How do I WBTB?

Okay so I've read through heaps of WILD tutorials and several things perplex me because I'm fairly new to the world of Lucid Dreaming. When the tutorials say that using an alarm clock is unadvised, how do we wake up at the right time? I am aware that you wake up briefly between dreams in the REM cycle, but rarely I even open my eyes or acknowledge that I am awake when I'm between dreams. Occasionally I'll open my eyes for about 30 seconds, but I doubt I would be able to remember it's time to do a WILD. Can someone please explain this to me and also explain how they taught themselves to remember to WILD/WBTB?

The one thing you take take from all those guides is that they are guides, not rules.

I have used the WBTB method many times. I wake up, get my kids to school and then I go back to bed for a WILD attempt.

For me, as a parent, awareness comes naturally so it's easy for me to remain aware as I return to sleep. Additionally, when I return to sleep I tend to use the living room chair instead of my bed. This helps with my awareness and issues with snoring or position.


The idea of WBTB is that you wake up from sleep, preferably naturally, stay awake long enough to achieve full-awareness and then go back to sleep. The awareness should stay with you as you drift through the first sleep stages. This can be achieved with mantras, visualizations or even counting. With luck this will help you enter a dream with full awareness. If so, you get your WILD.

Try to worry less about the method and more about the end-goal of a lucid dream. As long as it works for you you're doing it right. :)

Thanks, that helps quite a bit. My only problem is that soon my holiday will be over and once I wake up in the morning I wont be back from school until about 4:15PM. Do you think maybe I should spend about a week setting an alarm to a time when I should do WBTB until being conscious again at that time registers in my sleep pattern?

You could try it but I only recommend it if you can spare the time and lose the sleep. The real point here is to get a LD.

You can also try different methods besides WILD. MILD seems to work well for a lot of people.

Go with what works for you and your schedule.

You could try DEILD. its the same as WILD but easier, really. Just a bit of mental prep involved

Instead of alarm, try to drink water before you go to sleep. It will wake you up to go to bathroom. If it wakes you up too early, drink again and hopefully next time if will be after at least 4.5 hrs of sleep.

And just thinking about waking up between REMs and having intent to wake up may help you to wake up.

Thanks Gab and ThAtaInTme! The water trick sounds quite clever. I might try a combination, drink water, wake up, DEILD. I unsuccessfully attempted a WILD last night. I managed to get wake up in time, before my alarm even went off. I did the relaxing technique where you build up tension and then relax several times, but then when I tried to lie still, I couldn't stay still enough for SP so I just gave up and went to sleep :P. I've been having a bit of an issue lately, in that for the past few nights I can not remember a second of my dreams. Should I try going to sleep blindfolded so I don't get distracted when I wake up?

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Originally Posted by Squilli0

I tried to lie still, I couldn't stay still enough for SP so I just gave up and went to sleep

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I think that was the problem. You most likely are not gonna experience SP, so waiting for it will just mess up you attempt to WILD. Here is a great WILD guide.

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Originally Posted by Squilli0

for the past few nights I can not remember a second of my dreams. Should I try going to sleep blindfolded so I don't get distracted when I wake up?

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If you normally do remember your dreams, than this is just a normal fluctuation. I'm sure in a day or two, your recall will be back. BTW, writing your dreams in a dream journal will greatly enhace your recall.

And blindfold may help, also you can tell yourself not to move when you wake up. And if you drink water before bed, that's a great method for remembering your dreams also. When you wake up during night, write down some keywords from your dream. Happy dreams:alien:

Thanks Gab. I do dream journal, I just haven't been journalling long enough to recognise my dream signs. last night something weird happened during the attempted WILD. I remember at some stage I was extremely relaxed and I wasn't thinking about anything and it felt as if I was melting into my bed, like my weight was spreading out or as if a weight was on me. It's odd because I didnt have HH or anything I just felt really meditatish (Not a word :P) except I've never meditated or tried stuff like that.

Tonight I'll set an alarm just in case but if I wake up naturally before then to go to the toilet I'll turn it off and try WILD. I wear a blindfold so A): I don't get visually distracted and I can relax better and B): because I've had a massive creepy-pasta phase lately and I don't want to see and hear the rake at the foot of my bed *shudder*

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Originally Posted by Squilli0

B): because I've has a massive creepy-pasta lately and I don't want to see and hear the rake at the foot of my bed *shudder*

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creepy-pasta?

You'll fit in very well here.

Keep up the good work! :)

I had a stage when I was obsessed with slenderman and marblehornets (It was back in 2010 before everyone knew what slenderman is so I still qualify as a hipster :P ) and I remember I had a creepy dream where he invaded my house and took over. I remember he was a very enigmatic character in my dream, a belief probably constituted by his fancy business apparel, and it was more fun then creepy, because he didn't seem like a faceless stalker, he seemed like an interesting if not slightly insane old grandpa. I think seeing the myth in that light is largely what got me out of that phase.