In search of Jim Morrison and the naked indian

Been training for a week now. I do reality checks (finger counting) everytime I enter a new room. The first couple of nights I had dreams (not lucid) that I woke up, remembered, and recorded. But the past few nights Ive just slept through the night. Wake up foggy. Very frustrating.

The only main technique ive tried is SSILD, where I tried focusing on my senses as I drifted. For my first try, I actually was encouraged.

I committed. I focused on not panicking if I got sleep paralysis. My limbs went numb, my head got really heavy, things started spinning, at this point I heard that you just enter dream world lucid, but it never came. Unfortunately my breathing became an issue. It got really shallow and uncomfortable, and I felt the need to take a huge gulp of air. But I didn't, I pressed on.

Eventually, I don't know when, I forgot to focus and moved my arm, thus ruining everything. So I got fed up, rolled over, and snoozed out.


This lucid dreaming is a pain fam, but I wont give up. Awesome community, I plan on being very active.

:welcome: to DreamViews!

It's nice to remember our dreams. Recall can fluctuate, so no worries about that. It will be better again soon. Just write down your dreams or even just fragments or feelings. It will help you think about dreams more.

SSILD may be a great method for many. But I would not recommend starting with it, especially since it's not one of the main methods. I would start with DILD and also read WILD, because they both have something that will help you in both methods.

Induction Methods and Techniques
WILD

I would not worry about sleep paralysis because it is not part of lucid dreaming. If you notice it, fine, if not, even better. But what you described are normal signs of body falling asleep. SP is only after we start dreaming and by then we are either in a non-lucid dream or a LD. In both cases it doesn't matter.

And yes, when you experience things you have described, your body is falling asleep and in fact you may already be dreaming or being on a verge of a dream. At any time like that you can start doing some motionless RCs. Like trying to move your arm in front of your eyes, start spinning, roll out or stand up or levitate yourself up. But do this only mentally - not with your muscles. Only give comand to move, start the movement but don't really move. If you are awake, nothing will happen. But if you are already in a dream, your dream body will move and then you can stand up and walk away into a dream.

Oh yeah, your breathing and heart beat can change when you are transitioning, because you switch into REM. Don't try to control it, just go with it.

Happy dreams.

Wow!
That sounds really familiar.
I never considered SSILD to be a method, but it is definitely something I do every time. It can take some people a long time, but if you were able to notice the things you described then you may be a bit more in tune than most. Those are exactly the kinds of things I started noticing just before I started having my first lucid dreams.

Next time you are in this state, imagine an object and focus intensely on it. See if you can make the object become visible.

Q - shouldn't I not focus? I thought you are just suppose to let stuff go and not analyze.

Im not experienced enough to know where Im at in the "falling asleep" stages. Even at my heaviest/spinniest I knew I could physically leap out of bed at any second if I chose. I know you guys say sleep paralysis isn't a normal step, but I was actually kind of hoping for It, because then it would be an identifiable yard marker for where I am

currently I don't know if Im 99% to sleep or if im 100% awake with my eyes closed

SP is just when you can't move. You can't test it, or you will get out of it.

But the sensations could be considered a mile marker. Just without them being called SP, because they are not it.

It's best not to focus on sensations or audio, tactile hallucination though. Reason being is that we don't always get them, or we get a different kind and different feel. And if we wait for something specific and it never shows up, we may miss our chance to enter LD because we will keep waiting and assume we failed. Even without any sensation or HH we can already be in a LD.

Some signs can be so subtle that we never notice. Like seeing your room. It's normal, right, and you must be still awake then. Except when you realize that your eyes are closed and seeing your room means you are already in a dream.

So yes, I do use sensations and HH as a mile marker to let me know that I am approching a transition or I'm already in a dream. But best thing to do is not rely on any of them and just try to notice a dream feel. I also use a mantra "I am dreaming" so when I actually fall asleep and I'm still aware, I hear that and that reminds me what I'm doing and can "become" lucid.

I try motionless RC practically from the moment I start to WILD. I try to move my "inner, or dream body". And I assume I am dreaming at that moment.

And I get ready for everything, without expecting anything.