So rather than trying out traditional MILD, what I do instead is tell myself when I go to bed “The next time I’m out of bed, I do a reality check”. The idea is that when you’re in a dream it feels like you’re out of bed, so I reckoned this was a good idea.
The problem is, I never remember the intention again until after I properly wake up for the day. I assumed that prospective memory remained switched on whilst asleep. I have no real problem telling myself to wake up at a certain time in the morning if I don’t have an alarm clock, so I’m not sure why I can’t get this to work.
Would anyone have any ideas on this or why it’s not working? Thanks
In technique terms, that is still MILD, defining a custom “tell yourself word” (mantra) does not make it a variant.
Firstly, let me ask: how long have you been trying it, how good is your dream recall and how many times do you repeat the “tell yourself words”?
Explanation:
It is very unlikely that techniques work right after the very first attempt.
According to my humble experience, If your dream recall is not clear, it is also harder to recall walking life intentions while asleep.
The idea of MILD requires the “tell yourself words” to be repeated so often that they stick to your mind, in a way that makes you recall them quickly even after a long while.
There could be other causes that depends on each person.
Also, I don’t really recommend “tell yourself words” that suggest something in the future. You could just be out of bed and think “ok, next time I do a reality check” and feel like the next time is always in a future that is never “now”.
I really recommend simpler things like “This is a dream” “I am dreaming” “This could be a dream” “I must do a reality check”.
I have been trying MILD in general for quite a while, although I haven’t been very consistent with how much effort I give the technique. Usually I would go to bed and try my best to set an intention to know I’m dreaming later. I don’t do it for very long though, maybe 5 minutes. In terms of recall, I don’t really journal anymore but I do make an effort to remember key events and think about them during the day etc.
