Thread: DILD - Dream Initiated Lucid Dream

Originally Posted by Avalanche

I'll be trying this for the foreseeable future, so I'll let you guys know how I go. You know, for encouragement and to make the guide look good.

Goog luck and Happy dreams, avalanche.

DILD has been the only way I have obtained lucidity. The crazy thing is that each time it has happened I have been floored that it was actually a dream. I would be in my dream and say "guess I will do a RC", I do it and my jaw just drops. Sometimes I will awake within 10 seconds or so but I have managed to remain for over a minute in a couple of them. It seems to me that when the 'awareness' necessary to do a RC happens, I am on my way out of the dream.

I realized that throughout the day, if I am busy and doing things I forget to do a RC. I then started with a timer to remind me every half hour and then downloaded an app that reminds me every 20 minutes or so. I usually stop what I am doing, look at the environment, count fingers and so on. I have become lucid in a dream once by rubbing my palm, 4 times by looking at my hands/fingers and once by jumping and testing gravity.

Next step is working on WILD.

Originally Posted by 501

...The crazy thing is that each time it has happened I have been floored that it was actually a dream. I would be in my dream and say "guess I will do a RC", I do it and my jaw just drops. ...

Next step is working on WILD.

Exactly. Leap of faith. Believe, even if you are sure it ain't so. RC and ask yourself the awareness question and BELIEVE it will work, because you could be in a dream at that moment. Even if you are 100% sure, you are awake.

And yaaaaah, WILDs are great : D

Hmm...I'm interested in the OP's idea of being excited about the idea of LD'ing. When i was 8 years old, i remember the vivid day (waking life) standing in my friends room holding a toy cat looking out of the frosted up window thinking...'What if this is a dream? What if i never woke up from last night?' I am 37 now, have only recently found out this is a DILD technique to practice in waking life, and coincidentally i still have cats accompany in many of me lucid dreams There is this knock on effect. And a paradox to learning techniques. We know the techniques as i guess they have been developed from the repeated actions of natural lucid dreamers, like me, then put into action by those who are excited and fascinated by the idea...for eg...I had never heard of the idea of using light switches to reality check (never knew what the term reality check was even) until i watched an amazing animation that many of you would have seen (watch it if you haven't) called 'Waking Life'. The night i saw this film, in my LD i was unsure as to whether i should jump out of a window into a beautiful garden. Then i remembered watching Waking Life, and the light switch sequence, and i didn't have to go and look for one, i just imagined one and there it was. I pressed it and the light went crazy....I knew i was dreaming...for sure...so I was glad to incorporate technique and ever since i have studied LD'ing more and now would like to induce WILD into my repertoire haha! So my advice would be to engage...like OP says, excite yourself, submerge yourself, be playfully inquisitive about your unconscious.

Originally Posted by L4xord

Trying doing RCs with All Day Awareness. Worked for me. WILD 1 DILD 5

Is it really that rare to have a WILD/DILD?

Originally Posted by BatteryCharged

Is it really that rare to have a WILD/DILD?

Nope. He just started and that's his count till that day.

Trying to find a consistent way to recall dreams before I can even attempt to DILD.

The problem with DILD is that I can just sleep right through and not notice a dream or recall it.

If I set 3 alarms and get out of my bed, then go back to bed (is this all WBTB is?) is this a good method to recall and LD?

I tried alarms last night, I actually awoke before the alarms as I seem to be waking up after a major REM. But I never left the bed. I just rolled over and went quickly back to sleep.

Is forcing the issue a good thing? I.e. getting out of bed, trying to remember?

I need to get a better sleeping schedule, although I do seem to wake on my own after a REM after using alarms for a few weeks.

Originally Posted by BatteryCharged

Trying to find a consistent way to recall dreams before I can even attempt to DILD.

The problem with DILD is that I can just sleep right through and not notice a dream or recall it.

If I set 3 alarms and get out of my bed, then go back to bed (is this all WBTB is?) is this a good method to recall and LD?

I tried alarms last night, I actually awoke before the alarms as I seem to be waking up after a major REM. But I never left the bed. I just rolled over and went quickly back to sleep.

Is forcing the issue a good thing? I.e. getting out of bed, trying to remember?

I need to get a better sleeping schedule, although I do seem to wake on my own after a REM after using alarms for a few weeks.

1. If you had a lucid dream, you would notice. And you would most likely, almost positively wake up after it. It's just so exciting and different, that you will wake up. So I would start working on DILDs at the same time as working on recall.

2. WBTB - this is mostly done when WILDing, but it can help with DILDs too. The purpose of WBTB is to wake up your mind a bit, so it doesn't fall asleep too quickly. For this, you have to get out of the bed for at least a few minutes.

But, for a purpose of recalling a dream, you don't need to get out of the bed. In fact, when you wake up, lay still and try to think of a dream you just came out of. When you have it, retell it with words, don't just replay the images. That way it gets transfered into your daytime memory. Now you can get up or reach for your dream journal and write it down. Or at least some phrases, that will help you remember it in the morning, when you write the whole dream down.

You can use alarm for this. But it doesn't guarantee that it will wake you up at the right time. But you saying, that you are waking up naturally, even before alarm sounds. This is perhaps because you set an intent to wake up at night by setting your alarm. And intents work just like that. You tell yourself "I wake after every dream and remember it".

The way it's working right now, could be as you say. Because naturally we wake up after every sleep cycle, which ends with REM. So after a dream ends. We just don't notice these micro-awakenings. We just turn to the other side and sleep some more. But you set your intent and now you waking up by yourself. Take the advantage of that and recall and record your dreams at that time.

I do something similar. Instead of alarm, I drink some water before bed and then every time it wakes me up. Some nights I remember a dream every time I wake up.

Happy dreams

Originally Posted by gab

But, for a purpose of recalling a dream, you don't need to get out of the bed. In fact, when you wake up, lay still and try to think of a dream you just came out of. When you have it, retell it with words, don't just replay the images. That way it gets transfered into your daytime memory. Now you can get up or reach for your dream journal and write it down. Or at least some phrases, that will help you remember it in the morning, when you write the whole dream down.

You can use alarm for this. But it doesn't guarantee that it will wake you up at the right time. But you saying, that you are waking up naturally, even before alarm sounds. This is perhaps because you set an intent to wake up at night by setting your alarm. And intents work just like that. You tell yourself "I wake after every dream and remember it".

The way it's working right now, could be as you say. Because naturally we wake up after every sleep cycle, which ends with REM. So after a dream ends. We just don't notice these micro-awakenings. We just turn to the other side and sleep some more. But you set your intent and now you waking up by yourself. Take the advantage of that and recall and record your dreams at that time.

I have a tough time remembering dreams, even right afterwards. Usually I wake and I don't recall anything. I have feelings but I'm not sure why, I may be excited, but no clue why. Dreams come like a bursting water balloon. It goes from thinking I hadn't dreamed anything to just one thing reminding me of what happened causing a stream of memories to come forward.

I think I will need to get out of bed because just sitting there does no good and I quickly fall asleep again.

The last two nights I can't recall dreams. And to be honest, that's all I really want for now, is to recall dreams. I do get dreams where I interact, but being taken for a ride can be fun also.

I just want to be able to recall dreams whenever I wish. LD is kind of a secondary goal for now.

Well I did the 3 alarms and it worked very well. Like I've read before on here, early on you get fewer dreams, later it's much better. I broke it up into 3 2hour breaks, first break couldn't remember a thing, 2nd break had a really good dream, 3rd break was a really long complicated dream in multi-locations with a connected story.

Very happy I seem to be able to at least get to dreaming.

As a side note, the 2nd dream was a bit funny and a bit interesting. I was in a conference room with Stephen Colbert and he was insulting me. I told him "I never knew you were such a dick". He really didn't look like Colbert, but some how I talked to him as if he were.

Suddenly we're on a street corner and he mentions something about "you're a regular Teddy anh-uh-man".

At first I thought it was a subconscious reference to a person that I knew as a kid named Ted Hagamann.

In my introduction I've explained that I have a lot of precog dreams. And that is one of my main interest in dreaming. So I was kind of amazed to find a famous precog magician named Teddy Annemann from the 30s.

I live in an old house built in the 20s. I think my dreams are influenced by those that have lived here as well.

Oddly enough, the person that was Stephen Colbert looked like the images of Annemann I found online. Greased back hair from the 30s.

I've never heard of this guy before. Or at least not consciously.

Some nights I cant remember any dreams, im just starting out so is this normal? should i write anything down in my dream journal? Ive been looking into some ways to recall dream better and it would be really helpful someone could give me some tips. Also I am new to the forums.

Originally Posted by Cronus

Some nights I cant remember any dreams, im just starting out so is this normal? should i write anything down in my dream journal? Ive been looking into some ways to recall dream better and it would be really helpful someone could give me some tips. Also I am new to the forums.

