Thread: I'm failing. Is this imposible for me or something?

I've been trying to have a LD since about May but I didn't start trying really hard until about September or October.
I've been writing in my dream journal every night pretty much I've been doing reality checks and I've even been taking mug-wort some nights because I heard it helps you have vivid dreams.
I've also been waking up after 4 30 half hours of sleep to try and WILD on some nights. I used to smoke a lot of pot and sometimes used to do psychedelics, do you think this has affected my dreaming?
I quit doing drugs like probably before I stated trying to LD but I still smoke pot on occasion.
Is it just impossible for some people?

If anyone has any new suggestions I would love to hear them before I give up?

Theres a section somewhere on the forums that talks about drugs and what they can do to help, or Not to help, i suggest you search there at the "Lucid Aids" section of the fourms for more Infomation.

Since you're doing all these things to try and induce lucid dreaming, and you're not having much of an effect, I'd be guessing that it's the awareness of how you're doing these things that is lacking.

When you do a reality check, be as aware as you possibly can. Keep up the awareness as best you can with your induction ventures and you may notice much greater results.

Awareness is the key to lucidity. Without enough awareness, no matter what you do you will not lucid dream.

Try also working up your recall consistently each day. When you are finding it difficult to go further back (usually you hit a wall in memory of recalling dreams, from when you woke up), try to move past that barrier. You'll be surprised at how many times, with enough receptivity, you'll be able to break that barrier.

i'd say keep at it. Maybe because you've done them for so long you're starting to lose interest? Maybe you're not paying 100% attention to these checks and they're just becoming a routine which your mind doesn't see as important when it enters rest?

I'm no expert but I'd definitely recommend really concentrating during checks and definitely increasing awareness as ClouD said. When you're doing your checks, make a big attempt at awareness each time. Look around, observe everything that's about and really push yourself to focus each time on the reality checks. If I was in your position I'd probably end up not paying a lot of attention to the checks (which kinda ruins their whole usefulness).

Hopefully that helps! LDing isn't easy... I stopped trying for a bit and now I haven't had one for quite a while. It takes a lot of focus and practice...

Good luck!

Maybe the fact that you are even wondering about your drug use harming your ability to LD is stuck in your subconscious and impairing your ability to do so.
If it relieves you: I am doing shrooms and LSD 1-2 times a month and am a regular smoker of cannabis, and my ability to LD is (considering what I've read here) definitely above average. This does not mean that the drugs help me or that I want encourage you to pick up the habit again, but you definitely can stop worrying about them having destroyed your chances of LDing. Just keep trying

Noodle-soup, what other techniques have you been trying? And what success have you had in the past? Have you ever LD'ed?
I honestly gave up attempting to WILD (except for DEILDs) after about 6 months, since I never had success. But it's important to remember that there are other ways to do it, so don't let the failures get you down.
About how many dreams are you remembering per night? When you do reality check, what is the process you go through?
If you've got that long of a dream journal, you should easily be able to pick out some nice dream signs.
I honestly don't think that it's impossible for anyone to lucid dream, except maybe those so mentally deficient that they already have no sense of self or consciousness. Just get yourself a really exciting list of dream goals and keep working at it

try going to bed earlier.

and go to bed at the same time every night.

noodle-soup,

Keep your dream journal going, look for recurring dream signs (things, people, places, etc.), do reality checks when you see those dream signs in your waking life, and don't forget to practice noticing for out of place things, people, or events in your daily life. Being able to noticing little things will make a difference. Though don't start out strong. Ease yourself into it. Good luck, and happy lucids.

~DD

I think you should forget about WILDing for maybe a week. Try doing WBTBs instead, schedule permitting. I think this technique is so much easier and it has never failed for me.

Also, try not to smoke anything at least a couple days ahead of trying to LD, just to be sure.

One last 'strategy' that worked for me. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts to LD, I decided one night that I didn't care about it anymore (sincerely, I stopped caring) and that night I had a LD.

To make a long story short: stop trying so hard.

I would just go crazy with the reality checks (Nose pinch one works the best in my opinion ) But before you do the RC ask your self if you are dreaming and look around. I failed at doing the asking part and did RC's in my dreams but couldn't get lucid.