Thread: New to Lucid Dreaming

What is the Correct way to do reality check ???

Whenever I am Free I keep repeating to myself " this is a dream"…“I am dreaming”
I do this continually for may be a 100 times.
I also count my fingers and try to poke my finger through the palm of my Hand and also do a nose pinch.
But I keep on doing this continually.
I do reality check like more than a 100 to 1000 times a day.
Is this the correct method ???

The last time I became Lucid I first realized that I am dreaming after the realization I did a reality check.
So I have to First realize that I am dreaming before I do reality check...which means I have to remember to do a reality check in my dreams.

How do I go about with this.

Do I do reality check continually thought the day ??? Is this the correct meathod ?

Originally Posted by devotee013

What is the Correct way to do reality check ???

Whenever I am Free I keep repeating to myself " this is a dream"…“I am dreaming”
I do this continually for may be a 100 times.
I also count my fingers and try to poke my finger through the palm of my Hand and also do a nose pinch.
But I keep on doing this continually.
I do reality check like more than a 100 to 1000 times a day.
Is this the correct method ???

The last time I became Lucid I first realized that I am dreaming after the realization I did a reality check.
So I have to First realize that I am dreaming before I do reality check...which means I have to remember to do a reality check in my dreams.

How do I go about with this.

Do I do reality check continually thought the day ??? Is this the correct meathod ?

I refer you to "The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep" instruction on performing illusory form practice:

In doing these practices, it is not enough to simply repeat again and again that you are in a dream. The truth of the statement must be felt and experienced beyond the words. Use the imagination, senses, and awareness in fully integrating the practice with felt experience. When you do the practice properly, each time you think that you are in a dream, presence becomes stronger and experience more vivid. If there is not this kind of immediate qualitative change, make certain that the practice has not become only the mechanical repetition of a phrase, which is of little benefit. There is no magic in just thinking a formula; the words should be used to remind yourself to bring greater awareness and calm to the moment. When practicing the recognition, "wake" yourself – by increasing clarity and presence – again and again. until just remembering the thought, "This is a dream," brings a simultaneous strengthening and brightening of awareness

The key thing here is to keep separate the notions of lucidity and raised awareness, presence in the current moment experience, and the performing of a state test ("reality check", but state test is a better term I think -- we're trying to determine our state, waking or dreaming). As you note, the raised awareness almost ALWAYS precedes the performance of a state test. Very often the state test is not needed at all, but it is still a useful tool, and doing them throughout the lucid dream can help contribute to longer, more stable lucid dreams.

We are not training to "do reality checks," we are training to *be lucid* in our dreams. To be lucid in our dreams, we need to be lucid in our waking lives first. So in that regard, yes, it is useful to try to remain in lucid presence throughout the waking day, as much as you can. Keep it light and playful and fun, with a sense of humor, though, never do it so much that you burn out or think it is drudgery or "hard work." It is better to do a little every day and keep it very high quality than to do it so much and so often that you burn out or the quality of it gets poor, or even worse, if you start to form negative thoughts about the practice.

There is a delicate balance between continually raising awareness and lucidity and forming strong intent to be lucid, versus trying to "force" lucid dreams by force of will. My viewpoint is that continually working on the basics (lucidity, attention, awareness, memory, intent), plus a very active and healthy and positive interest in your dreams, will eventually lead to the sort of frequent and high quality lucidity people who come to this forum mostly desire.

Be lucid, build fundamentals, have fun, be creative, build a strong and positive relationship with your dreams: a positive, growing, rewarding experience!

"Force lucid dreams": frustration, anxiety, insomnia, upset.

This world is an Illusion of your mind

I read the Book Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming (LaBerge Stephen)
This book talks about a Tibetan technique where you think of the whole world as an illusion of your mind and that you need to break free of this illusion
This kind of reality check appeals to my Logic.
So if I think of the world that I see as an illusion of my mind will this kind of reality check help me become Lucid ??

Originally Posted by devotee013

This world is an Illusion of your mind

I read the Book Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming (LaBerge Stephen)
This book talks about a Tibetan technique where you think of the whole world as an illusion of your mind and that you need to break free of this illusion
This kind of reality check appeals to my Logic.
So if I think of the world that I see as an illusion of my mind will this kind of reality check help me become Lucid ??

I don't think it hurts. That's basically a form of all day awareness. But, the most important thing you can do is learn his techniques for reality checking and developing a critical reflective attitude. Good luck.

Originally Posted by devotee013

This world is an Illusion of your mind

I read the Book Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming (LaBerge Stephen)
This book talks about a Tibetan technique where you think of the whole world as an illusion of your mind and that you need to break free of this illusion
This kind of reality check appeals to my Logic.
So if I think of the world that I see as an illusion of my mind will this kind of reality check help me become Lucid ??

You could refer directly to that book, which I already referenced: The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep. It is available free on the internet. For example:
https://archive.org/details/TheTibet...aordinary+ways

TYoDaS gives several direct guidance to bringing consistent lucidity to the dream state:

1) The progression is: 1) awareness in the moment of experience; 2) awareness in the moment of reaction to experience; and 3) awareness in dream. You need to start with the first two. When your awareness becomes stable, you mind will not be pushed and pulled around by your desires and your dislikes, and you will learn to skillfully react in all situations, waking and dreaming.

2) "...And there is no stronger method of bringing consistent lucidity to dream than by abiding continuously in lucid presence during the day.".

Lucid dreaming is a personal journey. What brings lucidity to the dream state for one practitioner may not work for another. We tend to instruct beginners on a number of common elements that seem to help the majority of people. But in the end, in order to progress past beginning stages, it is the responsibility of the practitioner to find their own answers to their questions.

If you're interested in the illusory form practice, I recommend reading The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep. It is something, especially the practice section, that can be read again, and again, and again, and each time you'll discover something new.

We can not say what will or will not bring regular lucidity to your dreams. But you'll have the best chance of progressing in this journey if you:

1) stay consistent, dedicated, and NEVER give up

2) keep a positive, light-hearted, joyful attitude towards life and the practice. You need to find the balance between focus and relaxation. As Andrew Holecek says, "Not too tight, not too loose." Only you can find this balance within yourself.

3) Find a tradition or practice that emphasizes the fundamentals (awareness, memory, intent), and stick with it, really understand and learn it and get good at it. This takes *time*. Both Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming and The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep offer excellent approaches, but with different backgrounds and goals.

4) Experiment extensively, over long periods of time, and keep careful records.

edit: I'll add a 5) Take care of your waking life. People who want to lucid dream sometimes want to escape waking life issues. I can tell you from personal experience that waking stress, anxiety, and unresolved issues, all seriously interfere with dreaming practice. I have the best dreams when my waking life is harmonious and in order.

Good luck! Enjoy the journey.

FryingMan Thanks for the Tibetan Book I am Currently reading it ... I have been searching for this book for quite some time ... Thanks a Lot

How to Do MILD ???

Can someone explain me how to do MILD technique ???

Originally Posted by devotee013

How to Do MILD ???

Can someone explain me how to do MILD technique ???

When you lay in bed, you say a phrase / mantra in your mind, over and over again. Such as “I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming...” On and on and on and on until you fall asleep.

Ideally you want to combine this with WBTB. So you wanna sleep for awhile first. At least 4 hours. And then get up for a bit, at least 5-10 minutes. And then you lay back in bed, and you do the mantra.

Originally Posted by devotee013

FryingMan Thanks for the Tibetan Book I am Currently reading it ... I have been searching for this book for quite some time ... Thanks a Lot

Dream Yoga is really a pretty fascinating topic. But it requires significant discipline. Trying to minimize positive and negative reactions to things is something I find very difficult. Good luck with it and take your time.

Originally Posted by DrTechnical

Dream Yoga is really a pretty fascinating topic. But it requires significant discipline. Trying to minimize positive and negative reactions to things is something I find very difficult. Good luck with it and take your time.

The first step is to recognize them! And once you recognize them arising, you can choose to behave/react skillfully/appropriately, as opposed to being under the control of your emotional reactions. As you can imagine, this comes in really handy when trying to learn to recognize the dream state while dreaming.
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Originally Posted by devotee013

FryingMan Thanks for the Tibetan Book I am Currently reading it ... I have been searching for this book for quite some time ... Thanks a Lot

How to Do MILD ???

Can someone explain me how to do MILD technique ???

There are a lot of MILD guides, here on DV and elsewhere on the internet, a site / web search will find them.

The main thing about MILD isn't so much the mantra (LaBerge clarified this in recent years at this retreats, as reported by ThreeCat, a DV member) as it is about the *intent*. What's important is to form the intent to be lucid in your next dream.

The usual steps are :
0) wake up (from a dream)
1) realize you've awakened from a dream
2) begin recalling the dream
3) as you recall the dream and you're visualizing the scene(s), see yourself in the dream recognizing it as a dream and getting lucid, and see yourself pursuing your lucid dream goals
4) form strong intent that you will be lucid in following dreams
5) fall asleep holding on to this intent to be lucid in your next dream.

Loop over 3 to 5. You can also recite a mantra as mentioned to help you focus your intent, but again the key thing is the intent and not the words of the mantra itself.

Originally Posted by devotee013

Question -- Was this a Semi-Lucid Dream OR Full Lucid Dream ???
Because I have read that when you have a Lucid dream the dream becomes more Vivid ... Plus I do not see any Difference between normal Dream and Lucid dream ... Just that I was doing what I wanted to do.
Lucid felt just like any other normal dream after I woke up...

So was this a Lucid dream ???

I think it was a lucid dream. One thing to learn is that there are levels of lucid dreams. Lower level lucid dreams are not necessarily very vivid. And control can be spotty. Higher level lucid dream can be surreal - even more vivid than waking life. It's one the most beautiful experiences one can have, imho. Of course, some non lucid dreams can be very vivid, too.

One thing to try, when lucid, is to shout out "Increase clarity now!" or something to that effect. "Increase vividness now!". That can potentially help a lot. But also, just practicing will help, too. As you keep up your practice, your lucid dreams will become more vivid.

Thank You andreasdevig
Thank You DrTechnical
Thank You FryingMan
Thank You Hilary

I Plan to do a 30 Day Course of Mantra Repetition ....

Here is my Mantra "This Is a Dream" . I have made an MP3 and will be listing to it ALL day.
I got this Mantra from listing to Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche lecture on lucid dreaming.
IMPORTANT Question ... Should I change my Mantra to something like "I am dreaming", "I will become Lucid in my Dreams" Or something Else ???

A little Bit of Past.

In 2010 I saw the Movie Inception and then I also read a book by OSHO in which he said that we should think of this Whole World as a DREAM.
So I started repeating the Mantra "This is Just a Dream" all through the day except when I a sleeping. I used to repeat the Mantra even when I was working.
Effect of the Mantra was that my Concentration Magnified. When I used to read books I was Fully concentrated on the book, I had 1 point concentration.
Even when I used to Listen to Music I could Hear only the Music and NO other thoughts. I Experienced a state of Trance.
I continued this Practice for 30 days and after that I had to stop because of Work.
But even after Repeating "This is Just a Dream" for 30 days continually I DID NOT BECOME LUCID. But YES I managed to stop ALL my THOUGHTS for 30 seconds and I was able to do this ONLY Once. After that I had to stop my Practice because of Work.

Difference between 2010 and NOW is that in 2010 I used to Mentally repeat the Mantra "This is Just a Dream" ALL through the Day BUT NOW I am Only listening to an MP3 which Keeps on repeating "This is a Dream"

I PLAN to keep on listening to the MP3 "This is A Dream" for the Next 30 days. This might take even Longer 60 days or 90 days.
But I plan to continue my Practice. Any which ways I want to Become a Lucid Dreamer By Nov 6 Z0ZZ.

So the Question is ... should I use the Mantra "This is a Dream" OR should I change it to something Else more Effective ???

ANY thoughts or Inputs on my PLAN will be Helpful.

Eagerly waiting for Your reply..

Thanks

You have to find what is most effective for you. One of the things that pretty much all successful lucid dreamers have in common is a strong drive to figure out for themselves what works. Everyone's waking, sleeping, dreaming mind and rhythms are different, so no one can say what will work. I can say that many experts (like Andrew Holecek, another good one who talks a lot about Dream Yoga, and has written several books on the matter, I recommend looking him up in my bibliography linked to in my signature).

My favorite mantra is simply "I'm dreaming." I like it because it incorporates three things: 1) "I": me, my self, I am the dreamer; 2) "am": this is happening right now in the present moment; 3) "dreaming": this is a dream right now. It's also very short, just 3 syllables, and can be repeated as your mind gets closer to sleep without losing it/forgetting it.

But it has to be something that really resonates with *you*. Remember that Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche writes that it's very important that it not become a rote repetition of just words. He says that every time you think this phrase, you should feel a deepening, increased clarity, becoming fully present. Basically, a "getting lucid moment."

Something else: at some point a very strong desire to lucid dream can possibly backfire. This has happened to me recently. Every lucid dreamer needs to find the balance between strong intent and relaxation. It's a delicate balance, and something that only comes with experience.

Good advice for lucid dreamers: take care of your waking life. Stress and anxiety impact dreaming negatively, so learning to keep a relaxed, positive attitude is very important.

I have made an MP3..."This is a Dream" and I keep On listing to it in my waking Life.

Thank you FryingMan, your words are Motivational.

I keep on listening to the Audio file "This is a Dream" EVEN when I am WORKING... but I still have NOT managed to become Lucid.


Right now I am working from Home. From next month onward I will have to travel to office. So I might not get time to practice Lucid dreaming.
So I have like 30 days to practice Lucid dreaming and Become Lucid.

This is an Experiment that I am doing on my self.
Let's see if the Experiment Passes OR Fails.

I am hoping that this should work.

Thanks everyone.

Well. One thing is, when you listen to that audio, you are telling yourself this is a dream during the daytime. I think a more beneficial practice would be a question format - are you dreaming? However, it's still not as a good as practicing triggers - that is, you question reality to pre-set things. This gets you to question reality more, with less obvious cues.

You talk about going back to work.. it reminded me of my MotivAider. I need to go find it. It's a good tool to work on lucidity when you have to work. It's a little beeper sized thing that buzzes discreetly every so often (you set the time duration). I set it to 20 minutes. I feel the buzz, I question reality. It's not as great as triggers, but it's still good.

Try not to stress and set a time limit on yourself. That will only kill your chances of lucidity because you're trying to force yourself to become lucid. Rather, relax and let it happen. Allow it to take as much time as you need.

I have Started Visualizing an Eight Petal Chakra in my Throat.

How to Visualize Chakra ?

Do I Visualize only the Flower with Petals Or Visualize a Chakra with Gods and Goddesses and Elephant and Hum letter ?

Do I Visualize Chakra WITH IMAGES or WITHOUT IMAGES ?

How Long will I have to Practice to Become Lucid in my Dreams ???

I have been TRYING to become Lucid in my Dreams since 2010 after I watched the Movie Inception.
Problem is I have Been Doing NIGHT SHIFTS for more than 15 years. Because of which I have NOT been able to Practice Lucid Dreaming.
Since Covid Started, For the past 2 years I have a Day shift. I started Keeping a Dream Journal Since 14 June 2022. So its been 3 months.
In past 3 months I have become Lucid Only Once.

So Question is …. Right Now I am 38 Years Old. I have Been Practicing Meditation for Past 20 Years and I have still not met with ANY Success.
So For How Many More Years Do I need to Practice so that I can Become Lucid In my Dreams ???

Will I become Lucid in the next 3 -6 months or it might take longer … i.e. I will become a Lucid Dreamer at the Age of 40 or 45. I don’t mind waiting and Practicing.

But I have been TRYING for the PAST 20 YEARS without ANY SUCESS. So How many more Years Do I need to Practice in order to Become Lucid ???

I would Like to Know a Definite Time.

From Your experience with yourself and Helping Others… Please Answer my Question… Please…

Thank you for reading…

There are several points to make:

+ You have basically been practicing for 3 months, not 20 years. This is the very beginning stages of practice.

+ You've already gotten lucid once, so you have the benefit of knowing that you CAN do it. You HAVE done it.

+ Your very strong desire is very likely creating stress and anxiety, at least at a subconscious level, which can produce blocks inhibiting lucidity in the dream state. Try to reformulate your practice to include fun, joy, a playful attitude, a sense of humor

+ You can't force lucid dreaming, and there is such a thing as trying too hard. If you feel disappointment at waking up without a lucid dream, this could be blocking your dreaming altogether, by creating negative associations with dreaming.

+ Since you like the dream yoga approach, try reading Andrew Holecek's book Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep

+ Holecek writes you have to find the balance in your practice: "not too tight, not too loose". You're clearly too tight IMO. The signs of "too tight" are stress, anxiety, frustration. Signs of "too loose" are just not paying attention to dreams or doing any daytime work or not caring at all.

+ In my experience, the best lucid dreamers are first of all the best dreamers. You need to build a close, healthy, intimate, relaxed, enjoyable relationship with your dreams. That means loving ALL your dreams, including the non-lucid ones. Be thankful for your dreams, think about them, DEFINITELY journal your dreams every day. Think about them often.

+ Make sure you have a good amount of high quality sleep and keep a very regular sleep schedule.

There is no definite time. Dreaming and lucid dreaming is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the journey!

Thank You FryingMan for your Reply ....

Right now the Practice that I am Following is to Visualize a 12 petal Chakra... So I hope if I keep on doing this for the next 2-3 months then Eventually I should be able to induce WILD... Am I correct ?

I want to have Lucid Dreams Every Day.. i.e. Each and Every Dream that I have should be Lucid... So Hope I am taking the Correct approach...

I have Also Downloaded the Book "Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming" and I will start reading it...

Thank a Lot for your Advice....

You have set a very lofty goal, akin to becoming a world-class athlete or musician!

I'd recommend you initially set much more realistic short-term goals and work on realizing those, based on where you are now.

I have no idea if the throat chakra visualization will work for you. Try it and see.

I would give you the following advice: if this really is your goal, you need to become an expert at researching and experimenting about sleep, dreaming, awareness, lucidity, all by yourself. It's fine to ask for advice, but with dreaming, nobody can really help you, it has to be up to you.

More general advice: you should emphasize initially becoming an expert non-lucid dreamer. This is much easier and quicker than frequent lucid dreams. Your dream recall should be extremely high for you to reach your goal. To do this, follow standard dream recall advice (like in my signature), and reach for recall on EVERY waking during the night, and record what you remember at that time (I did voice journaling). Do this for a few months and your dreams should become super vivid, and you should feel a lot of presence (the feeling of "being yourself") in the dream.

Next step you need to master at least one of the methods for lucid dreaming: WILD, DILD, DEILD. The best lucid dreamers are good at all of them, but usually emphasize one over the others. I think DILD is the most approachable, but that's just me.

Research question for you: what is the single most effective thing that the authors of both books (TYoDaS, and the Holecek) book say you must do to achieve lucidity in dream?

Another point of advice: I found that "wanting to be lucid in every dream" did not make me lucid much, if at all. What DID work was having SPECIFIC, concrete goals of things that I wanted to do in a lucid dream that I was excited about and thought about all the time.

We can not guarantee that any of this is going to work out for you. Having lucid dreams every day is not a very great goal when you are a beginner. i wouldn't put a time on your lucid dreaming! Don't force lucid dreaming.
If I were you, I would try to working getting to know your sleep cycle and work on the foundation of lucid dreaming. (imo)

What kind of learner are you, devotee013?
Are you visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner?

If you are not a visual learner or if you have something like Aphantasia, and you are trying to visualize an "Visualize a 12 petal Chakra", it may not be doing yourself a favor.
So I would be careful to know where you are putting your energy in. You know?

Thank You Lang

I am both Visual and Kinesthetic Learner … I took an Online Test...
I am finding it a Hard time to Imagine the Chakras.... But I have given numbers to each petal 1 to 12. So I am able to Clearly Visualize the Numbers but not the Petals and the Chakra.

Any Suggestions ?

Perhaps perform zhine meditation (as in TYoDaS) using an image of the chakra that you want to visualize while falling asleep. Also, Holecek suggests exercises like mindfully drawing the lotus image on paper.

The #1 suggestion is reviewing and coalescing/summarizing here in the thread your understanding of all the advice you've seen here and read in the books.

Thank You FryingMan

I think that If I simply Recall my Dreams and write it down in my Dream Journal that should help me become Lucid. Am I correct ?
Problem with my Dream Journal is that I find it difficult to type the entire Dream in my Email using my Phone.
I have to keep on typing for a long time and I find it difficult to do so. It takes a Long time typing on the phone. I am not used to typing on the phone.
And I also feel Lazy mainly because I have become good at dream recall. So recalling dreams is not a problem. Problem is I find it Lazy to write down my Entire Dream.

Also I have read the book The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep and in this the Author Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche says that you have to imagine Chakra with 4 petals in you throat or in your Heart. Right now I visualize a 12 petal Chakra in my Heart.
You also have to Visualize the Letter A inside the Chakra.
The teaching says that focusing on this chakra produces gentle dreams.
So in Dream Yoga Emphasis is on Visualization. So This is Why I am Following the Practice of Visualization.

Any Comments ?