It was normal for me when I started, even now there are times when I cant remember anything. Its not the fact that you didn't dream its just the fact that your mind was on other things when you woke up or you just started going when you woke up. Even when you dont remember anything and you are first starting out write down anything, if it was just a feeling or one thing you remember. If you dont remember anything write that down and what time you went to bed and woke up. This is good to do to get in the practice of journaling.

The best thing to do is when you wake up at night and in the morning is to lay completely still and try to remember any detail whatsoever about anything that happened that night. I find myself asking what was I just doing, and once I remember something specific from the dream I start to remember details about it. If you can remember a little seed it is possible to work backwards and chain a huge dream together. Sometimes I will even remember something that happened in a dream halfway through the day that happened in a dream that night.

I didn't even know this stuff existed until last night I was dreaming normally and then I realised wait I'm dreaming and I did a few reality checks and realised I was dreaming but then I wasted my time and thought what if I'm not dreaming and this is real then I did a quick Google and found this site and learnt the name for it

Have you tried meditation? It helps you stay in the present and not get caught up in your surroundings. You are not your body, you are not even your mind, you are consciousness. I like the "isha kriya" meditation. I had a very good vivid lucid dream after doing this meditation for just one day.

I have found a lot more on lucid dreaming but I have been trying for 2 weeks now and no luck I just don't understand how I did it 3 weeks ago and didn't even try to :-)

Originally Posted by Superdremer

I have found a lot more on lucid dreaming but I have been trying for 2 weeks now and no luck I just don't understand how I did it 3 weeks ago and didn't even try to :-)

Keep trying! It might take more than a few weeks to learn how to lucid dream more regularly. I started working at this a few years ago after, like you, having an unexpected and spontaneous lucid experience, but after that it still took several weeks of determined practice before I was able to induce lucidity through more deliberate methods. I've had a lot of successes since then but I still have to work hard at it every day! The most important thing is to find ways to sustain or boost your motivation, and apart from that, experiment until you find whatever combination of techniques work best for you.

Originally Posted by Verre

Keep trying! It might take more than a few weeks to learn how to lucid dream more regularly. I started working at this a few years ago after, like you, having an unexpected and spontaneous lucid experience, but after that it still took several weeks of determined practice before I was able to induce lucidity through more deliberate methods. I've had a lot of successes since then but I still have to work hard at it every day! The most important thing is to find ways to sustain or boost your motivation, and apart from that, experiment until you find whatever combination of techniques work best for you.

Hi thanks for that but last night I had my first MILD but it only lasted about 5 seconds bit instead of me waking up the dream carried on but I wasn't lucid anymore

Originally Posted by Superdremer

Hi thanks for that but last night I had my first MILD but it only lasted about 5 seconds bit instead of me waking up the dream carried on but I wasn't lucid anymore

Congratulations! That's a great start. Don't worry about the brevity, it takes a while to get the hang of sustaining lucidity for a longer period, but it will come with practice.

I once had a dream with this mad scientist type character and during the dream he was saying that we were dreaming. I tried to push my fingers in my palm and it didn't work. I kept trying because I knew I must be dreaming but it still didn't work. I then asked my classmate if we were dreaming and he said "yes I even woke up briefly to confirm it." At which point I was like "work!"and I jabbed my fingers into my palm as hard as I could and it worked, making a disgusting crackling sound and it felt like there were new joints in my palms that allowed me o push through, yet somehow I didn't quite get lucid. I also had a dream that started with just dark emptiness, then I heard a sound that was like "vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvVVWUP !" and a scene popped up. I was immediately like "Was that just the start of a dream?! That would never happen in real life" I then walked around exploring but I never quite became lucid, it was more like a dream that I was dreaming I was lucid. I was able to recall something online when the bicycle I was riding stopped moving and I also saw this awesome spot on a path through the woods were there were two large pools that were smooth but irregular floating a good 6 in off the ground at their lowest points. They kind of looked like three dimensional parabolas that were flatter on top, and there were fish in the pools all facing forwards that grew as I walked past the pools. It was probably one of the most vivid dreams I have had, though I recently had an even more vivid one. I was in a lecture hall and my roommate had his stuff there but he wasn't around, I reached over to grab one of my pencils, and just managed to touch it when the alarm clock went off. Waking up felt kind of like when you are in deep thought and someone comes out of nowhere and yells "Surprise!". After I got up I was reflecting on the experience when I thought " wow, that was a dream". Then I remembered the fine detail and thought " WOW! That was a dream!?!" The floor looked real, the tables, the chairs, the skate board, backpack, pens and pencils, all looked Exactly the way they would in real life, and especially the pens and pencils. I even felt everything I touched.

So, does having increasingly vivid dreams help to become more lucid?

