New Dreamer. Question about the (MILD) technique.

Hello everybody. I am very excited to have found this site and I am looking forward to meeting some of you and getting to know you.

I am a natural "dreamer," and have already had profound experiences with lucid dreaming though I am just beginning to consciously harness my power. I have had seizures and sleep paralysis all my life. Though the seizures ended in my early adolescence, that goodness :)

I would say that I have had about a dozen lucid dreams. Twice I have actually gotten to a dream state where I could exercise control over my dream. Both times involved looking into a mirror in my dream. Once I got to the mirror and saw my mind's construction of my face (it was eerie how precise it was) then I could exercise control over the dreamscape for a short period of time. It was quite an experience.

Recently I have began to practice lucid dreaming consciously. I have used several tricks from a blog that I read recently like writing an "A," on my hand in ink and counting my fingers whenever I saw it throughout the day. I also keep a recording device by my bed to record my dreams and listen to them.

Last night I tried the (MILD) technique. I set my alarm to wake me five hours after I laid down to go to sleep figuring it usually takes me half-an-hour to get to bed. I woke up after four-and-a-half hours but could not remember my dream so I just tried to focus on being mindful as I drifted off into sleep.

I could feel myself drifting into a dream-like state. Most of the dream was auditory initially. I could not see images but I was recognizing situations and the presence of characters in my dream. The problem that I had was every time I would get to the point where I would fall asleep I would become conscious that I was laying in bed and it would jar me awake. I did this about three times before I finally got to sleep without lucidity.

Does anyone who has successfully used (MILD) have any tips on how I can maintain my focus without jarring myself awake?

Thanks,

Phazzle

Phazzle, welcome to DV :).

It almost sounds like you may be going into sleep paralysis and trying to lucid dream, in which case this is WILD (Wake-Induced Lucid Dream), not MILD (Mnemonic-Induced Lucid Dream). You should try to clear your mind of everything except lucid dreaming, and if you don't focus on what's happening in the SP (Sleep Paralysis), you should enter the dream. You may not get success straight away, but part of lucid dreaming is patience.

ShockWave.

I'm new to the MILD way as well. I say new, but I did try it for a while a few weeks ago, but not much came of it. I tried WILD, and it worked a bit more for the first few nights, then nothing.
So I'm going back to MILD. We can share tips and techniques if you want. I'm sure other people will help us out as well.

Try Stephen Laberge's mnemonic induction of lucid dreaming (MILD) technique.

* Set your alarm clock to wake you up 4 1/2, 6, or 7 1/2 hours after falling asleep.
* When you are awakened by your alarm clock, try to remember the dream as much as possible.
* When you think you have remembered as much as you can, return to your place of rest, imagining that you are in your previous dream, and becoming aware that you are dreaming. Say to yourself, "I will be aware that I'm dreaming," or something similar. Do this until you think that it has "sunk in." Then go to sleep.
* If random thoughts pop up when you are trying to fall asleep, repeat the imagining, self-suggestion part, and try again. Don't worry if you think it's taking a long time. The longer it takes, the more likely it will 'sink in,' and the more likely you will have a lucid dream.

This is the guide that I used. Re reading it I think that I may have misinterpreted it a bit. I thought that I was supposed to carry my consciousness into my dream when it looks like I was really supposed to go to sleep naturally and count on being lucid when I got into my dream.

Thanks for the feedback I have tried WILD before without knowing exactly what it was and I kept encountering the problem above. I would start to enter sleep paralysis and the sensation would either frighten me or exhilirate me to the point that I could not hold my focus. The next time I try wild I will use some theta binatural beats to soothe me.

I would love to compare notes going forward Origami. Good luck!

Thanks again.

Are you serious? I too thought I had to slip into my dream but still be awake for that to work! Argh! I only did a few chants of "I will realize I'm dreaming" then I lay still and tried to wait for me to fall asleep, but remain awake! No wonder it never worked! I'm going to try that tonight, or Friday night.

Not using the above technique mind you but since I have been recording my dreams and practicing mindfulness while awake I have had a lucid dream. It was quite amazing. I felt the weight of the dream above me like I was 1000 miles beneath the surface of the ocean. I could move and feel and look around like I was in another body. The only thing that I regret is that I began to worry that I wouldn't wake up so I kept trying to wake up only to find myself in another dream. I wish I would have just stayed calm enough to enjoy it. It felt like a solid hour of dream time. If I had slowed down and tried not to wake up I feel like I could have enjoyed the dream for quite some time.

Thanks for the help so far everybody.