Hi everyone!
So I have read countless topics on LD and sleep paralysis for the past year but I still can’t get it right. All the tutorials and guides I’ve read mention the same thing, lying on your back and breathing so that you can relax, staying still and counting on trying to focus so you keep your mind awake. And that’s what I always do.
I lay on my back and I take deep breaths. I always reach the numbness state without any problem at all, but I can’t seem to get paralyzed. People say that when you reach the SP stage, you wont be able to move at all. Well, even though I get the numbness and the bed shaking feeling, I can move my finger (or ANY part of my body) without any problem at all. And after I move it I can totally tell that it was numb a moment ago.
Another thing I’ve read is that when you reach this state, if you open your eyes, you will hear the strange hypnagogia. Again, this doesn’t work for me. I just see my room (if I try this during naps) or just darkness, at night.
Can anyone tell me how to do this right? How do I know that I am REALLY paralyzed and ready to proceed to the next phase?
Thanks
Don’t try to move and don’t open your eyes, this will only make you snap out of whatever state you’re in and go back to being fully awake. Be patient and you will eventualy slip into SP. Also, try not to focus on your body too much as this will make it harder, just try to keep your mind awake and let your body slip away. You’ll get there!
But if I just stay still, how do I know that I have actually achieved SP and am ready to proceed to WILD or whatever? I mean, would anything change or do I have to try to move again?
First of all, you don’t need to be on your back, any position should work as long as you don’t just fall right asleep (which happens to me on my side, so that might be why people usually suggest to lie on your back).
Second, don’t worry too much about SP as many people don’t even feel it when WILD’ing. So if you keep waiting for it you might just fall into a dream and still be waiting for some SP that doesn’t come! On the other hand, if you do feel it, you will know!
As tony-nacho said, don’t move or open your eyes and don’t focus too much on your body. Maybe try to imagine a dream or touching a wall with your hands. Ultimately it usually requires some flexibility from guides and experimenting on your own to see where you get. Good luck!
Really, you don’t need to be on your back while you are trying this? But almost every guide of WILD on the internet suggests that you should be lying on your back, with your legs and hands fully stretched, next to your body, etc.
Even if you’re trying a position that makes you fall right asleep (which is to the side for me too), should that make it easier to you, since you are going to sleep with the intention of keeping your mind awake?
And the very last thing, when I stay still for a very long time and reach the numbing and vibration stage, I try to imagine a dream; visualize things and images that will get me in a dream, but if I try to “create” or imagine a “big quantity” of stuff, my eyes start moving very rapidly and in one moment I totally loose control over my eyelids… I have to stop visualizing or otherwise this eye movement will result in my eyelids to open… And this isn’t the first time I experience this…
This is exactly why I hate WILD guides . Everyone is different and their bodies work differently. Yes, it’s true, lying on your back etc. will make SP more likely, but that has little or nothing to do with WILD. Only 3-4 of my LD’s have happened from SP, whereas I’ve had over 40 WILD’s. You just need to go to sleep staying aware. And by aware I do not mean awake. You can’t dream if you’re awake.
If you do still want to go the SP route, do not do it when you first go to bed. You should do it 4-6 hours after first going to sleep. It’ll happen much faster, you’ll get in the dream quicker as you go into REM almost immediately and you’ll probably skip the SP stage altogether.
Above all, do not worry about SP, even if you’re trying to get to it. It’ll happen when it happens and you’ll know it. If you keep going “hey, I think my hand is getting numb” or whatever, you’re concentrating on your body which will prevent it from falling asleep.
I wrote a little longer about this in an article here:
. Everyone is different and their bodies work differently. Yes, it’s true, lying on your back etc. will make SP more likely, but that has little or nothing to do with WILD. Only 3-4 of my LD’s have happened from SP, whereas I’ve had over 40 WILD’s. You just need to go to sleep staying aware. And by aware I do not mean awake. You can’t dream if you’re awake.