How Long Does It Take for SP?

I'm trying to WILD here, and it seems I always get like 35-45 minutes of just sitting still. I do get a numbing sensation in my hands, but thats it. Never anything else. Sometimes brief lights and stuff like that, but no hallucinations, no sounds. It's quite dissappointing. Especially last night when I had slept for 4-5 hours and then returned to bed an hour later.

So, how long does it take to have SP, and can I have some tips about it? (Btw, I just relax.. I'm not concentrated real hard on having a WILD.)

Hey there,

You're likely to get as many different answers as the number of people responding. It's highly variable. Some people can induce SP in minutes, for others it takes over an hour. Some people, like myself, have never been able to induce SP at all.

Sleep Paralysis is a physiological thing, and has a lot to do not only with how your body goes to sleep, but also with your sleep rythme and sleep cycles.

(Remember though that if your aim is WILDs, SP is not a necessity).

-Redrivertears-

SP is not a necessity? How so? I thought in order to go from awake to sleep consciously, you have to go through SP...

Hey there,

Its a common misconception. In truth Sleep Paralysis has nothing to do with dreaming whatsoever. Sleep Paralysis, as I said, is a physiological thing. It's your body's muscles going rigid and unresponsive to prevent you from acting out your dreams while you sleep. Think of it more as a safety mechanism. You go to sleep, you start dreaming, sleep paralysis kicks in to keep your house (your body) safe from harm while you do so.

Sleep Paralysis is often quoted alongside with WILD because there is a correlation in time between the two. When it gets dark, the streetlights in the city go on. But the streetlights don't actually go on because it gets dark. They go on because they're on a timer that's been programmed to make them go on at about the same time that night sets in. There's no actual relation between the two, merely a correlation. If someone were to program the streetlights to go on at noon, they'd go on at noon, and it would have no effect on when it becomes dark (or vice versa).

WILD and SP are the same way. And just like the street lights, the timing doesn't always correspond 100% correctly. For some people, SP kicks in before the onset of sleep. These are the people that report experiencing SP at the onset of WILD, and who can use SP as an indicator that WILD will soon follow. To continue the metaphor, the street lights go on just a little before night falls, and people know it'll start getting dark soon.

Yet for other people, the timing is different. They fall asleep first, and the SP kicks in a little later, just like the streetlights kicking in only after it gets dark. These people will likely never experience SP at all (except in very exceptional circumstances).

Don't let the correlation fool you though. There's as many reports about people managing to WILD without SP as there are with. I myself have never experienced SP at all, but I've had my share of WILDs.

So don't worry too much about SP, would be my advice. If it comes, it comes, so much the better. If it doesn't, that's fine too, it won't prevent you from getting WILDs.

And good luck dreaming!

-Redrivertears-