I've been trying to induce a lucid dream via reality checks, but I just couldn't get lucid in any way :-(
Throughout a regular day I've got an app reminding me every hour to perform a reality check, thats when I raise my hands and examine them for about 30 seconds.
Then I ask myself if I am dreaming and I tell myself "the next time,when I am dreaming,I will see my hands and remember I'm dreaming",either using the voice in my head or my real one,depending on where I am haha .
After that I'm counting my fingers from my left thumb to my right pinky finger and backwards. After that I am pressing my right thumb slowly into my left handpalm,believing it could slip right through it.
Now I'm actually not performing this reality check before going to bed,which I guess I should start doing.
Now here's my question: When I am going to sleep and feel like the dream is becoming more vivid (which sometimes happens,approximately half an hour before waking up),is all my training going to make me perform a reality check automatically or am I supposed to somehow force myself to see my hands and perform the rc?
Any help I glady appreciate :-)

Originally Posted by Kain

Now here's my question: When I am going to sleep and feel like the dream is becoming more vivid (which sometimes happens,approximately half an hour before waking up),is all my training going to make me perform a reality check automatically or am I supposed to somehow force myself to see my hands and perform the rc?
Any help I glady appreciate :-)

You might happen to perform an RC during a dream and notice that it doesn't indicate reality. Personally, this rarely, if ever, happens to me; instead, I happen to notice something odd, then I'll decide to RC and find out that I'm dreaming. (Indeed, I've occasionally “just happened” to do an RC in a non-lucid dream, and it simply indicated reality, just as it would in real life.)

For this reason, it's probably best if you get in the habit of doing the RCs anytime something seems even slightly out of the ordinary, or simply just a little surprising, rather than have a timer or app remind you. Consider the possibility that you could be dreaming (even if it seems real), then do the RC, without assuming the result will necessarily turn out indicating reality—expect to be surprised. (I've lost count of how many times I've done an RC in a dream and thought, “Whoa, I can't believe this is a dream, but it sure is!”) Even daydreaming a bit during the day and imagining yourself wondering if you could be dreaming and doing the RC to find out might help. You want to do or think about it often enough that the activity starts to carry over into your dreams.

Originally Posted by Kain

I've been trying to induce a lucid dream via reality checks, but I just couldn't get lucid in any way :-(
Throughout a regular day I've got an app reminding me every hour to perform a reality check, thats when I raise my hands and examine them for about 30 seconds.

It sounds like you are doing really well performing RCs regularly. With that kind of regularity, it probably won't take too long before one crops in dreamland and you get lucid. One other thing you might look into to maximize your probability of becoming lucid is to employ multiple induction techniques simultaneously.

For example, you always have the "background" technique of the RC going on, and you have been setting your intention to recognize the dream state. To that you could add a "wake back to bed" (WBTB) after about 5 hours of sleep, when you wake up perform a few RCs and head back to sleep while practicing MILD or just intention setting. This is how I have gotten 95% of my LDs. This way you are simultaneously implementing 3-4 mutually reinforcing techniques. I think this would greatly multiply your chance of getting lucid, with just a little more effort.

I hope this helps, and may you have countless lucid dreams!!

Originally Posted by KonchogTashi

For example, you always have the "background" technique of the RC going on, and you have been setting your intention to recognize the dream state. To that you could add a "wake back to bed" (WBTB) after about 5 hours of sleep, when you wake up perform a few RCs and head back to sleep while practicing MILD or just intention setting. This is how I have gotten 95% of my LDs. This way you are simultaneously implementing 3-4 mutually reinforcing techniques. I think this would greatly multiply your chance of getting lucid, with just a little more effort.

That sounds like a great suggestion! I started looking into LDing a couple of Fridays back, so I've been at it just short of two weeks. I've incorporated my own version of Puffin's SAT with RCs into my daily routine and I've been DJing nightly. I've also been setting an intention via mantra to wake after my dreams and remember them.

On average I've been recalling about 2 dreams a night. At least 1 but sometimes up to 4. Some only fragments but some complete and detailed. I record the time of waking, and the pattern is early REM cycles produce more fragments and later REM cycles produce more complete and detailed dreams. Since I've been DJing it seems like more and more fine grain detail is becoming available during recall.

I generally don't have a problem getting back to sleep, so I'm going to try this and see how it pans out!

The thing is where it says when you are about to fall asleep, I usually lye in bed and let my thoughts wander and say when I am about to fall asleep I will say the mantra, but then I wake up the next morning and then realize I had fallen asleep. I don’t know when I am about to fall asleep. Weird.