Thread: How come it works once but not again?

I tried a WBTB/WILD, about 5 nights ago. The exact date is irrelevant so let's say it was Monday night. I got up at 4:50 and stayed up for 2 hours, doing homework and meditating. Mostly homework, maths and english essay. Then I went back to bed and did a WILD- lay really still on my side and tried to focus my thoughts and not think of my body. After maybe 10minutes I found myself in a dream, but it was more of a daydream, as when I noticed it it ended, not just on it's own.

Then the following night I did the exact same thing. Went to bed at the same time (11pm) and did the WBTB at the same time. I didn't have as much homework, so I only did a one hour WBTB. I went back to bed, and did the same WILD again. After maybe 7minutes I saw a dream form in front of my closed eyes, and I instantly grabbed the nearest object, a pen. I really felt it. Then I lost the dream after 10 seconds, but a little while later I was in another, touching furniture.

That ended in the same way, and then I fell asleep.

This is where I have an issue. The following night, Wednesday, I went to bed at the same time, WBTB at the same time, no homework but I meditated and kept my focus as best I could. I went back to bed to WILD, but I only fell asleep- I could not focus my thoughts.

Since then until now I have done the same thing each night, with no success and my dream recall has been pitiful. Why is this? Why is it so inconsistent? I try to emulate the 2nd night as best I can, but why does it not work?

stayed up for 2 hours

Woah, for the average person that is way too long, you should probably only stay between 10-30 mins.
What can I say, it happens, just keep at it, read up on some guides to see if there is any flaws in your technique.
Hope that helps

Well at least that is some easier advice than "you need to stay up longer". Tonight I will try staying up for only 30 minutes, but isn't the longer the better?

Originally Posted by Avalanche

Well at least that is some easier advice than "you need to stay up longer". Tonight I will try staying up for only 30 minutes, but isn't the longer the better?

I might be wrong, but over 30 minutes and your body thinks that it will be awake for another 16 hours or so, which can make WILDing harder. But like I said, I'm not completely sure on that one. Sorry :0

I was the one who told you about staying up for that long, and it was Stephen LaBerge's version of it and it helped many people to MILD.
Lucidipedia used the same method of staying up for a longer time (1 hour) and then motivate yourself until you reach the peak and then just fall asleep.
But for WILDs I think it would be better to stay up a shorter time, although you can only find out yourself.

I also had a bullet proof technique "the timer method", I had 5 lucid dreams 5 nights in a row, but then suddenly it just stopped working and it only works when I take a break for a few days and then do it again. So I would suggest you to do other techniques on weekdays and your special ones on weekends.

But you can also just see if it works if you stay up for a shorter time.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Choi

But for WILDs I think it would be better to stay up a shorter time, although you can only find out yourself.

Whew! Yeah I thought that it was abit too long, seeings though WILDs are wake induced, how awake you need to be doesn't help as much as it does for MILDs (if you are more awake, you are more likely to remember the incubation/autosuggestion), if that makes sense

I already have 5 nights recorded, of WBTB/WILD attempts. Night one had a single partially successful WILD, night 2 had two half successful WILDs, (where I realized I was dreaming but could not stay in it), 3rd night had nothing at all, only a single dream, 4th night was the same but with three dreams and the final night (last night) had 4 dreams.

All going to bed at the same time, all waking up at around the same time and all staying up for an hour except for the 1st night when it was 2 hours.

The 6th night will be the same but for only 30 minutes, let's see if that does anything new. Also I was super confident after the 1st night, and even more so after the second, so it's not liked I lacked confidence, but after the 3rd night of nothing, I didn't have as much belief.

I always thought WILD was about waking up, and then going back to sleep and waiting for a dream to form, and then step into it. For that your body had to be asleep, but your mind awake.
Now you tell me both have to fall asleep, but having been previously awake, the mind is more receptive to spotting dreamsigns, etc?

Here is links to a few WILD guides, you can clear up on any misconceptions there! These all follow a similar method but finding the best method for you is vital!
http://www.dreamviews.com/f79/mancon...-guide-119446/
http://www.dreamviews.com/f79/jeff77...hnique-116172/
http://www.dreamviews.com/f79/yoshis...chnique-82529/
Good Luck

Your body doesn't have to be asleep to WILD you just have to set yourself in a dreamy (subconscious) focus and that is easier to retain after an awakening.
You allways do this when you go to sleep, but now you are trying to do it aware and that's the thing you have to learn obviously.
But when you traditional WILD you are slowly looking for that focus, when you deild you wake up in it.

The only problem is to do it in rem, here's where the dreams are vivid, but it's harder to find. If you do it in non-rem you will find that you start to have memory impressions, until you hit rem and here's where you start to experience it (for real). When you traditional WILD it's important to keep track on where in this "process" you are, and still maintain the awareness.

Looks complicated on paper, but when you do it you will understand it.

But you seem to be on the right way =)

Ps. I have never been able to stay completely aware through a traditional WILD, but i have been aware enough to see the dream form, but lose my lucidity, but I still remember the process and what happend. I was laying still for a long time and tried to think in a dreamy way, suddenly I get a lot of memory impressions and I get the sensations and feelings I get when I usually DEILD. Then I am just standing there in the dream, but then I lost my lucidity.
But when you get those memory impressions or your mind "surprises" you, you are on the right track.

I tried again last night, 15 minutes is all I could do, and I just fell back asleep, dreamed of nothing last night. I give up, this technique is going the wrong way, I'm getting really sick of everything kinda working and then getting worse and worse until I give up.

I'm not doing it again tonight, I want to be able to remember my dreams again, not wake up and forget them, then go to sleep after a WBTB and have nothing happen.

Any technique takes time to internalize into the subconscious. Stick with one technique.

I decided to ditch WBTB/WILD and stick with MILD. At least MILD is the best overall, if the slowest, and at least I get my recall back too.

Originally Posted by Avalanche

I decided to ditch WBTB/WILD and stick with MILD. At least MILD is the best overall, if the slowest, and at least I get my recall back too.

I usually try to WILD with the Alarm-Deild technique, but most of my lucid dreams are DILDs and because I use a mantra to recognise that it's a dream it's basically a MILD.
And that is why I don't think the technique you use is important, because they are almost the same thing, the only thing that differs is that you either stay aware through the whole process or you retain awareness somewhere in the dream. So what I would suggest to you is to set an alarm to WBTB or WTS (Wake to Snooze) and when the alarm wakes you up, tell yourself that you are going to WILD and go back to sleep with the thought "I am aware of when I am dreaming" this will either make you enter the dream lucid, or you will dream normally first and then become aware or you will just dream normally through it all. Either way you are still going to be more aware than just sleeping, and this way you don't have to tire yourself out on the WBTB and you won't lose sleep.
This is what I do, but I also use some alarms to make DEILD attempts. But try this out and you will have a lucid dream within days.

I dislike it when people tell me I will have a lucid quickly if I try a certain technique. I respect your opinion and acknowledge that it has worked for you before, you everyone knows not everyone works like everyone else. One thing can work for one and not for another. I'm going my own way and deciding what to do. I appreciate the input but I have decided myself.

I think my shortcoming so far was believing in everyone else's claims and following them, not picking my path and sticking to it.

Originally Posted by Avalanche

I dislike it when people tell me I will have a lucid quickly if I try a certain technique. I respect your opinion and acknowledge that it has worked for you before, you everyone knows not everyone works like everyone else. One thing can work for one and not for another. I'm going my own way and deciding what to do. I appreciate the input but I have decided myself.

I think my shortcoming so far was believing in everyone else's claims and following them, not picking my path and sticking to it.

Finally someone realise that It's the only way you can learn.

I tend to write long posts... My point was just that you don't need to stay up for that long if you feel that it tires you out.

Good luck!

Yeah, I learned that a while after I was doing my WBTB, but still, I'm leaving that, I need to dream again.