New here, but not new to lucid dreams

Hi everyone, I'm new to these forums. I've had about 4-5 lucid dreams in my life, but after watching Inception, I thought I would try to increase the frequency of my lucid dreams.

In the past, I had only DILDs. However, I've been trying WILD for almost a week now. No luck so far, so I thought I would ask some questions to see if I'm doing anything wrong.

1. Sometimes when I become really relaxed, I get this surge through my body. It's like a hypnic jerk, which I've had before, but that's usually associated with the image of some object flying towards my head :) In this case, there is no such imagery, it just comes out of nowhere.

The first time this happened was during my NREM sleep. I was trying to WILD right at the beginning of my sleep just to practice. After it happened, I got this feeling that I was falling through my bed. I didn't get any imagery after that though, probably because I couldn't go into REM sleep.

So is this a hypnic jerk or something else?

2. How do I find a time to wake up before my REM cycle? I tried 6.5 and 7 hours in, but then I couldn't get back to sleep because it was pretty close to when I usually wake up (8 hours). Should I go later or earlier? I don't think I would be able to go back to bed later, but maybe it's because I don't have a way of keeping my current room dark. I'll be in my own room at home in a week, so maybe I'll wait until then.

3. I've had semi-dreams before, where I see imagery but still feel myself in bed. However, when I'm attempting WILDs, I can only imagine scenes playing out. It's kind of like daydreaming that doesn't require conscious input. However, I haven't been able to actually see anything while trying to WILD. I haven't even seen shapes or flashes of light.

I'm sure I'll have more questions later, but thanks in advance for any help.

Hey ian, wanted to say welcome to DV, though I can't be of much help on WILDing, having had little success with it myself. For me, I prefer to play to my strengths and stick with DILD/DEILD, promoting lucidity by simply reviewing my dreams and reading about other people's experiences on DV.

First off, welcome to DV! :D We're glad you joined us and I hope you enjoy your time here and are able to learn even more about LDing. Let us know if there's any way we can help. Like Taosaur, I'm not an expert on WILDing, but here's my opinions from what I've read of others' experiences.

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Originally Posted by ianp622

1. So is this a hypnic jerk or something else?

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I don't know if it's a jerk per say. Usually a jerk (to me) is quick and wakes me right up. You were likely on your way to going into sleep paralysis and felt a falling sensation. Different people feel and/or see different things as they enter a dream, so you just have to figure out how you're affected.

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2. How do I find a time to wake up before my REM cycle? I tried 6.5 and 7 hours in, but then I couldn't get back to sleep because it was pretty close to when I usually wake up (8 hours). Should I go later or earlier?

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I think most people try waking up between 4-6 hours after falling asleep. Most aim for waking up right after a REM cycle, but again, play around with the time a little and find what works best for you.

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3. I've had semi-dreams before, where I see imagery but still feel myself in bed. However, when I'm attempting WILDs, I can only imagine scenes playing out. It's kind of like daydreaming that doesn't require conscious input. However, I haven't been able to actually see anything while trying to WILD. I haven't even seen shapes or flashes of light.

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As I was saying earlier, not everyone sees or feels the same things when trying to WILD. Some people don't hear rushing noises or see bright flashes or feel like they're spinning. You'll likely see something as you enter a dream, but I couldn't tell you what that is. It sounds like you're going in the right direction, though, and if you're sold on WILDing, keep at it! Sometimes a technique might take a little longer before it starts producing results, but if you think this will work for you, don't give up. You'll get it in time.

I hope at least some of this was helpful. Let us know if you have more questions. Also, feel free to post any WILD-related questions in the WILD sub-forum.

Lastly, welcome to DV! See you around. :content:
-Amé

Welcome to DreamViews :)

Waking up before REM can be difficult to learn, but you should probably understand that we actually wake up after every REM period, which we have around 5-6 a night. I wouldn't trust myself to do this, but one way you could learn is to drink a glass of water before bed, and after a REM period, you'll wake up of course, and you will want to use the restroom. Take note of the time (if it's 12am and you went to bed at 9:30, take note), and maybe set your alarm for a certain time prior the following nights.

However, as the night progresses, so does the duration of your REM sleep. If you plan on doing this about 6-7 hours in, then I'd recommend setting your alarm for about 30-45 minutes prior to your expected REM period to end, so that hopefully when you go back to sleep or attempt a WILD, you should be right there.

But you know what? I would just go with the WBTB method. Just set your alarm to wake you up about an hour and a half to 2 hours before your usual wake up time, and just do reality checks and go over your dream journal for about 15 minutes and then attempt your technique of choice. http://www.dreamviews.com/f25/wbtb-tutorial-64626/ You don't need to know your REM periods for this, but it may help.

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Originally Posted by Amethyst Star

I don't know if it's a jerk per say. Usually a jerk (to me) is quick and wakes me right up. You were likely on your way to going into sleep paralysis and felt a falling sensation. Different people feel and/or see different things as they enter a dream, so you just have to figure out how you're affected.

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I'm pretty sure it's just a hypnagogic hallucination (HH): http://www.dreamviews.com/f25/dv-dictionary-71202/

Hey it seems everyone has answered your questions! Anyway I just wanted to welcome you to this great community and good luck on your lucid dreams!

Thanks for the replies and the welcome. I think I'll just try MILD for now, and keep on working on my dream recall (I remembered 6 dreams last night!)