Thread: So close to a WILD...I think...

Originally Posted by yzmotoxer807

I had tried WBTB + MILD for about four weeks in a row with no results other than better dream recall. For some reason, when I wake up then go back to bed I seem to still go into a normal/deep sleep instead of a lighter one. I suppose that I could try to pick a different time as to when to wake up. What are common times?

For starters, better dream recall is not a bad thing! Some people just need some time to get lucid dreaming going, but once they do, they have a lot of them. Have you read "exploring the world of lucid dreaming" by Laberge? He describes his MILD technique pretty good there, and you should try to follow it exactly (of course you can deviate but first try the common method). For me, waking up after 6 hours of sleep seemed to work best. One other thing, going back into normal/deep sleep after WBTB is not the reason why you did not have a LD yet, since it is pretty normal.

Well the first thing that I will do is try to wake up a little later because I was trying like between four and five hours so that might help. What I meant by normal deep sleep is that I would go back to dreaming but it was still the foggy kind of dream where anything strange could happen and I wouldn't even think anything of it. I suppose that if I keep trying to ingrain the RC into my habits then eventually it will happen in one of these dreams. I guess the WILD technique just seems more appealing to me because it is less random and more of like a "I can choose when to LD" kind of thing. But, like you said it is harder and I should probably at least start by doing the MILD tech. I will definitely check out the Laberge thing too. Is lucid dreaming something that builds on itself? Like once you have one or two it just gets easier and easier?

Also, I am going to start to keep a dream journal. Thus far I have just been lazy about it but now I will do it so I can try to look for dream signs that are common to me.

Anyway, thanks for the help and advice!

Yes, it gets easier when you get there, and yes, definately keep a dream journal! Not doing so might also be a cause of failure to MILD. By the way, make sure that if you try again, you wake up when you are usually still sleepy but not so sleepy as to be semi-comatose, because that is indeed a hard state to be lucid in. Also, put enough energy in the "mnemonic" part of MILD, repeat to yourself during the WBTB that you are going to recognise you are dreaming the next time you dream, untill you feel that your subconscious got the message (but not too long, not over 10 minutes is what I do). Also helpful to do during the WBTB is to remember one of your dreams (write some in your DJ) and visualise yourself back in that dream, becoming lucid.