I'm struggling!

I need help!

I've been trying to have a LD since the middle of this summer, but with very little progress. I had an incident where I gained lucidity but then I woke up because I got scared... But I've been working on my dream recall and I can recall about three dreams each night upon wake up. But for some reason I can't have a lucid dream. I never know when I'm dreaming. I don't have any reoccuring dream signs that I can think of.

One thing that I notice is that a lot of times I'll be thinking about something while I'm dosing off and then I'll eventually notice that my thoughts totally wonder off into something that doesn't really make any sense. Is this the beginning of a dream?

Other times I'll seem to wake up and I can't move. But this last time that SP happened to me my bed seemed to shake violently. Is this still SP? Is there anyway that I can use these things to attain lucidity?

I'll do my best here, but in the end most people find that they must find a personal solution.

Your recall is just fine, as long as you maintain something in that area you will be fine. There is always a possibility that you are trying too vigorously to achieve Lucidity. Other than that, I highly suggest mixing up your techniques, as a little change can go a long way.

Most people's thoughts wander into the "Indescribable" range as they drift into sleep. This is not necessarily the beginning of a dream, but sleep itself. If you are describing this as if it happened at the beginning of the night, then it is most definitely sleep; your REM period does start for a few hours (Barring sleep deprivation, that is.)

Waking to Sleep Paralysis, generally, can follow directly into a dream. If you have indeed been attempting since midsummer, then I likely will not have to explain the WILD technique. Simply relax if possible, and try to let your imagination flow a bit. Try to stay Lucid, as the attempt would obviously not end in a LD. Your 'Bed Shaking' episode is fairly common, as with a multitude of hallucinations stemming from SP.

Once again, I suggest trying other techniques, or even sleeping in another setting. These often grant the best results.

Best of Luck
-Graysong