So far I’ve read almost everything I can about lucid dreaming, almost every article and major threads in this site, and a couple of others, but a few months later still I’m having trouble putting all these stuff i read into action. I’ve tried WILD, but I dont really understand this method, so i only tried it once or twice, there isnt a thread here that gives a step by step instruction to how to WILD, and even if there is it’s pretty vague. I’ve also tried MILD, for the first few weeks i simply continuously repeated to myself “i am going to realise that i am dreaming in 4 hours” or " i will wake up in 4 hours" whilst going to sleep, but whenever i did this, i would never be able to fall asleep. I’ve now come to the conclusion that thinking keeps me awake, because whenever i try to repeat a phrase in my head, or create a scene in my head for VILD, I cannot fall asleep, and even if i simply give up and just try to go to sleep, it will take me hours to do so. This is getting kind of frustrating as almost all methods involve me having to repeat something to myself in my sleep. Now i simply just go to bed and hope to myself i’ll remember to do a reality check in my dreams…
Can anybody offer me any help? any methods that dont involve thinking? any way to help me fall asleep easier? any way for me to be able to repeat something in my head without keeping me awake? Any help in any form is appreciated
Do a WBTB. It is most advisable to do. If you don’t know what WBTB is, its just going to bed and awakening 5-6 hours later, and then going back to bed.
Keep thinking about LD’ing while you are waiting to go back to bed. It is the best to stay awake for atleast 30 min - 1 hour.
Relax in your bed. You can take a cold shower, it really helps. If you like tea, you can drink some. Listen to relaxing music. You can do anything that relaxes you. You can think about how your bed feels comfortable. But don’t do anything that keeps you unrelaxed like playing fast-paced games, and do anything that can make you nervous. Best is to lie either on your back, or on your chest.
Get a clock that goes tick-tock, put it in your room. Think about something, whatever you want. If you can think without saying any words in your head, do that. After some time of your thinking, when you notice that you stopped caring about the sound of the clock, stop thinking and just listen to the clock, but don’t count the ticking. You can imagine a ball going left and right or backward and forwards. After about 10 seconds of listening to the clock stop listening to it and start thinking again. Do it again and again.
When you notice hypnagogic images coming to you, start watching them instead of thinking.
With time they will form into scenes, now it is the time to stay as much councious as you can. Watch them passively, but know that they are not real. They will try to hypnotize you. That is their purpose, to make the dream seem normal to you.
When those scenes become long enough, try to enter them.
You’re in a lucid dream.
Tips and Tricks:
WBTB is not required, but it is most advisable. You can always practice without WBTB.
Also the clock is not required, its just the thing that will keep you aware so you don’t fall asleep uncounciously.
You will probably enter councious SP. It is the state in which your body is asleep, but your mind is aware. You enter it every night, but you’re either in deep sleep or dreaming, so you don’t notice it. You will have this feeling where its like gravity is increasing, when it comes to your lungs, breathing will seem more difficult. Try not to fear it. Its harmless, but scary at the beggining. If you manage to not to fear it, it can help you towards LD’ing. Try imagining rolling out of bed. You might have an OBE.
Do not fear HI’s and HS’s. If you fear them, they will become more and more worse, so you fear them even more, making them become even worse, leading to a magical loop. On the other hand, if you don’t fear them, they will become enjoyable, leading to LD’s. Hypnagogia (the state between awake and asleep - it couses HI’s and HS’s) is mod edit. It can either be a really good experience, or a really bad experience, it all depends on do you fear it or not.
Customize WILD to your own needs. If something is bugging you, try leaving it out and trying without it.
thanks for the help! much appreciated, i will try that tonight . So i can think about whatever i want, and it doesnt have to be focused and/or repeat? cus usually my mind wanders alot, and having to bring it back to lucid dreaming is usually what keeps me awake… oh, and how long will it take before i see HI? because the last time i tried wild, i didnt know wether i was seeing the HI or not, and it kept dissapearing when i ask myself wether im seeing HI or not (cus thinking keeps me awake), and i will feel a jolt and not be tired at all. thanks again for the help!
Your mind can wander, but after some time wandering you must remember to stop and listen to the clock.
You won’t see HI for atleast 10-20 minutes at first, it takes some practice and drowsyness (this is why WBTB is good, it takes you directly to the hypnagogia state).
WILD is all about moving the limits. Once you have been in one stage of WILD, its easy to come back to it.
And yes, thinking keeps you awake because you think it keeps you awake. With time everything will come to you, you will beat any kind of insomnia with WILD’ing, you won’t care about wheater you will or you won’t fall asleep, you’ll know that you will.
One thing that helped me toward falling asleep is not moving. All sorts of sensations will come to you, but don’t move. You’ll easily get into hypnagogia.
HI’s are supposed to be short at first. Only random image flashes and stuff.
I’m glad Beat Doctor’s been really helpful to you, but if you’re new to lucid dreaming I’d advise NOT doing WILD even with WBTB right now. WILD is an advanced technique and it’s not easy and it’s not something for beginners. MILD doesn’t necessarily mean you think about your intention the whole time before you fall asleep. That IS going to keep you awake because your brain is so active and focused on that. For me, when I MILD, I’ll take a few minutes to set my intentions and then start daydreaming because I can’t fall asleep anyhow else.
That’s my point of view. Basically I’d just recommend a few minutes of intention setting if you’re trying MILD, and then you can fall asleep how you need to if you know it’ll get you to sleep. (Yes, I’ve had the same problem myself.) And one last thing. Don’t TRY to fall asleep. That can keep you up too! Let yourself sleep.
He said its hard for him to concentrate on repeating one sentence, so I reccomended him this method (I had the same problem earlier). If MILD is really not the thing for you, you can just try using RC’s during the dy, DJ in the morning and so on, WILD during night (don’t force it too much), and see where it gets you. After a month or so doing these it got me to a point where I can have atleast 2 LD’s weekly (I expect more later on).
Basically, just keep your mind occupied during the day with LD’s. Be lucid during the day. Ask your self questions like “What am I doing now?” or “What was I doing five minutes ago?”. And don’t jut set your intentions to have a LD, expect it.
. So i can think about whatever i want, and it doesnt have to be focused and/or repeat? cus usually my mind wanders alot, and having to bring it back to lucid dreaming is usually what keeps me awake… oh, and how long will it take before i see HI? because the last time i tried wild, i didnt know wether i was seeing the HI or not, and it kept dissapearing when i ask myself wether im seeing HI or not (cus thinking keeps me awake), and i will feel a jolt and not be tired at all. thanks again for the help!
that was a lot of help! ill try this tonight >:D
thanks for the help though 
(Yes, I’ve had the same problem myself.) And one last thing. Don’t TRY to fall asleep. That can keep you up too! Let yourself sleep. 