How close do you think I got?

[nzguy]

Okay, I'll just cover some boring background stuff to bring you up to speed with my situation... I first came to dreamviews about a year ago, and I tried everything I could to Lucid Dream - every method you can think of. I was hardcore into it. Dream journaling, the lot. I gave up about a month later with no success simply assuming it wasn't for me. Despite my near-perfect dream recall, I just couldn't LD. It wasn't until yesterday I was searching through some old bookmarks and I found dreamviews. I became interested again, so I decided to give it a go that night. I know I broke the rules terribly, but I decided not to go to sleep and get up 4 hours later like I remembered it said because I had work this morning, but I just wanted to see what would happen. I was pleasantly surprised by the results. I simply got comfortable on my back, closed my eyes, lay dead still, and did some eye excercises. Within a few minutes, I saw the colored lights on the black backdrop I remembered experiencing last year, and I kind of "drew" them closer. That was when everything changed. My hearing seemed to shut down and I began to twitch strangely. I had gotten this far in my last attempts, but this time I wasn't at all afraid, so I pushed on. The next thing I noticed was that my arms went numb and they felt like they simply didn't exist anymore. A few minutes later, I was able to 'move' them, but I knew they physically weren't moving. It was the most extraordinary experience. I lay there for about another half hour, but nothing happened, so I decided to go to sleep and try again tonight. So what I really want to know is how close was I to actually succeeding in my first proper LD and what can I do to make it happen next time? I'm really interested in this whole thing and I'm looking forward to starting up my dream journal again. Thanks in advance

[Luminous]

I'm a little confused by the first part there. You tried a WILD, right? And you tried it right after going to bed, instead of after sleeping for a while? If that's what you did, then I'm afraid you were not close at all. You will only be able to do a WILD when you are in or about to be in a REM cycle, and that will happen only after around 90 hours of sleep. It's still possible to experience HI, heaviness and the like as you are falling asleep right after going to bed, without being about to enter a dream. But, if you had been sleeping for a while, then it sounds like you might have been close. You don't have to do a WBTB to have a lucid dream (WILD), but it does increase your chances.

[nzguy]

I'm a little confused by the first part there. You tried a WILD, right? And you tried it right after going to bed, instead of after sleeping for a while? If that's what you did, then I'm afraid you were not close at all. You will only be able to do a WILD when you are in or about to be in a REM cycle, and that will happen only after around 90 hours of sleep. It's still possible to experience HI, heaviness and the like as you are falling asleep right after going to bed, without being about to enter a dream. But, if you had been sleeping for a while, then it sounds like you might have been close. You don't have to do a WBTB to have a lucid dream (WILD), but it does increase your chances. Sorry, I was kinda tired when I wrote that Yeah, I tried it right after I went to bed. I didn't honestly expect to get lucid, but it was surprised by how different I felt, so I just wanted to know how close I had actually gotten. I can't really WBTB for a few days as I have work really early in the morning, but I'm going to make a full-blown attempt this Friday night. Thanks for your advice.

[Luminous]

Sorry, I was kinda tired when I wrote that Yeah, I tried it right after I went to bed. I didn't honestly expect to get lucid, but it was surprised by how different I felt, so I just wanted to know how close I had actually gotten. I can't really WBTB for a few days as I have work really early in the morning, but I'm going to make a full-blown attempt this Friday night. Thanks for your advice. You're welcome, and let us know how that goes.