I also use short mantras. Something like “100… This is a dream [or sometimes “I’m dreaming”]… 99… This is a dream…”.
When I reach zero, I just start again, but I’ve never got to that point yet
I usually do Mantra’s, but tried a visualisation the other night (earlier that day I saw a jack of hearts on the sidewalk, and did a RC automatically, because it was so weird) So I used the image of the jack of hearts on the sidewalk.
Sorry about that. Unfortunatly the technique did not work, but I don’t have an amazing LD rate, (maybe 1-2/month). I am improving on that I think though.
I had this really long one once… it went a little something like this…
“The next time I fall asleep I will dream of a white dove. When I see a white dove I will realize that I am dreaming.”
I would repeat it over and over and hold a vision of the white dove. I did it for a week… repeating it to myself all the time. I was having a patch of bad dream recall however and I don’t know if I actually dreamed of the dove or not.
I think a more reliable way to do MILD is to remind yourself to do a RC as you fall asleep. You will have to urge to do it, but you remain asleep and when you enter a dream you will eventually remember to do it. I also try to visualize myself doing the RC and getting the usual results that I would if I was dreaming. In my case, everytime I see my hand, the fingers are all wavy when I stare long enough.
For LDs I use:
“Next time I’m dreaming I will realise I’m dreaming”
For recall I use:
“I’m going to dream now, and when I wake up I will remember my dreams”
I usually accompany recall with visualisation, haven’t tried LDs with it yet though. My visualitsation often gives me an FA, helping me to remember my dream in the real awakening.
Usually “next time I’m dreaming I’ll realize that I’m dreaming”. Strangely I say this in english in my head
Another thing I like to remind myself of is that, “Inside this room, all of my dreams become reality”. My favourite quote from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Right now. I am writing a story and I need to piece parts of the story together so I try to LD. When I want to LD, my mantra usually is “I am (Enter name of character here)” and then “I am dreaming”. It hasn’t been that successful… Yet…
I love to write too, and I was trying to think of how I could use lucid dreams to help with that. So I intend to play out “scenes” from the story in my LDs and see how my unconcious thinks the characters would act since it probably knows them better than my concious mind.
I find to use the MILD technique I have to be very tired. Almost like im fighting to stay awake. This way I instantly fall asleep once i let myself.
Doing this is how i got my first LD.
and i usually just have the intention of having a lucid dream.