Thread: Catching the Transition

The transition from waking to REM sleep is usually pretty easy to catch for me. I do have to make an effort to stay concious, but pretty soon the sleep paralysis starts kicking in, and I start tumbling, falling, floating and more of those classic SP symptoms. I've had SP regularly before I got into lucid dreaming, so maybe I'm more sensitive to it, but I can't really ignore it, it's pretty intense most of the time. I usually stay concious by repeating a mantra, like "I will recognize I'm dreaming." I do this for MILD, but I often end up in SP.

I don't have too much experience with WILD, but focusing on hypnagogic imagery has gotten me some semi-lucid/lucid dreams. It's difficult though, you have to find this balance where you remain concious, but not too concious; you do have to fall asleep.

Any tips on how to find this balance? What senses should I focus on? What feelings should I look out for? What are some clues I can remember to tell if I have transitioned successfully?

Originally Posted by Muggler

Any tips on how to find this balance? What senses should I focus on? What feelings should I look out for? What are some clues I can remember to tell if I have transitioned successfully?

As I said, I don't have much experience, so don't take my word for it . I actually haven't really found a good way to get this balance myself. Usually I just go with the flow during SP, until it drives me crazy and then I turn over and fall asleep normally. I'm having a hard time falling asleep with all these crazy intense sensations going on. Focusing on visuals seems a popular method. Just watch the lights and patterns as they evolve, and visualize a dream scene if you wish.

When you're in a dream and you've stayed concious through the whole process, you know that you've made the transition. You might have a false awakening though, so when you're attempting inducing lucid dreams like this, do reality checks when you wake up in your bed. It might just be a dream.

Note: all this applies only if you transition into REM sleep. I don't know if it is possible to conciously transition into a non-REM phase.

Originally Posted by Muggler

You know how you have those moments, where you're laying in bed, and about to fall asleep, and you're wondering how to catch the transition, and you are trying to at the same time? And when you wake up, you ponder about how you couldn't see it?

Well, does anyone know how to catch the transition, and actually make it into a lucid dream somehow?

Similar experiences have happened to me Muggler. For me, once I wake up naturally (after like 5-6 hours) if I stay awake for over like 3 minutes I have a hard time going back to sleep. In my WILD attempt so far the only chance I stand is to go back to sleep quickly. What usually happens to me is I catch myself with a drifting thought right as I am falling asleep and wake myself back up. I believe the way around this is to use an anchor like counting breaths or numbers on a very low level of consciousness. However, in my experience, if I get close to a WILD but fail, it greatly increases my chances of a DILD.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I do an hour of WBTB each morning. Might be a reason for me failing. I never really intentionally attempt to do WILD, I just often end up in sleep paralysis after WBTB/MILD.

I know what WILD and DILD is but what is WBTB and MILD?

I have only ever had DILD maybe you could say I had a WILD when I dreamt withouth ever falling asleep which is the craziest feeling ever it feels like you are in two places at once because you can control two different bodies that are in two different places. But if you do more than maybe turning over in your bed in real life you might lose the dream.

WBTB=Wake Back to Bed MILD=Mnemonic Induced Lucid Dream

Originally Posted by Bowie

Oh, I forgot to mention that I do an hour of WBTB each morning. Might be a reason for me failing. I never really intentionally attempt to do WILD, I just often end up in sleep paralysis after WBTB/MILD.

Seems like it's so easy for you to get into SP. -.- I can never get there. Ever!

Side note, SP is NOT needed for WILDing, so yeah, you might be able to WILD without it <.<

That's true, Walms. It's still something I would like to experience though! Lol

I've had it once, or twice. I loved it! I need it!

The only times I've felt SP, was when I was coming out of a dream. It usually happens on my back... I feel vibrations and then I can hear a rushing sound in my ears. The thing is, I start holding my breath like an idiot... I don't know why. And it's not like I can practice because it hardly ever happens.

Either it was just some kind of brain effect tricking my body or I started to go into SP for the first time while awake last night. I was laying on my side and then I felt like I was about to fall off my bed even though I wasnt moving. Then I felt a tingling in my legs and my first thought was maybe this is SP and I got scared so I flipped over on my back to shake it off. Within seconds in came back with the feeling of someone sitting on me. Then it went away as suddenly as it came. Then after a few minutes I fell asleep