still awake. They are really random thoughts too. Then I end up catching myself thinking those thoughts, and I am back to thinking normal thoughts. Well last night after I did WBTB, this was happening to me. It is not unusual, as it is a normal thing for me, but this time, during one of these vivid, dream-like thoughts, I got that tingling sensation throughout my whole body again. This happened a couple times last night when I was just laying there. That sensation brought me out of the vivid dream-like thoughts, which made me conscious. I tried concentrating on something, like I would do when I WILD, but the sensation ended up going away. This all happened twice to me last night, maybe three times.

Remember that thing that happened to me that I explained in post #9? I said it was a "DEILD/WILD/OBE", because I wasn't really sure what it was. Well now that I think about it, I think it might have happened during one of these vivid, dream-like thoughts, but when it happened I may have been more unconscious.
What exactly happened, is I was in a quite vivid dream, but woke up from an alarm for school. I hit snooze a few times before it happened, so this did not occur directly out of a normal dream. So I was just laying there after hitting snooze on my alarm again, and went into those dream-like thoughts, when I felt the tingling sensation throughout my body. The sensation was much stronger than last night though, and it wasn't going away. That is when I rolled out of my body.

So I'm thinking it must have been some type of a WILD. But my point is, the tingly sensation that I felt last night I think was the same thing that happened when I had that WILD.

I think what might have caused it, is that I was on the verge of falling asleep, when I had one of those dream-like thoughts, and the reason it turned into a WILD is because my mind was only focused on the dream-like thought, which is what you need for a WILD. Your mind can't be wandering.

Has this ever happened to you before? Do you ever have those very vivid dream-like thoughts when you are about to fall asleep?


Edit: Could it actually have been something like the Free-falling WILD technique?

It sure does sound like WILD. One type of entry into WILD is through the images you get as falling asleep. I do get them often.

They happen each time, when your body and mind doesn't go to sleep at the same time. Your body is alsready falling asleep (vibrations and other sensations) and your mind is still awake, when dreams start to form (vivid images). So you can have that wheather you WILD or DILD, if you keep your mind awake longer than normally, while body is already falling asleep.

If that happens and you have time, you can try and WILD. I don't get SP (paralysis), and majority or people don't get it, so tutorials that insist on me getting into SP are useless to me.
If you have never experienced SP (when you can't move at all when falling asleep), then you will not have it when WILDing.

This is our best WILD (sageous) tutorial. If you read it, you will be ready when your DILD attempt turns into WILD attempt. :alien:

Ah, ok. I just needed to clear that up, about if those images when you fall asleep could turn into a WILD, because I have been getting these sensations during those images recently. I haven't really seen anything about it on DV either.

Anyways, when I did WBTB last night, I couldn't fall back asleep. I didn't sleep too well overall anyway. I must keep trying!


Edit:How often should I be doing a reality check, and how often should I say my mantra? Every 15 minutes? Half hour? Hour? I feel like I may not be saying the mantra enough throughout the day. I only reality check whenever I just randomly think about it. I would say on average, I do approximately 1-3 reality checks every hour if I'm not doing anything, but if I am occupied with doing something else, I do a reality check even less often than that.

As for awareness, I try to do ADA as much as I can throughout the day, but it is hard. I do it whenever I think of it, and once I think about it, I do it for as long as I can. My mind ends up wandering after 5 or 10 minutes, and I just forget about it.

Like you have suggested, I have been using the mantra "Next time I'm dreaming, I look at my hands and realize I'm dreaming". So if I say it more often, does it make it more likely that I will actually look at my hands and realize I am dreaming, in my dreams?

I just had another lucid dream last night! I was at a family party, and I was just walking around and hanging out, and out of no where I just realized I was dreaming. The first thing I did was tried to stabilize it by rubbing my hands together, although I don't think it did much. I feel like I didn't have much control, or I was just too dumb to even try to control anything, because I just continued with the dream, walking around at the party just thinking about how awesome it was that I was dreaming. After a while I think I either forgot that it was a dream, or I just stopped thinking about it, because the dream kind of went back to a normal one.

I also noticed that my last lucid dream resembled this one a lot. One reason, is because in the last one, the very first thing I did, by instinct, was just tried to stabilize the dream by rubbing my hands together, and again, I don't think it did much. Another reason that my last LD resembles last nights LD is because although I did try to control the dream by flying, once I started trying to fly, I felt like I just "went with the flow" of the dream, and just kept trying to fly hoping that it would work, not totally in control. Kind of half in control.

I guess in both of the dreams it almost felt like a normal dream, but I was still aware and knew that I was dreaming. What should I try to do to make sure that I have full control next time? I'm thinking I should try to make the dream more vivid and clear instead of trying to stabilize it. What is the very first thing that I should do when I realize I am dreaming like this?

