Chaining (DEILD) Guide and FAQ

wolvendeer · September 20, 2009, 10:40pm

Chaining (aka DEILD)

Chaining, also known as Dream Exit Inducted Lucid Dreaming, is a technique where the dreamer wakes up from a dream, and without moving, transitions into another, lucid, dream. It can be used upon waking up from any dream, and on occasion it will work when waking up not following a dream. It is a simple technique, and once gotten down, it has a high success rate.

The first step to this technique is when you wake from a dream, keep yourself still. The purpose of this step is to avoid waking your body up and making it difficult to fall back asleep and continue the REM cycle you were in. Sometimes, however, this becomes a step that can’t be followed. If you’re uncomfortable in the position you’re laying in or if your alarm is going off, feel free to correct the problem, but don’t think about doing it. Multiple times during the night you may wake up, roll over, go back to sleep, and not even remember doing it, and if you treat it as just another thing that you’re doing (and don’t think about doing it), your mind won’t necessarily wake up because of it. (Note: This is from personal experience, and I’m a heavy sleeper, so your results may vary.)

Now that you’ve woken up, and you’re comfortably still in your bed, you have to slip back into a dream. If you’re unsure how to do this, the easiest way that works for me is just “continuing” the dream that you were just in, imagining yourself at the point you woke up from, and then continue the dream. I’ve often used this method to go back into dreams and talk to dream characters that I thought were interesting (some of which I’ve used for CALD). If you’ve practiced with that method and want to try a (IMO) bit more difficult one, you can build your own dream. To do this, start out by watching the images that float by your eyes, and focus on one. Lets say that I see a toothbrush. I grab it with my dream body and start brushing my teeth, and suddenly there’s a sink in front of me. I rinse my mouth out and put the toothbrush down, and I turn around and walk into my bedroom, into the dream. From here you can go wherever you want in the dream.

During this step, some people have reported feeling sleep paralysis or other symptoms associated with WILD (which this technique is a form of), but it’s important for you to stay calm and still so that you don’t risk waking up and spoiling the attempt. I’ve personally never had any of these symptoms during a DEILD attempt, but if you do, remember that they simply are signs that you’ve almost succeeded entering another dream.

Once you are in the dream, the dream may be shaky at first, and you may notice yourself fade in and out of sleep. At this point, it is important to keep reminding yourself that you’re dreaming, so that you don’t lose lucidity, and stabilize the dream using whatever your preferred method is. For me, staying calm and focusing on what I’m doing inside of the dream is enough to keep me in the dream. The trick, for me, is to forget that I’m asleep, but still stay lucid.

So, to sum this up, the steps are as follows:

Wake up from a dream.
Don’t make any movements that would wake you up, and don’t open your eyes.
Imagine yourself in a dream.
Stabilize the dream and do a RC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use this method if I’ve never had an LD before?
A: Absolutely! This is an simple method and can be used by anybody, regardless of skill level.

Q: What happens if I open my eyes/move before I remember to be still?
A: Opening your eyes or moving won’t ruin this technique, or at least not in and of themselves. The purpose for these suggestions is to keep you from waking up too much to use this technique. As long as you can slip back asleep quickly, the technique will still work. (Also, it is worth mentioning that worrying about not moving can be just as destructive to the technique as moving, as it can cause your mind to start waking up.)

Q: How do you wake up after a dream?
A: The best bet you have to ensure you wake up after you have a dream is through the use of mantras, which are explained here.

Q: How do you keep from moving after a dream?
A: One method to this is the use of mantras or autosuggestion. Another method is to practice waking up and not moving. To do this, lay down in your bed and pretend that you’re dreaming (meditate or daydream if you have to), and then ‘wake up’, reminding yourself to keep still and keep your eyes closed. Do this a few times each day until you no longer move when you awaken.

Q: How long are you supposed to stay still after you wake up?
A: This is hard to say, as it largely depends upon the dreamer. I would say though that if you’re not able to fall asleep within a couple of minutes that you should go back to sleep (possibly try a different technique so you didn’t wake up for nothing) and try again later, because you’re probably too awake to successfully ue the technique. This is something that you’ll have to discover for yourself to be sure, though.