# Lucid Dreaming > Attaining Lucidity > Induction Techniques >  >  Hey, Stop thinking!

## ParanoidLlama

I only found about this idea a few days ago. I've been trying meditation, which we all know helps with lucid dreaming, but even when distracted I'm easily able to just clear my mind for a few moments and not think of anything. I can't keep this up for very long, but that can come with practice. When this happens, I pretty much have no choice but to be aware; the only thing to focus on is what I'm seeing, what I'm hearing. It goes on until I get distracted from something else, whether that be someone calling my attention or I think about something. 

I think this could help when trying to practice ADA, or the new technique about ANA. I know other people might have trouble not thinking of anything, but I feel this is might help a few people by acting as an easy way to be aware, increasing your chances to have an LD.

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## dolphin

It works well for me! When I found out about this a few years ago, I started averaging one lucid a night and haven't really stopped since. I've tried to put it down in words before, coincidentally in the form of the ANA you mention, but haven't described it as stop thinking yet.

I've tried stopping thinking by watching and listening. This works, but you still have to deal with a wandering mind, which can be pesky! Another way I've found to stop thinking that focuses on the wandering mind is to simply suppressing whatever you're thinking and wait for the next thought to pop up so you can suppress it. It's just like playing Whack-A-Mole, only with thoughts.

This technique works best when it creates false awakenings consistently. When that happens having lucid dreams is as easy as setting an intention to do an RC upon waking up before waiting for FAs to fish. Even without the false awakenings, though, it still helps the dreams stand out by creating a greater contrast in the level of thought between falling asleep and dreaming.

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## ParanoidLlama

That Whack-A-Mole comparison is pretty much what I do XD. Though I'm able to spontaneously stop myself from thinking, they end up coming back, so I have to suppress them.

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## Intet

The "Whack-A-Mole" that you describe is what makes meditation helpful for lucid dreaming in the first place. Meditation gives you practice realizing that you have become distracted and refocusing your mind. This is essentially what happens when you realize you're dreaming--you notice that the dream plot has distracted you, and you become aware of the fact that you're dreaming. Since you will probably snap back into self-awareness many times over the course of a meditation session, you're repeatedly rehearsing the moment of becoming lucid.

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## Patience108

> Since you will probably snap back into self-awareness many times over the course of a meditation session, you're repeatedly rehearsing the moment of becoming lucid.



Yes this makes a lot of sense to me - the point is that we are more likely to recognise the moments of awareness if we have them a lot  :smiley:  So if that's our day work then it can very easily become our night work aswell and lead to lots of Lucids.

Adding on to this I suppose it would be good to have a slight wandering ' if this is a dream ?'  Aswell? Just to bring in the topic of Lucid Dreaming in the back ground or todo a RC as Dolphin mentions or setting intention to do so ...?

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## Sageous

Speaking of self-awareness (aka, lucidity) there might also be another problem with not thinking, even for a few moments:

Since self-awareness is driven by thought, albeit carefully focused thought and not random thought, there is an excellent chance that you will abandon your self-awareness when you clear your mind and think about nothing.

Yes, emptying your head for a moment will likely help ADA, just as Llama says, because simple awareness probably is increased -- something, after all, needs to fill your head, right?  But simple awareness -- the natural sense of your surroundings, essentially -- is not self-awareness, and might not even be helpful for consistent LD'ing.  Simple awareness is a fine thing, but it might be the best idea to make it a priority when building your LD'ing skills.

It might be better, Llama, to clear your mind of _random_ thoughts, and fill the space you've cleared with some clear focus on self-awareness.

Just a thought -- hopefully not a random one!   

P.S.: 



> I know other people might have trouble not thinking of anything



Never underestimate people's ability to not think!  :wink2:

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## Forg

Sageous, when you say: "fill the space you've cleared with some clear focus on self-awareness", how should one 'do' this? Is it actively thinking about where you are, and how you influence your surroundings? Or is it more like feeling or just knowing that you are having an influence on your environment, and that you exist in this reality?

I have been searching for the right state of mind for lucid dreaming, lately. I guess everybody still is  :smiley:  .

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## Sageous

> Sageous, when you say: "fill the space you've cleared with some clear focus on self-awareness", how should one 'do' this? Is it actively thinking about where you are, and how you influence your surroundings? Or is it more like feeling or just knowing that you are having an influence on your environment, and that you exist in this reality?



Well, I'm sure there are many methods, but your question actually leads to a method I suggested in my DVA WILD class.  This is from the first session of the class:





> "How do you develop self-awareness? There are many ways, and we’ll likely talk about others during upcoming conversations, but the exercise I’ll offer today is simple introduction to the practice, sort of a Reverse Reality Check (RRC):
> 
> Here’s what to do: At random intervals during the day – at least once an hour but no more than three times in that hour – stop what you’re doing and wonder. Just hold still for a second and remember where you were five minutes ago, imagine where you’ll be in five minutes, and know that everything you’re doing right now has an effect on everything and everyone around you, and everything and everyone around you has an effect on you – even if you don’t realize it."



There is more on that page to flesh out the thought, and I also suggest that you read through the WILD Q&A thread, because there is a lot of discussion throughout about the RRC.

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## ParanoidLlama

> Speaking of self-awareness (aka, lucidity) there might also be another problem with not thinking, even for a few moments:
> 
> Since self-awareness is driven by thought, albeit carefully focused thought and not random thought, there is an excellent chance that you will abandon your self-awareness when you clear your mind and think about nothing.
> 
> Yes, emptying your head for a moment will likely help ADA, just as Llama says, because simple awareness probably is increased -- something, after all, needs to fill your head, right?  But simple awareness -- the natural sense of your surroundings, essentially -- is not self-awareness, and might not even be helpful for consistent LD'ing.  Simple awareness is a fine thing, but it might be the best idea to make it a priority when building your LD'ing skills.
> 
> It might be better, Llama, to clear your mind of _random_ thoughts, and fill the space you've cleared with some clear focus on self-awareness.
> 
> Just a thought -- hopefully not a random one!



Self awareness never crossed my mind when thinking about lucid dreaming.

The explanation you provided in the link really helps me understand why self awareness is better. Since it allows you to reflect on how you affect the world and vice versa, you will easily be accustomed to noticing the strange occurrences in the dreams. If you're flying in a non lucid dream, you will become self aware of that and gain lucidity. If there's a giant spider down the street, you will become aware that it directly affects you by grabbing your attention, so on and so forth.

I see now that ADA is more useful in making your dreams more vivid (alongside the dream journal) rather than getting you lucid. Your alternative makes a lot of sense.

Thank you for sharing!





> P.S.: 
> Never underestimate people's ability to not think!



Heh, I guess I had to reconsider my thoughts. Seems easier than I originally thought  :tongue2: .

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## Raswalt

ya know just as i saw your title and read into your thread a bit my awareness spiked up. its like ive stopped only thinking with my brain and instead thoughts have become more based on my surroundings. its not exactly just not thinking, but more focusing your attention to points of interest and doing a quick check-in with your brain. i.e. the itch on my foot, let it linger, feel my feet, my toes pressed against the bar on the table in front of me, the core heat flaring up in my torso, "oh it must be all the tea im drinking," heat on my lap- the laptop, there are 5 major light sources in front of me and i know there is at least 2 behind me- and so on. its not like im thinking less, but im choosing to focus more on my body and the many layers of detail in and around me.. this is more beneficial than thinking about things that have already or have not yet happened yet. hope this is on topic. of coarse you all already know this lol.

...this is a stupid post, i was in fact tea drunk.

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