Do you ever wonder how many of the lucid experiences on here are real or made up? I was wondering that today as i went over an experience from last night. It would be cool to think that all of the ones you read on here are real...I hope so.
Anyways I had a lucid dream last night. I came across and have browsed this forum for a few weeks now, but I've been working on this for a couple of years. The reason I decided to post is because even though I've gotten pretty consistent with becoming conscious in dreams, and all of the wonder that goes along with that, last night I managed my first WILD.
WILD's:
Looking back, it's frustrating how many times I came close to having WILD's when I was younger, and didn't even know it, so I freaked out. Mainly from the sleep paralysis. Anyone else the same? You wake up for one reason or another, and then lay back down to go to sleep. Your mind's a little busy, so you're paying a lot of attention to the "darkness" of your closed eyes. Next thing you know, your feel paralyzed and realize you're seeing weird images, so you freak out and wake up thinking "what the h*ll is wrong with me!?"
Well after years of learning what Lucid Dreaming is, and how a WILD works, it suddenly becomes a rush of an experience. Knowing that you're about to enter your own little matrix or mind as in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a rush in and of itself.
Going to Sleep:
I'd never really tried a WILD before, but last night I did, probably only the second time ever. To cut the crap leading up to it, it was successful. The reason this time is so interesting to me is because it was the most "conscious" I've ever been in a dream. Perhaps WILD's are just more vivid than other types, I don't know. But I was conscious and clear thinking enough to contemplate all the things I know about lucid dreaming while I was in the dream. For that reason, I played around with it for a bit, instead of just living out fantasies like usual. You know, no one on here can deny living out sexual fantasies in their dreams when they become lucid and in some level of control. Why wouldn't we? You can safely do whatever you want, wherever you want, with whoever you want. Then there are all of the other great things like flying and creating and yadayada.
The Dream Begins:
Well this time I had more control over myself than ever. When my cognitive imagery or whatever one would label it actually turned into a "dream world", the world was pretty much black. By "turning into a dream world", I refer to the point where your mind separates from your physical body, and you are able to navigate and operate from inside of your head, imagination and mind. There was nothing there, just myself and darkness, so it wasn't hard for me to stay focused and lucid.
I didn't want to spin yet because I was afraid my sleep was still too weak and it would get my heart rate up and cause me to awaken. Instead I just decided to start walking through the hallway. As I began to step forward, that thought alone suddenly put me in the hallway of my house. The funny thing about dreams, or at least for me, is you don't recognize the transition. You don't see the darkness suddenly become hallway; you just, suddenly notice you aren't in darkness anymore, you're in your house.
Unfortunately it was all too realistic. I began looking for my cellphone to see what time it was, it must be late, or early, I had no idea. I saw the clock on the wall before I found my phone though, and it was, I think 3AM. Whatever it was, it made me think "wow it's late, I should get to bed." That's when I remembered...we don't have a clock on our wall. I looked back. The clock was gone. "That's better," I thought, "I'd better get to bed though, it's still late." Fortunately that is where I caught myself. I was dreaming. It's funny how easy it is to lose your lucidity if you get too confident. The rest of my dream was basic but great. I did fly, which I do often, walked across the Delaware River (Yeah, I live in Philly), and played with the Dream Characters. There is a lot of talk about DC's around here, I see. Remember that they are extensions either of your own persona, or your perception of the persona of others in your life. Asking them questions is always fun, mainly because depending on your attitude and mood, their answers will be completely different. They aren't stupid though, only when you want them to be. Remember, this is your mind, not the Sims ;) Also, spinning is a wonderful thing. I wish I knew how it works. My guess is that it relates to the confusion that our sensory perception gets when we spin in real life (ie: our eyes become blurred and inner ear becomes dizzied). So, when we do it in our dreams, it throws our concentration off to a point that sets us firmly back into our dream, and creates a feeling that makes environmental transitions more believable. If we can't see it change, it gives us more confidence that we can make it change. The same goes for the fact that it's easier to "summon" friends and other people by telling ourselves they are around the corner than by trying to simply manifest them in front of our eyes. We aren't limited to physics in dreams...but it's still hard for us to convince ourselves of that completely.
Anyways, I just thought that I would break the norm and share my dream in a way that will touch on some of the techniques and problems involved in lucid dreaming, so others can relate. I'd love to hear what those on here think. I can't freakin' wait for my next WILD!
