Originally Posted by
sivason
Good observation on expectation. I had a realization while standing in a cold river. I had been looking at this as a form of conflict. I would face the cold water and 'resist' the unpleasant cold, like it was a battle, and I was going to be strong. I realized that by maintaining calm and accepting the cold, reaaly letting it envelop me, that the fight was over, and I just was. I had been Eric fighting the cold, and became Eric experiencing the cold. Nothing changed except my mindset, yet suddenly it was different and pleasant.
This helps in LDing because far to often we are woken by a sudden jolt of realization. The thought "wow! This realy is a dream!" Can affect you much like the stream of cold water. The same thing happens in WILD when serious HH or the transition happens. The change you can make while awake in how you deal with the water is the key to handling the sudden jolts in dreaming.
I think you are on the verge of making a breakthrough. This lesson was never about becoming macho and tough, it is about changing how you deal with it.