WILDs- by Thomas Edison?

**Imaginer1** · 06-25-2010 03:16 AM

Someone once told me that Thomas Edison lucid dreamed to get ideas. I don't know if it's a credited fact, but apparently Thomas would put a coin on his head, and as he nodded off the coin would fall, restoring some of his concious thought so he could WILD.

I'm not saying that I completely believe this as a credited fact, but would something like that work?

**imj** · 06-25-2010 03:23 AM

No it won't...you'd just sleep through it or if the coin drops maybe wakes you up. If such an idea worked my 'nodding off' light would have worked. What I know is that he took a nap (no mention that he got the idea from the dream as far as I know) and woke up refreshed with the idea of using carbon coated thread as the filament of the incandescent bulb...no dreaming just hard work of not giving up...

.

IMJ

**Bizarre Jester** · 06-28-2010 05:05 AM

I don't think that the coin method would work. I guess it's not hard to believe that the guy was into lucid dreaming. It was probably considered witchcraft back in those days though, lol.

**BagO** · 07-04-2010 03:01 AM

Ive read something like this in the book Adventures Beyond The Body by William Buhlman. In the chapter where he talks about hypnagogic imagery he says "Thomas Edison was well known for his daily catnaps. He developed a technique for maintaining his hypnagocic state while working on his many inventions. Sitting in a favorite chair, he would use a form of meditation and relazation to enter the hypnagogic state. To control this delicate state between sleep and wakefulness, Edison would hold some ball bearings in his closed hand, palm down, as his hand tested on the arm of the chair. Directly beneath his hand he placed a metal bow. If he drifted off to sleep, his hand would open and the ball bearings would fall into the metal bowl and awaken him. It's reported that he would repeat this technique over until he received the inspiration or information he sought.".