Not sure if this goes here, but meh move if needed.
Let’s start with this quote from sensei, very relevant.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sensei 
Yep. My technique is for my mind. You can get ideas from it, but by copying it 100%, you will never be able to do what I do 100%. You can only do your own thing 100%. Ssild is a good way to start with practicing falling asleep, but you should still do something for recall, something for awareness, and keep a good sleep schedule. Ssild is a helper, but without prior experience or work during, it is useless. Try to break something down in a way that makes sense to you and lose what doesn't make a difference to you. Search for the feeling in between asleep and awake, not a technique for it. The tech will guide you to the feeling.
And to add some drama to it, let’s make an extreme example from PVP games.
Let’s say that X gamer is famous on the game for being a freaking beast. He can solo a whole guild of high LVL players with a newly created character. When people ask the gamer about secrets he makes a very detailed guided of how to achieve his results. Think that half the guide is how he practices for the game, the other half is how he modified his controller/keyboard/who cares to perfectly accommodate to his arm/hand/finger length-width and how his machine runs at top speed and the space between his eyes/TV according to sight, etc.
Now, what does this have to do with lucid dreams and techniques?
Pretty easy, would anyone follow the guide of the guy step by step? Let’s say he is very small, think 4 foot tall. His hands are incredibly small and so most people will have a really hard time using the same stuff that guy uses, if not impossible. I would say NO, because of the obvious problems playing with that poses to anyone bigger than the original person or smaller (think kids).
There is also another big NO that most people overlook; the learning phase, what if the guy is the reading kind? Just reading about something gave him results, how many would be able to replicate the same results by reading about a random game they have never played before? Some people learn by watching, some by abstracts (reading/hearing) some by experiencing, mixes and who knows what more so unless someone learns the same way as said gamer AND has the same body-type they won't be able to achieve similar results, not the same but similar only.
Now let’s go back to sensei.
Quote:
My technique is for my mind.
Obvious thing is obvious, right?
Each technique you read is what worked for the dreamer, it isn't guaranteed it will work for you. No matter how much the owner of the thread tells you it is foolproof and will work for you, we are all different and have different minds, no?
Quote:
You can get ideas from it, but by copying it 100%, you will never be able to do what I do 100%. You can only do your own thing 100%.
Not so obvious when we are talking about dreams and the mind; but it becomes obvious (to me, but suck at explaining so yeah) once we think about something like sports/gaming like the weird example above.
So obviously, you can't use a technique and expect results. I know I know "BS, what are we supposed to do then!?" will get to that soon... soon, funny word.
Quote:
Try to break something down in a way that makes sense to you and lose what doesn't make a difference to you.
Totally; now imagine that we analyze the silly example above. X is a reading type, person Y is a watching type, so now to watch the game tutorials and ask for an adjusted game system for Y person. This will yield much better results, maybe even rival or defeat the original since this is special for person Y and not for X, Y has successfully modified the technique of X in order to have their own world of gaming experience.
Likewise for dreams, people should not read the technique tutorials as a jail-path that will take you to the lucid hall of glory but rather as a path towards understanding dreams.
Think of it as lucidity being at the top of a mountain and the tutorial technique something you heard from someone who already reached the top. Now consider that you won't be able to follow the same path since it’s only what was talked about, hearsay; not only that, following at the same rhythm is pretty much impossible! So in order to reach the top, the dreamer will have to analyze the situation, the path they see ahead of themselves and which route from those who have reached the top they want to follow or maybe even mix them together, who knows, maybe the new path you forge is even better than the last?
Don't think that you have to adjust your sleep/dreams to someone else’s, don't try to force someone else’s schedule on yourself. Some people are busy, some are free, some are in vacations and some can't sleep at night; make what you will of techniques and choose what works best for you, for your dreams and for your personality/schedule. Don't get trapped into the "what’s" but the "how’s".
This is only my opinion of course, and I have stressed it to anyone I have ever come into contact with about dreams. If the step-by-step works for you, that’s great! But don't let a fail from that discourage you, instead use that as a stepping stone and learn from that in order to overcome that hurdle and get a step closer to lucidity.
Anyway... this is mostly the nots. Um, let’s just say that in order to properly use a technique there are three basic principles. So this is the “what are we supposed to do then!?” with each technique:
1.- Stick with it for a while, but modify it in order to make it work for yourself.
2.- If it fails do not let this discourage you. Analyze what worked and what didn't, then proceed to make use of the positive parts and discard the useless ones.
3.- How can you learn to run if you don't know how to walk? Learn about your dreams and how they work in your journey through each technique, because there lies the key to lucid dreaming. Basically, use the analysis to learn more about YOUR dreams and not only to discard/nitpick.
And really, giving rules in a text to break rules? WTF just use whatever you find useful in this lol
