Makin the transition

When d'you know that you have good enough recall to focus on going to LDing?

Are there any techniques for ILD that are more for beginners or is it completely up to the individual?

Is "forcing" a LD (always being concious of it) likely to make it more successful or less successful? I know with falling asleep the more I think about it the longer it takes...

It hasn't been long since I started trying but for the past few days I remembered at least 1 dream (even when I had a rough night yesterday) but I never wake up after my dreams, it's always what I remember in the morning. I can't set my alarm- alarms are a nono, I need to go to school the next morning for 5 days a week.

one more thing, does thinking more rationally hint at being more aware in one's dreams? i had a nightmate other night about a burglar breaking in and I actually picked up the phone (which worked on second try, so no failure) and called 911 then woke up. I hardly ever do anything THAT intelligent in a nightmare.

Hi Soli :welcome:

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When d'you know that you have good enough recall to focus on going to LDing?[/b]

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This is something that I think you always work on - there really isn no "good enough". The goal is to recall dreams so that when you have a lucid dream, you'll remember it. The more you recall, the better your chances of remembering the lucid dream. You could have 6 dreams in a night (for example). If only one is a lucid and you can only remember an average of two dreams per night - then do the math, your chances are not as good as recalling 4 or more of your dreams in a night.

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Are there any techniques for ILD that are more for beginners or is it completely up to the individual? [/b]

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There are always the "basics" to LDing - the dream jornal is the first step. Hopefuly you're doing that (didn't see you mention it). Once you get a better understanding of what being lucid really is, how it works, and even how it feels - you can try other methods which might work best only after having this kind of understanding. But, in my opinion, it's really an individual thing. Some people just have better luck with WILD, others with MILD, etc.

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Is "forcing" a LD (always being concious of it) likely to make it more successful or less successful? [/b]

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Stressful - many of us here go through "dry spells" (me :| ) and it's rough to get out of them because the longer you go without LDing, the harder you try, the more frustrated you get - and stress is pretty much an LD killer. Sometimes it takes a little vacation from thinking about it at all to get back. But, some find even THAT difficult (me agan :? ) and end up trying all the time.

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but I never wake up after my dreams, it's always what I remember in the morning.[/b]

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Actually, if someone where to monitor your sleep, you'ld likely find that you are waking up briefly - just not remembering it. What the MILD technique does is try to train your mind into making you become a bit more aware during these little awakenings. The reason you remember the morning dream is because that's when you actually have the time to stay up and think about the dream for a while. This is something you should always do first thing. Lay still, and think about where you just were. This works best if you wake up slowly and naturally without an alarm.

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Originally posted by Tornado Joe
There are always the "basics" to LDing - the dream jornal is the first step. Hopefuly you're doing that (didn't see you mention it).

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Yes, I am keeping a journal but im too lazy to put it online... i just write it down. i can't read some of it... i scribble early in morning or at night so it's kinda messy... but o well, it's there.

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Yes, I am keeping a journal but im too lazy to put it online[/b]

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That's ok, doesn't matter where it is - as long as it's somewhere.

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i can't read some of it... i scribble early in morning or at night so it's kinda messy[/b]

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That's something that might be a problem. The dream journal is also a tool used for trying to figure out what dreamsigns you may have. These are elements, characters, events, etc, that seem to happen a lot in your dreams. Once you recognize something like that you can start training your mind to make yourself do a reality check next time you see that character or event.

I've yet to find a dreamsign. For me, even electical stuff works, lights are on and TVs too (my phone worked when I tried to phone 911, I'm pretty sure I heard a dial tone, even.)

Everything is pretty random. I have had a few dreams surrounding something "mysterious" or very old, ancient, to do with folklore or legends. But I see that a lot in my waking life, too, because I'm interested in that stuff, so I can't see myself questioning that stuff in my dreams.

I'll try n keep from scribbling, and most of those dreams that are illegible are a year or more old so they might not have anything to do with my current state of affairs, a lot has changed for me over the past year. I doubt any dreamsigns in the old dreams stil might come up.

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But I see that a lot in my waking life, too, because I'm interested in that stuff, so I can't see myself questioning that stuff in my dreams[/b]

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Ah, well maybe you should start making it a habit of questioning these things in your real life - good practice that could eventually carry over into your dreams. Even if you know you're awake reality checks are useful. When you "realize" that you're in waking life, you should try to imagine what might have happened if you were dreaming.

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Originally posted by solieus

I'll try n keep from scribbling, and most of those dreams that are illegible are a year or more old so they might not have anything to do with my current state of affairs, a lot has changed for me over the past year. I doubt any dreamsigns in the old dreams stil might come up.

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I can't help much with actually getting lucid. I seem to suck at it. But I can sure recall dreams. Anyway... Instead of scribbling in your journal, try taking some brief notes on separate scratch paper first. You'll find this especially useful when you wake up in the middle of the night after a dream. You can then go back to sleep quickly (and hopefully go lucid) and write them down in full after you've woken up enough to write clearly. The notes should suffice to bring back full recall of the dreams.

But I don't recommend waiting too long to write down the full dream. Not that you might not remember them based on your notes, though you might not, but because most people will end up forgetting or slacking on writing them down later. I always write mine out in full before getting out of bed. But, if you need to wait a bit for whatever reason, then perhaps have a set time when you will write them down, perhaps after showering, if you shower in the morning, or while eating breakfast.

Good luck.