Thread: Im a Newbie Oldie

Wow! Welcome!

Consider me your official greeter on behalf of the "older but wiser" crowd. We have a nice representation here.

Sorry this greeting is short - I'd love to comment more but gotta run right now! So enjoy the community, and do look for the tutorials if you haven't gotten there yet.

Welcome, Vee!

I think you are talking about WILD, which I am not proficient at myself, but is used by quite a few people here to get lucid. I would like to get better at it because it seems to be a much more sure way to lucidity than other methods.

I know there are people here who are not afraid of it, and welcome it as you do. (I would too, except I can't seem to get there very often!)

Anyway, we'll be interested to here your experiences. Please share!

Originally Posted by vee

Hi Everybody,
I just found out about this board a couple of days ago. Before that I didnt even have a computer until this year. It took some time to figure out the internet and Im glad to have found this site. I am a Newbie but I also am an Oldie in age. Im nearly sixty years old but feel young at heart.

They say 60 is the new 40. As a 46 year old, I firmly embrace that.

I had cancer of the throat five years ago and rarely talk anymore. I have to use one of those talkers. But I have generally been silent for these five years. Since I haven't been talking much my nights have been full of extremely vivid dreams. But there are other things going on. I was keeping a journal about these odd things then last week I ran into the term Hypnopompic or Hypnagogic. I read up some on what those two conditions were and I guess I am more Hypnopompic although Hypnagogic does happen on occasion. I guess they give a medical name to everything these days.

Fascinating correlation here between not talking and the vivid dreams. The purpose of dreams is something that has been often discussed and speculated about, with no clear conclusion that I'm aware of. Perhaps dreaming and talking/communicating fulfill similar needs for us?

Yeah, you do need a common vocabulary to really dig into anything. Sadly, many disciplines (and especially medicine and law) choose to use terminology that is so completely different from the rest of the language that it becomes a language unto itself. It's been explained to me that the problem comes in the need for exact terms in a living (and thus constantly changing) language. Thus the choice of Latin, which is a dead language.

Here, we tend to just use the term 'hypnogogic' for all the visual and auditory experiences that occur while falling asleep.

The trouble is although some of the conditions fit what is happening to me others definately do not. I dont become paralized and can move if I wish, so it isnt related to narcolepsy. Also Im not afraid of what comes into my room and so I jump at the chance. I dont see why not. "Do ya wanna live forever?" or rather "Today is a good day to die." So I have been unafraid. As a result I see it as a gateway. A twilight zone. So I have been using it. They can call it what they want. Hypnopompic, hypnagogic but I dont think they have interviewed very many people where this symptom doesnt frighten them. Is there any of you guys who have this? Do you use it as a launch platform?
Looking for answers
Thanks
Vee

Being able to get into that hypnogogic state is indeed a launching point, though a difficult one for most to navigate. The technique, as Moonbeam mentioned, is WILD - Wake Initiated Lucid Dream. There are a few tutorials on it... I'd recommend starting with Seeker's "Five Phases" to explain more about what you have experienced. People don't experience the phases all the same.

I've had quite a bit of success with WILD, but only under certain seemingly rare circumstances. For me, Sleep Paralysis (SP) is a very pleasant tingling sensation accompanied by the feeling that I am just sinking deeper and deeper into whatever I'm laying on. If I choose to move, I can - but it snaps me right out of it... or so it seems. (More on this shortly.) I've never experienced the Old Hag, though the auditory parts have often startled me to waking.

The tricky aspect of WILD for me is making that transition between my real body to my "dream body." One way this can happen is just to get up! What happens then is what is often mistaken for an Out Of Body Experience (OBE), but I've tested this and it isn't. I literally just sit up out of my body and am in the surroundings I expect to be... except I'm dreaming. It is an odd experience. Once I'm "up," I can spin or pass through a mirror or fly through the roof or whatever and get into a dream.

The other transition is far more challenging for me. For it to happen, I have to hold a thread of consciousness right to the point where the HI has taken on full color and dimension. At this point, I am a third-party observer of a scene. If I don't "let go" at this point, I will wake back up. I have to essentially allow myself to fall asleep - to let go of that thread of consciousness - with the firm belief that I will remember it is a dream in a short time. Sometimes I do... often I don't. When it works, it's very cool.

As I mentioned, this seems to work only under rare circumstances for me - after I've had a lucid dream earlier in the night already. If I've had one, I can usually have many, WILDing over and over again.

That dream journal is a powerful tool. Keep it up. If you get frustrated with WILD, which is one of the more challenging techniques for most people, you might want to try MILD or DILD.

It is extremely encouraging to hear from a 60 year old. It is said that we can lose our ability to dream vividly, recall dreams and LD as we age. My dad, who is approaching 90, still dreams vividly, so there surely is hope.

Again, welcome to the community, Vee. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Welcome to DV! Glad to have a person that has experienced life enough to bring us many pieces of wisdom. Have a wonderful time here!

