I'm gonna start trying this method out. Will post results.
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I'm gonna start trying this method out. Will post results.
I tried this one day and felt like Shawn Spencer for an hour. After that I crashed. It's really over whelming. Have any suggestions?
I just recently discovered this technique and decided to try it. However I am left with a question. I tried this while walking around my neighborhood. I started off with being aware of myself first. I then focused my awareness on the sound of my shoes hitting the pavement, the feel of my feet in the cushions, the muscles moving my legs, the feel of my clothes, and everything else that was mentioned in the tutorial. I then tried to add my awareness of other things around me as I was walking.
For example, as I was walking A red car was coming up the street in the opposite direction. I took notice of the sound of the the car coming towards me, the sound of the tires rolling on the road, the color and design and size of it. But when this happened I lost focus of a couple of things about myself. I understand the concept of this, but the main thing I need to know is does this exercise require you to be aware of everything at once? If so then I can understand how taxing it can be, but I'm always open for a challenge
My dreams are so vivid now, I can recall so many details thanks! I've been practising ADA for 2 weeks now. Hopefully I will have my first lucid dream soon :cheeky:
So I have had a lot of success with ADA and thought I would share some tips. If you find that your losing awareness don't worry about it don't be mad at yourself I think stressing too much in any technique is the worst idea you can do. The most important thing is to almost pretend everything is a dream after a week of doing this I went from one lucid dream a week to 3 so it's pretty effective. If you find yourself being lazy just do Sporadic awareness a ex member here had a guide but it seems as if she took it down. Just at random times ask yourself "how did I get here" or the tried and true "am I dreaming" and truly be suspicious of if you are or not. That's it this is probably the best technique for D.I.L.Ds once you start getting Lucid it will make this a whole lot easier because you will see how realistic dreams can be. Dream recall will increase without mantra because of this but do mantras anyway. Good look. Stay aware.
Wow amazing thank you so much for posting! I'm so glad I saw this only 5 days in to learning rather than 5 months ;)
All my dream signs seem to be action based so I was finding it hard to do relevant RCs in real life, but since starting ADA only 20 minutes ago I've already noticed 3 things that could have been dream signs & done my RCs accordingly. I also forgot to put a teabag in my tea cause I was being so aware ;)
Thank you!
I started practicing ADA yesterday. During the night I had 2 EXTREMELY realistic and long dreams! They just blew my mind... In one of those dreams I even had a piece of thought that it's odd that I can jump that long in a realistic environment like this. So I'm sure it works! And I even see the real world in new color. Now I just got to stick with it. :cheeky:
That's great! I have been doing it for 2 days now with no real difference in dream quality - any advice? What kind of method were you using?
I did (and do) it all day whenever it came to my mind. I didn't forget it altogether but took breaks because it can be really tiring. You must analyze everything you see, hear, feel on your skin or muscles, smell and taste. But I guess you already knew that. :) The point is (at least as far as I understand) to notice things in as great detail as possible but at the same time still notice the "whole". Like if you see a crowded bus station and hear all kinds of noises then you should notice the small details on the texture of the road and on peoples and be able to distinguish the different sounds but at the same time still see and hear everything at once. This works great for me but (as everybody is different) maybe you have to tweak it a bit for yourself. So just keep with it. For me this awareness thing became natural the second day (today :cheeky:). I may add that I've done a lot of concentration and awareness exercises that I'm sure help with ADA. If you're interested feel free to message me.
The intensity of the effects and how fast they come vary from person to person. The fact that your dream vividness has not increased yet does not mean you're doing anything wrong, so don't worry ;)
Looking at details without losing the big picture is definitely the way to go. Previous awareness and concentration training definitely helps, and it explains your quick succes :p Good going!
I have start doing this for about 3 days ago, success remember to perform a 5-10 min ADA about 3-6 times a day so far (but also trying to make the awareness last long as possible but always forget about it after 10 min or so, but start got it as habit when I travel with bike etc). Will continue. So far I have had great recall, but don't know if it's cus the awareness training.
Ok I really need help with this. It's like waking up a muddy hill, I just keep slipping. Advise on how to remember to do it and how to concentrate on everything would be appreciated. :(
I'm gonna start trying this method out. Will post results.
I'm getting there I think but not without obstacles. I'm currently doing a job that requires a fair bit of concentration so that's a bit detrimental and also when I'm at the gym I tend to forget about everything else. In the periods where I'm not doing these things I try to at least have "bouts" of hyper awareness which I reckon I'm pulling off quite well.
It's also helped me locate some annoying mosquitoes in my room so there's at least some benefit :P.
Also when I'm playing a game or watching a film my other senses seem to just zone out, is there a way of combating this?
Sorry for the slow response, I haven't been on in a while. As you have both mentioned, some task requires focus and that can make it hard to stay aware. To combat this, I personally think you need to keep ADA in your concious mind, not just in the back of you head. It is a little tough to explain, but think of it as being aware of your awareness. One way to actively stay aware is to think thoughts about what you are seeing, hearing, feeling etc. An example of this would be 'I am now walking through the hallway. I feel my feet on the ground, I hear my steps, the talk of the people around me, I can see the walls, the floor, the people,...'. You do not need to literally think about everything word for word, but keep the practice in the concious part of your brain.
Initially, this will be hard to do. So if you have something important, an exam fo example, and you feel that ADA is slowing you down, then it is really fine to stop for a while. Just make sure to start over afterwards. It is something that should improve your life, not spoil it.
Good luck!
Cheers for the reply.
I eventually resolved to put my ADA development on hold until my work placement ended. It ends after today so from then on I'll be able to put a lot more effort into it later.
One other thing, while doing ADA it makes it kind of hard to properly enjoy reading books and listening to music for extended periods because I concentrate on both. I like doing this quite a bit so it may be a bit of an issue.
Yes, reading and listening to music at the same time can be a little tough. What makes it hard is that both are words that you try to interpretate at the same time. I think the best way to resolve it is to listen to the tones of the music without making out the words. Ever felt drowsy while someone was talking or while music was playing, and you could hear the talk but couldn't make out the words? That's what I'm talking about :P That way you only need to process the words you read, not the ones you hear, but you do still hear the music. Hopefully this works :)
When I try this I notice a lot around me (which is really cool - especially in the countryside :)) but I keep forgetting to do it and have to force myself to look around and think how I'm feeling, smells etc. Will keep trying!
so,here we go
"I think that my concern with ADA is not that it isn't a good thing (it is), it is that it doesn't focus on the right things for dreaming. In dreams, there is no external environment, and in LD'ing it is critical to understand that everything here is you. ADA does just the opposite by putting a priority on things that are not you"
your thoughts please :),because the quote above does make sense.
In dreams there is actually an external environment, it's just not simulated by external stimuli, but by the brain itself. For example, if you are dreaming that you are walking down a street, then you are looking at the street as something external from your own conciousness, even though it is simulated by your own brain. In real life, everything you experience is simulated just as much as it is in a dream, with the difference that it is simulated based on impulses from your senses.
To put this a little more simple: in dreams there is also an environment that is external from your conciousness, and by becoming aware of the environment in real life, you will also become more aware of the environment in your dreams.
I can't do this. I try and get stressed and stress I've heard is terrible for dreams. Also I like to daydream and this sounds like I need to completely cut out daydreaming. Someone suggested DDA, I think I'll try that sense I kind of do it anyway.