I've attempted a couple of WILDs, but to no avail. I find that DEILD is much better for me. It's like cheating, almost. I usually resort to WILD if a DEILD fails. Maybe if I can think of a mantra, it'll help.
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I've attempted a couple of WILDs, but to no avail. I find that DEILD is much better for me. It's like cheating, almost. I usually resort to WILD if a DEILD fails. Maybe if I can think of a mantra, it'll help.
Don't worry, DEILD isn't cheating. The goal here is become lucid in our dreams -- any method is fine, if it works!Quote:
Originally Posted by Triforce
Oh, and DEILD is simply a form of WILD, so you can tell yourself you've WILD'ed anyway ... and did so without all the difficult baggage.
That said, I believe you do need an effective mantra to successfully WILD, so maybe you'll have better luck when you find one that works for you.
I've been reading and studying and preparing myself for my next WILD attempt (had an almost successful attempt a few nights ago with little prep) I feel very confident now with a mantra that is my own and the prep work under my belt. I will post my findings :)
thanks so much for an easy to understand and down-to-earth course. So many times the real good meat of the matter get's lost in mumbo-jumbo.
Still not necessarily succeeding with WILD, but I feel like I'm getting closer each day.
Since I started WILD practice though, I've noticed I'm becoming lucid in one way or another every day, sometimes multiple times per day. Ophelia termed it "dream diarrhea", which is a pretty accurate description. Basically I seem to be slipping in and out of dreams a lot easier, particularly after I go to sleep after attempting a WILD. I'm also just "becoming" lucid in my dreams with no real trigger, most of the time I'm not really completely lucid or the dream fades and I wake up after a few seconds.
If I'm counting every time I've become somewhat aware that I was dreaming, I've already had 6 or 7 lucid dreams this month, in just 4 days. Though today I was actually able to sustain the lucidity a bit more and complete the Task of the Month.
Do you have any idea why this is? Could it be to do with the WILD attempts and my increased awareness in general? It's pretty awesome, but a lot of the time I wake up completely confused because of how active my night has been with dreams, lucidity, false awakenings, etc.
That was sort of the purpose of this class, I think ... I'm delighted it "took" on one of you, anyway!Quote:
Originally Posted by RareCola
WILD, at least my version of it, is a funny "technique," RareCola, in that it isn't a technique at all. It is the result of a state of mind, centered around self-awareness and drawing on tools like focus and imagination rather than rote "practice" (MILD, DILD). In a very real sense, this class was about establishing and exploring the roots of Lucid Dreaming itself as much as it was about the "best" way to lie down, hold still, and wait.
So it doesn't come as a surprise to me that you've had a bunch of LD's, and it doesn't matter one wit to me if they were from WILD, DILD, or were completely accidental. As Ophelia so gracefully stated, your brain is full of 'em right now, and you're just squirting them out .. though I'd likely have called it something like "blossoming," or "river of dreams," just for the sake of imagery!
Now the real trick: Hold that thought! If you allow it, this state of mind will evaporate as quickly as the knowledge you accumulated for your last math test. You must keep up the RRC's (or some similar practice), maintain expectation and establish intentions no matter what's going on ion waking life, and -- though we barely touched on it here -- keep your memory skills on the front burner.
And don't worry if your current "condition" is confusing or exhausting; those are side effects and will ebb as your psyche adapts to your self's interest in it.
tl;dr: Nice work, RareCola -- I hope you enjoy the bump!
I'll do my best to sustain it! I just need to work on my stabilisation skills now so I can actually make use of all the lucidity that I'm experiencing. I also have issues remembering my waking intentions for when I'm lucid too, but I seem to be getting better at that.
Well, here is what happened to me. Let me say WILDing is HARD. It's very difficult to keep your attention. This is only my second time. While I didn't get fully lucid I had some amazing dreams. 4 to be exact. But only after I did WBTB.
Here's my journal entry:
I attempted to WILD last night. I came up with my Mantra "Find Me There". Think I might need a new one because it was hard to remember when drifting off.
So, I had trouble WILDing at first. I set an alarm to wake me up at 4 AM and I got up and walked around. I went back to bed and began dreaming. They are 4 distinct dreams yet connected and all happening around the same time except the last one. The last one being very close to lucidity and very vivid.
Dream 1-
I was back in my home state of Missouri. I was not in my hometown. Went there for someones wedding. I don't remember who's. It was more like it was understood that it was someones wedding. I had a rental car (I remember because my current car doesn't have A/C and I was very pleased to have a rental car with working air). I was staying with a family we used to know back home. They now had large farm-like lands which they didn't have before. They had this very strange dog. Its kinda fuzzy but there was something strange and... smart about him. They told me the dog protects the field from... 'things'. I went to enter their house and had to fold down the stairs in order to get in. They were normal stairs but the folder down like an attic ladder. Once I was in I walked around a bit and eventually settled in a room where I played an MMO with my brother in low (Who I don't play games with IRL).
Dream 2-
My father was restoring a bike A normal peddle bike. When he showed it to me I noticed it wasn't normal. It hads tiny wheels on both sides of the bike. Each side was like 10 rollerblade wheels and there were two rails on each side. He told me collectors were really wanting these restored bikes. As I was leaning in to look I could SMELL the new plastic on the wheels and seat. It was a very vivid smell that I can almost still smell even while awake.
Dream 3-
I was going to go to a Toby Mac Concert (strange because I don't even like Toby Mac). I was late to the concert so I had to run. Why I didn't take the car is beyond me. It started to rain as I was jogging (this is interesting because earlier that evening I went on a run). When I arrived at the concert and purchased my ticket the guy behind the counter told me they had free Wi-Fi. This excited me until he told me the catch. If you use the Wi-Fi while you are there you are signing up for a contract.
I should have achieved lucidity during this dream since it was very weird. will have to work on that.
Dream 4-
I found a secret passage. It took me to a large arena like room/ bar. In the center one of my old friends from college "Kyle" was hanging by his neck on a noose. I quickly discovered he was faking and was bait for the "things" I mentioned earlier. We started fighting these invisible...things. You had to kill them with stakes. Of course this was hard if you couldn't see them. If they grabbed you from behind you could stab the stake through yourself and kill it. It wouldn't hurt you though. I think I may have gotten lucid here because I remember thinking that I could use telekinesis and lift the stake and throw it. I could actually FEEL myself concentrate and lift the stake and throw it. This was extremely vivid and felt amazing. As close to lucidity as I've ever been.
After the battle I remember walking around while people had drinks and talked. I told my fiance that something didn't feel right. Something was wrong. She told me "the woman in the red dress was on fire."
I asked her what she meant and she said "The woman was wearing a read dress, she was on fire but still 'pleasant'. I didn't know what she meant.
I began talking to some of my old college friends. One guy told me he was graduating and I said I was glad to be out. Waste of money.
the most vivid part was the telekinesis and the "Woman in Red". I never really saw her but my mind put a huge importance on her. Maybe I will learn more about her later.
^^ Thanks for sharing, JLP... Dream #4 was definitely on lucidity's front step, I think; you were likely at a very low level of waking awareness, and just needed that elusive "ah-ha" moment; maybe next time!
When I read your mantra I thouh it was a good one, idea-wise. Maybe you could keep it but just repeat "Find me," so that you can hold onto the theme without the busyness of "there?" Just a thought.
Another thought: during waking life, take a moment to do a RC whenever you spot something "odd." You're likely doing this already, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to remind!
And yes, WILD'ing is indeed hard...the best stuff always is!
I hope its ok for me to post here seeing as Im not a class student and my story isn't a traditional WILD but instead a DEILD WILD. I am excited at the following lucid because of the WILD phenomena I had the other night.
