It’s tricky because when you count to yourself you’ve got to maintain, as LaBerge puts it, “a degree of vigilance.” Basically, it’s a fine line between being too aware or being too lax.
This may sound a little silly but, it works if you are using counting. As you get up to the higher numbers more slowly as though you were getting sleepy. Like I said it sounds silly but, it does work.
I wonder whether performing some mental maths would be better than this procedure… since even yesterday I kept falling asleep. ETWOLD mentions having somebody to wake you up, but it’s difficult to find this someone…
In my opinion, doing math would be too much mental activity. When doing WILD you only want to have a tinny bit of your consciousness awake. Other wise you stay too awake to get through the HI.
To be honest, I have never understood Laberge’s reasning for having a person to wake you up when using the counting method. His explanation doesn’t make much sense to me.
My dream character, who was my dad in my dream last night was doing some math, and he thought 2% of 40k bucks was 35k bucks lol!, thats a new dream sign for me… but in my normal dream, I still could do math… how funny!
Im not so sure about counting… but ive never really tried it. Im just trying to WILD with eliminating ALL thoughts… like if I think about ANYTNiING, i simply stop thinking about it. This includes thinking about stuff like ohh when will the vibs come on, my arm is numb, etc.
Also, I think concentrating on your breating is not the way for me… cause for me that means controlling my breathing… which seems to keep me awake… and once I stop, I find I wake up hours later lol.
Anyways… I think I figured out the key to WILDS:
Notice how scenes flash before your eyes, like not like a hallucination, but rather like a very good visulization… im changing up my routine to simply pay attetention visually to these… and simply stay aware. Heres my analogy: Your watching a movie and your gonna have a test on it!
I mean, you can pay attention to some picture, yet have your breathing go on auto drive, right?
Well, anyways in not sure really, im just experimenting, I could be wrong, but I have gotten to the point of where I feel like im moving around and I get imegry that is strong, I guess thats HI.
Also, I think I got WILD to work once, but I somehow ended up in a false awakening lol, but I cought it with a reality check!
So, all you WILDers… what do you think? And did what you say work?
[color=indigo]Hey the imagey things you said about…I think I had some of those…kind of.
I was trying WILD (for the billionth time ever!) and I kept on’seeing’ myself moving and having to start over. It was wierd cos sometimes I thought I had moved. It was like I was doing it, like it is in a dream, but I was just thinking it.[/color]
Another really handy thing when you try to slow down your brainwaves:
Try to imagine a stair or an elevator. Imagine that you are walking down the stairs, first person, imagine how you go down further and further and you will see that you will get closer and closer to WILD.
I like to imagine descending about 10 steps on a stair, and after that stepping into an elevator, really imagining the feeling of going down a few floors. After that, I stop the visualizing and I try to feel how much ‘deeper’ I have gone in my mind for a few seconds, before descending the next stair, etcetera. Try it!
Like a hypnosis staircase then… I see…
This morning I think I got really close to finally having a WILD, but I will ask you guys and see what you think.
I had just awakened from a normal (dream-induced) LD and wanted to reenter it, so I didn’t move a muscle but closed my eyes and just started counting “1, I’m dreaming…2, I’m dreaming…etc” Eventually there was a loud snap of noise followed by the color blue which encompassed my vision. After the snap of noise, I could hear calm, classical music playing in my head.
However, something happened…I think I just dozed off without becoming lucid…but I think I was close.
Ok here is the thing with WILD.
First you obviously need to get into a deep state of relaxation.(easier if you use WBTB) (Meditation, self hypnosis, Various WILD methods what ever works for you)
As you relax yourself deeper you will approach the hypnoga where you may experience some or all of the following (HI, hypnotic sounds, strange body sensations (floating, falling, vibes, feel like you are not breathing and even feel like you are having seizures ). All of this is harmless and normal. (Your body is going to sleep while your mind is awake) Try not to let these feelings frighten you and don’t get excited either. Any strong emotion or feeling will bring you bact to waking state.
This hypnogia is a barrier you need to cross to enter the dream. The only way to cross this is for your mind to be calm and still. You need to let go of all of your thoughts and allow yourself to be pulled into the hypnogia. You have to only maintain a very slight bit of your consciousness. I think counting takes too much thought but, some people say they do it with counting so, I won’t discount it. With HI you want to just be aware of HI but not paying too much attention to it.( To use an analogy above, like when you are watching TV but not really paying attention.)
It would be impossible to address every method in one post. If you have a question about a particular method feel free to ask. Im sure either myself or others will be able to comment on it.
Just keep in mind that the key is to let go of almost every thing and then just allow things to happen. I know this sounds complicated but it really isn’t.
Happy Dreaming
Cool, that jut reminded me of very cool happenings as I go to sleep sometimes, except I doubt it’s WILD related, cos I’m always moving around when this happens. After I’ve finally found a comfortable position to lay in, I get this feeling that my whole body is floating to the right, it’s really wierd, I hope that happens if I ever do WILD properly, cos it’s really nice, and doesn’t make me feel ‘frightened’ or anything.
PistGurl
Yes that is one of the ways I have entered a dream. Only instead of being pulled to the right I usually feel myself being pulled down to the foot of my bed.
Next time this happens to you let yourself go even more. Things may go very quickly from hear you may even feel like you are having a seizure but you are not. Just keep letting yourself go and you will very likely find yourself standing next to your bed. Fully Lucid in a dream.
I usually (and accidentally) match the counting with my breathing, thus it always increments at a constant rate. Unless I start breathing slower - which I probably do as I get more relaxed and tired…
Atheist
I have a quick question. When I use WILD I found that counting always kept me too awake to cross over into the dream. When I do use counting I will only do it to the point where I start to see HI. Then I will stop counting and shift my awareness to something else until I enter the dream. How do you use counting to actually enter the dream. I like to try out different techniques but, counting is one I could never get to work.
Thanks and
Happy Dreaming
Yes… the key is to drop your conscious level before you can cross over into the dream world. Your consciousness is a barrier… something that prevents you from being able to enter successfully. You just have to let it go bit by bit.
Also other key is to focus on something. It doesn’t have to be breathing. You can watch your black vision turning into a powerful imagination or something. Analogy: You have to pay attention on something cuz you’re going to take a test on that. (like other analogy… you gotta watch that movie cuz you gotta have this test). If you don’t have something to focus on, well you might find yourself waking up several hours later without any lucid dreams which can be annoying.
Other good relaxation technique. Imagine that you’re spinning like a top. It will instantly put you into a good trance. You can just continue imagining to spin like a top with your arms extended until you find yourself actually spinning in your dream body! It’s an excellent technique, but it requires a large amount of concentration though. It might work or not for you. Experiment. 
Good luck!
Most of the time I use it in a similar way as yourself. I count until I notice my mind wandering randomly (and sometimes losing track of what number I’m up to), then I generally stop and begin focusing on something visual until I’m actually asleep. Otherwise I tend to concentrate too much on counting, and I never allow myself to ever get to sleep.
Thanks for the reply
That is pretty much what I figured.
I have not met anyone who can count into the dream like is explained in EWLD.
Don’t get me wrong I am perfectly happy with the WILD ‘s I get with the techniques that do work for me. I just like to experiment with different techniques now and then. So far I have never been able to make just counting work. It will take me close but, I usually have to stop counting and focus on something else to cross over.
Happy Dreaming
So here’s an interesting question - what’s good to focus on when sp is coming on (for those of uswho have weak HI)…
That is interesting! Every time SP is slwly coming on, I get excited and all, and my mind gets thinking really fast and my heart beats very fast; how to just focus the right way?