Thread: Can't fall asleep or get to SP

Hello guys. My name is Theo and I'm new here, and I got a little question regarding WILDing.

So, I tried it during an afternoon nap both yesterday and today and failed both times. I guess I had the "black hole effect" because I am not sure if I was sleeping or just time-lost. Now I know that practice makes perfect and no dreamers succeed on their very first try, but it still kinda devastates me to spend about 3-4 hours in vain, so could you guys please correct me if I am doing anything wrong?

I am lying on my bed during an afternoon nap, relax, switch on some Theta binaural beats in my headphones on about half the maximum volume, then I find a comfortable position and start counting my breath: "One. I am sleeping. Two. I am sleeping..."
But no matter how long I do this (I think I've been doing it no less than a half an hour), I won't fall asleep or get into SP. I had this feeling when your limbs are numb and you can't feel them, but I felt that I can move them if needed. Note that I did feel tired and sleepy before going to nap and if I did not attempt a WILD, I am sure I would have fallen asleep pretty soon.

What can possibly be a problem here? Maybe I should try that without the beats, because I am generally sensitive to external sounds while trying to sleep, but I thought it would help. Also, can I swallow saliva and "blink" with my closed eyes (kind of straining and then relaxing them, helps when you get a nasty feel like something is stuck in your eye)? Or does that count as a stopper for the SP?

Any heads-up is appreciated and sorry if this thread is like thousands of other threads out there hehe.

Cheers, friends.
Theo.

I would suggest using the binaural beats until you feel super relaxed. Then slowly and casually take them off. Once you get that numb arms feeling, I would change your anchor to something more passive than counting. The counting could also be what is keeping you awake. Try the counting until you get the numb limbs feeling and then switch to observing the darkness of your closed eyes. Continue to fall into a deeper and deeper sense of relaxation. Basically, just sleep while watching the darkness.

You can swallow and blink, just try not to pay attention to it. If you have to swallow, just go ahead and naturally swallow. If you need to do a closed eye blink, go ahead. Just act as if you had never done it and carry on with the process. Fighting off swallowing and the urge to blink is often times much worse than actually going ahead blinking/swallowing.

Good Luck to you and if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask!