So here is my problem. I have been trying (for a few months now, although like twice a month until recently) to do WILD. For the past week I’ve tried every night, and the last 3 nights I get that “surge of energy” I’ve heard people get before SP.
The thing is though, I always lose it. I feel it and then I become much more alert and excited and I start noticing that I’m salivating/need to swallow which is also my biggest damn problem, always always I need to swallow, I have to start thinking of a scenario and become immersed in it, and then end up falling asleep because of it.
So I guess what I’m trying to ask is, how can I continue onto SP? Is WILD not a good place to start, especially when I first go to sleep? What do you guys recommend because I’ve had lucid dreams before, but only through realizing in the dream that I’m actually dreaming (rare)
WILD can be tricky, especially for a new dreamer. That is not to say it can’t be done. I would not recommend trying it at the beginning of the night. Generally it will be more uncomfortable and take muuuuch longer. The easiest time is about 4-6 hours after you first go to sleep when REM cycles are closer together and longer.
Also, do not worry about SP. If it happens, it happens. If not, that’s fine. I’ve had quite a few WILD’s (about 20-30% of my LD’s) and only a couple came from SP. The point is to forget about your body so you can fall asleep directly into a dream. If you’re worrying about your body, you’ll never be able to fall asleep. Remember, SP is just something your body does as you fall asleep.
I too would like to hear a solution to the swallow problem. I can play dead pretty well, except when it comes to that lake of saliva collecting in my mouth! Of course, people advise, “Don’t think about it, think about something else” as if it were that easy!
I bet you just swallowed.
One approach I tried is to intentionally dehydrate myself–no saliva, no swallow. But, that didn’t seem like such a good idea, even moreso in this summer weather.
Hey, how about this?! A dentist’s saliva tube hanging out the corner of my mouth sucking it all up so swallowing becomes a moot point?!
That sounds like it would be even MORE distracting I just woke up for WBTB and earlier tonight I didn’t have my saliva problem when I was doing relaxing methods, I guess you really just gotta believe it’s more of a mental thing than anything else and focus on ANYTHING but it
Ok, for the swallowing problem. Here’s the big secret:
Don’t worry about swallowing.
Yes, it’s true, swallowing may slow down your progress a small amount, but that’s the worst of it. However, for many people, not swallowing will bring your WILD progress to a grinding halt. If you need to swallow do it, better to get it out of the way than lay in agony not making any other progress. It’s a natural function, so try to let it happen without devoting too much thought to it. Just let your body do what it needs to do.
I just woke up for WBTB and earlier tonight I didn’t have my saliva problem when I was doing relaxing methods, I guess you really just gotta believe it’s more of a mental thing than anything else and focus on ANYTHING but it