So it seems with a little effort most people can increase their dream recall rather impressively, but actually improving lucid ability is a shakier trend to track. Looks like most of you experience immediate and modest improvements right around joining the site/getting serious about getting lucid, but long-term results are slower and less certain to be had... and some people have actually gotten worse since starting. twoshadows, your story interests me because I hadn't yet heard of anyone starting from literally no foundation of lucidity but finding progress anyways with good hard work. Everyone else I can think of off-hand (except maybe BillyBob_001) has had childhood experiences, "one or two lucids in the past," etc. to work off of.

Guess I should respond to my own question. When I learned about lucidity initially (not on DV) I began a dream journal and was easily able to invoke recall to a depth of at least a few dreams a night, and often more, and this is an ability that with a little conscious effort I've never had to worry about losing. I've had a handful of nightmare-induced LDs as a child that I chose to wake up from and a single half-lucid half-second that I might have experienced about two years ago, but have otherwise been unable to induce any lucids since taking conscious action to do so about five years ago. It seems most people show a slow but steady climb in lucid ability over the years, but I'm a flatliner in this regard... obviously the thorn in my side that started making me question the reality of other peoples' progress and the creation of this thread.

Keep on posting; I want to get as clear a picture of this as I can. And you know you love talking about yourself anyways.