I can't transition

After the noises that I hear in my head (loud bangs and gunshots) I can never transition properly. I stay calm with the noises and they don't bother me now that I've learned to deal with it, but after the episode, I just go to sleep without meaning to. Other times I feel the transition and it's like i'm "warping" but when I do that I wake up.

What can I do differently to transition? Also do I absolutely have to do the WBTB technique? I know it's helpful, but I usually go to bed late and when I wake up the sun is out and it's hard for me to go back to sleep that way.

WBTB is not just helpful, but crucial. It will help you not fall asleep into unconscious sleep and stay awake long enough for a dream to form so you have something to enter.

You can go to bed earlier, do WBTB while it's still dark outside, draw the courtains, use an eyemask...

When you feel those sensations, you are very close to LD. Are you using any type of an anchor? Something that would remind you what you doing? Some of the most popular ones are mantras and counting.

http://www.dreamviews.com/wake-initi...ntry-wild.html
WILD sageous

I WILD on my bedtime because I know it's not impossible or harder than a WBTB either, because I have succeded a few times. So I see no reason to not do it on my bedtime.
Also I have found that even if I fail the WILD attempt by for example falling asleep unconsciously, it's still a better way of falling asleep than the normal sleep routine.

Because normally we just fall asleep by closing our eyes and basically indirectly intend to fall asleep unaware.

But when we WILD and accidently fall asleep we are from the point of going to bed and accidently falling asleep, intending to stay aware the whole time!
And when we "fail" and fall asleep unconsciously, that intent is still there. So in an indirect way WILDing is a powerful tool for MILD/ DILD.

I have also found that by occupying your mind with the intention of staying aware and depending on the way you WILD, but usually it's something to focus on, you are also falling asleep in a much more efficient way, compared to the normal sleep routine of thinking about worries and concerns, things stressing you etc. which only will be transfered to our dreams making us either have nightmares or hectic hazy dreams that are harder to become aware of.

So in my experience WILDing at your bedtime is not only something you CAN do, it's in fact something you SHOULD do!
Atleast in a DILD perspective, but since the other option is WILD you can now see how it is relevant for both.
So do this or atleast meditate to fall asleep in a calmer manner.

You can always choose to WBTB later if you really want to, but it's all about personal preferences.

And for your question about how to transition:

All I can say is that you can't really force it. If I open a door and you are trying to will yourself to go through it, nothing will happen.
Because you need to walk through it. You open the door to the non-physical reality through relaxation and you walk through it by moving your awareness through it. The way you move your awareness is by moving your awareness from the physical to the non-physical, just like the way you go through a door is by moving you body from the inside to the outside.Simple logic really, and you do this by focusing on something non-physical like a visualization and forget about your physical body and bedroom. Because when you are focusing on the physical you ARE in the physical, but when you focus on the non-physical you ARE in the non-physical. So in the door example you move your body, but in this WILD example you move your focus of awareness. If you can fully let go of the physical reality you will then be in the non-physical reality. This takes a little practise and in the beginning you will exist partly in the physical and partly in the non-physical but just keep working and eventually you will understand how to focus your awareness, forget about the physical and move to the non-physical.

How it is for me is usually that I pretend to be dreaming already by visualizing something, then I will forget about the physical body completely and suddenly just find myself in the reality of my visualization.

Good luck! :meditate:

^^ All good points. Mastermind, but...

Shouldn't you keep in mind that you are a very experienced LD'er, and the fact that you've WILD'ed at bedtime might not translate immediately to it becoming fact with a beginner? I too have had successful WILD's at bedtime, but in no way recommend it to someone just getting started with the practice. Yes, bedtime WILD's are possible, but there are better times to do them, I think.

That said:

The rest of what you say is of course very sound advice, as going to sleep with thoughts of LD'ing in your head is always a good thing, and attempting a WILD is about the same as setting intention before a night's sleep. But why not just practice MILD, which is essentially equals a "failed" WILD that results in a LD? Might as well go straight to the point, don't you think?

Bottom line, TheInShaneOne: If you are very interested in doing a WILD, WBTB towards the end of your sleep period is the best bet, and I recommend you follow Gab's advice. However, if you are only interested in becoming lucid and cannot change your schedule (or hate sleep masks), then you might want to look into MILD, as it seems a better fit. Keep in mind also that MILD doesn't involve transitions or dealing with the "noise," so it might be a way around the issue. But, as Mastermind said, even failed WILD's can produce LD's, thanks to your mindset, and that's all that really matters, right?

It depends on the person really, but most people do not have the will or patience to deal with multiple WILD failures for weeks or months because they start out at the beginning of the night, and they end up giving up completely.

I started out this way, but my situation was different then; mostly because there was no internet, and back then I never got up at night, in fact I despised the idea; also I have a very strong will.

If this fits you, TheInShaneOne, then go for it; think of it as training and don't get upset if it takes forever, otherwise it is a good idea to get some satisfactory dreams under your belt before you take the most difficult route.

It depends on the way you MILD Sageous. But the way I usually read how people MILD, is by just thinking an affirmation and then falling asleep and in my eyes that is still not optional because of this: http://www.dreamviews.com/attaining-...firmation.html

Although I realize that you are right and it might have be too advanced for a beginner to think about all that and the most important thing is the mindset.

Also if you MILD the way I see most effective and compare it to a WILD there wouldn't be very much difference anyway, and it probably is the same thing. But since I see the way to practise lucid dreaming in terms of indirect: DILD and direct practise: WILD I didn't choosed to call it practising MILD.

Sorry for the confusion. :)

I've been practicing for about a year and a half to maybe two years. I am a patient person when it comes to learning a new skill and I've had at least 7 in that time but that was just doing different methods like the MILD (to be honest i don't like it). I feel like the WILD technique is the most effective for me so I'll practice the WILD and WBTB for now until I can solely WILD on a consistent basis