Feeling Impowered

Hey, it's me again :p
now that I have chosen all the techniques that work for me, and understood how to use them and how they work, I should feel powerful towards LDing, right? Wrong! I feel the opposite. I've been practecing for 3 months and had 4 LDs, and trust me, I was messed up by all the techniques I was doing, I mean, I didn't know how I had them! I think bcz I was putting so much effort, that I got results, but now that I am more organized and consentrated, and don't need that much effort, I feel that I won't get results! It's a very powerfull unconfidence. Plz help
PS: pretty sure not a dry spell

You have linked lucidity to effort, am i right ? Now you feel that you need to put all your effort to be rewarded with lucidity ?

I think effort gives us the confidence that we have done our job, it´s true. But i think we must avoid thinking that lucid dreaming is only possible through effort. I don´t subscribe that. Look at children, many of them dream lucidly ; look at naturals; we simply don´t know why, but they achieve effortless lucidity. So, it is possible. Now, while we don´t know what the mechanism of this natural lucidity is, we can simply refuse to keep strenghtening that association between effort and lucidity.

A good first step is to refuse practicing intensive induction techniques, specially if one is left again and again with disappointment.

So, as a first step, i would recommend you check this thread. At least i hope it helps you to overcome that effort mindset.

Oh, and something to make you dream about possible future technology

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You've got 2 other recent threads that resemble this one in several ways. In the future, it's easier to just keep posting on them so other members can read your previous doubts/concerns and give you a more complete answer.

Regarding that confidence, it may seem a blunt answer, but no one but yourself can help you through it. Notice that around 90% of us worry about our own lack of lucids to some degree, and that even experienced lders have troubles from times to times. We just have to keep going :P It's very common that after a somewhat "lucky" start, people have a bit of an harder time getting more lucids, especially after having known the proper techniques that can help then. But like several people told you, you need to give it time. Just because some people achieved 2 lucids per week after just a month, doesn't mean everyone does. Some do better, but the majority of people take at least 1 year (from what I've seen around here), to regularly get lucids. It's all very relative and sadly no one can answer why is that.

Stressing yourself might actually hurt you a bit, so you should always strive for an optimistic and relaxed attitude towards it. Every time you wake up without any memory of a lucid dream, think "today is the day", but don't worry yourself about it. Personally I hate the fact that I have to wait for a proper lucid for so long when they came so easily in the past, but if it takes 1 year to get back to that high frequency, then it's the time I'll wait. And this is nothing compared to people like Sageous and Hukif that had to practice for years to achieve regular lucidity. Years! Sageous didn't even had a forum like this to grab tips or advice, and so did others like him.

So grab onto that positive attitude and fight that insecurity. If you really want to lucid dream, you'll survive the harsh part of the journey: the beginning. And after that, you'll be proud of yourself for fighting so hard for your goal ;)

Thnx very much. Both of you! I'll adopt a calmer attitude and reassure myself that I can't possibly stay stuck in one part, especially that I didn't get stuck at the first part, which personally feels the hardest (achieving the first LD). How can I repay you?( I know it's only a forum, but it has helped me greatly), especially you Zoth, since you've helped me in almost all of my previous concerns. I really love LDing more than you can imagine. Then again, don't we all do?!
Also, I'll make shure not to post too many threads that fall into the same topic.
Peace!!

When I first started this, I pressured myself so much to get LDs that it just wouldn't happen. I eventually just got to the point where I realized that it will take time, much like any other skill. Just like other skills, practice does help. Let go, don't feel so stressed to do this. This is supposed to be fun, not a chore.

Although I do believe that uncompromising effort can and will allow you to do an "easier" technique like DEILD (for some people it requires not much more than determination and will), if you really wish to have lucid dreams on a regular basis then it is self-exploration that helps the most. If you work on your self as a regular life practice, you will naturally raise your self-awareness and (hopefully) confidence as well. That said, there are many ways to focus specifically on self-awareness for dreaming purposes, though in all my years of lucid dreaming I have not seen a more generally applicable and concise way to do this than Sageous's method. I do recommend you work on your overall self though, introspectively in life and in studying your regular dreams, and with this combination, in time you will truly understand what self-awareness actually means within the context of a dream.

While techniques are great for getting a DEILD like I mentioned above, they are not so great at prolonging these sort of dreams if you lack the self understanding and confidence to do so. In any case, never give up and the results will come. The mind is a complex thing; frustration and doubt will always cause you to get in your own way.

LDing is very important to me, and I believe that I can build my confidence to achieve Lds at a regular basis. Still a little frustrated though. I am taking a break till Christmas, then I have a two week vacation, where I will work on LDing much more. It's nice to have that free time for LDing, and I expect to have a LD or two, and would last for 5 minutes hopefully. I am so excited!! Thnx all for your help. :D