I can't seem to LD

Hey! :smile:
I’ve been practicing LDing for about 4 months, I’ve read TONNES of websites about it,watched a MILLION youtube videos on LDing. I keep a Dream Journal and remember usually 2, 3 or 4 dreams per night, occasionally more, and always in lots of detail. I’ve had 4 LD’s so far, but 3 of them, I was only just aware and everything was fuzzy and allthough I just woke up. One LD was pretty good, It was all clear and I was aware, but that was about 3 months ago. I try WBTB almost every night. And when I try WILD I never get any hypnagognic hallucinations so I just fall asleep…
This is becoming really irritating, I really want to LD more consistently. If anyone has any ideas, I’d be super-gratefull :smile: Thankyou! XXX

^ What have you done with respect to forming lucidity-inducing habits during your daily life? I see you’ve been very interested in the subject, you’ve trained very strong dream recall, and you’ve been using WBTB. That’s all a really, really good start and shows that you’re dedicated. But there needs to be a daily routine directly related to inducing the dreams, such as habitual reality checks and/or sporadic awareness.

Tell us what you do during the day for LDs, and tell us if you have any particular goals for lucid dreaming. We might be able to give you more specific help that way.

Thanks, I think my main issue, probably is reality checks, I usually do about two a day (I know, nowhere near enough…) but, I just don’t remember to. :sad: And, as for goals, I just want to LD consistently, and for my LD’s to be clear and for me to have higher level lucidity and be aware for long enough to do cool stuff. Do you know how I can remind myself go reality check more? :smile:

It looks like you answered your own problem in a way. :razz: Yes, you’ll need to make reality checking more habitual than twice per day. You’ll also want a distinct lucid goal: a lucid dream doesn’t have to feel different than a normal dream, so a goal of “get lucidity more” isn’t much for your subconscious to work from.

For reality checking, this should be easy considering how much you immerse yourself in LDing on the Internet. Any time LDing is on your mind, reality check! It will eventually become something you do without needing to be thinking of LDing, and if you’re doing the check seriously expecting to get lucid from it, you’ll be better off for it. Personally, I’ve hit a break in my job and in school, so whenever I’m home I’m idling on LD4all’s chat channel and reality checking almost nonstop. Doing this for a week has made it instinctual – even when I step away to do other things, I’m reality checking every few minutes. Make sure you have several checks, too – if you feel funny pinching your nose around other people, you’ll need a more discreet check like feeling your tongue with your teeth (I have no tongue to bite in dreams), checking text, clocks or a watch (these tend to change in dreams when observed twice), or asking yourself what you were doing and what you will be doing (dreams don’t always have clear direction).

For a goal, think of something that you really need a lucid dream to do. It can be the ever-popular flight, it can be visiting someplace fantastic, it can be transforming yourself into something impossible, it can be meeting certain dream characters… anything that requires a LUCID dream to consciously do. People with more specific goals tend to become lucid faster. Think of something!

Ah, okay, thanks :smile: Also, do you know why I never seem to get any hypagognic hallucinations? I’ve lay still for over an hour before, and still nothing, I’ve tried it at different times during the night , and during the day, but it doesn’t work :sad:

Not everyone hallucinates when performing a WILD. Some people don’t experience any effects of sleep paralysis at all. Remember that everyone is different.

It may also help to note that experiencing sleep paralysis or hallucinations isn’t the point of WILD. They’re not really requirements.

I don’t have a set answer for you, but remember that it’s not the laying still part that causes those hallucinations, if you get them at all. The hallucinations come as you teeter between sleep and dreaming. Doing it during the day is very unlikely to give those hallucinations because you’re not ready for sleep. Doing it before sleep won’t help either, as you don’t fall into REM sleep until about 90 minutes into sleep. You’ll need to do it during WBTB.

Also, consider that if your thoughts are racing, you won’t sleep. I’ve been practicing some single-focus meditation for a week, and in that week saw a huge change in how well I can focus on exactly one thing without thoughts interfering for too long; I inadvertently used this during a WBTB and found myself LDing. WILD lends itself to a mentality like that.

EDIT: Also, what Lucidis said.

Okay! Thanks guys :smile: I shall reality check more, come up with some proper goals, then hopefully LD :smile: