help with WILDing please

So every night before bed I try to WILD. Basically what I do is lie there and don't move and try to relax myself. I try to picture a scene and concentrate on it hard. My problem is that I usually just end up falling asleep instead of ever entering a dream. I try to think about it when I wake up but I can only recall thinking of my scenario, then blackness, then a dream.

Sometimes I also just try concentrating on nothing and just the blackness I see before my eyes. However I don't ever get images that appear.. or maybe I do but I don't know it. Can someone please better explain HI to me? Are they clear images that you see? or are they shapes of light that you see when you close your eyes? Anyways, any help would be greatly appreciated

-skunk

It's not a good idea to WILD right at bedtime, because you're not likely to dream. You are guaranteed to dream when in the REM stage, which it takes approximately 90 minutes to reach after you have fallen asleep.

The best time to WILD is after 4-6 hours of sleep, but this varies from person to person. It's all about experimenting a bit here.

I would describe HIs as mental images. When I see them at first, it doesn't look like they are really there, yet I see them. They tend to change, and sometimes move. The closer to sleep you are, the more vivid they will get. When you use HIs to enter a lucid dream, you will see them gradually get more vivid until they become a dream. This will typically happen quite seamlessly.

There are other WILD methods, but this is the one that works for me. I hope this helps you. :)

thanks for the reply. Quite interesting.. I will try to WILD later on then. I usually wake up a few times during the night so I'll do it then. I always fall right back asleep very easily so that would make sense

Ya i would suggest trying a WBTB along side your original wild. Through some experimenting the last week I get farther in the transition a hell of a lot faster after a few hours of sleep..

I also have problems visualizing HI, or a setting I want my dream to take place, I run into this problem in everyday live, visualization.. or an exception photo memory has never been a strong point. One thing I have found that helps try using a different method other then visualization.. There are many ways to make the transition..

Im no expert at wilds, but some tips that have brought me closer more consistently are

One that I have become fond of using tactile sensations..

Hmm, instead of trying to "see" shapes and stuff, imagine yourself walking around a very familiar setting, like your hallway or back yard... as you walk through it (mentally of course), touch the walls, feel the texture.. Try to do this in a scene where there is alot of variation. I personally use my backyard most times.

I imagine walking around on my deck, bending over and feeling the texture of the wooden floor, the curves leading to the gaps in between boards.. Walking down the stairs, FEEL the wind blowing, feel your body physically walking DOWN the stairs.. I usually imagine myself running my hand or fingers down the railing as i prodede, and this stays true no matter where i go.. its what sets it apart from trying to visualize a scene, and feeling your way around a scene. touch the siding on your house, is it smooth? rough? wet or dry? Can you feel bumps? Texture is one of the most important parts. Feel the grass, feel the cement walk way, the lock on your shed, the bark on the trees.. etc etc.. there no limit, you can do as little or as much as you like. Doesnt need to be in your backyard, make it somewhere easily accessable, something that in your waking hours you can walk around and.. get a feel for the area.. this includes everything from touch, sight, sounds, smells, tastes.. whatever you can gather.. I dont taste alot in my backyard personally :P, but I can smell the grass and the fresh air, and that tend to correspond very close to taste for me.. you dont need all 5 senses to step into a dream, visualization is just a very common one.


Personally find this incredibly easy to do, and vision seems to follow shortly behind. I spend maybe 5 or 10 minutes a day just walking around, try to really appreciate everything around you, so you have a better idea of what you really see/feel etc.. I just find that by feeling my way across objects allows me to remember it easier, and almost paint a picture or scene with an incredible amount of detail with next to no thinking. It just happens. Obviously in the back of my mind is a sitting image of what my backyard looks like, its so familiar to me its hard not to.. So once I attribute another sense (touch usually next), the image just naturally flows together, its almost like my brain naturally "paints" the textures and things onto this blank canvas in my mind, and from there.. common knowledge of what my back yard looks like just adds to it.

I think this is where most people get caught up, they try to visualize this big abstract area, and your mind gets caught up on all the details because your really building it all from scratch, or maybe combining what you already know.. You either get caught up to much, stay awake, or get to distracted/frustrated that you cannot paint this crystal clear image of a fairy land with hobbits running around etc, etc, whatever you may "want" to dream about..

If any of what im saying at all makes sense, try something other then visualization to start off with, I find once you get going its easy, just starting off is where I have problems.. MANY people are fond of tactile senses, and I presonally feel using them helps me alot in the transitional state.. I dont always make it, but its just.. defiantly alot easier to get over the hill usually.

Long story short, When your imagining a scene, do not think solely of what it looks like. Can you feel the wind blowing? Hear birds chirping, maybe hear your footsteps as you walk down your stairs? Feel the texture of the wood, grass, etc? Maybe if your in a garden do you smell the roses? Feel the shape of things, corners.. feel the transition from cement to grass, etc.. It really limitless, just use your imagination to do more then see :)

Sorry for such a long post, I kinda started rambling =/ Hopefully you can pull something out of it, best thing I can say is experiment, play around, find what works for you.. no two brains are the same :)