Thread: WILDs without prior sleep TUTORIAL

INTRO
This is the type of WILD that everybody attempts when they first find out about lucid dreaming because of the sheer excitement. They read through their first WILD guide and they're intoxicated by the thought of living dreams every night for the rest of their life now that they've stumbled onto this 'secret'.

Little do they know....haha.

And before you read on, this is NOT a guide on how to get the perfect lucid every night without having to wake up in the middle of the night. This is merely my contribution to those who do want to learn from my technique.

Well first a little about me, so you know where this is coming from. I'm a natural lucid dreamer (lucky me) and my first was at about five. My dream recall was so awful back then however, the occasional lucid dream (I naturally have them about once a month without trying at all) was never a focus for me. However, come third or fourth grade, as I was kinda discovering the internet, I found out that other people were having the same experiences! And did exactly what I mentioned in the introduction. Wasting two to three hours a night lying exactly still trying to stop my damned mouth from salivating, dying to get that itch behind my ear, fighting to stay conscious.

But then results. After years and years I finally was able to consistently (well, sort of, but we'll get there later) WILD the second I went to bed night, without prior sleep.

First, the pros and cons of this method:

PROS
- no need for WBTB, just into bed, and go
- convenience

CONS
- clarity and stability is really hard to attain
- dream recall suffers as such
- can take anywhere from fifteen minutes to a few hours (though if you follow my instructions, should be the former)
- 'streaky' consistency (more on this later)

And finally the tutorial itself:

1: MENTALITY
I know, I know, every tutorial everywhere pushes this, and it seems like a small thing but it is very VERY important. In fact, this is most of the foundation for this technique and cannot be done without confidence. This is why this method tends to work in 'streaks'. After one successful WILD the next couple nights are easy as pie when you're riding off the confidence of the last lucid. But once the streak breaks, you've got to get that confidence back. So when you attempt the first lucid, you've really got to believe you're awesome at this. This is honestly probably the hardest part of the procedure so once you've got this down, it's shouldn't be too hard.

2: PRE-TECHNIQUE
Something that people often forget when they attempt to lucid dream is that dreaming tends to require oh...I don't know....SLEEP. They attempt the technique, fully focused on the whole, staying still, aiming for SP and they forget to actually let themselves FALL ASLEEP. Now, this is easier said than done obviously and requires a lot of relaxation. The best way to achieve this I think, is to find that perfect level of sleepyness. Experiment on some free nights on how sleepy you are when you go to bed. If you find that juuuussstt right spot, the procedure really can take less than fifteen minutes.

3: TECHNIQUE
Funnily enough, the technique section here is probably the least important. I've toyed with who knows how many different little techniques over the years and I've really found that the previous two sections are infinitely more useful, no matter the specific technique. However, I will list a couple that I've found to be particularly handy. These are kind of compiled from years of personal research and lurking amongst these here forums so you may have seen tidbits elsewhere.

My procedure:
a. I lay down and just get comfortable. I just act as if I'm going to sleep. Standard rolling and shifting to get comfortable.

b. When I feel like I'm getting to close to my 'level' I lay on my back, arms to my side. It doesn't really matter if any limbs are touching.

c. I focus on the back of my eyelids (if you can feel strain, you're focusing too hard)

d. I begin to focus on my breathing. I find this part most effective. I count from 1 to 10, a number for every breath I inhale. When I get to 10, I go back to 1 and start over. A little trick I learned in a monastery in southern Taiwan that the resident monks used for meditation. (although I'm sure it's used elsewhere) It takes very little concentration so that you can fall asleep, but paying attention to having to go back to 1, rather than continue on to 11 keeps you conscious. Something I tacked on my self is to imagine yourself sinking into the mattress with every exhalation. Most of the the time I feel the center of my body begin to feel heavier first and then my extremities begin to succumb to sleep paralysis.

e. This is the crucial turning point for me. When I enter sleep paralysis I tend to have a hard time bringing it into an actual dream. At this point, if it works, then yay! However if it doesn't, it won't work no matter how hard I try for the rest of the night and I just concede and hope for a DILD. It's here that really takes the practice. Just like it takes practice to learn the nuances of movement and thought in a sport, you just have to experience this moment time and time again to get a feel for what's going to get you that dream. Too much consciousness and I end up pulling out of SP. Too little and I just fall asleep.

f. As I mentioned before, once you actually make it in, dreams as achieved by this technique tend to be very difficult to stabilize. I suggest you look at the scores of guides for stabilization. This part also just takes practice and experience.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope it's helpful in some way shape or form. If even one person takes something positive away from this, I'll be happy (:

I'd really like to get some feedback on how this is working for other people too, so if you try it and get good or bad results, put em here. Happy dreaming!

