last night I thought I’d pay a visit to ld4all again after a long period of not thinking too much about LD at all. I read WILD - An user friendly tutoial and I noticed that I regulary get to the pepper state (HI state) but always try too hard at focusing on the HI. I get HI frequently just before I go to sleep and I have sort of “settled” with exploring HI (to a point where the experience seems like a lucid dream, only not lucid, more like through bad TV reception) since I have struggled with LD. Cheap mans option.
So last night I went on trying to just “pass some time” without paying too much attention to the HI.
Anyhow, three other things happened.
I got numb in my shoulders, arms and hands. It hurt a little, but not too bad. Sort of when you sit on your hand and then try to use it afterwards. Is this the onset of sleep paralysis?
I had a clear sensation of floating off, but it is very hard to describe. It felt like I was pushed from below, becoming light as a feather. I didn’t feel like I was attached to my body, or how to put it. It was an enjoyable, but short experience. This happened at 3 different occasions, lasting about 5-10 seconds, maybe within 1-5 minutes from each other. Is this a sign you’re getting closer to that elusive dream?
I heard noises from the apartment but I am living alone. It felt very real and I could swear it was something falling off a hook and I thought the hallucinations surely can’t be that realistic. Can they? This actually ruined the whole experience and I eventually had to go up and check on things. Next time I’ll just lie there.
In my past I only managed 3 LDs so I am quite inexperienced. I usually practiced WILD when I was at peak interest but only got to the HI part, except for one time when I was napping during the day and had a full lucid dream
OK, very first thing I’m going to ask is what time you’re trying to WILD. Those guides are great but a few forget to mention that WILD is a long, drawn-out process if you do it when you first go to sleep. I would recommend you wake up 5-6 hours after first going to sleep and try it then. The process is much faster, you may skip SP all together and the HI will come a lot quicker. Now, on to your questions
Part of the aching can come from what is called roll over signals. Your body is testing to see if you’re still awake by giving you the feeling that you need to move. This is something you’ll have to ignore, especially when you first go to sleep. The numbing feeling is just a numbing; if you were to move any of those limbs you would get feeling back right away. Eventually it will go into SP but at the beginning of the night it will take time.
When it comes to SP and your body, they best advice I can give is don’t worry about it. The more you concentrate on how your body feels and the more attention you give it, the less likely you are to enter SP any time soon. Just let the SP come in its own sweet time. Also, SP is technically needed for WILD. Most of my early-morning WILD’s have skipped that step all together.
Yes, that’s a sign that you’re beginning to fall asleep, but it can still take some time between this stage and actually getting into a dream. Try not to concentrate on it. Lose your focus and begin thinking about it and you might wake yourself up more.
Yes, yes they can be very realistic. Ignoring them can be tricky. I once had what sounded like someone scream directly in my ear… jumped a foot out of bed
Again, most of the things I talked about above can be made much easier by trying WILD later in the night. If you’re not already doing so, give it a try.
OK, very first thing I’m going to ask is what time you’re trying to WILD.
I always do it when I first go to bed, late at night.
Last night I tried to lie in bed (trying WILD + Sleeping) for about 5 hours until I would wake up, walk around a bit, drink some water and try WILD again. I was using Sleep Cycle alarm clock for iPhone which tries to wake you up during your lightest sleep. Should I ditch this for a “normal” alarm clock?
I didn’t get any particular sensations at either opportunity. Felt I wasn’t tired enough and I probably drank a few too many cokes late at night. But I managed to have some strange, mixed up dream during the ~ 2 hour nap that followed the 5 hour sleep. I also used my iPhone to dictate the dream fragments so I would recall as much as possible. This was in itself a small victory since I have been having trouble remembering dreams recently. I will definately try this tonight and mix it in some nights to come, with a few nights of proper sleep between them.
I feel I have found my desire to try tinker around with my techniques and maybe try different strategies. I don’t want to end up stubborn and doing what doesn’t suit me well
The roll over signals are so annoying, it feels like one single nerv cell is acting up, like someone put a salt grain on it. It itches and burns and takes a very, very long time to subside. I just have to be strong and ignore it as much as I can?
How long would you expect it take for SP to kick in (if attempted when you first go to bed)? I don’t know if I try waiting too long or if I am just impatient. It feels like I am laying there for hours without anything happening, so I usually end up thinking it’s best I get some rest while I can. Should I just try to forget time all together?
I noticed sudden sounds (like mail dropping through the mail slot) really break you out of relaxation and you have to start over. The same effect happened with sudden, loud, HH sounds.
Thanks a lot for your replies, it’s encouraging to hear it’s at least a step toward the correct direction and new tips help too. Now it’s time to relax and try a long session of fighting the roll over signals.
(nothing to be scared of, of course. wait until you hear music!!)
Good night!