Afraid of LDing

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Originally Posted by Hidden

That's quite impressive. I haven't met many people who are good at WILD, and it sounds like you're a natural at it. Have you thought about learning DILD, or are you satisfied with WILDing? I know a lot of people who DILD would like to learn WILD because you can LD at will; is there any reason someone might want to do the reverse?

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I actually started with learning to DILD before WILDing, because when I first read about lucid dreaming I decided to do reality checks. After a few days of looking down at my hands to count my fingers, I did it in a dream and became lucid. I had three DILDs before it suddenly stopped working, so I chose to stop with the reality checks for a while. In the meantime I wanted to give WILDing a try, even though many people said it was a hard technique. Eventually I had my first WILD, and afterwards it got easier and easier with each try. It's not hard to WILD once you know how, and I don't see why many recommend beginners to start with DILDing instead. If someone really wants to WILD before DILDing, then why not?

Well, I'm glad that I can WILD, but I've also started with Puffin's SAT to begin having DILDs again. Even though I'm pretty good at WILDing, there's still times when I fail. Therefore it would be great if I could still have lucid dreams through DILD when this happens. And not forgetting those non-lucid dreams which I wish I became lucid in... :( So I would say that it's great to be able to WILD, because it makes it possible to lucid dream at will (most times), but it's just as great to be good at DILDing!

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Originally Posted by oOAdamOo

Well guys I need help now , last night was a nightmare itself , I always get stressed when going to sleep (after learning all these stuff about dreaming)
Which is causing me sleep loss , for instance , last night (as I said above) I couldn't sleep until 4:30 am and then I woke up again at 6:30 am , even though I was SO tired and I still am after I wake up , it's 11:45 am now and I'm really tired :(
So basic I didn't have a lucid dream , I didn't have a non-lucid dream . Or at least I don't remember I did .
What's wrong with me ? I really tried to not being stressed and clear my mind but I just couldn't . So I really need to have a deep relaxing night tonight , I'll try LDing later but now I have to focus on sleeping well as normal people do . And yeah I won't give up on LDing :D but first things first right ? ;)

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Yes, you should take a break. Chances are high that you'll have a lucid dream caused by all the new information you've got. Let your brain deal with all those new things for a while. Don't feel any pressure or that it's impossible for you to lucid dream, because you WILL be able to do it some other time (and more thereafter)! :)

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Originally Posted by OneiroMoon

I actually started with learning to DILD before WILDing, because when I first read about lucid dreaming I decided to do reality checks. After a few days of looking down at my hands to count my fingers, I did it in a dream and became lucid. I had three DILDs before it suddenly stopped working, so I chose to stop with the reality checks for a while. In the meantime I wanted to give WILDing a try, even though many people said it was a hard technique. Eventually I had my first WILD, and afterwards it got easier and easier with each try. It's not hard to WILD once you know how, and I don't see why many recommend beginners to start with DILDing instead. If someone really wants to WILD before DILDing, then why not?

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Huh... Well, DILD does tend to be somewhat inconsistent until you've mastered it. =/ I think I'll start trying to WILD again. The problem with beginning lucid dreamers trying to WILD before DILD is that it can be scary (hence this thread, for example). I think the idea of a DILD is easier to get used to, plus if you learn to DILD before trying WILD, you'll at least be used to part of the process (that is, what it's like to be lucid in a dream), so you'll only have to deal with SP. Personally, I've never found SP or lucid dreams to be scary, but I know that's not the case for everyone. Anyway, I think you're right that if you have the discipline and you're not afraid of SP, there's nothing wrong with trying to WILD before DILD.

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Well, I'm glad that I can WILD, but I've also started with Puffin's SAT to begin having DILDs again. Even though I'm pretty good at WILDing, there's still times when I fail. Therefore it would be great if I could still have lucid dreams through DILD when this happens. And not forgetting those non-lucid dreams which I wish I became lucid in... :( So I would say that it's great to be able to WILD, because it makes it possible to lucid dream at will (most times), but it's just as great to be good at DILDing!

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Puffin's SAT? I've never heard of a technique called SAT...

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Originally Posted by Hidden

Huh... Well, DILD does tend to be somewhat inconsistent until you've mastered it. =/ I think I'll start trying to WILD again. The problem with beginning lucid dreamers trying to WILD before DILD is that it can be scary (hence this thread, for example). I think the idea of a DILD is easier to get used to, plus if you learn to DILD before trying WILD, you'll at least be used to part of the process (that is, what it's like to be lucid in a dream), so you'll only have to deal with SP. Personally, I've never found SP or lucid dreams to be scary, but I know that's not the case for everyone. Anyway, I think you're right that if you have the discipline and you're not afraid of SP, there's nothing wrong with trying to WILD before DILD.

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Before I tried to WILD, I saw many threads about those hallucinations that can occur during SP. I'm not easily scared at all, so I never worried about having them. I think I haven't had any scary hallucinations because I knew that I wouldn't be scared. It's sad that people are afraid of WILDing just because they've heard about hallucinations. SP can of course be scary by itself, but it should be less intimidating when knowing that it's completely natural, and therefore harmless.

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Originally Posted by Hidden

Puffin's SAT? I've never heard of a technique called SAT...

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SAT stands for Sporadic Awareness Technique, which means that you at random times stop what you're doing, ask yourself if you're dreaming and become more aware of the surroundings. Here's an example from Puffin's tutorial:

"You're walking down the sidewalk. You're clearly not dreaming, right? Think again - you haven't questioned anything yet, so stop moving and do a reality check. Maybe you should look at the details on the leaves, and feel the wind blowing against you. Can you see the individual bricks on the houses you're walking by? Take a break and lean against a building, feeling the hard texture of the construction on your back."

She has written a great tutorial on this, and a link can be found in her signature. I'm hoping to have more DILDs with this method! :)

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Originally Posted by OneiroMoon

Before I tried to WILD, I saw many threads about those hallucinations that can occur during SP. I'm not easily scared at all, so I never worried about having them. I think I haven't had any scary hallucinations because I knew that I wouldn't be scared. It's sad that people are afraid of WILDing just because they've heard about hallucinations. SP can of course be scary by itself, but it should be less intimidating when knowing that it's completely natural, and therefore harmless.

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That's more or less how I approached SP too. I don't think of myself as a person who's not easily scared (I guess I'm about average in this regard; perhaps a little more jumpy than others at times), but after reading about it I decided not to be scared of HH, and have yet to have any scary hallucinations. I'm not a very successful WILDer, but I've reached SP many times and I actually enjoy it. One of the things I love (and sometimes hate) about lucid dreaming is that it's all about what you expect.

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SAT stands for Sporadic Awareness Technique, which means that you at random times stop what you're doing, ask yourself if you're dreaming and become more aware of the surroundings. Here's an example from Puffin's tutorial:

"You're walking down the sidewalk. You're clearly not dreaming, right? Think again - you haven't questioned anything yet, so stop moving and do a reality check. Maybe you should look at the details on the leaves, and feel the wind blowing against you. Can you see the individual bricks on the houses you're walking by? Take a break and lean against a building, feeling the hard texture of the construction on your back."

She has written a great tutorial on this, and a link can be found in her signature. I'm hoping to have more DILDs with this method! :)

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Ah, I see. Sort of a combination of the spontaneity of reality checks with a more general awareness technique. Sounds like a decent compromise for those of us who have trouble being aware all the time.