Hey man! Great guide! I'll defenitely try this. The counting from 1 to 10 and then back to 1 without continuing to 11 was really smart. I've attempted WILDs without any luck lol, i went from maybe 1 to 150 and at 50 my body felt heavy, at 100 i think i might be in SP because i no longer feel connected to my body. Between a hundred and hundredfifty i start "seeing" things, for example suddenly i have to parry a wave hitting my kajak lol, then i realize im just lying in bed. Here one of two things happen.

1. I get too excited and i get too concious and awake or
2. I try again but fall asleep without WILDing.

This tip with counting from 1-10 and back might just do it!

Originally Posted by Shan

This tip with counting from 1-10 and back might just do it!

I agree! I tried to WILD before sleep yesterday and the 1-10 then back to 1 counting method seems very effective. I used to count to 100 then start over again. Then I tried to count backwards from 100 because it took a little more thought to keep it right. The only problem is that i would lose my place and eventually forget what i was doing and fall asleep unaware. When i tried this new counting method, having to come back to 1 would bring back just enough awareness to keep me from falling asleep unaware. I had to give up last night because i had to get up for work early and i was afraid that i would lose too much sleep. I can sleep in tomorrow so, i'll give it a try before sleep and then about 4 and half hours into my sleep so i should be in the beginning of third REM cycle. I think this method of counting will give me that level of awareness that i need to fall asleep yet stay aware. The returning to 1 seems to work like a safety net for me.

The only thing i would change is to count on the exhale rather than the inhale. I remember seeing in another WILD guide on the DV forums (i can't remember which) that we fall asleep on an exhale because that is when our body relaxes most. They gave the example of when we sigh. We feel the relaxing feeling or calming feeling of a sigh on the exhale rather than the inhale. You can test it out now. Take a big inhale then let it all out. The inhale is probably not as comforting as the exhale (unless maybe you've been holding your breath, lol.) This just my personal preference, it seems to work better for me.

Originally Posted by Meakel

[CENTER]INTRO
This is the type of WILD that everybody attempts when they first find out about lucid dreaming because of the sheer excitement. They read through their first WILD guide and they're intoxicated by the thought of living dreams every night for the rest of their life now that they've stumbled onto this 'secret'.

Little do they know....haha.

That's exactly what I did when I first heard about LD.

When I first learned about WILD, I'd always try to stay still even though I had to fall asleep first (if doing it during a WBTB). Nice guide.

Dark_grimmjow

Keep us updated the day after tomorrow eh?

Awesome. I won't be doing this before bed. But during wbtb I'll implement some of the things you mentioned.

I was going to get to sleep late until my body said i'd had enough sleep, but my dad has other plans. I get to go get scrap metal at 8am, woot! I'm not going to let that stop me from trying WILD anyway. Who knows, maybe i'll get a chance at a nap WILD when we get done. I hope i get a chance to sleep late again soon.

Will be trying this in just a few minutes, and during a WBTB tonight. Post results sometime tomorrow.

I failed. I felt what i think was mild sp onset in my lower body, but nothing past that. I messed up trying to do it 4 and half hours into sleep so i had to try 7 hours in. I think the hardest part of WILD is finding that mental balance of awareness. Too much and you lay there awake like i did, or to little and you fall asleep unaware. Maybe i'll get to try a nap WILD a little later. Guess i'll try again tonight too.

Originally Posted by dark_grimmjow

I failed. I felt what i think was mild sp onset in my lower body, but nothing past that. I messed up trying to do it 4 and half hours into sleep so i had to try 7 hours in. I think the hardest part of WILD is finding that mental balance of awareness. Too much and you lay there awake like i did, or to little and you fall asleep unaware. Maybe i'll get to try a nap WILD a little later. Guess i'll try again tonight too.