I exited a dream and I lay still. It is quite rare for me to experience really vivid visual Hynogogic Imagery but after a few seconds my eyelid space turned pure white and I saw pieces of paper changing rapidly with different mathematical equations and bits of information. This got me really excited as I don't experience it often. I started to feel really strong bodily vibrations. Even though I should have looked at the HI from a panoramic view I started to study it in detail and lo and behold they disappeared. I managed to stay awake which is quite rare for me also so I surmise that I was at the end of a REM period. Anyway I waited for a few seconds and although I was looking into blackness and I didn't have any physical sensations I had this bizarre feeling that I was sitting kneeling down and that I was actually in a dream but with dream blindness. I found that I was able to move my arms to be able to feel my dream body, clothing and the floor. I knew that I was moving my dream body because of the position I was in, quite bizarre really as I could have quite easily been moving my real body. Because of the palpation that I was doing with my dream fingers the dream started to come into view and it was crystal clear; an awesome ornamental garden. I then proceeded to enjoy me WILD.
Thanks Sageous! The more I dwell on it the more I think the WILD technique worked. I just have to get that "a-ha" moment, as you said to get fully lucid. Thanks for the course and encouragment!
That's okay, Mcwillis; around here DEILD is WILD, so your experience fits right in.Quote:
Originally Posted by mcwillis
Now:
Interesting experience; especially the images -- I always wish I could remember specifically those equations and bits of information when they appear, though I never manage.Quote:
I am excited at the following lucid because of the WILD phenomena I had the other night.
I exited a dream and I lay still. It is quite rare for me to experience really vivid visual Hynogogic Imagery but after a few seconds my eyelid space turned pure white and I saw pieces of paper changing rapidly with different mathematical equations and bits of information. This got me really excited as I don't experience it often. I started to feel really strong bodily vibrations. Even though I should have looked at the HI from a panoramic view I started to study it in detail and lo and behold they disappeared. I managed to stay awake which is quite rare for me also so I surmise that I was at the end of a REM period. Anyway I waited for a few seconds and although I was looking into blackness and I didn't have any physical sensations I had this bizarre feeling that I was sitting kneeling down and that I was actually in a dream but with dream blindness. I found that I was able to move my arms to be able to feel my dream body, clothing and the floor. I knew that I was moving my dream body because of the position I was in, quite bizarre really as I could have quite easily been moving my real body. Because of the palpation that I was doing with my dream fingers the dream started to come into view and it was crystal clear; an awesome ornamental garden. I then proceeded to enjoy me WILD.
I have a feeling that post-HI moment you had was a brief spot of NREM dreaming, though your dreaming mind (and your expectations) started filling in the "blanks" of delta dreaming quickly (your expectations offering up the dream body, your dreaming mind forming a simple scene). Have you ever tried, during these moments, to hold very still, mentally, abandon your dream body completely, and allow the nothingness of delta (NREM) to permeate your world? If not, and you're interested, times like this are when to try -- it doesn't suck. All in all that was a pretty cool experience you had; especially your ability to hold it all together even though your physical body was trying to make itself heard; nice skills indeed!
Thanks for sharing, Mcwillis; examples like this are rare, and very inspiring!
I agree, but I thought I had better be polite and check as some people are a tad pedantic sometimes!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sageous
So Im not the only one that has this. Most of my HI is like this, I have always wondered what it could be and if it might be important. I think Edison had a dream about his idea for a successful light bulb after many failed attempts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sageous
Yes it is my opinion that it was an NREM lucid because normally I have 5-10 seconds to play with before I fall asleep no matter how strong my intent to stay awake is. Im confused on your second point about the letting go of everything process, what does it result in.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sageous
Really? If I have a DILD I can have about five of these types of lucids and WILD phenomena every time now as I have it pretty much pinned down. Thanks for the pat on the back. I have done a lot of study of and practice of attaining lucidity from either exiting a dream or leaving the sleep state.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sageous
It results in ... nothing, with "you" at the center of it. In other words, if you allow all input to dissipate -- which it can do during NREM -- you will be left with nothing but the essence of your self, bodyless and context-free, existing in a world that amounts to nothing more than your own thoughts. Curb those thoughts, and you may find a moment of serenity that can't be easily described. In other words, you're doing the sleep yoga trick of removing all things from your dream (hence your existence) and being left with a universe of you, and, possibly a chance to encounter who you really are (they call it Clear Light of the Void, or some such, I just call it very cool) ...of course this condition also opens the door to transcendental dreams, which are much cooler but very harder to remember (check out my Dreams of Transcendence thread for more of my opining on this -- if you haven't already)Quote:
Originally Posted by mcwillis
Really. I've read many of your posts, Mcwillis, and have a small idea of your experience and knowledge: Trust me, it's rarer than you think! Aside from that, my comment was really based in the context of this thread, and my class, where most of the "students" are new to all this and a DEILD (and likely DILD, and certainly classic WILD) are rare events from their perspective -- which is why it's not a terrible thing for them to see how well it can work, especially as stated by someone who is not me.Quote:
Really? If I have a DILD I can have about five of these types of lucids and WILD phenomena every time now as I have it pretty much pinned down. Thanks for the pat on the back. I have done a lot of study of and practice of attaining lucidity from either exiting a dream or leaving the sleep state.
