Thread: Methods and success?

What method(s) do you use to get a lucid dream? Also, would you please elaborate and explain how it can replicated by another.

If you are new, it is always a good idea to practice/train for DILD (dream induced lucid dream). I suggest keeping up with a dream journal and performing some RCs (reality checks) during waking life. When you perform these RCs, take a moment to look around at your environment and actually pretend that you are within a dream. Then perform your RC. If you are able to question reality in the real world, you will do the same within the dream world.

For WILDs, I use a technique that I have pieced together from experience as well as other techniques. There is link to my WILD method in my signature.

If you haven't already, I suggest checking out the "DreamViews Wiki" (especially the tutorials sections). You may find the information quite useful.

No matter what techniques/methods you try out, I would suggest always keeping some of your focus on DILD.

Good luck to you, and if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask!

The best thing that worked for me was DILD, i think they're pretty effective.

Originally Posted by USA

The best thing that worked for me was DILD, i think they're pretty effective.

I've practiced 50% of this method. I really should have done a reality check though...

If you are new, it is always a good idea to practice/train for DILD (dream induced lucid dream). I suggest keeping up with a dream journal and performing some RCs (reality checks) during waking life. When you perform these RCs, take a moment to look around at your environment and actually pretend that you are within a dream. Then perform your RC. If you are able to question reality in the real world, you will do the same within the dream world.

For WILDs, I use a technique that I have pieced together from experience as well as other techniques. There is link to my WILD method in my signature.

If you haven't already, I suggest checking out the "DreamViews Wiki" (especially the tutorials sections). You may find the information quite useful.

No matter what techniques/methods you try out, I would suggest always keeping some of your focus on DILD.

Good luck to you, and if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask!

I'm a completely new to lucid dreaming I've had two in the past when I was little but both were accidental. 5 o'clock this morning I tried the FILD method after falling asleep a countless number of times while attempting the WILD method and think I had my first false awakening. I always dream in a 3rd person's perspective, does the point of view change when you become lucid? I'll your WILD method tonight Yoshi.

EDIT: Oh yes! Last night at 11PM I tried your WILD method KingYoshi -- I changed it a bit though... I told myself "I will wake up in Sleep Paralysis" and I did (so I guess it wasn't the WILD method anymore) -- I woke up in Sleep Paralysis, but my heart was racing and when I was conscious enough to realize what was going on, it was already too late and I was going out of it. I did though try and calm myself down. I entered sleep paralysis again for a very short period of time but found that my heart would start racing again and I couldn't maintain SP.

Some of my lucids will change perspectives. I'll be in first and then it will pop out to third for a bit and then back to first. Generally, when I am in 3rd person in a lucid, its almost as if I am using a video game controller to explore the dream. I don't actually have a controller in the dream, but my thoughts include button presses. Kind of hard to explain. Everyone is different though, and you will have to see for yourself what your LDs will be like. Dyno, keep in mind that the increased heart rate is actually just a hallucination. In fact, your heart rate slows down during this time, in preparation for sleep. Just don't worry about your heart rate and try to ignore it. Continue to stay relaxed and the hallucination will soon pass. You were close just keep practicing. Good luck to you!

Originally Posted by KingYoshi

Some of my lucids will change perspectives. I'll be in first and then it will pop out to third for a bit and then back to first. Generally, when I am in 3rd person in a lucid, its almost as if I am using a video game controller to explore the dream. I don't actually have a controller in the dream, but my thoughts include button presses. Kind of hard to explain. Everyone is different though, and you will have to see for yourself what your LDs will be like. Dyno, keep in mind that the increased heart rate is actually just a hallucination. In fact, your heart rate slows down during this time, in preparation for sleep. Just don't worry about your heart rate and try to ignore it. Continue to stay relaxed and the hallucination will soon pass. You were close just keep practicing. Good luck to you!

Heck, thanks a tonne KingYoshi! I appreciate your input and look forward to tonight. I'm glad you pointed out that the elevated heart rate is just a hallucination I'll do my best to keep calm tonight. Cheers.

Hi again, I'm having trouble gaining control in my dream. Once I begin to do a RC in dream state i suddenly start thinking that I'm imagining that I'm dreaming. Also it's really difficult to focus on my hands while doing a RC in my dream. Why is this?

Hmm...looking at your hands may not be an ideal RC for you. I would suggest changing it up and trying a few different RCs. I would suggest trying the nose pinch RC. Maybe the visual RC is a problem for you.

It was my first time doing a RC in a dream, I woke myself up after thinking the dream was my imagination. The scene changed to a gray wall once I imagined my hands. My perception was back to normal and not 3rd person. The perspective I dream in should be enough of a dream cue though...

I couldn't sleep last night -- it seems as though the flu has hit me hard. i will see if I can sleep sometime during the day.

Ah, hope you get to feeling better. The flu has been going around lately (around here anyway ). Good luck to you!

Originally Posted by KingYoshi

Ah, hope you get to feeling better. The flu has been going around lately (around here anyway ). Good luck to you!

UPDATE: I had my first LD just a few days ago! THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP

Awesome man! Congrats on your success ! Just keep practicing and I'm sure there will be many more to come!

YEAH!! I'm really excited about lucid dreaming. I'm going to be doing yoga lessons starting this Friday. I really want to successfully do a WILD/WBTB. I inquired about the WBTB I thought I had done right and I became unconscious just before I went into a transition. So it was more a DILD but the WBTB helped me become more aware for the DILD.

The only method that has worked for me so far is MILD. I had already learned to meditate before I started trying to have a lucid dream, so I use that and tell myself that I want to have a lucid dream, better yet tell myself that I will have a lucid dream. It worked 3 times but the first time I got kicked straight out of the dream... What I did later was if the dream started to fade away I'd drop to the ground quick and put my hands on the floor/grass/whatever is there and think about how it feels and visualize the last area I saw in the dream.

Originally Posted by duke396

The only method that has worked for me so far is MILD. I had already learned to meditate before I started trying to have a lucid dream, so I use that and tell myself that I want to have a lucid dream, better yet tell myself that I will have a lucid dream. It worked 3 times but the first time I got kicked straight out of the dream... What I did later was if the dream started to fade away I'd drop to the ground quick and put my hands on the floor/grass/whatever is there and think about how it feels and visualize the last area I saw in the dream.

Interesting! Does using meditation to tell yourself to lucid dream work every time? I understand that MILD is the method that you find to be the best for you.. but do you feel that telling yourself to lucid dream while meditating remains effective? It's interesting and I wonder if it perhaps borders on a "quasi-new" type of method.

Well, his method of telling himself to lucid dream is a MILD. With a MILD you can use mantras, meditation, self-talk, etc. Anything really that helps aid/assist your memory to become lucid within your dream. A MILD is a specific form of DILD.

Originally Posted by KingYoshi

Well, his method of telling himself to lucid dream is a MILD. With a MILD you can use mantras, meditation, self-talk, etc. Anything really that helps aid/assist your memory to become lucid within your dream. A MILD is a specific form of DILD.

Then it's very likely that I do something quite similar (without the meditation) - just in combination with a WILD/WBTB method which is done afterwards. I don't do a reality check but I definitely do that which you've just stated.

Originally Posted by KingYoshi

Awesome man! Congrats on your success ! Just keep practicing and I'm sure there will be many more to come!

Strange thing is when I became lucid, I skipped everything I told myself to do (reality checks and stabilzation techniques) before I calmly continued with my dream and just went ahead to summon my best friend. What went wrong when summoning my friend is I closed my eyes and expected him to be there when I opened them.. but no that was a bad idea -- losing sight caused me to wake up.

No, it doesn't work every time. I've tried it many times and only had a few lucid dreams, but on the other side of that coin I've never had one without using some form of that method. It's really a shot in the dark but the idea behind it (from my perspective) is that if I can implant the idea of being lucid into my mind right before I go to sleep I can carry it over unconsciously and be more aware of dream signs and such, and more likely to actually realize that I'm dreaming, like what KingYoshi said.

For example if I'm thinking or meditating on the fact that I'm about to be asleep and that it's possible for me to become lucid, I feel like I'm more likely to stop in the dream and ask myself why I'm here, how I got here, how I know this character, why that car looks kinda funny, etc instead of just accepting it. I try to let it be the last conscious thought in my mind before I drift off. Kinda like if you're thinking of your new girlfriend (or whatever) as you go to sleep, you might be more likely to dream about her.

Originally Posted by duke396

No, it doesn't work every time. I've tried it many times and only had a few lucid dreams, but on the other side of that coin I've never had one without using some form of that method. It's really a shot in the dark but the idea behind it (from my perspective) is that if I can implant the idea of being lucid into my mind right before I go to sleep I can carry it over unconsciously and be more aware of dream signs and such, and more likely to actually realize that I'm dreaming, like what KingYoshi said.

For example if I'm thinking or meditating on the fact that I'm about to be asleep and that it's possible for me to become lucid, I feel like I'm more likely to stop in the dream and ask myself why I'm here, how I got here, how I know this character, why that car looks kinda funny, etc instead of just accepting it. I try to let it be the last conscious thought in my mind before I drift off. Kinda like if you're thinking of your new girlfriend (or whatever) as you go to sleep, you might be more likely to dream about her.

Could you meditate and tell yourself to ask a specific question "why am I here,..."? Sure you could, my real question is: would the outcome be the same and just as effective? Is it perhaps just all the same MILD lingo and anything you say works equally as well as whatever you said the day before.

Excuse me as I go lie down. At the moment I am really not feeling right in my head.

Originally Posted by DynoTAP

Could you meditate and tell yourself to ask a specific question "why am I here,..."? Sure you could, my real question is: would the outcome be the same and just as effective? Is it perhaps just all the same MILD lingo and anything you say works equally as well as whatever you said the day before.

Excuse me as I go lie down. At the moment I am really not feeling right in my head.

Haven't really thought to try it that way but I think I will tonight, it sounds like a good idea. I'd still consider it a pretty standard MILD tactic but will it work the same or better? Who knows. Maybe for you but not me since all our minds work differently.

Now if I could just train myself to ask a question like that say, every 10 minutes whether awake or dreaming, I think I could LD every night

If you lose the dream from something like that, you can always try to reenter it. Don't move stay calm, and visualize what you were just doing. Also, be sure to reality check whenever you wake from a dream suddenly. There is a good chance you are having a false awakening.

Update: I forgot to try that but I did manage to do a successful WBTB/MILD combo early this morning! I was actually trying to WILD but failed. I put the result in my dream journal. It worked quite well, I understand why you were doing it that way now.

MY UPDATE: I haven't been able to WILD for ages now. I mean, I cannot even enter partial sleep paralysis. I'm going to try today... again. This time 'round though will be different. I found the WILD tutorial I used for the first few times, I found it to be quite successful despite the lack of experience I had back then (not that I'm experienced now), I'll be focussing on listening to my breath which will get me to sleep paralysis. From there I will keep telling myself to "relax deeper" and occasionally repeat "I am going into a dream.", (I found that doing this helped A LOT during my earlier tries). If this doesn't work out tonight, I will try again at 3:30AM, when my first alarm goes off - hopefully I wake up.

If you're wondering which tutorial I'll be using, It's almost an identical copy of the WILD tutorial that was recently removed from the tutorials page and replaced with a newer one. Here's the link: 'Lucid Dreaming - The WILD Technique' - rotteneggs.com - A Social Network for Pranksters.


@duke396: you managed to do a successful WBTB/MILD combo! That's great! All this time I had read it incorrectly and thought It was the other way around.

Good night