Thread: Hi, I am new and have a lot of questions

What it all ultimately boils down to is effort. In terms of speed, WILD may be the fastest, but it is generally accepted as being the most difficult, especially for beginners. It is usually combined with the WBTB technique. If you naturally get up during the night, it may be a suitable technique for you. That said, I would start with both the DILD and the MILD, together at once. Use reality checks to train your prospective memory and train yourself to recognize oddities in the world. This will increase your chances of becoming lucid spontaneously. The MILD technique will let you hone in on more specific areas, such as recurring elements or dream signs, further increasing your chances. Autosuggestion and self-affirmation are two very powerful tools that are shown to be quite effective at doing any number of things. And if you haven't already, I'd give considerable thought to checking out Stephen LaBerge's Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, available online, in book stores, and in PDF format. START KEEPING A DREAM JOURNAL. This may sound absolutely ridiculous, but it really does help. If you want to take the DJ up a notch, try rewriting your non-lucids so you recognize at what point you SHOULD have realized you're dreaming and how that would have influenced your dreams. I would also recommend toning it down. I completely understand your excitement, but it can (and will) kill your first few lucids in the first few seconds if you're too excited.

In terms of achieving lucidity, everyone is different, but there really isn't such a thing as a universal easy lucid. You'll have to play around with the methods until you find one you like and that works for you. You see people posting their own tutorials left and right. CANWILD, Clairitiy's WILD, Naiya's WILD, VILD, all that. While these are very valuable resources, they aren't as necessary for understanding the fundamentals. Read them when you have a moment, but don't feel like you have to read every one of them to understand what's going on. I personally was always a fan of BillyBob's tuts.

You WILL become lucid using almost any method, but how long that takes will vary. The fundamentals are crucial to build up, and will assist you greatly. It's not unusual for some members to have "beginner's luck," but it is unusual to have consistent, frequent lucids right out of the gate. It will take time, and it will take effort. Don't give up, and you will succeed.

Good luck.

How long did it take you and what method did you use?

Took me about a month to achieve my first lucid. Since then, I've had 7 more using the DILD/MILD method, with a heavier emphasis on the DILD later on. At first, I started out with a dream journal, which does take a bit to build up. I still maintain it to this day. Along with my efforts, I used a memory mantra before bed, and later a lucid dreaming one. As I progressed, I began to focus more on awareness in reality, which rewarded me with a higher frequency. Since then, I've moved to VILD with WBTB, as my schedule has freed up a bit in the early mornings, and I think the VILD is fun even if it fails. ^_^

Everything Mario has said is exactly what you should follow. I might add that DILD seems to be the most common first LD. It was my first, personally. I would also suggest reading up on the dream control section a little bit, and the biggest thing is to stay calm once you become lucid. My first 2 LDs were cut short because of becoming too excited.

The most important thing is to not give up, and maybe take a break if you're getting to stressed. Personally, it took me about 3 weeks before I had my first lucid after learning what they were. Also, the most important thing as far as dream control goes is to believe that what you want to do will happen. If you want to fly, imagine yourself floating through the air, feeling the wind rush past you and the ground far below you. If you want somebody or something to appear say, around a corner, then you have to really believe that when you walk around this corner there will be a weapon or a person there. Here's a short list of what to do:

• Find which method works the best for you
• Don't get too stressed if you don't get one right away (it will happen, just keep at it)
• Keep LDing on your mind as you fall asleep (you generally dream about what is on your mind right as you fall sleep)
• Keep a DJ! It may sound stupid but it is vital to find dream signs and get lucid faster
• Don't be afraid to do reality checks during the day
• Don't get too excited when you become lucid
• Believe that what you want to happen will happen
• Don't Give Up!! Keep at it, you WILL have a LD

The best of luck to ya. I hope you can have your first very soon