getting back to sleep using MILD

**IsaacLucid** · 08-21-2007 05:40 PM

last night I awake 4.5 hours into my sleep as always to being my first dream journal session of the night. I was using the MILd method. As i lay in bed, after recording the previous dream, telling myself "Next time I am dreaming, I ant to Recognize I am dreaming.", and finding a dreamsign in the previous dream, then picturing myself doing some dream activity, i could not go back to sleep for about 4 hours. It was extremely frustrating, as i could really feel one coming last night, i felt like i was in the right mind/mood and ready to go. However, being unable to go back to sleep for so long, made me frustrated and eventually unfocused and i went back to sleep not becoming lucid nearly 4.5 hours later. anyone have simliar experience? usually i goto sleep too quick and do not become lucid, but this time i really thought i had it, frustrating to say the least.

**Adam** · 08-21-2007 06:07 PM

Sounds to me like you were concentrating too much and thus keeping yourself awake. If you have trouble with this perhaps the DEILD technique might be more beneficial to you since you have no trouble falling back to sleep when you wake up?

**Elucive** · 08-21-2007 06:42 PM

You know...I've also had the same problem as you, not being able to fall asleep.

I think next time you're tying MILD, don't do it as soon as you get into bed, start to sleep and lay there until you know you're about to drift off/ lose conciousness, then start repeating your mantra. I've learned that the proper time to use a mantra is when you're at the point of dozing off, cause since you're in a trance state affirmations are more likely to stick to your subconcious.

The tricky part of doing this is knowing when you're about to drift off. The way I know when I'm about to drift off is when my mind starts throwing random images and I can't think rationally any more, then I "catch" myself before falling asleep.

Hope I've helped you.

**Spartiate** · 08-22-2007 12:28 AM

You can't "actively" think of your autosuggestion, or else you will never lose consciousness (might as well try a WILD in that case...). It's kind of hard to explain, but the autosuggestion should come naturally from your subconscious, as opposed to having to repeat it yourself. When I am about to fall asleep, all those voices I hear that usually spurt out random stuff start to repeat my autosuggestion that is ingrained into my subconscious. This is the only way that works, because MILD requires that your last thoughts be centered on lucid dreaming. So even if you were able to fall asleep while thinking actively, you still risk the chance of your thoughts drifting away before you fall asleep. The trick is to have your mind "wander" to thoughts of lucid dreaming.