"So the question is - should I maintain this tension to enter WILD and just wait for full physiological relaxation. Or I just have to release my mind and imagine something special. Imagination don't require "mind tension", but concentration does! What is correct?"
Your questions have hit upon the crux of the WILD problem.
Allow me to restructure your questions, so I can be more precise.
What is the ideal amount of "tension", for WILD induction?
There is a problem because I do not know the source of this inner "tension", do you mean concentration or Awareness ? Since I am not certain I will go into both.
First, concerning the concentration issue. Before going any further it would be important to ask, Concentration on what exactly? There are some cases where concentration, in any amount, is extremely detrimental. If while you are attempting to induce a WILD you are focusing on some random emotionally charged or even neutral thought stream, than any quantity is too much. The risk of following a neutral thought, is one is likely to be lured by its unfolding into a stupor. While the concern I have with emotionally charged thoughts is they tend to produce stress-hormones which keep the body agitated and awake. Beyond this, there is another problem with focusing on these two things, it implies that concentration is not being placed on an exit-technique.
And now, to what degree is concentration advisable? Well this is difficult to say precisely, but I would say to about 75% percent of your capability, the reasoning behind this is, a rather high amount of concentration upon the exit-technique is required, but that intensity should not be so much as to be straining. When Buddha was asked, "how much concentration should be placed upon the meditative object", he used the example of the bow, he said basically that like the string on the bow, it should be neither too loose, nor too tight. You will have to find out through trial-and-error what point on the spectrum between tightness and looseness is right for yourself.
Next, what is the proper degree of meta-cognitive awareness, or mindfulness? It depends on your approach. It is my conclusion that there are into fact two ways a WILD may occur. The first of which is the one in which awareness is maintained throughout the entire process, from laying down, to hypnagogia, to full immersion within the dream-matrix. In this case, I do not believe there is any level at which mindfulness becomes too much. However, and this may cause some debate, but I believe that a momentary loss of consciousness does not dis-qualify that experience from being a WILD. Many of my WILDs occurred after having done some method over a long period of time and then suddenly giving up all intentional actions, and completely relaxing. In such cases, there would occur a brief laps in awareness and then I would suddenly 'wake up' in the vibrational state. So, I suppose the answer to 'how much awareness should be maintained and for how long', depends on which avenue you would like to take toward the dream-state.
Here is how I break down the WILD process:
1. Physical relaxation
2. Maintenance of mindfulness (Usually through concentration on an object or method)
3. The exit technique. Specifically, A. Its effectiveness B. How much concentration was put into it C. How long it was done.
Issue 3 expanded.
Obviously the efficiency of the exit technique used is going to greatly influence your success rate. When the force generated by the exit technique reaches a critical mass, the process of externalization will become self-sustaining. Proximity to this critical mass is determined by the efficiency of the method, the duration it is applied, and the amount of focus being put into it. If physical relaxation and awareness are sufficient when this 'critical mass' is reached, successful WILD induction is nearly guaranteed.
Probable reasons for failure:
1. Insufficient physical relaxation.
2. Weak awareness.
3. A. Ineffective technique. B. It was not done with sufficient intensity of effort. C. The method was not done long enough.
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