Hi PJ, Moonbeam, & Gwendolyn,
First thank you for the welcome. This is a really neat board. Thanks for the information on WILD PJ. I had heard of it but just didnt know what it really was. I will look into the "Five Phases" thing. Yes I think my being so quiet these days might have something to do with it. Having had no one to talk to really put me in some very strange moods when I went to bed. It all actually started with a knock knock joke....if you can believe that. I was jolly when I did it and was just kidding around but remember that saying in the Bible that says "Knock, and the door will open," Welllll. When I went to bed at night I would lie there and think KNOCK KNOCK in my mind and will it out into the universe. I did this because I didn't have anything else to do while I drifted off. I did it every night usually because why not? I sure wasnt doing anything else...including sleeping. I'm not sure how long I had been doing it when one night all hell broke loose. The first thing that happened is I got an answer back. It exploded round the back of my brain. Near the base from ear to ear. Your not going to believe it but it sounds (sounded) like a huge metallic door on rusty hinges opening. The first time I hear it I sat myself up in my bed in record time. I just sat there breathing really hard with my heart thumping hard. Then I thought, "Good grief!!! It works!" And that was the first thing that happened. Then I grinned and lay back down and was out like a light. Has anybody heard that sound?
Thanks for the welcome and all the information.
Blessings to all of you.
Vee

Hi and welcome!

About your door experience. It happens to me a lot. When I go to bed, from time to time, I fall into a daydream state and start seeing and/or hearing things while unconciously drifting to sleep. It's almost like a dream, but not quite. Anyway, sometimes while in that state of mind, I suddenly get woken up by a loud noise, anything from slamming doors to gun shots. As you said in your intro post, everything has a medical name. This could probably be Hypnogogic sound or the "exploding head syndrome". Scary name, the guy that named it was probably quite a joker.

Anyway, see you around !

Howdy Bonsay,
Yeah, except I had never heard anything like that until I played around with the knock knock. Do you figure that figures into it anywhere? Or was it just a coincidence. Ill tell ya why, cause I never had Hypnagogic incidences until I played around with the knock knock joke. Also, do you ever hear horn honking? Thanks for responding.
Vee

You know, actually it all started right after I started playing with lucid dreaming and stuff like that. Suddenly I could see things like small images and hear sounds when going to sleep or waking up (sometimes eaven douring the day). So yes, I do believe I started developing Hypnagoigc/pompic experiences myself, it's probably not just a coincidence.

Oh and I think I haven't heard horns yet .

Originally Posted by vee

Howdy Bonsay,
Yeah, except I had never heard anything like that until I played around with the knock knock. Do you figure that figures into it anywhere? Or was it just a coincidence. Ill tell ya why, cause I never had Hypnagogic incidences until I played around with the knock knock joke. Also, do you ever hear horn honking? Thanks for responding.
Vee

One of the WILD techniques involves keeping your mind working on something, be it counting breaths or repeating "I'm dreaming" over and over or visualizing something or concentrating on the HI itself. Repeating "knock knock" fits right in with that plan, keeping a thread of consciousness well into the hypnogogic state.

In one of my rare successful WILD's, I heard a sound like a lot of loud (really loud) gum-chewing. And this is really weird: Last night, as I went to sleep, I thought I heard a door in the house closing. I hoped it wasn't a burglar, but I figured it was in my head. I'm going to have to pay more attention to that; I missed the fact that I was experiencing one of those H-words.

I'm inspired to try WILD again; DILD is failing me big time. Thanks to Vee for bringing it up and pj for describing it, especially the "transition" part--I haven't experienced it enough to have thought about it like that, like letting yourself go to sleep and waking up in the dream.

And congratulations Vee, for discovering the WILD on your own--that is impressive!

Welcome so much to Dream Views! I'm also one of the "older but wiser" crowd.

There have been times when I was attempting to WILD when I did not see anything but darkness through my closed eyes, but I would suddenly hear sounds.. perhaps music, banging, or voices. I've learned to actually welcome these sounds as they let me know that I'm on my way to lucidity if only I don't panic, try to change the sounds or try to rush the dream. I just let the sounds wash over me until images appear or until I decide to roll off the bed/couch and walk away.

Again, welcome and I look forward to reading your posts!

.

Howdy back again to everybody,
Wow! So that's what wild is. Shoot. You never know what you'll do when your bored to death waiting for sleep huh? I would KNOCK KNOCK and listen, then KNOCK KNOCK and listen. It did take quite a few days before I heard the door. It might have even been a month. So that's what WILD is. Thanks for letting me know. I saw the dream Journal part of this forum. I need to take some time and read Moonbeams. I feel so far behind, I sure am glad I found this site. I hope to explore it more tomorrow. So anyway thanks for the welcome and the help. (I probably should say, especially after the knock theme, Im not no member of a church. Just spiritual I guess looking for spiritual things. I stopped being religious years ago when the preacher drowned me in the baptismal.
(ha ha)
Im serious!!
Vee

Originally Posted by vee

I stopped being religious years ago when the preacher drowned me in the baptismal.
(ha ha)
Im serious!!
Vee

*sigh*

We lose more converts that way.

:p

Originally Posted by vee

I feel so far behind, I sure am glad I found this site.

No, I don't think you are far behind. You must be a natural, so I bet when you learn some more techniques you will really take off. It is easier for some people than others, it seems, and you may be one of the lucky ones.

Originally Posted by vee

I stopped being religious years ago when the preacher drowned me in the baptismal.
(ha ha)
Im serious!!
Vee

Yeah, I was baptised too! Only it wasn't the overall dunking that got to me as much as the flock of little old church ladies that descended on me afterward to dry me off!!

.