Some FILD questions

I can't WILD because of my damn twitching and extra energy/stress (I can't be still, I always must move, even when laying and trying to fall asleep, I move my legs). So, I have decided to try FILD. I know the method, subtle movements of index and middle finger like playing piano. I have two questions (one is little weird):
1. My hand starts twitching, my fingers twitch and I close my hand like I am grabbing something. What to do about it?
2. Is it possible to do FILD with feet instead of hands, since I must move my feet in order to fall asleep?

I searched up a tutorial on the FILD technique to help answer your question. I never knew it was that good! In a way, you just helped me, so thanks!

1. That might just be a personal problem. I have a problem with staying still while standing up, I always have to move around a bit. I'd say that to help something like that just takes practice. Try practicing to keep your hand still in the position you FILD in. Hopefully it helps enough to get that 10-30 seconds in to enter your lucid.

2. I don't think that'd have the same effect. But lucid dreaming techniques have always been dependent on the person. Maybe you could try it out for yourself?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Elaol

I can't WILD because of my damn twitching and extra energy/stress (I can't be still, I always must move, even when laying and trying to fall asleep, I move my legs). So, I have decided to try FILD. I know the method, subtle movements of index and middle finger like playing piano. I have two questions (one is little weird):
1. My hand starts twitching, my fingers twitch and I close my hand like I am grabbing something. What to do about it?
2. Is it possible to do FILD with feet instead of hands, since I must move my feet in order to fall asleep?

---

I've struggled with twitching as well. It sounds like you have restless leg syndrome and possibly an electrolyte imbalance. I have struggled with both of these at various times in my life but found through diet and lifestyle changes they can be controlled and brought into remission. I don't want to get into a medical discussion, but just wanted to note that. That being said, there is a misconception that you can't WILD without being perfectly still. FILD is really just a WILD that uses finger movement as an anchor. If I remember correctly there is something specific in regards to the part of the brain that is stimulated when you move your fingers during FILD, although I imagine the same would apply to your toes. While I am not sure if you can be move every second during WILD style inductions, you certainly don't have to lie frozen still. You can continue moving as you need to so that you remain comfortable. Look up Mzzch's sticky post for a good explanation of this.

WILD is all about anchoring and getting as comfortable as possible. If moving allows you to come more comfortable, then it is a necessary part of "your" WILD strategy. FILD must obey the same principles as any other WILD technique. In other words it's not that you can move more during a FILD than any other WILD style technique, it's just that your focus is different. Also bear in mind that with FILD you are "barely" moving your fingers.

I think WILDs will likely be more challenging for you, but if you just focus on falling asleep and don't think about the movement you need to remain comfortable and instead just focus on retaining awareness by using an anchor, you should hopefully find success. In other words...just focus on falling asleep like you normally do. Don't think about your movement at all. Just move as you normally do. Again Mzzch's post explains all of this.

I wouldn't recommend WILD for beginners. I am not sure if your lucid count is up to date, but if you are just starting off WILD can be very alluding. You might want to check out my recent post that talks about the phase technique: http://www.dreamviews.com/induction-...w-me-away.html

This is more of a DEILD technique but it produces the exact same experience as a WILD. It is much easier since you are already totally relaxed. Other than that, you might consider the OBE timer technique from lucidology which uses a similar principle and again doesn't require you to go through a relaxation process.

Other than that you might experiment with shorter awake times before going into the WILD process since your body will tend to be less restless. Also consider avoiding caffeine, grains, and stimulants of any kind.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kingofhypocrites

I've struggled with twitching as well. It sounds like you have restless leg syndrome and possibly an electrolyte imbalance. I have struggled with both of these at various times in my life but found through diet and lifestyle changes they can be controlled and brought into remission. I don't want to get into a medical discussion, but just wanted to note that. That being said, there is a misconception that you can't WILD without being perfectly still. FILD is really just a WILD that uses finger movement as an anchor. If I remember correctly there is something specific in regards to the part of the brain that is stimulated when you move your fingers during FILD, although I imagine the same would apply to your toes. While I am not sure if you can be move every second during WILD style inductions, you certainly don't have to lie frozen still. You can continue moving as you need to so that you remain comfortable. Look up Mzzch's sticky post for a good explanation of this.

WILD is all about anchoring and getting as comfortable as possible. If moving allows you to come more comfortable, then it is a necessary part of "your" WILD strategy. FILD must obey the same principles as any other WILD technique. In other words it's not that you can move more during a FILD than any other WILD style technique, it's just that your focus is different. Also bear in mind that with FILD you are "barely" moving your fingers.

I think WILDs will likely be more challenging for you, but if you just focus on falling asleep and don't think about the movement you need to remain comfortable and instead just focus on retaining awareness by using an anchor, you should hopefully find success. In other words...just focus on falling asleep like you normally do. Don't think about your movement at all. Just move as you normally do. Again Mzzch's post explains all of this.

I wouldn't recommend WILD for beginners. I am not sure if your lucid count is up to date, but if you are just starting off WILD can be very alluding. You might want to check out my recent post that talks about the phase technique: http://www.dreamviews.com/induction-...w-me-away.html

This is more of a DEILD technique but it produces the exact same experience as a WILD. It is much easier since you are already totally relaxed. Other than that, you might consider the OBE timer technique from lucidology which uses a similar principle and again doesn't require you to go through a relaxation process.

Other than that you might experiment with shorter awake times before going into the WILD process since your body will tend to be less restless. Also consider avoiding caffeine, grains, and stimulants of any kind.

---

How did you get rid of twitching? it bothers me greatly. Please share it with me. I know it is not LD related, but I need to get rid of it.

And about LD, The Phase requires you not to move and I need to move, so I can't do it :( I will try mindfulness meditation for as long as I can hold without twitching.

Consider this... Are you able to fall asleep while you are experiencing twitching? Then, you can likely WILD as well. The same goes for the phase. Think about it... With the phase you wake up and then start imaging some sort of dream body movement. You do this the moment you wake up so that you are still in a dreaming mindset. So... if you are currently able to wake up and then go right back to sleep, then you can likely phase as well. Keep in mind that with WILD style techniques you are technically just "going back to sleep". This is something you are already doing (going back to sleep). The difference is you just keep your mind awake. With the phase you are only half awake so your body should already be really relaxed and the twitching should be minimized (at least it is for me). I agree it is harder with the twitching because it's more difficult to relax and the twitches are very distracting.. which is why I would suggest the phase because you do it upon waking up and you skip the relaxation part. Don't focus so much on what you think is required for the technique... all that is required is that you go back to sleep while keeping your mind awake... ignore the stay still philosophy since your body is able to fall asleep despite having movement since it's used to this and it has adapted.

I wasted a lot of time with frozen still techniques because I am very much like you. Not only do I deal with twitching and the like, but I also have back pain and find it hard to sit in one position for long. I had to learn to get that antiquated idea of "not moving" out of my head and instead focus on falling asleep like I normally do. This will be a game changer for you. Other than, you can focus on DILD or MILD and not even worry about WILD techniques. The majority of my LD's have come from using the MILD technique from Stephen Laberge. This takes the twitching and relaxation out of the equation completely. WILD is very much an advanced technique and takes lots of practice even with ideal circumstances. People that say it's easy have already done the hard part of finding what works for them.

As for your question about how to get rid of twitching. This is not an easy answer. Most people won't change the diet in the ways needed to find success. First I would recommend the following book: The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body >> You may not have autoimmune disease and the reality is it doesn't matter because this book is all about healing your body regardless of the cause. If you are vegan, i would recommend a grain free vegan diet and make sure to sprout and lentils, nuts, or seeds that you have. Ultimately I think it's better to avoid lentils, nuts, and seeds, but if you are vegan this is pretty difficult unless you do something like the 80/10/10 diet.

In short, I would look at the following:
- Learn EFT to deal with anxiety. This one is huge.
- Cut out caffeine 100%. No compromises. This also means no chocolate.
- No stimulants whatsoever. Be weary of stuff like Maca, Rhodiola, etc.
- No lucid dreaming supplements period. These can really jack you up.
- Watch out for pain meds... these alone can cause the problem you describe. If you are taking any medications this could be the culprit.
- Cut out grains, seeds, nuts, lentils, eggs, and nightshades
- Balance your omega 3 and omega 6 intake
- Get plenty of sleep and sunlight
- Get the book I mentioned... there is too much to list

The key is reducing inflammation in the body and balancing your electrolytes. RLS can be reversed, but more serious movement disorders can be hard to reverse and I can't say one way or another what you are dealing with. Ultimately you want to see a doctor but they will just put you on medication. I would try to deal with things naturally first if it's not life threatening. Medication for RLS is scary stuff and I refused to take it because long term it can make you worse and give you OCD (no joke). This is because it affects the uptake of dopamine in the body.

I don't want to get into a tangent, but start a quest to find what foods you body is sensitive to or that are generally harmful and avoid those foods.

Other than that in the meantime, make sure your WILD practice is not affecting your sleep because this can make it way worse. I have had to step away at various times from WILD practice because it started to cause insomnia and my health began declining. That's why the Phase and MILD are such great techniques in this case.