Why isn't WILD working for me?

[ellzzrawrr]

Hey peoples! So, about a month or two ago, I got into lucid dreaming and for ages I've been trying to WILD, however it just never seems to work. What I do is lay still in a comfortable position for about 45 minutes when I go to bed (which is pretty late, like 11 PM - 1 AM) before my body starts feeling numb. And then when the numbness has reached most of my body (but I can still move), I start getting rapid eye movements. They continue for about 10 minutes before they start slowing down. O: And then nothing else really happens...although, once, I had this feeling where it felt like I was spinning right but I think that was because my head was tilted that way. I've tried it several times but the furthest I've gotten is what I described above. Eventually, I either give up or fall asleep. I remember LD-ing when I was about 8 but I think that was the only time I did it. So yeah! If you guys can maybe give me some tips or maybe tell me what I'm doing wrong, it'd be great! Thank you!

[sean95]

The reason it's not working is because you're doing it straight before you go to bed - you need to get about 4 to 6 hours of sleep before you do your WILDs. It's possible to do it without prior sleep, but pretty unlikely.

[Mzzkc]

Do yourself a solid and read the pertinent guides in my sig. They'll save you quite a lot of trouble in the long run. Oh, and welcome to DV.

[BobbyLance]

I agree with 1234567, don't WILD directly, you need to WBTB(wake back to bed) first before WILDing. It's a step not to be missed. Also, always be confident. Don't doubt yourself. Think as if you're the greatest Lucid Dreamer that ever lived, and you had thousands of LDs back then and the next one will be just a piece of cake for you. Hope this helps

[surrealdreams]

hears you're problem you need to try to wild between 4-5:30 as this is when the sweet spot is i suggest being very relaxed and have the right mindset say to you're self "i can WILD" hope this helps

[cmind]

I think she has another problem, which is that she's trying to force something to happen by lying still and waiting, where she should be falling asleep. Waiting =/= falling asleep.

[Mzzkc]

Yup.

[Alric]

Others pointed it out, but I will explain why. What you need to understand is that there are stages of sleep, and dreams usually only happen during REM sleep. When you first go to bed the first couple of stages of sleep you enter, prior to entering REM(which is the last stage) are very long. As the night progresses the other stages of sleep become shorter and REM becomes longer. Now when you do a WILD you are basically trying to remain awake through the first couple stages of sleep, until you reach the REM, and enter a dream. Doing it prior to sleep is the worst time to try it, since that is when those early stages are at their longest. Doing a WILD in the morning after you wake up(if you can manage going back to sleep), or during a nap is a lot better.