Does anyone else have problems with C-WILD?

So last night I tried the C-WILD technique for the first time. I woke up around 6 A.M.
and started counting as I should “1 I’m dreaming, 2 I’m dreaming” and so on until i got around to 15. and my memory just gets erased :confused: . I’m a little dazed and confused and just start back from 10 this happens pretty much every ten numbers. My only reason for this to be happening is me being extremely tired at the time. Can anyone give me some tips to help me tonight? also does anyone have experience with FILD? does it work?

I have had this problem as well. The reasoning behind the issue is quite clear, although not so easy to fix if you wish to continue C-WILD. When you start to fall asleep, random and often meaningless thoughts begin to float in and take over. Usually you will not notice them at all unless you make a distinct effort to; these thoughts are straight from the subconscious and usually pass by unnoticed until they take over and you fall asleep. This is a crucial step to falling asleep, and therefore makes it difficult to use C-WILD to induce a LD. C-WILD involves blocking out all of these thoughts and focusing on merely counting. As you have already experienced, when the subconscious starts to make its way in, your counting becomes distorted. That moment of blanking out or your memory ‘getting erased’ is a fine example of this. Although you may not have noticed the subconscious thoughts, they were there and that is the reason why this happened.

The fact that you were very tired also plays an important role in the situation. As stated before, when you are nearing sleep your subconscious thoughts begin to take over. Since you were very tired, you were nearing sleep quicker, and therefore reached that stage of subconscious thoughts earlier.

My resolution to this problem would simply be to try another WILD technique, and this technique involves actually listening to these subconscious thoughts. As you WILD, remind yourself every now and again that you are dreaming (and firmly) and between these times simply observe the thoughts as they float in. Pay very extra special attention to them, and if they are sentences or words, repeat them in your mind and ask yourself if they make any sense. Sometimes you’ll even find yourself thinking, “Why did I just think that? It’s so random and makes no sense at all!” By playing the role of a passive yet skeptical observer, you are keeping the part of your brain needed for LDing awake. Now, this may take a bit of practice, but it’ll all be worth it in the end. The first time you try, you may not be overly successful, but you’ll get the hang of it. The key is not to give up.

As for FILD, I have heard of some people having great success. Others (including me) have had no success at all. It really depends on the person. Different techniques work for different people. There is no ‘best’, ‘foolproof’, or ‘number one’ method, because everyone is different. So it’s really all about finding what works for you.

Hope I was helpful! :smile:

When I count myself to sleep I always find it more and more difficult to keep track of my counting - at around 300 or so I will start going “um okay, 320, or had I reached that number? Gah, I’ll stick to that - wait… what number did I just count again?”. :tongue: