Esoteric WILD Tech - A Guide
Here’s another guide, I guess. I originally wrote this in 2012 for the MortalMist community, but they somehow lost it circa 2016 so I’m reposting it here for the benefit of DreamViews. It’s nothing fancy, just a small compilation of some lesser known WILD tech I’ve run into in my time. Credit, history, instructions, benefits for each, and links to the original source have been added where/when appropriate. It’s not at all comprehensive, so please feel free to add any you’ve come across that I’ve neglected to mention here.
Arm Drop
~ Credit: Stephen Laberge and Howard Rheingold, ETWOLD
History:
Briefly mentioned in ETWOLD, this little gem contains tons of potential for training awareness and discovering the balance needed to achieve WILDs.
The Method:
Simply lie down to WILD, as you normally would, and raise your forearm into a vertical position, so that your elbow forms a 90 degree angle. From here, you should focus on falling asleep.
Maintaining awareness is very important for WILD, and this tech will prevent you from ever going completely under, as your arm will drop as soon as you begin to lose consciousness, keeping you awake, aware and able to try again.
Pros:
- Allows you to make several WILD attempts without worrying about losing consciousness.
- Trains edge-of-sleep awareness much more quickly than traditional tech.
Cons:
- Difficult to balance the arm comfortably, if sleeping on your side.
Association Streaming
~ Personal Tech
History:
I developed this tech during my early R&D years ago, after I’d decided to create my own method based on several observations made during that brief period between wakefulness and dreams.
The Method:
Meant to be used as a mental anchor, the method requires some set-up to get working. The core idea behind the tech is to emulate the mental processes that occur when falling asleep.
To use this, during your WILD attempt, you must play a sort of mental association game with yourself. But instead of limiting yourself to words, allow your brain to jump between images, thoughts, situations, ideas, or any other abstractions it can manage.
Continue to play this game, picking up speed as you go, until the associations become automatic. At this point, once you’ve given up conscious control of the game’s progression, you can just ride it out into a lucid.
Pros:
- Builds upon the natural mental processes that occur as you fall asleep normally.
- Seems to speed up the incubation process.
Cons:
- Large learning curve for those used to censoring and controlling every thought they have.
- Requires a higher level of alertness and mental acuity than is ideal for WILD.
Image Streaming
~ Credit: iadr
History:
Another idea born from a book (Einstein Factor). Allegedly, this tech was originally used by Albert Einstein for inspiration and developing new ideas, but with some modification it can be used to WILD.
The Method:
Get comfortable, close your eyes, think of an image, and describe to yourself what you see. Build on that description using the present tense. Make sure to describe all five sense, so you can really lose yourself in the image. As more detail emerges, describe that too.
Much like Association Streaming, these images should start flowing into each other. Unlike Association Streaming, this is a much more organic process that begins rather quickly. Once the flow images does start to pick up speed (on its own), you can relax your descriptions a bit and work on incorporating yourself into the scene, thus completing the transition.
Traditionally, your descriptions should be spoken aloud, but I’ve had success using my inner voice in the past. Try out both and see which works better for you.
Pros:
- Very powerful technique.
- Can result in vivid dream-like experiences without actually sleeping.
- Low learning curve.
Cons:
- You might need to speak audibly.
Musical Relaxation
~ Credit: Marconi Union
History:
“On October 16th 2011, Marconi Union created an eight minute track, 'Weightless' in collaboration with the British Academy of Sound Therapy. In a scientific study commissioned by the Radox, it was labelled as the "most relaxing song ever". According to scientists at the renowned Mindlab institution it induced a 65 per cent reduction in overall anxiety and brought test subjects resting pulse rates to a level 35 per cent lower than their usual resting rates. The song features guitar, piano and manipulated field recordings. It is punctuated throughout by low tones that supposedly induce a trance-like state.”
The Method:
It’s super simple. Simply turn out the lights and listen to the song once, or put it on a (limited) loop, before or during your attempt.
That’s really it. The music takes care of the rest.
Pros:
- Scientific backing.
- Actually sounds good.
