About ETWOLD..

Hi guys! I ordered the book Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, recommended by people here at DV, and I got it about 2 days ago. I've read about 28 pages and I love it.
I usually read it right before I go to bed, usually 10 minutes prior, for about 20 minutes or until I finish a chapter; so it is fresh in my mind before sleeping. So, I'm not in the whole gist of doing WBTB's yet. I used to do them all the time, but I keep telling myself before I go to bed, "Should I set my alarm for ______ time for WBTB?" Then I think to myself, "Nah, I'll probably be too tired to even try to stay awake for a few minutes, then I'll forget what I'm supposed to do." So I give up on the idea and set my alarm for my regular time of getting up.

ANYWAYS, I'm still reading in the introduction/history/science of lucid dreaming in the book right now. Once I get to the techniques to induce lucid dreams, do I need to try each and every one of them to see what they are like for me, and record my results? If so, how many times do I need to do these techniques each to figure it out?
And I would go back to my results and look over and see which technique is best for me.

This is kind of about opinions with me.. but, I'm a very inpatient person, so I don't much like MILD. I would rather do WILD, and it sounds very fun and exciting. But I've searched and searched and searched new ways to WILD, but I was getting no where. I have given up on WILDing for a bit; seeing as I feel like I am too lazy and that I think to myself that, "I would probably be too tired during the day from WILDing."
I think MILDing and VILDing take too long, WILDing is hard for me, and the other techniques I have not really tried yet. The only one that really works for me is DILDing of course. I've had about 17 DILDs or so. Started lucid dreaming in June of 2010. I guess it's kind of some progress for me.

So here's the questions:

Once I get to the techniques to induce lucid dreams, do I need to try each and every one of them to see what they are like for me, and record my results? If so, how many times do I need to do these techniques each to figure it out?

I'm sorry but I hope you read that whole wall of text to make sure you understand what I'm trying to put through. ^_^

Thanks in advance!

- Sydney

Hi Sydney.

If you really want to become a regular lucid dreamer...I think you might need to change your thinking/attitude a bit. Realize that lucid dreaming is a learned skill...and just like any other skill, it takes practice, effort, and determination to develop that skill. Even artists who are born with a natural ability to draw well need to practice and put effort into that ability to become truly skillful. If you approach lucid dreaming with an admittedly lazy and impatient attitude, how far do you really expect to get? Basically you seem to be looking for the easiest method that takes the least amount of effort. But you're only going to get out of it as much as you are willing to put into it. I understand you're trying to be realistic, but it also seems like you're stuck in a pessimistic feedback loop (you don't like it, it's too hard, it will take too long, it will make you tired, you are going to forget, you don't want to bother), and maybe that's not the best mindset to adopt when trying to learn anything new.

Just some friendly advice. Take it or leave it. :P

Thanks for telling me that. I really do need to change my mindset; otherwise I just should forget about lucid dreaming. So in your opinion, what should I do next?

Well, what are your goals for lucid dreaming? To be able to induce one whenever you want? To have one every now and again? To have one every few days? Every night? etc.

Well, my goal is to have one every night, and if I can, at will. Should I figure out which technique works the best for me first?

I'm already having them about on average 2 times per month.

It would definitely be worthwhile to try and find the best technique for you. Also, realize that you might never settle on a single technique. A lot of people like to use a variety of techniques to change things up, because you can sort of develop tolerance for a technique if it's the only one you use, and it might start to lose it's effectiveness for a little while. So that's why it's good to gain experience with several different methods.

2 times a month is actually a good start. If you are persistent and practice regularly, you should begin to see positive results.

You could try one technique every day for a week or two, and then try another technique for a every night for a week or two, and keep record of your results. If you get any kind of positive result from a technique, continue to experiment with that technique for a week or two, trying miner adjustments to see what works best for you.

Okay. Thanks insideout. I'll try that.

@Aquanina: What if I combined several techniques into one? If I kept using that same technique over and over, would that technique eventually lose its effectiveness as well?

the problem with combining several techinques for me is that i am unsure of what to do, and having a fuzzy goal is not a good one for me to achieve at 1 in the morning. imho it is easier to choose a technique for that night, and try for that technique, if you keep changing it it gets confusing. also try FILD, may not work for you but for me it worked the 1st time, and usually gives good results.