Thread: How would you explain How to WILD to a Beginner?

Originally Posted by Marbig

Well first I would tell them that it's a wake induced lucid dream, it's pretty self explanatory, but when I am asked to explain it I tend to describe sleep paralysis, and being continually aware that your dreaming

I find it interesting how many other people associate WILD with sleep paralysis, I do not. The two are separate phenomena, and while they could occur together they definitely do not have to. SP is actually fairly rare: it occurs when the paralysis natural protective response of our body is mistimed, so that instead of just occurring while we are dreaming and protecting us from enacting the dream in reality, in SP it occurs when the dreamer is on the edge between waking an sleeping life. Even though WILD is obviously about paying close attention to that edge on when waking turns into sleep, but most of the time SP will not be there - it only occurs when the process is not timed right.

My one successful WILD experience thus far had no hint of SP in it.

My three experiences of what I think was SP did not occur during a WILD or attempt to do so.

I wonder how many people actually do experience WILD and SP together, and I bet it is fewer than the number of people who fear WILD due to mistakenly associating these two phenomena.

Originally Posted by JoannaB

I wonder how many people actually do experience WILD and SP together,

I'm one of them. I learned how to WILD by waking up in sleep paralysis and then relaxing myself fully and just riding the sensations into a dream. I did a bit of arguing with other people who claimed sleep paralysis was not a part of WILD but eventually came to realize that I was in the minority and accepted that my way was probably not the typical way. Not long after that I had my first WILD that did not involve sleep paralysis. I was just playing around with HI and just imagined myself reaching into the image to touch something and before I knew it I was completely immersed in the dream. I was amazed at how quick and simple that kind of transition was compared to a sleep paralysis induced transition.

I'll also point out that I did not experience sleep paralysis on a regular basis until I started trying to WILD. Now it's once a week/two weeks. I could go to a doctor and explain my symptoms and and easily be classified as a sufferer of sleep paralysis. The only difference is I don't "suffer" at all with it. It's just a routine experience that doesn't effect my quality of sleep at all and isn't the least bit scary.

Originally Posted by dms111

I'm one of them. I learned how to WILD by waking up in sleep paralysis and then relaxing myself fully and just riding the sensations into a dream. I did a bit of arguing with other people who claimed sleep paralysis was not a part of WILD but eventually came to realize that I was in the minority and accepted that my way was probably not the typical way. Not long after that I had my first WILD that did not involve sleep paralysis. I was just playing around with HI and just imagined myself reaching into the image to touch something and before I knew it I was completely immersed in the dream. I was amazed at how quick and simple that kind of transition was compared to a sleep paralysis induced transition.

I'll also point out that I did not experience sleep paralysis on a regular basis until I started trying to WILD. Now it's once a week/two weeks. I could go to a doctor and explain my symptoms and and easily be classified as a sufferer of sleep paralysis. The only difference is I don't "suffer" at all with it. It's just a routine experience that doesn't effect my quality of sleep at all and isn't the least bit scary.

Yeah. SP can be used as a way to WILD, and if you can get yourself into SP it is really simple. But for the average person it is easier to not worry about SP.