Hey thinkfirst! I would say there might be different approaches to wild. The common denominator in all, however, is falling asleep with a mind that is awake. To do achieve that, we often use the so-called anchors. This is a point of focus for the mind, which one would hold on to, in order to help us stay mentally awake during the bodily process of falling asleep. These anchors can be external or internal. You can focus on anything from your environment, be it the sound of the air conditioner, cars, crickets, your own breathing, your pulse, the way your physical body feels, etc.

Alternatively, you can focus on items that only exist in your own mind, images, sounds, mantras. As long as you keep your focus on your desired object and are able to fall asleep, both approaches can help you transition with your consciousness awake.

However, if you would like to enter the dream and arrive at a specific location or scenery straight away, it would be more advisable to use focusing on internal images as an anchor. With practice, you may be able to enter precicely the scene you have been visualizing, or help your mind generate a similar scene after the transition (as this was the object of your focus).