How to WILD without sleep paralysis?

[ScarlettHayden]

Is sleep paralysis a necessary part of WILDing? Is there any way to fall into a lucid dream without it? I ask because I already suffer from SP but I've never been able to get anywhere with it lucid dreaming wise, and I think it would just be easier and less nerve-wracking to skip the whole process entirely. Is this possible? Edit: Also I should note that I have extremely strong pre-sleep hallucinations to the point where I can even control them. It's like I'm watching them on a HD TV with surround sound . Can I use this to bypass SP by somehow entering the hallucination thereby turning it into a lucid dream? How would I go about it?

[paigeyemps]

Hi, good news! SP is a completely unnecessary part of WILDing. In fact, true sleep paralysis is a medical condition which can't really be induced, and unless you really do have medical SP, then you're good to go. In fact, what people refer to as 'sleep paralysis' are the sensations of numbness, tingling, heaviness, hallucinations, etc. and it is overblown and incorrect. The things you feel/experience during the transition in a WILD attempt are normal and safe, even though they might seem terrifying at the moment because you're kind of disorientated that you're witnessing what you don't normally witness. If you wanna pursue WILDing, I strongly suggest you read through this: WILD before reading other user tutorials around the forum. Pay particular attention to "Notes About the Noise. Good luck!

[ScarlettHayden]

Hi, good news! SP is a completely unnecessary part of WILDing. In fact, true sleep paralysis is a medical condition which can't really be induced, and unless you really do have medical SP, then you're good to go. In fact, what people refer to as 'sleep paralysis' are the sensations of numbness, tingling, heaviness, hallucinations, etc. and it is overblown and incorrect. The things you feel/experience during the transition in a WILD attempt are normal and safe, even though they might seem terrifying at the moment because you're kind of disorientated that you're witnessing what you don't normally witness. If you wanna pursue WILDing, I strongly suggest you read through this: WILD before reading other user tutorials around the forum. Pay particular attention to "Notes About the Noise. Good luck! I really do have medical SP. I only just found out that SP is usually overblown and not taken seriously on this forum which I guess can make it a little confusing for people like me. And whilst I don't get it every night, I do get it frequently. I'm just worried that WILDing might make it worse. I've always wanted to learn to lucid dream but I've never really had any luck with it. Do you have any good links on how to turn an SP experience into a lucid dream for those times where I do get it? Maybe I'm going about it using the wrong technique. Also.. can you WILD in the afternoon during a nap, say six hours or so after you first wake up in the morning? Or does it have to be preferably halfway through your morning sleep cycle? What technique should I use if I wanted to try lucid dreaming during naps? And thanks! I'll check out the other link you gave me.

[paigeyemps]

I really do have medical SP. I only just found out that SP is usually overblown and not taken seriously on this forum which I guess can make it a little confusing for people like me. And whilst I don't get it every night, I do get it frequently. I'm just worried that WILDing might make it worse. I've always wanted to learn to lucid dream but I've never really had any luck with it. Do you have any good links on how to turn an SP experience into a lucid dream for those times where I do get it? Maybe I'm going about it using the wrong technique. Also.. can you WILD in the afternoon during a nap, say six hours or so after you first wake up in the morning? Or does it have to be preferably halfway through your morning sleep cycle? What technique should I use if I wanted to try lucid dreaming during naps? And thanks! I'll check out the other link you gave me. Ahh, I see. Don't fret though, you can turn anything into an advantage if you know how to. I do not know if there is a single most recommended thread for going from SP to WILD that I should link you to. However, I would imagine the process for WILDing would be almost exactly the same. The main point being you try not to focus on the sensations you're having. Look at it like this: You know how when you get lucid you stabilize and focus on the environment in order to ground yourself into it? Same goes for the sensations during the transition. Just focus on your dream and visualize it and try to drown out the distracting sensations with your thoughts and imagination. In the same way stabilizing works, if you focus on your physical sensations, you will only ground yourself into the physical world and that will make it harder for you to transition into the dream. So I think that whether or not you actually have SP, you should focus much more on entering the dream and laying it out rather than worrying about the sensations you're feeling. I know it can be hard though, it's very hard to convince yourself while it is happening, but the important thing is that you keep trying. And I'm not only saying it to sound cheesy, but also because the truth is that the more you keep trying, the better you understand what works for you, and the more you know what to do next time and how your mind works. And once you start understanding that, you won't have to worry about going through sleep paralysis because you'll know how to work around it As for the WILD naps, sure! Naps are great for all types of lucid dreams. See, with WILD,mit works best with WBTB, but if you do it during a nap, it's like a magic period where you can skip WBTB because in naps you go straight into REM so you don't need to wake up after x number of hours. For technique, depends on you really. Try out WILD and see how it goes from there~

[Irreo]

Maybe I'm wrong, as I'm new to all this, but... aren't those hallucinations the transition between awareness and dreamworld? Meaning the subject is already almost sleep, or already sleep... The first two WILD I experienced, which were completely involuntary as I didn't know about lucid dreams or techniques (in fact, after they happened I started researching), happened as hallucinations in my own room with floating lights, shadows, and loud screams around me, which ended in Fake Awakening (something I also didn't know about), and after that I woke up. The second time it happened I almost wanted to "travel" again, even if seemed scary, so I just let me go, and ended up again in a FA. So what I mean is, now asking to the experts... isn't ScarlettHayden already in this transition, in which she/he should just relax, let go and do some RCs to see if the surrounding is already a dream?

[ScarlettHayden]

You know how when you get lucid you stabilize and focus on the environment in order to ground yourself into it? I've never got to this point before =( This is why I've always failed. I can never seem to stabilize it. I tried the spinning technique that I read about, but I still awoke into a false awakening. Am I doing it wrong? But what you said about not focusing on your body sensations, that was immensely helpful when I tried (and failed) this morning, thank you. Maybe I'm wrong, as I'm new to all this, but... aren't those hallucinations the transition between awareness and dreamworld? Meaning the subject is already almost sleep, or already sleep... So what I mean is, now asking to the experts... isn't ScarlettHayden already in this transition, in which she/he should just relax, let go and do some RCs to see if the surrounding is already a dream? Whilst I thought this was probably already true, the only thing is, I'm never really completely conscious during the transition. I only seem to realize what's been happening if I jerk awake. Otherwise I just fall asleep with no memory of it upon waking. Are you supposed to be completely conscious during the whole thing? Or are you supposed to just let yourself drift asleep normally just with the intent in your mind that you're going to stay focused on the imagery in front of you? If I concentrate on my breathing or use a mantra there's gaps where I forget to concentrate. It's like my awareness flickers on and off until I'm completely gone. Is that supposed to happen? Sorry for all the questions!

[paigeyemps]

