Would like to try WILDing but i'm afraid. I Need help.

I've heard so much about the vividness and clarity of a WILD induced dream and also read about it in LaBerge's book. The problem is that i'm terrified of sleep paralysis. I used to have sleep apnea and before i got it cured (3 painful surgeries later and losing alot of weight), I used to have unintentional sleep paralysis alot and the imagery and sounds would come with it. And it was exactly like alot of people have described on this forum. Everytime i was in SP I would feel a very evil presence in the room with me or right out of sight. Most times I would see dark figures dart by in front of me. And yes, like others here, I have heard that awful growl several times that sounds like some horrible beast right beside my head. And I've also heard people whispering in the background. But the worst one (and this is probably the one that keeps me from doing WILDing) is when one morning I woke up and was in SP, I felt that very evil presence by my bed. If i remember correctly, I think it may have said something to me. I decided not to be afraid. I challenged it and the most awful thing happened. I felt two hands reach inside my head and start violently shaking me mostly in the head area. I was terrified and it felt like it was trying to pull my soul out of my body. I've read that alot of these thing happen in SP, and I am utterly terrified of them. Can anyone give me some advice on how to overcome these fears. I've heard that the LD's that are after this stage are very intense. Thanks for listening.

Hey Dude, don't let those fears get the best of you!!!

Just remember that there is no evil there, and there is NOTHING that can hurt you. There is absolutely NO need to be afraid to WILD. It 's really all in your head, and my guess is that since you have had negative experiences with SP before, your mind sort of generates and feeds off of your fears...

Well you know what? There are no evil presences around you...and that growling? That comes from the vibrating in your ears. Yeah it can be a little strange at times but it's nothing to be afraid of. I have seen and heard frightening things before duing hypnogogia but they don't bother me because I know that...next stop...is lucid dream for nina!!! Just remember that it really IS all in your mind. Try to stay calm and relaxed and know that there is nothing there that can hurt you.

If you have any more questions feel free to PM me or any other Dream Guide.

-nina :peek:

Thanks for the reply. It puts me at a little bit more ease. I'm going to try it this weekend. I'm going to purchase a sleep mask this evening. That might help a little with the confidence and will keep me from seeing the dark figures darting by when i open my eyes. I read a post on the forum from someone that said he wore a sleep mask and it kept him from seeing the stuff when he opened his eyes. Will post an update on whether it works or not. Thanks again for putting me a little more at ease.

Yeah a sleep mask would be a good idea I should think. I also like to do my WILDs during the daytime, so that I can open my eyes whenver I want and see exactly everything that is around me...and I feel less afraid. Maybe if you start off by trying WILDs in the early morning hours when it is starting to get light out you will get used to those weird sensations of SP and HI and then you won't be afraid to try them when it's darker out also.

You shouldnt be afraid of WILD. In fact, just ignore it and wait for a lucid dream. It is totally worth it. I remember hearing people talk to me, and feeling really weird things, but they disappear as soon as you stop focusing on them and ignore them.

Sleeping mask is awesome, it might even help you achieve lucidity: some times when I take it off it feels really weird and I instantly know it's a dream !

yeah the sleepmask was me :P it also helps if you wear earplugs, the loud and sometimes horrifying noises are alot less intimidating since you know that they have to be in your head :D (even if they are REALLY loud :P I once heard a really loud computer crashing noise and my ears were ringing, and I dont even have a computer in my room :P ) and also I wouldnt try WILD in the morning (no offense nina) because all that the evil presences are is hallucinations, it would be much more frightning to me to open my eyes and see a big greasy monster than to open them and see a shadow.

Who knows though^. Many horror movies since the beginning of horror movies have had "an invisible monster" throughout the movie, Or no monster at all, and that specific movie can be more frightening than any other. The mind creates that monster, which you cannot see. And because of that it can be a lot more horrifying than the one with a visible monster.
But heck, I wouldn't know. Im just trying to recall my dreams. You're the ones with the experience. Just wanted to point out another view.

Thanks for all of the replies and votes of confidence. I tried it this weekend. I laid in bed for probably 2 hours. I didn't get sp but here is what happened. With my eyes shut, after what was probably about 15 to 20 minutes, it was like someone used a dimmer switch and turned up the lights. (you know what it's like to be in bed with your eyes shut and someone turns the lights on) It was kind of like an off white light that started in the lower part of my eyes and seemed to move about half way up my eyes. Then I started to see some dim colors of light that was a little bit like starbursts. At this point I noticed my eyes were moving rapidly what felt like up and down. This got so distracting that I came out of it so I started over. The same thing happened again but I didn't ever go into sp. I wasn't tired either and was doing this in the late afternoon. Was I starting to WILD? If so, please let me know. And I know exactly what you mean about movies that have invisible monsters or no monsters being the really scary ones. The one that comes to mind with me and is about the only movie that I have ever had nightmares about is "Alien". I'm talking about the first one. You never seen the whole monster at once. Just parts of it. And the dark corridors just added to it. It frightened me much more than the three other alien movies after it. Well, thanks again everyone.