Problems inducing sleep paralysis/WILD question

[edenn]

Hey, everyone. I've recently been trying to induce a lucid dream experience through sleep paralysis. There was one time when I kind of drifted off then regained awareness right before I entered a dream, but most of the time, I lay in the bed, usually on my back, for about fifteen minutes before experiencing a light buzzing/numb sensation that kind of comes and goes over the next half hour. At this point, it seems like I hit a wall and nothing else happens, so I usually get frustrated and just go to sleep. This is really weird because I usually fall asleep in under ten minutes. I have a few questions about what I could be doing wrong. Any personal experiences are also greatly appreciated. 1. Why is it recommended to get up and do something for a while before trying to induce sleep paralysis/WILD? I've tried both trying to induce sleep paralysis straight after waking up and staying up for a while with the same results. 2. How long does it take to induce sleep paralysis? I've watched a few Youtube videos that make it seem like it happens in under 15-20 minutes, so when this doesn't happen for me, I feel like it's just not going to happen. How long should it be before I start seeing hypnogogic imagery which is another thing I haven't really been experiencing? 3. Is this the roll over signal? After what feels like about thirty minutes, I get an urge to change position and go to sleep, but I can't tell if this is the actual roll over signal or just me getting frustrated with my progress and giving up. 4. How long does it take to master sleep paralysis? I know it's different for everyone, but in general, how many attempts should I expect to have under my belt before I start seeing results? 5. What should I focus on while letting my body fall asleep? Some people say focus on your breathing or the darkness behind your eyelids, but what works for you personally? It seems like by attempting to induce sleep paralysis, I'm effectively keeping myself awake until I stop trying. Any tips to combat this? Fun fact, I actually induced sleep paralysis when I was like twelve without much knowledge of what I was doing, so it's really great that I'm struggling to do it now .Anyways, thank you for the help, and again, personal experiences are very welcome.

[Hilary]

I'm not an expert on this, although I am very interested in the subject as well. I can say that I have had some success using the WBTB method, and then the 61 point relaxation technique when going back to bed. It speeds up the process of getting your body to fall asleep, and gives your mind something to do, to hopefully keep it more awake. Hopefully someone with more WILD experience will chime in as well. Good luck.

[Sivason]

Hi there Edenn, 1) myth. You just need to wake up enough that you are aware. I get up in the dark and do not move much. I go to the rest room, in the dark and then do my WILD. If you do not wake a little bit you may loose awareness and fall asleep normally. If you wake up very much it may be hard to go back to sleep. Just my take on it but barely wake up, just enough to be honestly aware. 2)Sleep paralysis is another myth. Read this. What you are looking for is just a state where your body is going through the process of starting to be asleep. You do not need hypnogogic images or any sensations. You are trying to fall asleep, but stay aware. sensations or images may happen but are not the goal. 3) I am not sure what tutorial you are going off of as far as the term "roll over sign" but basically if you are more or less asleep and aware you can roll to one side. You can even WILD on your side from the start, being on your back just makes you less likely to completely loose consciousness, but if true sleep will not be easy enough on your back get as far as you can towards sleep while aware, then roll to side. 4) You will not master sleep paralysis. It is not a thing. How long to get good at going to sleep while staying conscious? A very long time. How long to getting good at relaxing enough to see hypnogogic stuff? Not nearly as long. Depends on how good you are at relaxing. Maybe twenty times will be enough, maybe not. Do not mistake this for a fast or easy hobby, but keep in mind you have to sleep daily and have an entire life to get this. It is worth the trouble. 5) This is the true issue! Lesson #1 about WILD: you MUST fall asleep. Failing to fall asleep is the one way to have no chance at it working. better to fall asleep and loose awareness than to not fall asleep. You are 100% correct, your attempts to induce anything is keeping you awake. Thinking about anything is likely to keep you awake. What? I need to stay aware, right? Not in the way you think. You need to have awareness. You are aiming for the least mental simulation possible while still not loosing awareness. thinking is really bad for this. We use what is called an anchor. That is something to barely focus on. Counting is an example that will show what I mean. If you count in your head the normal way you will stay awake, that is caring to keep track and do it correctly and worrying when you loose track. Instead you can count roughly in time with your breath (do not focus on breath). You are only looking for something to BARELY keep your mind from sleep. If you loose track start over, do not think about having lost track. Keep the numbers low. Counting to 10 or even 4 is enough. You want this boring! You should be relaxing not thinking, you NEED to sleep. Don't worry about doing it right. Do not wait or expect anything to happen. Just keep something boring in your head to barely focus on and go to sleep. Try the counting thing or a simple mantra. An example of how I use a mantra is I may let a song be stuck in my head, such as row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Something boring and calming. Then fall asleep. Work on relaxing and see how relaxed you can get your body before you forget to count or sing. you will get better each time. Sooner or later you will experience your body fading away while you are still aware. that is where the good stuff starts. Good luck.

[Lang]

Also, there is a video that might help up? But the point is: Don't bother with sleep paralysis for it is not acquired for Lucid dreaming. Spoiler for SP: I also would recommend that you view some of the other threads here below. Here: https://www.dreamviews.com/induction...cid-dream.html Here: https://www.dreamviews.com/wild/1330...-bad-here.html Here: https://www.dreamviews.com/wild/ You could also probably want to read up on lucid dreaming from authors like Stephen Laberge and other Lucid dreamer experts.