Can't seem to get a WILD

**Blackhole** · 01-29-2015 08:15 PM

I tried WILD now a plenty of times and I don't get any HI or whatever you call it. I just lie down relax a bit and I just do like I always do when I fall asleep but staying conscious. I even tried counting my breath's but then I just wouldn't go to sleep I did it like this: 1... I'm dreaming 2... I'm dreaming. So it just doesn't seem to work. I do these WILD's when I nap so maybe I need to do it with WBTB?

**Arnov** · 01-29-2015 10:02 PM

WILDs should be done with the WBTB method.

If you attempt a WILD at the beginning of the night you will not be successful. That's because at the beginning of our sleep cycle our bodies want to go into stage 3 (Deep sleep). Dreaming does not occur during deep sleep, it occurs during our REM stage of sleep.

As the night progresses our deep sleep periods become shorter and our REM periods become longer.

That's why it is best to attempt a WILD after 4-5 hours when our REM period is more prevalent.

The 2 main issues with WILDs are being so tired that we fall asleep before consciously entering a dream, or being so alert that we can't go back to sleep.

Your issue seems to be that you fall asleep too easily. When you wake up after 4-5 hours, make sure to stay up for 30-60 minutes to increase your mental clarity. Don't become too alert, just awake enough so you're not mentally foggy.

Whenever you attempt to learn any skill it's always good to approach it analytically. That's why you should also save a section in your dream journal where you analyze your WILD attempts. Ask yourself: "did I fall asleep too easily?", "was it hard to fall back to sleep?", "did I wake up close to a REM period", "how can I improve next time?"

By asking these questions you will start to notice trends and patterns that will help you become more successful.

And don't get frustrated with WILDs, they can be very tricky to learn. It took a while to learn how to do them successfully. One thing that really helped me out with WILDs was meditation. As you drift back into a dream, your mind can sometimes be interrupted by pointless thoughts that distract you from your WILD attempts. Meditation is a powerful way to quiet your mind and stay focused.

I hope that helps, good luck with your WILDs!

**Sageous** · 01-29-2015 10:26 PM

Also, Blackhole, if you haven't already, you might want to have a look at DV's WILD tutorial or, if you're feeling ambitious, my own DVA WILD class. There is much more to WILD than simply lying down and waiting; you might just be missing a step or two...