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.
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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.
Unless you have some kind of ailment, no. You might just have below average 'talent', some people have to practice for years before they succeed.
Give me a rundown what you've done for how long and maybe i can help you find a more effective path.
i think as long you dream and dont have some mental disorder everyone can lucid dream.
all i know your practice is not continuous and constant. it needs consistent effort and practice. maybe this might be the reason?
i know that hukif was very dedicated and tried for years to have his first one but for him the reason was that his dreams where so vivid and realistic that every RC just failed until he found his holy grail the Gravity RC. now he has several lucids a night ;) so again dedication and persistence will pay of some day^^
Good thread
I've been trying for around 6 months. I took two months off due to stress. I mainly try FILD but the thing is, I usually am too tired to wake up for it, for starters. I repeat to myself that I will Ld tonight during the day or I will do RC as I dream but sometimes I feel like I am saying it in a half assed manner. I record in my dream journal during most days and it is pretty good recall.Quote:
Originally Posted by KNightNox
First: No, we don't know that some people are naturals... it seems that, with incredibly few exceptions, everyone must learn at some point to lucid dream. Though we all will likely experience lucidity once or twice in life without ever trying, consistent, "natural," LD'ing is a talent that pretty much everyone must acquire from scratch, usually with lots of focus and hard work.Quote:
Originally Posted by kamenriderbaron
And sure, there could very well be a couple of people on the planet who cannot, for mental or medical reasons, learn to successfully LD, but that number is probably incredibly small as well, and likely does not include you. That said:
Six months is not a long time, especially if it your practice is interrupted; give yourself more of it. Also, if FILD isn't working for you, try something else -- I would recommend that you learn MILD, with the intention of achieving DILD's. If you really want to WILD (FILD is a WILD technique, BTW), the elements of MILD are also very helpful to achieving them as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by kamenriderbaron
So: It is far too early to wonder if you (or anyone) is naturally unable to achieve LD's. Give yourself more time, stay focused on your practice, and try something new (like MIILD).
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I've been trying for around 6 months. I took two months off due to stress. I mainly try FILD but the thing is, I usually am too tired to wake up for it, for starters. I repeat to myself that I will Ld tonight during the day or I will do RC as I dream but sometimes I feel like I am saying it in a half assed manner. I record in my dream journal during most days and it is pretty good recall.
As Sageous said, 6 months isn't that long. You also took two months off, which is horrible for practice and reduces your practice time to 4 months, which is basically nothing if you use the wrong approach.
The problems i see with what you do are:
- You use too many Techniques. MILD and FILD are very different and it's known that piling up Techniques hurts you more than it helps.
- You are stressed. Meditate for gods sake, i'm sure you spend as much time a anyone on Social Media, Reddit and the like. Take some of that time to meditate, not only is it good against stress but has been shown to boost many aspects of LD practice.
- You aren't committed, taking time off is the worst you can do, and if you are ready to stop after 4 measly months of practice, your resolve to learn lucid dreaming isn't great.
- You don't research, lucid dreaming is almost purely mental, that's why knowledge is everything. A bit of browsing would have shown you that learning lucid dreaming can take a long time and Diligence is key.
My advice is:
- Diligence. Above all you have to be consistent and thorough in your practice.
- Motivation. Search for the reasons you want to lucid dream, then write them down. Fortify your Resolve.
- Patience. Lucid dreaming doesn't require focus at all times, it actually often seems to work better if you don't think about it as much. However it does need endurance.
- Dream Recall, you say yours is good, but if it isn't consistently above 3 full Dreams per night, then work on it. Dream Recall can give you LDs by itself if practiced seriously.
- Awareness, especially when doing RCs. Many people fall into the habit of just doing the motions without ever truly believing that they could be dreaming. In reality actually asking yourself if you're dreaming is the most important part, you only do the motions to gain certainty.
- Meditation. For you especially, this seems useful.
I hope this helps and good luck in your practice!
"It turns out, the ability to experience lucid dreams differs wildly from one person to another."
"The research showed that the brains of people with high and low dream lucidity were different. Subjects with high lucidity had greater gray matter volume in the frontopolar cortex, compared to those with low lucidity. This brain region also showed higher activity during thought monitoring in both high- and low-lucidity subjects, with stronger increases in the high-lucidity group. The scientists concluded that lucid dreaming and metacognition share some underlying mechanisms, particularly with regards to thought monitoring. This relationship had been previously suspected, but never before explored at the neural level."
"A recent study, published earlier this month in the Journal of Neuroscience, set out to determine if people with high and low dream lucidity were also dissimilar in their metacognitive ability, that is, the ability to reflect on, and report, one’s mental states."- sourced from, The Neuroscience of Lucid Dreams - Scientific American Blog Network
This may seem depressing, that some people are physiologically disadvantaged when it comes to Lucid dreaming, but there are things which have been proven to remedy this situation.
"They study is the first to document meditation-produced changes in the brain’s grey matter over time. The team that conducted the study was lead by Harvard-affiliated researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)."
"There was increased grey-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection."- Sourced from, https://www.davidwolfe.com/meditatio...er-in-8-weeks/
"Participating in an eight-week mindfulness meditation program appears to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress."- Sourced from, Eight weeks to a better brain | Harvard Gazette
"In a meta-analysis of 21 neuroimaging studies, eight brain regions were found to be consistently altered, including areas key to meta-awareness (frontopolar cortex/Brodmann area 10), exteroceptive and interoceptive body awareness (sensory cortex and insular cortex), memory consolidation and reconsolidation (hippocampus), self and emotion regulation (anterior cingulate cortex and orbitofrontal cortex), and intra- and interhemispheric communication (superior longitudinal fasciculus; corpus callosum)[13] These changes were distinguished by density increases in grey matter regions and white matter pathways in the brains of individuals who meditate in comparison to individuals who do not. Of all areas with reported findings, a greater number of structural changes were found in the left hemisphere."- Sourced from, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_...and_meditation
More on the frontopolar cortex which is part of the "anterior-most portion of the prefrontal cortex in the human brain."
"Although this region is extensive in humans, its function is poorly understood.[3] Koechlin & Hyafil have proposed that processing of 'cognitive branching' is the core function of the frontopolar cortex.[11] Cognitive branching enables a previously running task to be maintained in a pending state for subsequent retrieval and execution upon completion of the ongoing one."- Sourced from, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brodmann_area_10
Some important factors which determine a person probability of having a lucid dream and their quality.
1. Knowledge: Knowing it is possible. Knowing how to go about doing it, I mean the methods.
2. Skill: Ones level of skill in the application of learned injunctions or methods.
3. Perseverance: Consistence in practice in the face of laziness, distraction, forgetfulness, and temporary failure.
4. Capability: I mean ones neurological capability, strength and complexity in those neural regions responsible for generating and upholding Lucid dreaming.
Thanks for the infos valis. do you know if regular lucid dreaming also increases the grey matter or if there is any other alteration in the brain structure noticeable? and maybe in comparison to meditation?
More interesting articles I wish I mentioned in the first post.
"A 2012 study looked at the neural correlates of lucid dreaming using EEG and fMRI scanning. They found:
During lucid dreaming the bilateral precuneus, cuneus, parietal lobules, and prefrontal and occipito-temporal cortices activated strongly as compared with non-lucid REM sleep.”- Sourced from, NeuroLogica Blog » The Brains of Lucid Dreamers
"They found people who reported higher levels of lucid dreaming were also the ones with more gray matter in the anterior prefrontal cortex — thus making this part of the brain larger."
"The findings fall in line with previous research finding lucid dreamers are more insightful. The same study also found they were better at problem solving, specifically with regards to recognizing patterns."- Sourced from, "http://www.medicaldaily.com/lucid-dreaming-associated-more-pronounced-self-reflection-everyday-life-319326"
On these points.Quote:
Originally Posted by RelaxAndDream
I could not find anything which correlated the experience of lucid dreaming in itself with neural complexification, but the methods which make Lucidity more likely have been proven to, from meditation, to reality testing, to "thinking about our own thoughts; being self-reflective." But I would have to imagine that it could be said reasonably that Lucid dreams in themselves do cause some structural change in the brain as you mentioned, in that novel Chemical-electrical state-patterns always to my knowledge have long term structural effects. The more often the lucid dream state pattern is present, the greater its intensity, the longer its appearance, the stronger is its potential for long term neurological renovation.
I think there is strong correlations to how meditation works, in ways similar to LDing on that point, I mean how the very presence of the LD state-pattern alters the brain. There are two ways meditations intensity and efficiency increases, one is the increasing skill and neurological capability in reference to the application of the methods, specifically concentration and mindfulness. Then meditations effects increase by the repeated generation of the meditative state which is distinct from and arises from those two factors. So not only does the application of concentration and mindfulness increase certain brain regions, but the unique state-pattern which they produce, which is in some fashion distinct from them, also changes the brain by its very presence. I think this process would also apply to lucid dreaming, in that lucid dreaming could change the brain from the inside, by its very presence. There have been much fewer studies done about lucid dreaming compared to meditation, perhaps soon we will know more surely, but I think we can reasonably say that yes the very presence of the LD state seen as distinct from the methods which produce it, does or at least can cause long term structural changes.
I do remember my dreams in great detail but I worry that I may be trying too hard. When I try MILD, I try to do it once an hour and repeat my mantra. The thing is, I feel like I don't focus on it when I say it and I end up saying it alot. I feel displeased at times that I didn't say it right so this may affect my ld. Any tips?
1. Thanks for the help. I was wondering, if I repeat my mantra once an hour during the day and before bed and do try to attempt FILD, does that sound like too much?Quote:
Originally Posted by KNightNox
Come on over to the DVA DILD class if you like: another member who opened a workbook there had the same concern as you, and he just had his first satisfying lucid dream!Quote:
Originally Posted by kamenriderbaron
Quote:
1. Thanks for the help. I was wondering, if I repeat my mantra once an hour during the day and before bed and do try to attempt FILD, does that sound like too much?
Not too much, too different. All Induction Techniques fall into three categories, WILD, DILD and support Techniques. WILD and DILD are not only genres, but skills, you are using FILD as your main Technique, so you should bring up your WILD 'skill'. Sprinkling in some DILD practice will only distract you since the approach is so much different.
Another thing, while anyone can LD, WILD can be a lot harder than DILD, especially for a beginner. So you might want to change your strategy, if you do i can give you some principles that often get buried under Techniques.
Oh, well I was doing that for the past months..does that mean all my progress I made and effort was for nothing? As well, I do want to keep my mind on lucid dreaming in order to motivate and excite me for it. You said that one shouldn't focus too much on it, could you elaborate?
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Oh, well I was doing that for the past months..does that mean all my progress I made and effort was for nothing?
Hardly, you did RCs, have good enough Dream Recall and WILD teaches useful things as well, such as transitioning from waking to sleep which helps DEILD and it's close to Meditation which you need to develop proficiency in too.
Also, it's your choice to keep going, maybe you are actually about to have a lucid dream. There is a subform on this website, entirely dedicated to WILDing, if you read up on it in there you can find guidelines, solutions to any problems and threads about problems you don't even know you have.
I'm just a stranger on the internet, i don't know your life. Only you have enough Information about your attempts to make that call.
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You said that one shouldn't focus too much on it, could you elaborate?
I said it doesn't require focus at all times.
The first thing is that people who've just given up on lucid dreaming and people who only practice but don't really care often get results.
As i see it there are two ways to go about learning lucid dreaming. One is the hyper approach, you immediately go into ADA, constantly do RCs and are generally convinced that you will have a LD soon. The other one, the one that most people can actually do is the grind. LD practice isn't about excitement if you aren't totally sure of yourself, excitement is even the reason early LDs are often cut short. What Practice for normal people is all about is Diligence, which comes through Routine, and routine is boring. Additionally Meditation which boosts LD Practice is used to become serene.
Ok, so if I have the intent to do FILD, can i still repeat my mantras to keep focus during the day though?
If the Mantra is related to FILD, yes. I don't see what focus you are trying to keep up though.Quote:
Ok, so if I have the intent to do FILD, can i still repeat my mantras to keep focus during the day though?
Like focusing on my mantra. When I say it, sometimes I feel like I am saying it without meaning, so I end up repeating it alot and I think this puts some pressure on me. There I such thing as trying too hard correct?
On the side, I would like to share two experiences I've had with FILD:Quote:
Originally Posted by KNightNox
I took a nap and when I was, I felt my conscience slipping and even though I was lying on my bed, I felt like all distorted and as if I was walking and standing up with some kind of sheet over me even though I felt I was on my bed. it was so realistic and I felt like I could summon someone, so I tried to summon a girls hands and I felt like I could hodl it breifly before it faded away and I woke up.
The other day I tried FILD and I woke up 4 hrs after sleep and when I tried FILD with my eyes closed, I saw flashing purple lights and could feel my room becoming lighter. I did an RC after that and then I woke up after. I'm not sure what this means.
What are your thoughts on my experiences?
Often when you are dreaming, certain things will happen that do not normally occur in waking life. These are clues that you are dreaming, also known as dream signs.
When you wake up from every dream, you should write down all of the dream signs you missed. By doing this, you are teaching yourself that the dream signs you experience are dream signs.
When you learn that a given dream sign is a dream sign you will then expect that dream sign to be a dream sign. This way when you experience that it during a dream you will become lucid from it.
As others have said, the answer is "no" absent some neurologic injury. I imagine that unless an individual has had a stroke, TIA, or are on some medication known to severely suppress normal dream/sleep patterns, that lucid dreaming is within the capabilities of all persons. Since LDing is (I would argue) a "learned skill" - as with any other endeavors, people will progress at different rates. The KEY (and I cannot emphasize this enough) as with all other undertakings, is DON'T GIVE UP!!! Success will surely follow if you read, learn, hang out here at Dreamviews and PRACTICE.
Does anyone else have trouble with believing they can LD. Each day I tell myself that tonight is the night, but I've failed so many times that honestly I am unsure and I think this could have an effect. Thoughts?
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by RelaxAndDream
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!Quote:
Originally Posted by kamenriderbaron
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.
Yep, have a journal, with very vivid dreams.Quote:
Originally Posted by DoubleHelix
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.Quote:
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.
Too invested? But one needs to be motivated, right?Quote:
Originally Posted by KNightNox
Yeah, I wonder if anybody can do it.Quote:
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.
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 :laugh:
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Noldor
The place to start with is your dream recall. How is it?
2 -3 Dreams each night.Quote:
Originally Posted by FryingMan
Well, we can't be sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Noldor
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.
And how vivid in terms of your presence & awareness (feeling like "I'm really here!") are your dreams, typically? What has your practice regimen been (night & day) for various periods over those 4 years?Quote:
Originally Posted by Noldor
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:chuckle: 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 :sageous: said, stay positive, and the LDs will come!
My Dream recalls gotten a lot better to, I can recall my dreams in depth now, I am a little worried as classes have started and I fear that I might need to give up lucid dreaming practice tbh, which would set me back
The only thing you need Motivation for is to get yourself to practice. If you say every night 'This is it' you will only be disappointed and burn out. Being confident is good, but WILD is much more of a skill than Expectation, that's why i think a mantra during the day is unnecessary if you're not taking a DILD approach.Quote:
Too invested? But one needs to be motivated, right?
You should know that WILD is about retaining the faintest sliver of Awareness you can, so you can fall asleep. This makes it easy to understand why being motivated during the process isn't the best.
Daytime awareness and maintaining lucidity is just as important for WILD approaches as for DILD: after all, once you're in the dream lucid, you want to be able to sustain that lucidity for a long period of time, that's where day practice really comes in.
Ok, well another issue I have is despite my amazing dream recall, whenever I wake up for my alarm to try FILD, I just end up turning it off and going back to sleep. What are some good tips to stay awake/up?
Take your alarm and put it far enough away so you have to get up to turn it off.Quote:
What are some good tips to stay awake/up?
I was wondering, when i wake up for FILD, should I use the restroom or would it wake me up too much? I live in my dorm and I need to walk across the halls, which are lightened up
For many people, yes, but only you know how easily you fall asleep. The light on the other hand is probably too much, but if you can find the toilet with closed eyes, you'd probably be fine.Quote:
I was wondering, when i wake up for FILD, should I use the restroom or would it wake me up too much? I live in my dorm and I need to walk across the halls, which are lightened up
When I try FILD, should I relax a bit first after waking up?
Nobody knows if "everyone can lucid dream", although many will say that they do know.Quote:
Originally Posted by Noldor
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).
I wouldn't say your six years of effort were "without even trying," assuming a regular practice. Practitioners often mistakenly describe lucid dreams as "random" or "without trying" when they occur during a relaxation phase (or after "giving up"), following a period of perhaps intense effort. It shows that the effort did work, and that you just needed to give it time (or to be a bit more relaxed). And it shows the benefits of keeping a relaxed mindset. Wanting something too much can cause (subconscious perhaps) anxiety, and anxiety is known to be bad for dreaming. There is no doubt that lucid dreaming is a demanding practice, and calls for immense patience and delicate balancing between many factors, among those being intensity and relaxation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Oneiro
I'm going to try SSILD for a week, I heard its good.
sounds good i have a lot of success with it!Quote:
Originally Posted by kamenriderbaron
OK, on SSILD, I kind of have an issues as I find it difficult to concentrate on a certain sense, what would be the best way to get over this?
Any SSILD tips?
definitely true. I think though that people get scared off by the 'all day awareness' label. You don't have to be aware all day- that's for buddhist monks. A little extra awareness goes a long way I think. In any case whilst it is important for DILD and WILD, I think its far more important for DILD. For DILD the awareness is what triggers the lucidity and maintains it, whilst with WILD it only helps maintain it.Quote:
Originally Posted by FryingMan
If you get good enough at WILD you can LD multiple times a night, and then the LD's will naturally get longer because you have so much practice. I don't do DILD, so I don't know what it would take to get to that level with that technique, but I'm guessing it's not very common, because it would require literally 'all day awareness', which most people can't do.
^^ I don't think that all day awareness, especially in the form of the ADA technique as described on these forums, is necessary for successful LD'ing at all, be it WILD or DILD. Also, though they may strive to be mindful all day, I don't believe that even Buddhist monks practice ADA (mindfulness/self-awareness does not equal ADA by any measure, BTW).
The daywork required for successful DILD's is about equal to that required for successful WILD's, I think. Either transition* requires a "lucid" state of mind to be successful -- and, of course, for lucidity to be maintained after the transition is made. About the only difference in terms of daywork is that it is a good idea to use the MILD technique for DILD, which does add a bit of daywork as you develop prospective memories. Also, again in my opinion, the daywork of ADA does little to nothing to aid these transitions; indeed it might even hinder them by clouding a dreamer's mind with distractions and an unnecessary urge to "notice" more of them. That clouding can prevent the self-awareness necessary for lucidity to surface, pretty much negating any chance of becoming and remaining lucid.
So, in my opinion, ADA really is not necessary for DILD at all, and may even be unhelpful. And no, the "simple" awareness of ADA (basically just noticing everything around you) does not trigger DILDs. If anything, it is likely that the expectation generated from inadvertently thinking about lucidity all day while practicing ADA is what encourages lucidity, initially.
* WILD and DILD are not techniques, BTW, they are descriptions of the two types of transitions to lucidity that are possible: either by retaining waking-life self-awareness throughout the passage from wake to sleep to dream (WILD), or by regaining waking-life self-awareness during a non-lucid dream (DILD).... just thought it worth mentioning.