By the way, I think the reason I had a LD is because I greatly increased the frequency of saying my mantra throughout the day before. I tried to say my mantra every 15-20 minutes or so. I realized that it is really hard to make my mantra the last thing that I am thinking when I fall asleep. Any tips to do this, or should I just keep trying?

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Originally Posted by ber5897

Ah, ok. I just needed to clear that up, about if those images when you fall asleep could turn into a WILD, because I have been getting these sensations during those images recently.

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Sensations and types of entry into WILD

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Originally Posted by ber5897

Anyways, when I did WBTB last night, I couldn't fall back asleep. I didn't sleep too well overall anyway. I must keep trying!

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Only stay up untill you can think logically, but you still sleepy enough. Just a few minutes, like a trip to the bathroom is sometimes long enough, especially for a DILD.

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Originally Posted by ber5897

How often should I be doing a reality check, and how often should I say my mantra? Every 15 minutes? Half hour? Hour? I feel like I may not be saying the mantra enough throughout the day. I only reality check whenever I just randomly think about it. I would say on average, I do approximately 1-3 reality checks every hour if I'm not doing anything, but if I am occupied with doing something else, I do a reality check even less often than that.

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It's more about quality, than quantity. Without emotions, RCs are not gonna be very helpfull. Not sure if I linked you the Collection of techniques - awareness question+RC. It's the emotions, the "wow, what if I'm dreaming" thought that will trigger lucidity. RC will just confirm. When doing it during day, you have to believe you are in a dream and that your RC will work. That's how it will start happening in your dreams.

I prefer to do RCs at random, but I also have a sticky-note as a reminder. 3 an hour sounds good. Whenever you can use the emotions, do an RC.

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Originally Posted by ber5897

As for awareness, I try to do ADA as much as I can throughout the day, but it is hard. I do it whenever I think of it, and once I think about it, I do it for as long as I can. My mind ends up wandering after 5 or 10 minutes, and I just forget about it.

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That's fine. It's hard to keep at it all day, may take years of practice.
Dream yoga (sivason)

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Originally Posted by ber5897

Like you have suggested, I have been using the mantra "Next time I'm dreaming, I look at my hands and realize I'm dreaming". So if I say it more often, does it make it more likely that I will actually look at my hands and realize I am dreaming, in my dreams?

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It worked for me on first night. But I was super, super excited when doing RCs on that day. I just found out about LDing and for hours, I was in a state of "oh my gosh, no way, this is so cool, is it possible I could do this?" And when I got the feeling "is this a dream?" my hands jumped out in front of me and rest is history.

But of course, you can use any different RC, in fact you should use at least 2-3. :alien:

Ok, thanks. I haven't had anything else happen to me recently, although every time I try a WBTB, when the time comes and I wake up, I always feel to tired and I decide not to do it, and just go back to sleep. So I haven't been doing any WBTB's recently, although I really want to every night, and I think that may be why I haven't had anything happen for a while.

It has been a few weeks since my last LD, and I haven't gotten any more. I think I am not doing as much ADA and as many reality checks and mantras as I should be. Oh, and especially WBTB's. Haven't been getting many of those in at all. I definitely will this weekend though, and hopefully more throughout next week.
Are WBTB's a major factor in inducing DILDs? I am thinking that is why I haven't even come close to another LD recently.

WBTBs are important for WILDs, but they can help in MILDs/DILDs too.

If you have time, try this.

Get up 90 min before your normal waking time. Stay up for 90 min and then take a 90 min nap. 67% of participants of a dream study got a lucid in these naps.

I do this often, but I wake up at normal time, stay up for 1-3 hours and then take a nap.

The idea behind this is, that you sleep, when your mind is used to be awake, so you will be more aware in your sleep and have a great chance for a lucid.

Another method that you could try for a DILD is CAT (cycle adjustment technique).

For a week you wake up 1 hour before your normal bedtime and you stay up. You don't go back to bed. This will be the week when you just getting ready for lucids.
Next week, you keep sleeping until your previous normal waking time. But, your brain has gotten used to waking up earlier, so it will wake up, while you are still asleep and it should get you a lucid. Makes sense?

And every time you think about dreams and lucids, you get yourself one step closer to your next lucid dream. It may look like you are doing nothing, but believe me, stuff is happening and you will be rewarded soon.

Hmm, maybe I will try that first technique, at least on the weekends. I am not sure if I will be able to get back to sleep after getting up like that, but it is definitely worth a try.

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Originally Posted by gab

And every time you think about dreams and lucids, you get yourself one step closer to your next lucid dream. It may look like you are doing nothing, but believe me, stuff is happening and you will be rewarded soon.

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Thank you. I often forget this, and start to feel like I am doing all of this for nothing. I really did need to be reminded of that.

Yeah, if you can't get back to sleep in the morning, then this may not work for you.

When I wake up, I get dressed, have breakfast and stuff, but the whole time I'm reminding myself that I'm going back to sleep. I'm looking forward to it. You probably can't do it too often, since you have school, so try to savor those moments. It will help you prime yourself for a sleep and make your mind understand, that you are not up for a day yet, you are going back to sleep.

Then I lay down on a sofa (not my night-time bed) and watch tv until I feel kinda sleepy, or at least relaxed. Then I shut the tv off and start my mantra and paying attention to the back of my eyelids and try to invoke vibrations. But this is for a WILD. You can just repeat our mantra until you fall asleep. :alien:

May I ask what the reason for going to the sofa instead of your night-time bed is for? Does this somehow increase awareness when you are asleep or something?

When you planning to have lucid dream, if you sleep on sofa, it tells your mind, that you not just going to have a normal, pass-out sleep. That you doing something else.

Plus, on my sofa I can prop my head on bunch of pillows and I'm in a half seated position on my back. That's another way of telling my mind that we are doing something special.

That makes sense. Maybe I will try that, or at least prop my head up on a few pillows.

Just make sure it's comfy enough for you to fall asleep. See, I'm used to sleep on sofa while watching tv, but it may be different for you.

Ok. I guess it's just one of those things that takes some experminenting to see what works for me.

Still no recent successes with DILDS, but I did actually almost have a WILD. I woke up naturally, felt the vibrations, and entered sleep paralysis, but got a little freaked out and broke the SP.
Anyways, I'm not sure why I haven't been having any DILDs recently. Do you think I should be having more by now? I know it varies from person to person, but it's been a while since I've had a DILD compared to before when I had a few of them in a relatively short amount of time.

I really can't tell you how many or when. There really is no schedule for that. If you are practicing awareness+RCs+mantras with emotions, then you are doing everything right. If you have intent and selfconfidence instead of a wish, then you doing it right. Keep practicing for DILD, and if you wish to practice other methods as well, go for it. (I have read your post in WIILD) Read Sageouse's tutorial here in Academy, read DEILD by dutchraptor. That way you will be ready, when you find yourself in WILD or DEILD situation.

I went without DILD since 1/27, and day before yesterday I had a DILD with 6-7 FAs. I was able to catch them because of RCs and got lucid in all of them. Don't give up, keep practicing:alien:

Yeah, when I got into SP last night, that just kind of happened on its own. And that is why I made that post in WILD subforum; so that I know what to do next time. I want to stick with DILD until I have more DILDs under my belt. I just feel like I should be having more.

Now that I think about it though, maybe I need to work on keeping up with awareness.

I have never read sageous's WILD tutorial because it is so long, but I always see people recommending to read it because it is so good. So I have been a little bit bored recently, so I decided to check it out just for the heck of it. I haven't read the whole thing yet, but I can tell that it is very good, and I think it is a very interesting read. Anyways, I was reading one of the posts (the first session, I believe), and he talks about awareness. More specifically, self awareness. I have heard about self awareness before, but always forget to look into it. Sageous also gives some good and convincing reasons why he thinks it is better than ADA for WILDing. I feel like it would be better for WILDs too. But what about for DILDs? Would self awareness work for DILDs as well as ADA? I was considering giving it a try for a while.

Absolutely. Any type of daytime awareness helps with all lucid dreams, DILDs included. This part of his tutorial is about self-awareness.

It helps you to be more aware in your dreams in general, maybe help to get lucid more often, have more detailed and vivid regular dreams. It definitelly is a good thing. And sivason's dream yoga in DVA is all about awareness. :alien:

Ok cool, maybe I will try self awareness for a while. I will look at the dream yoga section too, as I have always seen it but never took the time to check it out.

Ahh, It's good to be back :D haha. Obviously, I haven't been on DV for a while now, or even trying to lucid dream. After not getting results, I've lost interest, and honestly, I've been too lazy to get back into it :P. Well I've had some awesome dreams lately, which got me thinking about LDing again, so I am now going to try to get back into my old habits of awareness, mantras, etc., plus get my motivation up. So I will hopefully be back here on DV regularly again, and posting updates.

Welcome back! Best thing to motivate you can be reading and posting on DV. Make a plan what you want to do in your LD, draw a picture of it in your DJ, daydream about it, practice, how you would do it.

Write in your DJ, do mantras, awareness question, RCs and get some LDs! Good luck:alien: