Experienced LDers: Was it hard for you starting out?

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Originally Posted by sisyphus

I struggled with irregularity. One week I'd have 5 LDs and the next week none. I couldn't make a connection between my process and the results. It was frustrating. I would think I had made a breakthrough but then follow it up with a dryspell.

I overcame this by realizing that I needed to be process-oriented over results-oriented. This was greatly inspired by the book Moneyball, which is about baseball, statistics, and the importance of efficiency in determining value. Basically, you can't focus too much on results over the short term. That's just statistical noise. You must trust the process. Stick with the process and the results will follow over the long term. This assumes that the process is well studied and proven. At least for MILD, I think there is a sufficient body of evidence and study to trust the process (from Stephen LaBerge's work). So I stopped sweating the ups and downs and trusted the process. I started enjoying my non-LDs as much as my LDs. And all on its own, my LDs increased.

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To be honest, this is probably where I'm tripping myself at. I've been trying lucid dreaming for half a year now, and I have often found myself trying a technique, then a few days later going "no, this doesn't really feel like its working" and now that I've finally decided to start working hard at a consistent MILD schedule, my dreams suddenly are in more abundance and with more meaning to them, along with more obvious dreamsigns. I always thought I was patient, until recently when I realized that at times I was working too hard and any other time I was switching technique. Of course, now if I could just get myself to stick with ADA...

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Originally Posted by TheJester

To be honest, this is probably where I'm tripping myself at. I've been trying lucid dreaming for half a year now, and I have often found myself trying a technique, then a few days later going "no, this doesn't really feel like its working" and now that I've finally decided to start working hard at a consistent MILD schedule, my dreams suddenly are in more abundance and with more meaning to them, along with more obvious dreamsigns. I always thought I was patient, until recently when I realized that at times I was working too hard and any other time I was switching technique. Of course, now if I could just get myself to stick with ADA...

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ADA is pretty difficult, and it takes more to keep it and to get it going than others. I would recommend a different tech if you have trouble sticking to something. Try and fond something that you enjoy doing, makes sense to you, and fits in your schedule. :)

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Originally Posted by BrandonBoss

ADA is pretty difficult, and it takes more to keep it and to get it going than others. I would recommend a different tech if you have trouble sticking to something. Try and fond something that you enjoy doing, makes sense to you, and fits in your schedule. :)

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Yeah, thats what I always try to do as best I can. My favorite technique, due to it's simplicity and effectiveness, would be WBTB, but unfortunately it's pretty difficult to fit than in my schedule. I think I'll probably keep up with ADA, it seems like almost everyone is talking about how well it works, and I think maybe the last time I was continually doing ADA I actually tried too hard at it and tired myself out. But yeah, since I'm in school, I think I really should try to work with MILD, I decided to seriously try it out on the 25th of last month, and the first night I did it I got the longest and most controlled LD I've ever had. The reason I'm trying to work with ADA is because for some reason right after that night on the 25th my awareness just... I don't even know, it's like I just "lost" all my awareness of my surroundings, and people generally seem to be saying that ADA is really great. I guess, really, it's not that I have trouble sticking to one technique or another, it's just that I absolutely constantly have an attitude of "Am I doing this right? Do I need to be doing something else?" which has been really getting to me. I think I just need to settle down and start trusting a technique and following it for a decent period of time.

I am in no way experienced, but for me it has been hard starting out, I think that seems rather normal, considering the huge size of this idea we are trying to acomplish.

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Originally Posted by Phased

I am in no way experienced, but for me it has been hard starting out, I think that seems rather normal, considering the huge size of this idea we are trying to acomplish.

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To be honest, I'd say in some ways being a beginner can be a benefit. When you're a beginner you take all the details in, and you never forget what you're trying to achieve and what you need to do to get there. When you do it for a while you really need to keep yourself from forgetting the little things. But starting out sure can be difficult, especially if you don't know what you're doing. I still feel brand new to lucid dreaming, and honestly I still am more or less. But motivation seems to be the catalyst to success in lucid dreaming, so if you have that, you're good.

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Originally Posted by TheJester

To be honest, I'd say in some ways being a beginner can be a benefit. When you're a beginner you take all the details in, and you never forget what you're trying to achieve and what you need to do to get there. When you do it for a while you really need to keep yourself from forgetting the little things. But starting out sure can be difficult, especially if you don't know what you're doing. I still feel brand new to lucid dreaming, and honestly I still am more or less. But motivation seems to be the catalyst to success in lucid dreaming, so if you have that, you're good.

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Yeah, I one hundred percent agree with you here, well said.