Lucid Dreaming - Born to be WILD

Hi everyone! Sleep well? It's time for some more lucid dreaming info!

Last time, I talked about the MILD technique to have LD's. Today, I'm going to tell you about another technique, which is very well suited to fast sleepers.

Wake Induced Lucid Dream
The main idea of the WILD technique is to go from a waking state straight into a lucid dream. In order to do this, you need to be very relaxed. Take a few minutes to just relax your entire body and mind. Breathe, and feel your body parts gradually become heavier, as you sink into a state of relaxation. When you are fully relaxed both in body and mind, the WILD can begin. To go straight into a dream, you will want to keep your conscious mind awake while your body drifts asleep.

Sound difficult? Well, to be honest, I haven't succeeded with this technique yet. But, I am certain that if you try, you can do it. In order to keep your mind awake, you have to keep a straight line of thinking going as you fall asleep. Of course, if you concentrate too hard you might not be able to sleep at all. And if you let your mind wander too much, you might fall asleep normally and not be lucid. This is the reason why this technique tends to work best for people who fall asleep quickly after going to bed. They simply don't have much time for their thoughts to wander.

Anyway, let me explain more concretely how to do this. After relaxing, keep thinking about something. Many experienced Lucid Dreamers recommend that you imagine yourself walking down a long flight of stairs, counting with each step, something like "1, I am dreaming... 2, I am dreaming..." slowly and deliberately. After a while you should start feeling sleep paralysis set in. This is a state your body goes into every night, to prevent you from acting out your dreams and hurt yourself. It might feel scary not to be able to move your body, but just remember that no matter what happens, you are safe in your bed, and nothing dangerous is going to happen. Shortly, you will start to experience hypnagogic imagery. You might see random patterns and colours, and eventually objects or people. You may also hear sounds. Do not be alarmed, you are still safe and secure in your bed. These images and sounds are signs that you are close to entering a dream. Think of this imagery as a sort of dream embryo. Soon enough, the dreamscape should take form before you, and you will be able to enter the dream, aware that you are dreaming, lucid.

As I said, I have not personally had any success with this technique, partially because I take a long time to fall asleep, but also because this technique is very hard to pull off going to sleep at night. It is best to try WILD after waking up in the middle of the night or early morning. It is usually easier for most people to go back to sleep at that time. (Even for me!) Some people also recommend WILD for naps during the day, something I have tried once, and felt like I got close.

So, to sum it up:
1: Relax your body and mind.
2: Keep your mind slightly busy by counting or doing simple math.
3: Enter sleep paralysis and the hypnagogic state.
4: See the dreamscape take form.
5: Enter the dream fully aware.
6: Have a lucid dream.

Well, that is the WILD technique explained simply. I hope you will have success with this technique, as it can be very effective for those who become skilled. Think about it, you can basically have lucid dreams at will! Pretty neat, eh?

Until next time, sweet dreams!