Staying Aware

**GetPwned** · 08-22-2012 08:21 PM

So, just like everybody else on this sub-forum, I have been at WILDing for awhile now. I always pair it with a WBTB as suggested by virtually all the big name WILD techniques. My strategy for waking myself up usually consists of walking around in a circle for three minutes until I feel ready and heading back to bed. I feel like I have the strategy of the WILD down, but the only hard part remaining for me is maintaining the awareness that is crucial for a lucid dream. Methods that I have heard include listening to a backround noise, sleeping in slight discomfort, and counting to ten repeatedly in my head. However, with each of these, I can never maintain awareness. Even if im counting, at some point my brain just decides that it doesnt want to anymore and pulls me into a normal dream. I can never tell when this happens, all i know is that when I wake up it didnt work and im frustrated. As far as anchors are concerned, I dont know how hard I should be focusing on it, since ive been told too much attention will prevent you from falling asleep and too little will not induce an LD. So my question is, what strategy do you use to maintain awareness throughout a WILD?

Any comments/feedback is appreciated. :3

**LucidDreamGod** · 08-22-2012 10:08 PM

It's actually quite normal to occasionally zone out during a WILD attempt. One possible guess is that you're doing a wbtb that is too long, then attempting to WILD but you just lay there for a long time and get bored with your anchor and forget it and enter normal dreams. What you want to happen is to be in a kind of state where you zone out roughly every 5 or so minutes and come back to your anchor after a moment or so, eventually you will zone out, then come back to your anchor, but you will be in a dream.

**October** · 08-22-2012 10:52 PM

In my own personal experience in this, I found that the actual dream attributes to this issue for me. For example. I had one dream I became aware of so I decided to fly. I was on top of a 10 story building and started flying. I started doubting myself and began to descend, not fall, just fly lower. I compare that to when Peter saw Jesus walking on water. He tried it and took a couple of steps looked around and began doubting himself and began to sink. Same thing. So the dream does attribute to it. Another time I was so enjoying the dream I willfully wanted to forget it was a dream. try that one lol! So I can't say for sure what is going on with you, but I can share my own observations. Practice and try to stay focus if you can!

**GetPwned** · 08-22-2012 11:09 PM

Thanks for the tip. For you, is this zoning out usually intentional? or does it just kind of happen when you start to drift off and you catch yourself again?

**gab** · 08-22-2012 11:19 PM

Originally Posted by GetPwned

Thanks for the tip. For you, is this zoning out usually intentional? or does it just kind of happen when you start to drift off and you catch yourself again?

In my opinion, this starts to happen, or better said, you will start noticing it after you start practicing daytime awareness and you are more aware of the process of falling asleep. It is desirable to be going in and out like that.

**XaldiN** · 08-22-2012 11:27 PM

Three minutes? If I spin in a circle for 3 seconds i'll vomit instantly.. Anyway you should find the enough amount of awareness you need. So you must practice and fail sometimes by falling asleep and sometimes by staying awake, then you will know the right balance which should keep you aware through sleep paralysis waves then to dreaming.
Edit: not sure if that helps, I don't fully understand the problem

**LucidDreamGod** · 08-22-2012 11:33 PM

Yes it's natural, you focus on your anchor and suddenly find your thoughts trailing off, sometimes your thoughts will take almost dream like narratives, though I've heard of one very proficient WILDer on here who had found some abstract way to stimulate his brain to zone out much more, but I couldn't grasp it.