Cons:
- Requires decent speakers or the ability to sleep with headphones on.
Relaxation via Discomfort
~ Citation Needed
History:
I ran across this awhile back, but forget/was unable to track down who shared it originally, or where I exactly I found it. That said, it’s still very cool.
The Method:
As part of your WBTB, before your attempt, lie down on a hard floor without a pillow or blanket, and try to sleep. Do this for a good while, or until you can’t bear it anymore, then move to your bed. The sudden shift to a more comfortable resting environment will propel you into sleep much more quickly.
Pros:
- Great way to shift the “WILD mindset” to the “falling asleep” mindset.
- Puts you to sleep very quickly once you get into bed.
- Virtually no special effort is required.
Cons:
- Uncomfortable.
- Could cost you some sleep.
Reverse Blinking
~ Credit: Sythix
History:
This method has popped up a lot throughout the years, but the earliest I could trace it back was to 2006. Supposedly, it was discovered when someone was trying to get to sleep while a spider (or something that looked like a spider) was on the wall. They would briefly check on the spider every few moments, but the way they were doing it drove them to sleep faster than expected.
The Method:
Pick a spot in your room, or wherever it is that you’re WILDing/trying to get to sleep. Settle in, relax, close your eyes, and get comfortable as you normally would. Then, every few seconds or so, briefly open your eyes and quickly focus on the spot you chose earlier. But be quick about it. Your eyes shouldn’t be open for more than half a second or so.
Keep this up until you feel like it’s much too difficult to open your eyes anymore.
Pros:
- Works quickly.
- Easy relaxation method that works for many people.
Cons:
- Has been associated with headaches and uncomfortable physical sensations.
Sentinel of Intent
~ Personal Tech
History:
Another method from my early R&D, this one came about as a way to combat the losing consciousness issue.
The Method:
Using strong intent, visualization, mnemonic techniques, autosuggestion, and mantras convince yourself that you will become conscious/aware/lucid at the point of transition into the dream-state. Use the tools from your favorite MILD technique to pull this off, but instead of focusing on becoming lucid once the dream has started, focus on becoming aware as soon as you hit the transition. Draw from past WILD experience and use that as a focal point to help you visualize and imagine what you’re trying to do.
The twist? Use the method as an anchor for your WILD attempt in place of other mental anchors like counting, breathing, or what have you. This way, even if you do end up falling asleep part way through, you’ve already set up a sentinel to bring you back a few moment later.
Pros:
- Could induce a DILD even if the WILD fails.
- Builds from proven methods.
- Useful to those who often fall asleep during attempts.
Cons:
- Requires previous WILD experience.
- Only as effective as the MILD technique used.
Visual-Tactile Interaction
~ Credit: Malac Reborn
History:
Came across this some time after I was starting out, back in my lurking days. The driving tech behind the [MFG] technique was incredibly effective and original in its own right, despite the controversy surrounding the visualization aspect of the technique.
The Method:
During your attempt, close you eyes and create yourself a vivid, mental scene using you preferred method of visualization. Once you’re satisfied with the level of detail and immersion, reach out with your hands and grab onto an object in the scenery. Hold onto it until you’re sure you’ve successfully made the transition.
While it seems simple enough, it’s much more effective than simply rolling or jumping into the same scene as it combines the act of movement with both visual information and detailed tactile sensation. It uses the same principle found in common methods of dream stabilization, but applies it to transitioning.
Pros:
- Proven effective.
- Utilizes proven stabilization methods to create a powerful tool for transitioning.
Cons:
- Requires visualization.
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Final Note:
The nice thing about WILD tech is that you can mix and match them to fit your needs. They can also serve as a foundation for figuring our your own personalized WILD method. Once you can relax effectively, anchor yourself reliably, and know how you’re going to finish the transition--well congratulations--that’s a WILD method right there!
So don’t be afraid to go off-script. Techniques and step-by-step guides are a great place to start, but if you want to see real success with WILD, you need to start forging your own path, and that starts by personalizing your WILD method to better suit your own unique needs.
-(T)zzkc
