Which technique would you suggest?

Quest for Lucidity
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Been trying to lucid dream again. This time around, i’ve been pretty good with my dream journal. I also tend to wake up in middle of the night, and i often have a nap in the morning. So, i figured these are great times to try go WILD.

If i tell myself when i go to sleep to wake up at 3 or 4, it generally works. I don’t really want to get out of bed, but i am conscious enough to try something before i fall back asleep, which usually takes just a few minutes, if even that long. The major problem i have is that i’m not sure which method is best, and i fall asleep without doing anything. I really need to decide the night before which technique to try.

When i nap, it take a good few minutes to fall back asleep (at times, perhaps even 15 minutes) but i can get a good hour in then. I nearly always have dreams then and remember them. Recently, i went lucid for a few minutes and was able to talk to a few people, but i kept walking, and eventually was alone, so i tried to fly, failed (as usual) and woke up. Regardless, it felt great that to have finally gone lucid and wanted to try again.

A few times when falling asleep then and trying to remain aware, i feel as if my legs are being lifted (more like the bed sheet is being used to lift my legs) and perhaps my hands as well, as if i’m being thrown off the bed. The first time caused me to wake up. When i realized what had happened, i welcome it now, and it happened at least twice more, with slight variation. The probem is, as soon as it happens, i recognize that i am falling asleep, and realize that now is the time to imagine going somewhere, to enter the dream there. However, before i can do that, i wake up. I don’t think i’m too excited them; perhaps i’m too aware?

In any case, i’m making progress, but i bet i’m doing something wrong.

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Have you tried MILD with a WBTB when you wake in the middle of the night?
It’s my favorite combination because it disrupts my sleep the least and I find it easier than any WILD method. But that’s not why I’m suggesting it to you, necessarily.

You’ve demonstrated your ability to use autosuggestions to wake up around 3-4. You can also use autosuggestions to manifest lucid dreams, which can be part of a MILD practice.
Have you identified any dream signs?
If you have you can tie it in to an autosuggestion, “when I experience (dream sign), I will realize I’m dreaming.”
This thread discusses MILD mantras and autosuggestions. Give it a try!

And waking up in the middle of the night is a great time to do a WBTB. I have trouble getting back to sleep, so I don’t stay up very long at all. Usually a trip to the bathroom, sip of water, then some focus on my MILD intent to realize I’m dreaming. Then I let myself fall back asleep.

I recommend you pick one main technique and focus on it for a couple of weeks at a time, adding a WBTB when it’s convenient. This will give you time to absorb any mantras and reinforce your mindset and intent. It will also prevent some middle of the night indecision and give you several nights to attempt and practice your chosen method. After a few weeks you can assess how it’s going and try a different method for a while if it’s not working for you.

If lucidity is the target, several focused single shots are better than a scattershot in the form of -ILD roulette.
Yet…

At the same time, there are no rules when it comes to your dreams (except for the ones you set, I suppose). There is no standard timeline for lucidity. It’s a personal journey and ultimately, if you stick with it, you will discover what works for you in time.
Be kind to yourself. You’re doing great by keeping your journal.
If not achieving lucidly has you feeling down, reexamine what success can look like in your relationship with your dreams. You don’t have to be lucid to foster that; just giving your dreams attention and journaling can be very rewarding and intimate. And doing those things is always a step towards lucidity because it helps you get to know your dreams. The more familiar you are with them, the more likely you are to recognize them when you’re in them.

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Thank you. I hope to respond more fully to this next week.

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Nope. I was trying to remind conscious of the fall back into the dream world.

Nope. I should really sit down and read my journal looking for signs. But, when i think about it (without reading it), i feel as if the only commonality is i end up in commercial establishments a lot, like shops or restaurants, especially.

I don’t find that questionnaire particularly helpful. I’ll even answer them here:

  1. Both statements are true. I’d rather keep my emotions under control, but i have no issue expressing them upon request or where i think it helpful.
  2. Probably B. But it really depends on the person.
  3. B.
  4. Depends on what. I tend to find it a mixture of both, and have often asked for exactly that.
  5. B, by default. I’ll step up to A if nobody else asks.
  6. B
  7. A
  8. Situational. Probably more A though, unless the other person doesn’t need it.
  9. Situational. There’s no clear answer.
  10. Probably equal. Though, more likely A.

Fair enough. Any suggestions for which one to try first?

Fwiw, on Sunday i had partial lucidity: “Got out of bed with wife with partial lucidity (was trying that and checked hand, it was blurry). Blanket was coming with me and was hard to let go, wife was asking about it. Went to bathroom, reminding myself to remain calm and not wake up.”

The funny part was, i really did know i was lucid. But, i was more focused on not waking up that i ended up losing it. I amuse myself. :slight_smile:

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Right, a WILD type technique. I think WILDs have like this popularity and they’re advertised as like, the way to lucid dream. Perhaps because the idea of going straight to a dream without a lapse in consciousness seems really cool. And it is, don’t get me wrong, but in my experience…it’s the most difficult and frustrating and sleep depriving technique. I wonder if we would have a larger community if aspiring lucid dreamers didn’t start (and end) there.

I am more a fan of DILD type techniques. Particularly MILD.
DILD techniques require you to adopt a lucid dreaming mindset and be open to the idea that you could be dreaming at any time. They require you to become the expert on your own dreams. They require good dream recall and reviewing your journal for patterns.
Maybe WILDs offer the illusion you can skip these steps of developing your mindset and get straight to the lucidity, but WILDs require a certain execution at a specific time in the sleep cycle. All things considered, I prefer DILDs and recommend them because they’re less disruptive to your sleep and you can do more during the day in waking life to accomplish a DILD than you can a WILD.

Regarding the MILD mantra thread, this post might offer a little more help.

MILD!
As I pointed out, you have already demonstrated your ability to use intent to wake up at a certain time each night. MILD is based around prospective memory (remembering to do something in the future) and convincing yourself that you can wake up a certain time each night isn’t so different than convincing yourself you can remember to realize you’re dreaming.

Congratulations on the little lucid. It’s a sign you’re making good progress and moving in the right direction.

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Definitely MILD. I can fully second Splash‘s statement about the WILD-DILD-duality. From my perception a lot more people start their LD journey with a WILD technique. But if you only look at those who succeed, the DILDers outnumber them a great deal. I have no numbers to back this claim up, only several years of experience, mostly from within this community.

MILD is a very good technique that is very well established with lots of resources. It’s a DILD spectrum technique.

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It does. But, that’s not what got me. It’s just that i’ve seen it spoken about and i always seem to doubt me doing DILD. Not like a real strong doubt. More like a that sounds hard. So, when i saw the other technique, i was more like, oh, that sounds easy. (I probably didn’t think about “easy” and “hard” though. It just made sense to me, even if that was the real underlying reason.)

As such, i have no issue trying DILD if that’s what makes sense. I’ll need to read a bit more and become comfortable with it with this new resolve.

Thank you both for the encouragement. I’m going to have to read about all this again.