Lucid Dreaming and OBE Discussion Board

So I'm still having major trouble with intent. I seem to try and think about the practice as much as I can and I either keep myself awake by thinking too hard about it, or I don't think about it at all when I wake up. I've done what the practical guidebook says about saying it aloud and trying to create an intense intent, but I never seem to remember to try when waking up. I attribute this to a mental block, and I read somewhere on here that meditation can help with that. What are some techniques I can use to fix this mental block I believe I'm having?

How often you try make attempts and how long you usually sleep?

Probably you don't even need meditation to overcome this,but here is the method I know:

Start meditating until you reach pretty deep trance, or however it's called, level. Now try to talk with yourself about mental block you are trying to remove. Imagine that person who has that mental block lives in you and you just need to ask him, where is the problem. Try to talk about it andrelease it.

I've read about this method in another forum.

Michael Raduga wrote: How often you try make attempts and how long you usually sleep?

I sleep for about 5-6 hours, then my alarm goes off. I get up, do a few things, sit down and think about the practice for a few minutes, then go back to sleep and try again. This'll last about another 4-5 hours. (I sleep a lot.)

As for how often, it's hard to say. I try every night and I often take naps during the day if I can, but actual attempts are few because I never seem to wake up with the intent.

@LucidDreaming: Thank you, I'll give that a try.

Anthony Pucci wrote: As for how often, it's hard to say. I try every night and I often take naps during the day if I can, but actual attempts are few because I never seem to wake up with the intent.

This is like reading my own notes of the problems I used to have.

You are trying too hard... so hard that you are out of intention.
Doing more than 4 attempts per week is not recommended for beginners like you and me.

My advise is to take a break. Forget about the phase for a week.

After that you will have more intention and conscious awakenings will happen.

One last question:
Each time you wake up, what happens? Can't you remember to perform the techniques? Do you have an awakening with movement and it discourages you even to try the techniques?

JorgeLTE wrote:

Anthony Pucci wrote: As for how often, it's hard to say. I try every night and I often take naps during the day if I can, but actual attempts are few because I never seem to wake up with the intent.

This is like reading my own notes of the problems I used to have.

You are trying too hard... so hard that you are out of intention.
Doing more than 4 attempts per week is not recommended for beginners like you and me.

My advise is to take a break. Forget about the phase for a week.

After that you will have more intention and conscious awakenings will happen.

One last question:
Each time you wake up, what happens? Can't you remember to perform the techniques? Do you have an awakening with movement and it discourages you even to try the techniques?

Much as I really don't like being told to take a break, I get the feeling that I should.

To answer your question though, when I wake up, I don't think of anything in particular. My mind sleepily wanders from subject to subject, maybe a song I heard the day before or a quote from a Youtube video, and the techniques never cross my mind.

You really need to take a break before starting a new attempts session. It's not about losing your potential experiences. It's about getting them. So relax for 3-7 days and then try again.


While using the deferred method sleep a little bit more before interrupting your sleep and be a little bit more active while the period of awareness (don't just sit and think about the phase).

Your intention will be much better with this schedule:

6-7 hours of sleep
5-50 minutes of awareness + intention to get the phase
2-4 hours of sleep with attempts

Michael Raduga wrote: You really need to take a break before starting a new attempts session. It's not about losing your potential experiences. It's about getting them. So relax for 3-7 days and then try again.


While using the deferred method sleep a little bit more before interrupting your sleep and be a little bit more active while the period of awareness (don't just sit and think about the phase).

Your intention will be much better with this schedule:

6-7 hours of sleep
5-50 minutes of awareness + intention to get the phase
2-4 hours of sleep with attempts

So what would you recommend as a good number of attempts for a novice? I know the Practical Guidebook says that up to 5 times in a day is acceptable, but it seems to me like you may have lowered that.

Anyway, I'll give it a try tomorrow night. It will have been a few days since my last attempt then.

Actually, as much as you can in the period of the second part of sleep.

Okay, so last night I did what you had been telling me. I spent maybe 20 minutes awake and being more active after 6 1/2 hours of sleep. I still never thought of the practice, and in fact slept all the way up until now. It also took an extremely long time to return to sleep after being active, upwards of an hour. I did, however, have very vivid dreams in the second part of sleep, so it wasn't a total loss.

I'm still doing something wrong I don't notice, however. What could it be?

Just keep playing with the times and you'll get it.  Try 5 or 6 hrs of sleep followed by less time awake.  I know how u feel.  It sucks when u can't fall back asleep fast after getting up, so play around to get the right formula.

dreamsrock wrote: Just keep playing with the times and you'll get it.  Try 5 or 6 hrs of sleep followed by less time awake.  I know how u feel.  It sucks when u can't fall back asleep fast after getting up, so play around to get the right formula.

+1
Find your right way to make more attempts and do not forget about using daynaps.

dreamsrock wrote: Just keep playing with the times and you'll get it.  Try 5 or 6 hrs of sleep followed by less time awake.  I know how u feel.  It sucks when u can't fall back asleep fast after getting up, so play around to get the right formula.

This is my problem now. I also blame the heat, cause I used to need to stay up at least 30 mins so I would not fall asleep. Now I need like 5 minutes, otherwise I cannot fall asleep back.

That's all well and good, but I'm STILL not waking up with the intent and I have no idea why. I'm not lacking for desire, that's for sure, but there always seems to be something else on my mind.

JorgeLTE wrote: Try to practice your indirect techniques before falling asleep again during the deferred method.
Affirm your intention to catch the awakenings out loud, write it on a paper.

Make a very cool plan of action, including the techniques you will use, and write it on a notebook, and read it again before falling asleep.

Don't give up. Confidence will help you by a lot.

Also remember your intention before falling asleep again after a failed attempt.

At long last, something worked. I was able to remember to do them last night, althought I was still successful, I attribute this to not trying hard enough. Thank you. I hope to be separating like a pro soon enough.

And I seem to have jumped the gun yet again. I don't get it. There must be SOMETHING I'm doing wrong, but I still have no idea what it is. My mind wanders constantly to subjects other than the practice. Do I need to train my mind to think of it or something?

sadly enough i have the same problem

i dont get it.... how can something so cool be so hard to focus on when you wake in the morning???

NeverNever never give up. Just keep doing what you are doing. As Michael says just keep your intention strong.
Write it down, say it out loud, think it and have a plan.
You will catch the moment.