What really works and doesn't work on LD's?

Quest for Lucidity
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There are so many theories and confusing information out there that I wonder what facts we really have to help us towards lucid dreaming. While it is true that some things work for some and not others, there is too much confusion as to what really works and what does not.

For example-here are some of the claims out there. Use melatonin, mint tea, Vitamin B6, B complex, Calea, Salvia, Brain wave generators, Nova dreamers, mugworth, skullcap, music, sublimal messages, Ganja, alcohol, hypnosis, and the list goes on and on.

But how much of this is bunk and how much is fact? What can we really depend on to assist us? How do we sift the salt from the sand? Some of the claims I believe are genuine but many are bogus and some are plainly ridiculous with no foundation or basis to back them up at all.

Can we establish this thread to list ONLY those methods , techniques, or whatever that REALLY really do work to help through the maze of confusion. Please don’t list anything on this thread based on your personal guesswork or if you are simply looking for attention. The facts please and only the facts. Thanks. :smile:

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Agent, I think the key here is that there is only a shortcut if you understand a shortcut. A hammer wont help you build a house if you don’t know what to use it for.

You use brainwave generators to help you meditate, to help you sleep, to help keep your concious awake while your body falls to sleep, to wake up parts of your mind after you are sleeping.

You use hypnosis to give your subconcious suggestions. Hopefully then your subcouncious will realize you are dreaming and wake up your councious for you. I’ve often subconciously realized I was dreaming (ever since I started using the hypnosis files), but have never gained lucid control.

You can use calea to increase the length of your rem and make your mind mroe awake during those rem cycles, which will give you a better opportunity to become lucid.

You can use mint tea to increase dream recall and be able to better recognize what your dreams are like and while still dreaming realize that the sequence of events are imposible because you are able to remeber the sequence of events.

B vitamins stimulate your brain, but I’m not sure how much they help with LDs.

Melatonin will help you sleep during your late REM cycles, the ones you will usually become lucid in.

I don’t have experience with nova dreamres, mugwort, or skullcap.

Alcohol is too hit and miss to be used as a tool.

Ganja kills your dreams so is an anti-dream tool.

Salvia… I have no idea how it effects dreams but I intend to experiement some time.

None of these will lead to lucid dreams. However they will help you get there. Experiment with altered states of counciousness with the brain wave generator. Remeber your dreams with the mint. Increase your REM cycles with the calea. Take morning naps with the melatonin. Realize you are dreaming on your own.

Hope that helps :smile:

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There is only one sure fire path to lucid dreaming. Practice and patients. If you diligently practice with any of the techniques be it WILD, MILD, or DILD you will eventually see some results. There are no short cuts to LD ing and I assure the work is well worth it. Some people use tools to help themselves along the path and that is ok.

Meditation and self -hypnosis- Tibetan monks have used meditation to induce lucid dreaming for hundreds of years. Need I say more. Many WILD methods are a form of meditation. I have used booth with very positive results.

Nova Dreamer- This device does seem to have some basis in fact. I refer you to EWLD by Stephen Labarge he details his experiments with this device and its outcomes. However even the lucidity institute openly says you can have LD ‘s with out it. Reports from people who use this device are mixed some people say it works great while others say the device did not work or was uncomfortable to use. The thing to keep in mind is that you have to train yourself to recognize the Dream Cues the device gives you. It will not make you have lucid dreams but, for some it could be a good tool. Albeit an expensive one at $400.00 by the time you factor in shipping and handling. You can hook up a timer to a strobe light and get the same results. However, the nova dreamer does have some added goodies such as being very programable, it keeps track of how often you are cued etc.

Herbal supplements like melatonin: In theory are supposed to help you get more REM sleep so you get longer and more vivid dreams but, will not give you lucid dreams in and of them selves. People say they are helpful but I have not used them so I can not say one way or the other. I am not a doctor or pharmacist so I can not say if they are safe or not. Also remember that medication works differently for different people. Many people also say they have better dream recall with some of these.

Alcohol- Suppresses REM sleep and thus dreaming. Not a good thing when trying to LD. I believe that people who claim it helps rely on the REM rebound effect of alcohol. Are the potential health risks worth it to you. You decide for you self. I decide NO but I do not judge people who say YES. I just don’t believe it helps. Like I said alcohol=rem suppression.

Anyway, I can’t address every method, aide, or myth in one post but, if you want my opinion the best way is still the old way. Practice and patients like I said in the beginning.

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  1. You mean patience, not patients in a hospital. Sorry for being picky, but it just made me laugh when I read it.

  2. $400? Count yourself lucky for being in America. In the UK it costs $800.

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Yes that would be a type -o. :spinning: Was very late when I rote that.

Wow $800.00 that is insane. Even for lucid dreaming. There are nova dreamers on e-bay you might be able to get one there.