):

Yeah, naps would be a good idea. Or, find a day where you can stay up a little later. And by a little later, I mean a lot later. You have to be pretty damn sleepy in my experience. Not pass-out-the-second-I-hit-the-pillow sleepy, but it's close.

Thank you so much for the feedback guys! It's really helpful and hopefully with your trials eventually I can get a revised version in the future so that everyone can enjoy not having to wake up in the middle of the night (:

Happy dreaming!

I was doing this last night. 1,2,3.... wait what number was I on? oh right, 4,5... Uhh where was I?

I was fading so quick, I just fell asleep.

I'm going to give this a try tonight. I'm experienced with WBTB WILDs but have never had success with a WILD before bed.

Originally Posted by Mancon

I'm going to give this a try tonight. I'm experienced with WBTB WILDs but have never had success with a WILD before bed.

It is very hard and not very rewarding at first, let me tell you haha.

I got to take a nap but i was not successful. I have a hard time getting to sleep for naps so trying to WILD while taking a nap was keeping me awake. I thought that if i gave up that i might stumble into sp, like on other occasions. I just fell asleep unaware, nice nap though =). I'm going to try again tonight. I may not be the type of person that can WILD before sleep just because i have such a difficult time falling asleep initially every night. If i wake up after falling asleep the first time then i generally don't have any issues falling back to sleep. I may have to try using this technique after getting some sleep first. After i get proficient at WILDing after getting sleep first, then i think i'll have a better chance at WILDing before bed. Will keep trying! I still feel like this counting method will be a big help.

I'll do it tomorrow night. I have SP'd while awake, but not intentionally.

I'll try and use some of these ideas in my WBTB attempts. And I suppose it can't hurt to give it a try when I go to bed at the start of the night too...

I tried again but no luck. I set an alarm for 3 hours into my sleep, i woke up about 20 min. before the alarm went off. I tried it then but after counting to 10 twice, i forgot what i was doing =P. I guess i was too sleepy that time. I probably should have stayed up a little longer. Just have to keep trying! Will try again tonight.

I didn't try last night because of having to get up early for work. I will definitely try again tonight. I don't have to be at work until 12 in the afternoon so i'll have plenty of time to sleep late. I really want an ld, there's a door teleporting technique i really want to try. I'll have to be a little more focused this time around. I know i can do it!

Awsome guide!! i May try it soon! I stop lucid dreaming and WILDs cause i had school but now that it summer and i just watched inception again i think im gonna start tryoing again before school starts up again! Kepp dreaming guys!

Originally Posted by HigherDreamer

Awsome guide!! i May try it soon! I stop lucid dreaming and WILDs cause i had school but now that it summer and i just watched inception again i think im gonna start tryoing again before school starts up again! Kepp dreaming guys!

Well I think what's most useful about this technique is the convenience. Waking up for WBTB can screw you over for school or work but this method can keep your schedule intact. Though when attempting this when you have arrangements in the morning, it's best to keep track of the time and not attempt it for 3 hours otherwise you lose too much sleep.

I've been getting better and better at this as time has gone on. I've always tried WILD without WBTB, dunno why its stupid I guess but at least the prolonged time to get into SP has given me a lot of room to see my errors. So far yesterday without WBTB I hit SP a good four or five times and just within 30/40 minutes just couldn't stay in it long enough. My body was completely paralyzed though, when I tried to get up it was extremely difficult. Hell if I don't manage it without WBTB its good practice at least, I feel as if I'm so close . I might aswell stop being lazy, start trying WILD again with WBTB, succeed and then I can apply what I've learnt to WILD w/o WBTB. Like you said once you succeed once it becomes easy. I guess its like learning to ride a bike.

very interesting. this is the third mention of finding the "right sleepiness" for a WILD technique that i have come across. it finally hit me that i probably already know the perfect time. i have noticed for awhile that when i am trying to fall asleep, i always reach a point where i realize - 'ok, i'm definitely about to fall asleep now.' it is very noticeable when i am listening to an audiobook, because this is the exact point i decide to turn the audiobook off. i think 'ok, sleepy time..', hit the pause button, and roll over for sleep. next time that happens, i'll try to WILD and see what results