That makes perfect sense, I now understand :) I will check out the thread at some point as I remember it is an involved thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sageous
On refelection I see that you are right. I was thinking the other day about how grateful I am to have the internet. It is incredibly wonderful that we have an experiential encyclopaedia on lucid dreaming here at dreamviews.comQuote:
Originally Posted by Sageous
Sure beats walking twenty miles to borrow some books from a library, which I have had to do in the past
I'm from a generation where I was taught to expect to work hard to achieve my ambitions. I have studied and practiced hard, taken failure on the chin and re-doubled my efforts. I just thought everyone was like me but then when I look at the posts of new people here I can clearly see that many people sometimes seem to want everything as quickly and as easily as pressing a mouse switch.
No doubt my post will be encouraging to some and help them to bolster their enthusiasm. Keep up the good work yourself man :)
You are correct! WILDing or Lucidity itself is hard but even though I haven't gotten completely lucid yet I FEEL amazing searching these things out. Being more conscious of my actual waking life. I'm actually sleeping better now too, even with more vivid dreams.Quote:
Originally Posted by mcwillis
Anyway, what I'm saying is your accounts and words are encouraging to us. With patience and hard work we can see the same results. Sometimes I wish it was "magic" but the reality is far more interesting. :)
I got SP last night! :D
Or.. what I think was SP lol.
I didn't intend to WBTB last night, but somehow I woke up after 5 hours and 30 minutes. I knew I had to get up in about an hour anyway, but I still got up and went to the restroom and stuff.
I lay back down. I tossed and turned trying to fall back asleep for about 20 minutes, lost in my thoughts. I finally lay still on my stomach, trying to fall asleep. But I had this weird scenario going on in my head, and it kept getting more weird. Suddenly my mind shifted back into focus. My body didn't feel numb, it felt heavy and warm. I could almost hear the voices of the people talking in the scenario I was accidentally thinking about. I also heard a weird "windy" noise in my ears. The reason I could tell this was SP is because I couldn't move at all. I wasn't seeing any HI for some reason though. I got scared by the sounds, and started shaking my head. Eventually I broke out of SP, but I wasn't in a False Awakening.
I tried again after a couple of minutes. It only took like 15 minutes to get to the "warm feeling" stage again. But my arm was in a weird position, and it started hurting, so I moved.
I guess since I didn't really think I would WILD is why I almost succeeded :D
Just gotta get past that fear of SP.
Last night I attempted another WILD.
It was a very strange night. I laid down and started my breathing and Mantra. (BTW, thanks Sageous: "Find Me" was much easier). I began to lose feeling in my arms and legs as my body shut down. pretty sure I was in SP for awhile. I didn't pay much attention to it, I just kept on concentrating on breathing and my mantra. I kept a small light on in my room but its set to go off at a certain time. While it's not 'bright' it was enough to trigger something when it went off.
As soon as the light dimmed my vision behind closed eyelids went completely dark. I told myself that was just the light going off and kept on falling. However, as soon as the light went off I felt like a shadow had covered my thoughts too. I started seeing a face but it was very unclear. My heart started racing as I thought of all the evil things it could be. Then I remembered that my subconscious is ME. Anything I see is ME! I almost embraced the dark shadow in front of me. Sent those "warm feelings" towards it.
