Excessive False Awakenings

**TheC** · 03-22-2011 07:11 PM

Hey there,
I've been trying to have a WILD for a few weeks now, and I have managed to get feel sleep paralysis several times, but it always ends in a false awakening. I've been having severe trouble differentiating these dreams from reality. I'm aware that doing a reality check would help, but I'm having a hard time knowing to do so right when I wake up, even when it's an actual awakening. Also, these false awakenings make it difficult to remember to reality checks.
For example, one false awakening simply had me slowly falling off of the bed because I couldn't move in the sleep paralysis. My bed is rather high set, so this sort of panicked me, and made me forget about any checks. Other false awakenings aren't as rough, such as one where my TV had been turned on, and my laptop had been moved. I had believed the TV had woken me up, but it was really a false awakening.

Are there any hints to help combat false awakenings a bit better?

Thanks.

**Raphael** · 03-22-2011 09:55 PM

Practice RCs while in your bed constantly before going to sleep, and RC every time you WILD even if you're sure you failed. I don't much else to say

It sounds to me like you just need to remember to do it, and that's a matter of repetition and focus.

I wouldn't recommend trying to combat false awakenings, I don't know how much good that would do. I find that false awakenings are the best and easiest opportunities to becoming lucid. However, if you would rather be inducted into the dream some place else, you could try a VILD, which is basically a WILD except you visualize the dreamscape and enter it directly through that image.

If you want some more information on this technique you could check out the tutorial section (linked below) or read arby's technique: http://www.dreamviews.com/f12/how-vi...ctively-40861/

**jguitar** · 03-23-2011 01:47 AM

I've had quite the issues with false awakenings before, and failed in all of them. Most of the time, they're REALLY similar to my actual room, but sometimes, they're blatantly obvious, such as one time where I was in an impossible position. Working on RC's would be your best bet, I think.

**TheC** · 03-24-2011 06:35 AM

Thanks Rafael, I'll look into the VILD's, they seem to be pretty interesting. I suppose I didn't mean to say "combat" false awakenings in the sense of stopping them altogether, but just a way to fight the tendency to believe the false awakenings to be true. I'll keep practicing the reality checks and try out the VILD, too, and see how it goes.

**KingYoshi** · 03-24-2011 03:11 PM

To train yourself to perform RCs after waking from sleep, you could try the following. Find some sort of object that isn't normally found at your bedside. Place it somewhere near your bed, so that you notice it after you wake from sleep. Every time you see this object perform a RC. You could also tape a message or use some sort of sticker to place on the ceiling above your bed. Every time you see it, perform a RC.

**TheC** · 04-02-2011 08:58 PM

I had my first true WILD this morning! I mixed together a few ideas to attain lucidity from the false awakening. It seems every time I have a false awakening, I wake up being "flung" into the world, usually meaning I'm waking up either falling off of my bed, or stumbling on my feet. This alone was a pretty large sign, but it was always hard for me to accept it instantly as a dream, because I always have a turning sensation in sleep paralysis that I have trouble stopping. I combined that sign with a bit of a mantra when falling asleep, a simple "don't be fooled". So, when I woke up being "flung" onto the floor, I remembered "don't be fooled", and started my reality checks. It was surprising, I almost fell for the dream. Even after a few checks I wasn't completely certain I was dreaming. Eventually I realized that the window in my room was placed somewhere where it wasn't, and that tipped me off.