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    Thread: The Sitting Technique

    1. #1
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      The Sitting Technique

      I found this post on Reddit. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't judge its effectiveness, but I'll leave it here for anyone who's interested:


      <Link removed>


      One simple change has given me LDs pretty much at will


      Sleep sitting up.

      Not the whole night, just the latter half. What you need to do is sleep 3-4 hours in your bed, wake up (with an alarm) and go finish your sleep in a recliner or deck chair that has head and neck support.

      I used to only LD once every few months, now I have them whenever I drag myself to the recliner (a few feet from my bed) in the middle of the night.


      It works because your body, being exhausted, will easily fall asleep, but your mind senses (through the vestibular system) that you're in an upright position and so remains aware. The bottom line is that you're asleep, but the higher mental processes that are usually offline at this time such as planning, working memory, attention, problem solving, and self-referential mechanisms are prevented from being shut down. Most of these functions are located in the prefrontal cortex, so I'm guessing that specific part of the brain remains active while sleeping upright and shuts down while asleep in natural positions. Also, you don't go into the deep sleep stages, so you remain in the sweet spot between waking and coma-like sleep.

      A few notes:

      -Every single one of the LDs I've had from this method (which is more than 70 now) begins in a replica of my room (the place where my recliner is). As such, my room functions as the loading dock of my entire LD universe.

      -This method produces LDs that are very high level.

      -Make sure you support your lower back with a pillow. If you're not comfortable, you won't fall asleep.

      -Also helps to have a pillow behind your neck so that you're facing forward like you are in waking life.

      -The recliner/deck chair should be roughly at a 120-130 degree angle.

      -Put the alarm on the other side of the room to make you get out of bed.

      -If you're having a hard time falling asleep after waking up, I've found that sleep deprivation (30 hours+) works just as well with no need for WBTB. What you do in that instance is stay up for about 40 hours then go straight to the recliner/deck chair rather than your bed. This results in sleep paralysis which you can then convert into an LD. For some reason, going to the recliner in the first half of the night doesn't work without sleep deprivation (rem rebound?).

      -If you have trouble falling asleep and don't want to use sleep deprivation, I guess you can only sleep 2-3 hours before WBTB. I'd still strongly recommend you use sleep dep if you can't fall asleep after 3-4 hours sleep, as I haven't experimented with 2-3 hours (because I fall asleep fine on 3-4).

      -Whatever you do, don't turn on the lights. That makes it much harder to fall asleep. If your laptop/computer has to be on, download F.lux to eliminate blue glare.

      -This technique has made lucid dreaming a choice for me. What I mean is that before I struggled and struggled with little to show for it. Now I simply ask myself, do I want to LD tonight? Y/N? If I'm too tired, have an early wake up or a hectic schedule the next day, I just decide that I'll LD the night after. If I'm not zonked out and don't have any commitments the next day, it's a go. I'm now on the choice side of the LD equation. I simply have them when I want to have them rather than just desperately hoping for them.

      -You don't need an elaborate la-z-boy set up. It just has to be comfortable enough for you to sleep in.
      Last edited by Checker666; 06-19-2013 at 12:30 PM. Reason: Removed other LD forum link
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    2. #2
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      Hum, looks like it could work, a shame I don't have any of those chairs to try it.
      Sometimes I surprise myself wondering how would my character sheet be.

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      Sounds like some variation of WBTB, not everyone can fall asleep easily in the chair and such though.
      -If you're having a hard time falling asleep after waking up, I've found that sleep deprivation (30 hours+) works just as well with no need for WBTB. What you do in that instance is stay up for about 40 hours then go straight to the recliner/deck chair rather than your bed. This results in sleep paralysis which you can then convert into an LD. For some reason, going to the recliner in the first half of the night doesn't work without sleep deprivation (rem rebound?).
      I'd say sleep deprivation generally harms lucid dreams more than helps, it's more difficult to get aware when you are tired, also sleep paralysis is not related to lucid dreaming in any way and it's not possible to induce, and only small amount of people experience it regularly due to sleep disorder.
      Also please don't link other lucid dreaming forums, thanks.

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      Why are links to other LD forums not allowed?
      My LDing record, if you want to hear about it, is about 4 WILDs, 1 DEILD, and the rest DILDs.

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      Yup, I'd also encourage people to not get themselves into sleep deprivation. It might give you REM rebound, but it harms the quality of your sleep and makes you less functional the next days(s).

