I’ve been trying to lucid dream for a while and I’ve had a lot of difficulty. I’ve been using WILD before bed and 6 hours after I fall asleep. However, I have never really gotten it to work the way its “supposed” to. I get to the point of numbness and tingling sensation on my face, arms, and legs. I start to see very very basic hypnogogic images (i think) of purple swirls of light. They are very faint and do not get any more complex. I almost always fall asleep or they just go away. Is it possible for someone to not be able to have hypnogogic images? Or does anyone have any strategies for helping me induce hypnogogic images, or are they even necessary for WILD?
Hey there.
My experience with HI is an awkward one - the more I try out with it, the more I don’t understand about it.
There’s a big HI thread out there… my best visual HI comes along when I least expect it. If I can clear my head COMPLETELY and keep it that way, then I get some rich visuals eventually. Counting myself to sleep has gotten me some good pictures, too.
I think the thing is to watch it “with one eye”. Focusing intensely on what I see drowns it out and all I see are those purple lights.
As for WILDing… me and that technique have a love/hate relationship. The only time I do it successfully is on accident. I doubt HI is necessary for it.
If you get to sleep in a silent room, you may find that your hypnagogia is more AUDITORY than visual. If I’m in a pefectly quiet room and I do my best to stay aware while falling asleep, I’ll hear a distant, nonsensical tune. Especially when I’m really tired.
Thinking about it too hard is what seems to wreck it. Hypnagogia is more fragile than soap bubbles.
I usually only get HI when I’ve drifted off a bit. I think the key is not trying to force them, but to let yourself drift towards sleep and then to recognise them when they happen.
You have to remember that HI is not actualy happening behind your eyes. It’s in your head. Instead of looking in the back of your eyes, look in your minds eye. Just observe, some random things will happen.
Most of my HI that has happened to me is weird scenes that have to do with my future or my past (though sometimes its just really really random). Usually for me the HI isn’t scary but the HH is.
I’ve also read that many people sucessfully do WILD without HI or HH, so if you dont get it ever than thats not necessarily a problem.
The Luciddator
all i see are colours.
mostly purples.
i don’t think it’s proper HI though
it kinda hurts to look at HI sometimes
I find whenever I daydream before sleep and I focus only on that intently for as literally long as I can… SP hits me right when the HI starts to come and form movies. I usually am half n half at this point, just barely conscious. Thats my trick though, to just focus on daydreams and not get too involved in them emotionally.
In other words, HI is not a big thing for me because I usually am not fully awake to see it, SP startles me awake though and from then on its just plain darkness. So to sum it up, my HI’s are like sitting through a movie after staying awake for 3 days, very hazy because I am only half conscious.