Maybe I'm wrong, as I'm new to all this, but... aren't those hallucinations the transition between awareness and dreamworld? Meaning the subject is already almost sleep, or already sleep... Yes, that is pretty much the transition, as per: The things you feel/experience during the transition in a WILD attempt are normal and safe, even though they might seem terrifying at the moment because you're kind of disorientated that you're witnessing what you don't normally witness. ********* The first two WILD I experienced, which were completely involuntary as I didn't know about lucid dreams or techniques (in fact, after they happened I started researching), happened as hallucinations in my own room with floating lights, shadows, and loud screams around me, which ended in Fake Awakening (something I also didn't know about), and after that I woke up. The second time it happened I almost wanted to "travel" again, even if seemed scary, so I just let me go, and ended up again in a FA. I don't think those were WILDs. In WILD, there has to be no lapse in consciousness between the time you are awake, and the moment you start dreaming. If you 'let go' some time in between, even if you become lucid only a few seconds/minutes, then it means at some point you drifted into unconsciousness and you got lucid from the dream already, aka DILD. This is a very common confusion, along with DEILDs (subtype if WILD), where people usually fall back asleep for a few seconds or minutes, then while they start dreaming again, they become lucid, which is technically a DEILD. But regardless, congratulations on your lucids! So what I mean is, now asking to the experts... isn't ScarlettHayden already in this transition, in which she/he should just relax, let go and do some RCs to see if the surrounding is already a dream? Yes she is, and you are correct, it would be a good idea to reality check...but not immediately when she is there. The thing is that while you are transitioning, there is still a big possibility that if you try to move, you will end up moving in real life since your body is not fully asleep yet and your mind is pretty active. I think the best way to go about it is you wait a bit, focus on visualizing your dream. At some point it will feel real, and the sensations will cease to exist, as you are completely beyond the physical phase already, and that is when you reality check to fully establish that you are indeed in the dream **** Btw, @OP (and everyone else): http://www.dreamviews.com/wake-initi...ntry-wild.html

[paigeyemps]

I've never got to this point before =( This is why I've always failed. I can never seem to stabilize it. I tried the spinning technique that I read about, but I still awoke into a false awakening. Am I doing it wrong? But what you said about not focusing on your body sensations, that was immensely helpful when I tried (and failed) this morning, thank you. Great to hear it helped! And as for stabilization, check this very good thread out: http://www.dreamviews.com/attaining-...-tutorial.html I suggest doing reality checks everytime you wake up, no matter where you are. This can really help catch false awakenings in the future. Don't be sad about failing, it's only when you fail that you further understand what to do next time, and how exactly your body and mind work and how to work around it. Whilst I thought this was probably already true, the only thing is, I'm never really completely conscious during the transition. I only seem to realize what's been happening if I jerk awake. Otherwise I just fall asleep with no memory of it upon waking. Are you supposed to be completely conscious during the whole thing? Or are you supposed to just let yourself drift asleep normally just with the intent in your mind that you're going to stay focused on the imagery in front of you? If I concentrate on my breathing or use a mantra there's gaps where I forget to concentrate. It's like my awareness flickers on and off until I'm completely gone. Is that supposed to happen? Sorry for all the questions! No worries about the questions, it's what we're here for! And yes, if you are WILDing, you are supposed to be conscious during the whole thing. And by conscious, I mean that you are aware of being awake, and not conscious OF the sensations (since you are to focus on the imagery). And it's completely normal to start drifting off, especially when doing a mantra. It's just your mind starting to sleep along with your body. This is why WILD is considered difficult by most people, it's very challenging to keep yourself mentally awake. When you notice yourself drifting off, start doing your mantras again. Don't worry that you drifted off a but, it's normal. Just focus on retaining that awareness and keep yourself from drifting off completely.

[ScarlettHayden]

Great to hear it helped! And as for stabilization, check this very good thread out: http://www.dreamviews.com/attaining-...-tutorial.html Thanks for the link! I'll trying the staring at my hands thing next time. Also.. how long does it take to go into a WILD, at least at first? How long am I looking at laying there before I should start to see something happen? (Just to use as a rough guide). Does it differ depending on how long it's been since you last woke up?

[paigeyemps]

Thanks for the link! I'll trying the staring at my hands thing next time. Also.. how long does it take to go into a WILD, at least at first? How long am I looking at laying there before I should start to see something happen? (Just to use as a rough guide). Does it differ depending on how long it's been since you last woke up? It varies for everyone but I think your body will start falling asleep after 20+ minutes, assuming you went to bed fairly sleepy/tired. But if you went to bed extremely tired, you might start falling asleep much sooner, and if you went to bed quite alert or energetic, it could take a while or even over an hour. Time you've been awake would affect it too, I think. Since you basically need the REM period to 'recharge', staying up longer would mean you'd require more REM to recharge, and thus earlier onset of sleep.