Thread: Is it possible that some people just can't Lucid Dream?

Originally Posted by DoubleHelix

How is your dream recall??? Have you created a journal?? Have you done some basic reading on the topic from legitimate sources?? (LaBerge, et al). Have you established a regular bed time? If you smoke weed, you need to stop. It'll kill your chances. Set the stage for an LD to occur - and it will!

Yep, have a journal, with very vivid dreams.

I know that everyone is saying you should switch to DILD Techniques. But if you rather want to WILD, then do it. Be confident and don't let anyone change that.

Your Dream Recall is good and you've had some half-successful FILD attempts.
Read up on WILD in general, FILD especially and learn about other methods, Here is a rough overview that includes a bunch of WILD Techniques.

Now that i know you've had some success, i think you're well on your way. Just don't be impatient. Also, how is your mantra involved with FILD?

Be confident, consistent, diligent an patient.
Meditate as much as you can.
Try WILD as often as you can, during Naps and WBTB.

Research WILD, since WILD is so directly affected by your approach it's important that you don't have any Misconceptions or a bad approach.

like some people already suggested i would start with MILD/DILD and let FILD/WILD go for some time. start over, new technique, new chances to get lucid and therefore you can refresh you believe!

Originally Posted by RelaxAndDream

like some people already suggested i would start with MILD/DILD and let FILD/WILD go for some time. start over, new technique, new chances to get lucid and therefore you can refresh you believe!

I see what you mean, but as I posted above, I've had more success and come close with FILD.

In my opinion, the visualization aspect of MILD is the most effective part of it. It sounds like you haven't been doing this. When you're visualizing what you should have done during past dreams upon experiencing a dream sign, you're learning from your mistakes. You aren't learning from your mistakes by simply repeating a mantra and focusing on things unrelated to your past dreams during the day.

After every dream, you should recall it before writing down what dream signs you missed. Once you do this, for each dream sign, reimagine experiencing it only with you becoming lucid from it. Then tell yourself next time I experience [dream sign] I'll become lucid. That way, next time you experience a similar dream sign during a dream, you'll be more likely to become lucid from it because you will be learning from your mistakes.

Look through your dream journal for situations that probably wouldn't occur in waking life. For each one of your situations, imagine yourself become lucid during them and tell yourself that next time this happens during a dream, you will become lucid. Do this with each new dream you recall. Learn to lucid dream by learning from your mistakes.

MY main issue is actually getting up for FILD. When I wake up, I am so tired and I just sleep. As well, rolling over is an issue as well.

my mantra is I will Lucid Dream Tonight Using FILD.

And as well with FILD, would it work if one stayed up around 30-45 minutes with wbtb? I hear with FILD you need to be really tired, so I dunno.

From my understanding FILD is the easiest in regards to WBTB, because in most approaches you don't even get up, you just start FILD right as you wake up. So i don't see the problem.

I see. I know my main issues. The thing is, for each night, I prepare myself to LD and like read about techniques and remind myself of my goal and I feel so motivated. When I wake up, I am so tired and just end up falling asleep before FILD. Honestly, this does decrease my motivation a bit, so what are some good tips to stay up?

I don't understand what you mean by 'before FILD'. You wake up, focus on your tapping fingers and do a RC a short while after. I think the fact that you're falling asleep before you can do FILD shows that you're actually at the right level of tiredness.

The only options i can offer you are using an alarm that you have to turn off before you can go back to sleep and doing FILD during naps (though i don't know if WILD Techniques that require short WBTB work during Naps)

Well, how does one remain motivated after so many nights of failure? Like, each day, I tell myself that I will do it tonight, but part of me doubts, what is so different about this night and it'll just end up the same.

As well, I have classes coming up and I'm scared that I won't be able to practice ld'ing during the week.

Well, how does one remain motivated after so many nights of failure? Like, each day, I tell myself that I will do it tonight, but part of me doubts, what is so different about this night and it'll just end up the same.

I'd say you're too invested, the best results come when you see LD practice as a thing you have to do, going at WILD with a 'This is the Night!' attitude will only hinder you. Someone fittingly described WILDing as 'meditating yourself to sleep' and you don't meditate while pumped for meditation.

Originally Posted by KNightNox

I'd say you're too invested, the best results come when you see LD practice as a thing you have to do, going at WILD with a 'This is the Night!' attitude will only hinder you. Someone fittingly described WILDing as 'meditating yourself to sleep' and you don't meditate while pumped for meditation.

Too invested? But one needs to be motivated, right?

Like we know some people are naturals, but is it possible that some people can't just do it? I've been trying for 6 months and I wonder that it might be me.

Yeah, I wonder if anybody can do it.
I am not sure too.

I try to get lucid for 4 years now. I got a lot of advice over and over again.

" Take a break!" " You are doing to much" " You are not doing enough" Do this and that, whatever I´ve done was wrong

I try to find my own way, somehow.

Anyways, I saw a lot of people fail. So how can we be sure that everybody can lucid dream?

Originally Posted by Noldor

Yeah, I wonder if anybody can do it.
I am not sure too.

I try to get lucid for 4 years now. I got a lot of advice over and over again.

" Take a break!" " You are doing to much" " You are not doing enough" Do this and that, whatever I´ve done was wrong

I try to find my own way, somehow.

Anyways, I saw a lot of people fail. So how can we be sure that everybody can lucid dream?

The ones who've started a workbook in one of the DVA classes (Intro, DILD, etc.) and who have stayed with the practice have pretty much all gotten a lucid dream. I can't think of one who hasn't. It's a great way to stay motivated and get individual feedback on your practice.

The place to start with is your dream recall. How is it?

Originally Posted by Noldor

...So how can we be sure that everybody can lucid dream?

Well, we can't be sure.

LD'ing, being an activity that runs counter to your brain and body's natural order (aka, being awake while you are asleep), is something that a few people might not be able to learn. In order to LD consistently, you must effectively do some serious rewiring of physical sleep and consciousness routines that have been firmly established in your brain since birth; this rewiring is difficult most of the time, and occasionally might just be impossible.

So I would agree that, if you have been diligently and sincerely working to have a LD for four years now, there is an excellent chance that the ability may be out of reach for you. By "diligently and sincerely," I mean that, in addition to trying techniques, you have worked regularly and with sincere focus on developing all the fundamentals (self-awareness, memory, expectation/intention), you have learned and practiced MILD for at least six months, you have kept a dream journal, you made a sincere attempt to LD at least once a week for the full four years, and LD'ing was forefront in your thoughts for at least some part of each of your waking days.

I don't know what you've tried to date, but if it included the things I listed above, four years is a very long time to be attempting unsuccessfully to LD; it could be time to move on to something else. However, if your practice has been sporadic or unfocused, or if you didn't spend enough time on a single valid technique (like MILD), or perhaps -- and I wouldn't blame you for this -- you approach your LD attempts with a negative or disheartened attitude, there may be a chance that, should you start all over again, you might just find your way to lucidity... but if you should decide to start over, I would give it several months, rather than several years.

Oh, and for what its worth, I too get a little annoyed when people (including myself, I'll admit) toss out general advice like "Take a break!" " You are doing to much" " You are not doing enough," etc, without really looking into what it is that you're missing in your practice. If you can't LD after all that time, there is probably something specific you are missing, and, say, taking a break does nothing to lead you to that something. So who knows? Maybe your four years of failure is based less on your natural ability than it is on a consistent string of poor advice!

tl;dr: We cannot be sure that everyone can LD; there may be some people whose brains simply will not allow the necessary rewiring to accommodate being awake while asleep. But to be sure you are in that small minority of people naturally unable to LD, look back at your years of attempts, and be sure you have pushed all the buttons required to truly confirm that your brain is not interested in being adjusted. If you've included the fundamentals in your practice, and have done your techniques and daywork with sincerity and consistence, then, after four years, it may be time to leave LD'ing behind.

Originally Posted by Noldor

Yeah, I wonder if anybody can do it.
I am not sure too.

I try to get lucid for 4 years now. I got a lot of advice over and over again.

" Take a break!" " You are doing to much" " You are not doing enough" Do this and that, whatever I´ve done was wrong

I try to find my own way, somehow.

Anyways, I saw a lot of people fail. So how can we be sure that everybody can lucid dream?

Nobody knows if "everyone can lucid dream", although many will say that they do know.

You have to bear in mind also that what people say that they can do and what people write on the internet is not to be taken at face value. Agnosticism is healthy, in my opinion. I suspect that comparatively very few people can actually lucid dream - it's a small minority, in my opinion and experience, although the hustings would declare otherwise.

Regarding your own 'struggle' - it took me three weeks of trying* to start having short lucids (1-2 seconds) at which I would immediately wake up. After six years of this (!!) and no improvement, I gave up in disgust. I didn't believe in it any more. About three weeks later, without even trying, BANG! I had my first lucid (of more than 1-2 seconds), which lasted about 60-75 seconds.

I'm not saying that my experience is any sort of template that applies to anyone else. I'm just putting it in the mix.

Good luck with your endeavours.

*Looking at one's hands (Castaneda technique).

you must have at least some near misses kamenriderbaron, last night I was in a dream and I realized that something couldn't be real (a deceased person) then I stupidly began trying to figure out what they represented, and noticed a few more things that weren't real, and I was in the dream thinking why am I being haunted by dead people and impossible things. Sure I haven't had a lucid dream in 4 weeks, but I have been close at least half a dozen times.

Remember to enjoy your non-lucid dreams as motivation too.

Dreaming is a normal function of the mind. I believe and even experts would agree that everyone is capable of having lucid dreams. Perhaps, there are a few who are not familiar about a lucid dream.

Last night I had a real vivid dream and 3 FAs.
My dreams are ususally vivid with a storyline, often dark.

I started with Rcs for over a year, but never dreamed about doing them.
Now I do daily awareness. Works good for me.

It´s not like, there was nothing at all, I had semi-luciddreams but well never went further than that.

Also I do daily WBTB since 2012.

Vivid dreams are good! Do you enjoy your vivid dreams? I find the most important part of dreaming is thoroughly enjoying and appreciating all your dreams. For one thing, even for those who do get lucid, even on a regular basis, there are always more non-lucids than lucids, so loving your non-lucid dreams is important to staying positive about the practice. Never think a night without lucidity is a failure, especially if you enjoy several vivid dreams!

If you like, you could read some things I've written about building dream recall, and about lucid dreaming in general, maybe you'll find something interesting or a new way of looking at things:

FryingMan's Dream Recall Tips
FryingMan's "Unified Theory" of Lucid Dreaming


A collection of links to useful/helpful message threads

Have you ever read any Tibetan Dream Yoga books? I find they have a very interesting perspective in many ways different from the Western literature.

Actually I love all of my dreams. Sometimes hard to love my nightmares but anyways. I am always happy to add a new dream to my DJ I will read ur links.

A night with a nice dream is worth all the work imho.
Specially the vivid dreams.

My dad, is a lucid dreamer, he said a LD will come when the time is right. I try to be positive.

Great! Your dad is right. Love your dreams, work consistently on building dream recall continually higher, work on the the fundamentals as Sageous said, stay positive, and the LDs will come!