Thread: Is it possible to...

Well, I was wondering for a long time, is it possible to get hypnotic imagery when I first go to bed? And from this can I get Sleep paralysis and enter a dream?

yes, it is possible. However it is *very* difficult to enter WILD through it.

To see the imagery, search for the "visualization" channel in your mind. Pretty much scan your thoughts until you will be able to see random images in your mind's eye. That's not the HI, but observing that imagery helps you to reduce your awareness of your body and thoughts. After some time, if you stay focused you will be able to see genuine HI mix with those random images. Enjoy

As of now I dont see any benefit in achieving this state first time you hit the bed...

Ive wondered for a long time. Ive always thought of HI to be the fleeting pattern of "light" one sees when i close my eyes. Is this also HI, like a phase of HI before pictures arrive, or is the light patterns called something else?

no, HI is more "material" . If you are familiar with closed eye visuals (CEV) , you might know what I'm talking about.

Pretty much like you are laying down, drowsy and suddenly something appears to you. It might be a pretty banal image like a wall or a room. It might be something as exotic as a firework For a few moments you are able to perceive the image and even shift your eyes and look at different parts of the image. However, too much attention makes the image disappear. Important thing is that the image is almost always *completely independent* of your thoughts.

Have you ever done this and why do you say "As of now I dont see any benefit in achieving this state first time you hit the bed" Wouldnt it be easier just to get into the lucid dream and have fun for the whole night?

Wait wait wait....i think i'v done this....

This is what I've been trying to do.....but whenever I try to WILD at all, I just start to feel numb....

Warning! Long read ahead

Have you ever done this and why do you say \"As of now I dont see any benefit in achieving this state first time you hit the bed\" Wouldnt it be easier just to get into the lucid dream and have fun for the whole night?[/b]

Yes, I've done that many times. The problem is that when you first hit the bed, your body is not relaxed enough, thus there's a temptation to toss and turn and be disturbed by sounds. After you move, it is possible to induce HI again, but it takes a lot of time....
After focusing on the imagery for some time, I find myself in a very drowsy half dream half awake state , it's very difficult to remain awake, aware and continue (laziness tries to take over). There's no definite WILD onset for me. :/

Sometimes I use this method to explore "near dream states" and as an awareness training excercise . It's not as much fun as lucid dreaming, but it's possible to see images, hear whispers or music... If you manage to go even deeper (I did it with help of awareness enchancing drugs) , you might reach the very borderline between dreaming and waking state. I think that's the very beginning of a dream, that is almost always being forgotten.
Pretty much in a split second you find yourself in a different setting. Completely different. For example I'm laying in bed and next second I'm chilling with my friends. Normally that's how a dream starts, but I was able to realize that I was in bed a second ago.
a moment later I'm in yet another setting and once again I have to recall where I really am.
This jumping might continue for some time, for me it usually ends in me laying in bed (I'm not sure if that's a dream bed or a real one) ...
Dont get exited, as this is not a real dream yet! any movement will break the image and you'll find yourself in bed. It will take some time for the image to settle and become a dream.

Now I have a theory about all this stuff. The experience above is very close to the normal WILD. Now the problem is that it takes about 20-30 min of concentrating very hard and ignoring the outside world to even achieve the immersion into dream imagery. There's just too much effort involved and too much room for the failure.
Now during the normal WILD (or dream reentry < my method) you go through ALL abovementioned phases in about 10-60 seconds! It takes almost no effort maintaining concentration and there's little room for error!.