Thread: WILDs freak me out

I'm not a huge expert on WILD, but yeah, according to those who are more successful at WILD than I, some of the stuff can seem very frightening. However, if you know what to expect and why it's happening, that should allay at least some of your fear. Just remember that even if it seems scary, it can't really hurt you.

It's only terrifying if you make it. I think it's quite facinating, actually. I mean, it involves a high amount of mental relaxation. Just roll with it, and it won't be scary. Nothing in a WILD can hurt you, so don't worry about it.

What causes the watching feeling?

I start getting the SP in my feet after about 5 or 10 minutes. My hands usually relax later. I don't see SP as terrifying. I find it very intriguing and comforting knowing that I am on the right track.

Originally posted by Rainbow Werewolf
I start getting the SP in my feet after about 5 or 10 minutes. My hands usually relax later. I don't see SP as terrifying. I find it very intriguing and comforting knowing that I am on the right track.

im confused...i thought SP happens all at once

So far the worst thing that has happened to me during a WILD was a burning feeling in my chest, it was a little painful but not beyond my endurance.

But as every one says, HI cannot hurt you, SP may feel strange and uncomfortable, but it is a natural part of sleep.

Not for me. It usually starts as a slighlt throb in my hand, then increases to the numb feeling and then spreads from there. Though thats about as far as I've got...

Originally posted by mongreloctopus


im confused...i thought SP happens all at once

Pretty sure it does. I've never had partial SP, everytime is happened to me its been full-on except for the finger or toe I might be able to move.

I'd also like to know what exactly causes "the watching feeling" As soon as I fall into the SP state, I feel like something's watching me, and immediatly that puts some fear into me. At that point either I can suppress is and move along with what I'm doing, or I can let the fear take over and have 15-20 seconds of hell trying to get out of the SP.

i don't know about this watching feeling. i have never experienced it. maybe it's because you are expecting it. as for SP, i always feel a kind of pressure or tingling in my extremities beforehand, but that's not the SP. the SP always hits all at once and cannot be confused with tingling or any other kind of feeling in my hands or feet. because ive become accustomed to the sensation, it doesn't cause any fear. i don't feel anyone watching me, i don't hear strange sounds....i just feel like i am floating, disembodied, and then eventually move into a dreamscape.

Are you sleeping on your side or on your back? I get the floating feeling when sleeping on my back, but I often pop back into my body, and I get this shock that makes me "jump" in bed and I wake up. But then again, sleeping on my side makes my dreams less vivid :S.

I have had the feeling of being watched and even grabbed before, but this happened before I knew about WILDing and what-not. It happened after I'd awake momentarily and attempt to go back to sleep.
In one instance, I was sleeping on a friends's couch, and, dreaming, I looked up and saw a cat sitting on the back of the couch. My friend has a cat, so I thought nothing of it. Then I looked above the cat and there was a clock hanging on the wall, the round kind with arms, and it was vibrating in place on the wall. I thought to myself how strange that was, but did not become lucid. After I saw the clock, I felt like there was a presence in the room, and I felt what I thought to be hands grabbing and pulling my left arm down to the floor and under the couch. I awoke, frightened. For about the next 30 - 40 mins, every time I'd almost be asleep, my body would start to vibrate and I'd wake up.
So, was I almost WILDing without intention?

Originally posted by xcrissxcrossx+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(xcrissxcrossx)</div>

2 nights ago I had almost had a perfect wild. I started to feel really strong vibrations and i started to enter sleep paralysis when i got scared because of the stories i've heard about people having bad experiances with SP and WILDs. Is it common for terrifying things to happen during a WILD?[/b]

Well... you only really hear about the REALLY freaky cases. It's like... heaps of people get murdered every day, but you only really hear about the REALLY gruesome ones in the news...

LOL okay, bad simile... sorry...

For me, my WILDs (I've only had two, I know, but still) are very free from anything even remotely scary, and are GREAT fun. I get VERY mild SP, and hardly any vibrations at all anymore. Not scary at all. In fact, my WILD from last night, the actual hypnogogic imagery, was absolutely stunningly beautiful. I saw stars, and bands of clounds illuminated by pale moonlight and starlight, through my bedrrom ceiling. One of the most beautiful things I've seen in my life, actually. Dream skyscapes are BEAUTIFUL...

But yeah. WILD isn't at ALL terrifying for me. It;s exciting, fun, and not at all scary. BUT some people seem to have had different experiences... I think a good deal of it, is what you EXPECT.

<!--QuoteBegin-mongreloctopus
i don't know about this watching feeling. i have never experienced it. maybe it's because you are expecting it. as for SP, i always feel a kind of pressure or tingling in my extremities beforehand, but that's not the SP. the SP always hits all at once and cannot be confused with tingling or any other kind of feeling in my hands or feet. because ive become accustomed to the sensation, it doesn't cause any fear. i don't feel anyone watching me, i don't hear strange sounds....i just feel like i am floating, disembodied, and then eventually move into a dreamscape.

I get the same thing as mongreloctopus, except, I never actually get the SP "hitting" me. For me, SP goes no further than numbness, tingling, and heaviness. Actually, the more WILD attempts I make, the more used to SP I seem to get, and the lighter it feels. Also, it takes me less and less time to relax...

WILD's can be pretty scary sometimes. Especially when you're forced to relive things.

I used to think so too, but now I find them kind of fun. It's liike a phantasmagorical adventure. And even when I hear things it's not that bad. I especially like the vibrations and tremors.

Pff! I'd be happy to GET that when attempting WILD!

time and patients are all that is needed...or just plain luck ^_^

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE("Shadowrunner")</div>

Are you sleeping on your side or on your back? I get the floating feeling when sleeping on my back, but I often pop back into my body, and I get this shock that makes me "jump" in bed and I wake up. But then again, sleeping on my side makes my dreams less vivid :S.[/b]

I get that too sometimes!
Like when I'm half asleep and I start to dream about things.
And then I dream I step in a hole or fall down the stairs or something and I "jump" which wakes me up.
It's wierd.

It's called a hypnagogic jerk, or some such, and is just a spasm as your muscles move into paralysis, if I remember right. There's a nice definition on Wikipedia infact!

Yea...along time before i really knew much at all about LDs i would have SP and thought i saw demons...Again I could go into SP naturally w/o trying WILD and did not know what was happening to me when i would get HH. The scary halucinations went away about a year and a half ago. I started researching LDs etc about 2 months ago and started attempting WILD with alot if success. I find the WILD method to be much more rewarding than any other LD method. So if your getting discouraged because sleep paralysis can be really scary just stick with it, it's well worth it when you pull it off. For me, the WBTB and the WILD method used in conjunction greatly reduce the nasty SP symptoms. No need to stay up for an hour or more before goin back to sleep. Just wait about 10 mins but make sure get up and walk around get a drink etc just so your not falling asleep immediately. Also try to get a LD induction song this should help to lessen some of the SP vibrations noises etc as well. Hope this helps someone

I used to be really freaked out by peoples freaky experiences. how I protected myself was to wear earplugs and a sleepmask while WILDing, so far Iv only once felt "something" beside my bed, (obviously it was just a hallucination so it didn't bother me much) it really helps to know that if your eyes were to open you wouldn't really see anything and also that if something/ someone were to talk to you from across the room that would be impossible to hear due to your earplugs, this has the effect of letting your logic cancel out the familiar WILD noises/ sights