And then I fell asleep.
No lucid or non lucid dream that I can remember.
I always attempt a WBTB as well. I put on a gentle alarm at my optimal moment and I got up and got a drink and used the bathroom. When i laid back down I fell pretty quickly into sleep. When I woke I FELT like I had dreamed but have no recollection of the dream. Very strange.
So, I think I need to re-read some of the WILDing techniques about that moment right before you fall asleep. Also, I think I should get rid of the light.
Yay, active participants! :D
I attempted a WILD this morning, but it was half-hearted. It seems that my mind is quite distracted lately. When I try to focus on one particular thing, i'm easily put off my train of thought. Any solutions?
Cheers.
I can think of one solution, but you're not going to like it: Let the distractions win, for now, and set aside your WILD attempts.Quote:
Originally Posted by fOrceez
Stick to DILD and MILD (and of course DEILD, when the opportunity presents itself). The other "forms" don't require the steady focus of WILD, and, if your general mindset is in the right place (and I believe it is), you'll be able to continue practicing your LD'ing craft in spite of the distractions.
Remember that WILD is just a technique, A tool to be utilized when the time for it's use is optimal; it is not an end in itself. The LD is the goal; how you technically achieve that goal is unimportant.
Sydney, you gotta get past prioritizing the "noise," or else you will never succeed!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney
Sorry for being so harsh, but the reason "SP" frightened you was simply because you were paying way too much attention to it. SP is a symptom of WILD, and should never be a thing you want to reach. Try to make it less important to you, and try to work harder on your self-awareness and consider attempting WILD's only after you've done some mental prep for them.
Funny, after I made this post it looks like my "dream diarrhea" faded. Probably because I suddenly became busy the other day, interrupting my focus on lucidity. Going to work on WILD more intently over the next few days and hopefully, finally succeed.Quote:
Originally Posted by RareCola
Last night I was able to get along pretty good while doing my WILD attempt. Right before SP hit though, I fell asleep. I know I'm focusing on this part too much, but I just wanted to say what my sensations were. I remember having that warm to hot feeling in my body, and it was also kind of numb. For my attempt I didn't do my mantra (I didn't do my mantra when I attempted last time either, when I entered SP), just kind of daydreamed and random stuff like that to keep my mind busy. Whenever I was on the brink of falling asleep, I told myself to not focus on my body. But in doing so I focused on my body. It was so frustrating :P
Is there a way I can not focus on my body/noise but still keep awareness?
Yes: Stop focusing on your body and the noise!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney
Seriously, though, Sydney, from what I could get from your descriptions, you're spending way too much time being concerned about SP and the current state of your body, and not nearly enough concerning yourself with getting ready for the dream.
WILD is a very difficult thing to do, and you have to do some work to be successful at it. That means doing some mental prep -- meaning, those RRC's, planned WBTB, and some serious time beforehand getting your intentions set and your expectations in hand. You need to be in a dreaming mindset when you start, to be ready to ignore all the stuff.
You also really should use a mantra. Pretty much its whole purpose is to give you something to focus on while all the noise is happening ... to lapse into daydreams and think random thoughts is exactly what the mantra is meant to prevent, because those activities tend to take your mind completely off WILD, and invite normal sleep. The mantra also gives you someting to do that might prevent you from telling yourself not to focus on your body -- because, as you noted, telling yourself not to do something is about the same thing as commanding yourself to do something.
So try to include a mantra, work on your focus, and do your best to make the dream your priority when you lie down, giving no thought at all to the distractions. I also suggest that you stop reading threads about SP on this site -- the descriptions within them are overwhelmingly incorrect and ridiculously exaggerated, and I think might be building a set of accidental expectations in you that you're having trouble ignoring.
Keep at it Sydney; I know you want this to work, and I know you're making an effort. Just remember that WILD is not easy, and depends completely on your focus on the right bits.
Thanks Sageous. I'm sorry, I keep forgetting that noise is just something that I can't shoot for. I have to go for the dream. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Sageous
I'll keep everything you said in mind as I WILD tonight. :)
That's all you need to do. Good luck, Sydney!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney