Thread: RAISE YOUR HAND!! - Intro Class Q&A

Originally Posted by Pickman

I've noticed something while attempting the DEILD technique - whenever I try to re-enter the dream I just had by thinking about it, it doesn't always work. So I give up and lie in bed daydreaming about something else completely, and then the daydream itself turns into a dream that could very easily become lucid. Sometimes a character will appear and start acting independently despite my daydream, or I will end up somewhere completely different from where I was trying to dream about.

Is it possible that I am trying too hard to re-enter the dream when I think about it, keeping me awake? Am I the only person who has noticed that daydreaming in bed can be more effective than the standard DEILD technique? I would love to hear anyone's feedback on this.

Great question (and approach!) I'd say that very likely yes, by falling back to daydreaming, you just relax and let it happen. To DEILD or WILD, you have a) stay aware and b) fall asleep. If you get them both done, you are good to go. It sounds like you had a) nicely dialed in but being overly intentional with dreaming was messing up b).

Doing whatever you can to relax while still holding on to your awareness is the way to go. It sounds like you've found your sweet spot! Congratulations! Keep experimenting and practicing with DEILD. The more of it you do, the easier the relaxation piece becomes. It is challenging at first but you can get way better at it.

Originally Posted by dreambh

Thanks for your reply OB, I could not read it until today because of a trip I was doing, but actually, circumstances made me forget about WBTB and I had two lucids on a week (which is a lot for me) so you were totally right! I'm not the "Once I'm up, I'm up" kind, but obviously not working too hard on WBTB did help a lot.

Yeah, everything Ophelia said's good, so let me just add in the things that I do to avoid insomnia from WBTB.

First, I avoid excessive exposure to light. If I am going to have any lights on at all, I actually wear these crazy orange safety glasses that block out blue wavelengths of light. Do I look cool in these, you ask? As if you even need to ask.

Second, I move slowly, try to keep my heart rate low, and not get too amped up about anything. Reading is good, particularly if it's about lucid dreaming.

Third, when I return to bed, I just try to blissfully fall back into my MILD (or SSILD if I am doing that.) Think about nothing but dreaming. No waking life worries/concerns allowed, period. If there's a little trouble settling down my mind, I'll perform backwards counting while casually enjoying my hypnagogic imagery.

Fourth, I've gotten used to WBTB. It's normal for me to wake up at least once per night unless I'm sleep deprived. I'm very used to the pattern and more naturally fall back asleep now.

Fifth, sleep masks are pretty awesome. They make it super dark and you get boosted hypnagogic imagery. The kind I've got even has these shaped eye sockets so I can blink/open my eyes without my eyelashes touching it.

Good luck!