      The technique seems fun (the way of falling asleep), but the chair doesn't seem the most comfortable place to sleep xD I think I'll give it a try when I'm visiting someone in the hospital!

      Visitor-Hospital-Induced Lucid dream, now that's catchy (just joking )
      Quote Originally Posted by nito89 View Post
      Quote Originally Posted by zoth00 View Post
      You have to face lucid dreams as cooking:
      Stick it in the microwave and hope for the best?
      MMR (Mental Map Recall)- A whole new way of Recalling and Journaling your dreams
      Trying out MILD? This is how you become skilled at it.

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      I've generally observed that when it's difficult for me to sleep, I LD. If I stay at someone's house and end up sleeping on the floor (great hospitality, eh? haha) I usually LD. If I can't sleep for any reason I usually LD. I could deliberately seek out conditions that make it difficult for me to sleep, but normal sleep is something I like very much too.
      My LDing record, if you want to hear about it, is about 4 WILDs, 1 DEILD, and the rest DILDs.

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      I'm favouring my recliner for WBTB & WILD It's just the right position for me and so comfortable. I'm hoping for results soon as it seems ideally suited for napping and WILDing
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      We are going through the eye of the needle; make sure you leave what you don't need behind. (Terence Mckenna 1946-2000)

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      I've experienced this many times. I've slept at the foot of trees sitting straight up on occasion and while I was not able to get a full night's sleep like this, I did wake up feeling surprisingly rested after about three or four hours, and the dreams were strange. I wouldn't recommend doing this on a regular basis though, as it sort of defeats the purpose to begin with; WBTB notwithstanding in my opinion. When doing this I am able to wake up quickly if I need to because I am not really in a deep sleep (so it seems), and I am more aware of my surroundings while asleep. Any other reason to do this? Not for me.

      Conversely, when I sleep on my side I get 10+ hours of sleep and very long dreams.

      Interesting subject though, regardless.

    9. #9
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      Had some success with this technique coupled with WBTB and SSILD last night. It was actually my first real lucid dream since I first started trying for them a few weeks ago. (Dreamed I was driving a bus in a video game world, woke up after 10 seconds.)

      Here's a question. During my SSILD I thought I could hear a baby crying in another room. When I focused hard on that sound I felt myself sinking into my couch, which I think was really the sensation of falling asleep. Has anyone else ever heard phantom crying as they did an SSILD or WILD? If this is common, any idea why?

    10. #10
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      Auditory hallucinations and tactile ones, like you experienced, are quite common when WILDing.

    11. #11
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      Lately if I want a lucid dream, I find myself sitting up, and I have little to no problems actually keeping myself in that position. That could just be due to how I trained myself to count to over 1,000 breaths for a few times and just being mindful of my thoughts (to just distract myself and eventually relax myself) as I was drifting from waking to dreaming state quickly and easily.

      Sitting does help with keeping ourselves aware IF we can work around actually being accustomed to relaxing ourselves, because it can be just as detrimental in sitting up if you can't relax. This is why I use self-hypnosis for the past few months combined with meditation to get better results in LD. I foresee myself doing well, I hold on to that success being possible, I start visualizing where I want to be, and I use gradual relaxation methods, and sooner or later, I have more inward concentration that I'm already in an LD (although it's mostly a spectator mode type of LD, but I'm working at it).

      Of course, it's just one of many ways to get lucidity, and may become easier if you can workaround it, but it's just one route and the success is going to vary from people's patience and other factors.

      I guess if one wants to do well with sitting up, they would have to maximize comfort like making sure there's something soft near the back and under their thighs so it doesn't strain their body too much.

    12. #12
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      I have always had the best success with WBTB + WILD when I return to sleep in my living room chair slightly reclined. I have suggested this to people many times because it not only provides the comfort and position needed to avoid the tongue and other soft parts slipping back to cause snoring but it also can help increase awareness which makes the position/location ideal for WILD.

      Give it a try!
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    13. #13
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      To think about it i think what i use during my naps counts as well, except not chair but i am semi-sitting on my couch/bed.

    14. #14
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      Seems like a promising technique! Although going on /r/luciddreaming is dangerous though. So many noobs. Ugh.

      TMN
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      Interesting that I got an advertising for a chair company right below the reply box lol

      EDIT: oh wait, it's not a coincidence, is it...
      Last edited by TruMotion; 06-26-2013 at 01:08 PM.

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