05_WILDs_Your_Best_Bet

[DrTechnical]

Day 5:

Here, I state the obvious regarding WILDs, and try my best to articulate my WILD technique (this clearly plays into the task rememberance and implementation). This all gets tied together in Day 6, to be posted tomorrow.


WILDs are probably your best asset when trying to remember lucid tasks. Since there is no break in awareness, they can often be more high level. They also tend to be more predictable for many of us. DILDs seem to present more challenges, at least in terms of recovering full cognitive awareness. Work on your WILD techniques.

Perhaps the most powerful technique that can be coupled with specific lucid tasks is to learn how to WILD and transition to your dreamspace without a break in the scene.

Many people rely on hypnagogic imagery to help transition into a particular scene. Try something different. Try allowing yourself to drift off, without losing awareness AND without losing perspective on where you are in real life. Maintain awareness of body position and physical location in general. This may make it possible to transition without HI or random scene creation. You would potentially transition into a scene consistent with where you left off in, in real life. More on this tomorrow.

[Sunshine]

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[DrTechnical]

I had posted my ideas on WILDing a while back:

http://mortalmist.com/forum/index.php/topic,1199.0.html

In retrospect, I would probably re-word that thread a bit ... or perhaps my method has changed over time a little.

Bottom line ... try to maintain awareness of your body. After all, tactile sensation is active regardless of whether you're awake or in REM. You should have a reasonable awareness of your pillow, leg position, how your clothes are bunched up in a certain way and so forth.

I think the real key to my transitions to my "dream couch" probably have more to do with not losing a sense of my physical body, what it's touching and where it is in time and space.

I think you know exactly what I mean by this, but I agree, it might be easier said than done. We're all a little different.

[Sunshine]

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[mu]

Wow.  Yes!  Dr. T, this is an excellent description of what is in my opinion the very best way to WILD there is.  I couldn't agree more on all points, especially the importance of remaining aware of both your body and your location.

It often seems that there is no transition at all; it will begin to occur to you that it just "feels" like a dream, and the room has become a little "stranger," does it not?

[Sean999]

I've WILD'ed several times before... it's not easy haha. There's a fine line one must dance, at least in my experience.

What I did before was just concentrate on internal sensations. Like the feelings of heaviness or lightness. I'll try concentrating on tactile sensations as well, and see what happens.

Also, when I transitioned, it wasn't completely seamless. I would experience SP accompanied by strange sounds and sensations. Not that I complained, it was pretty cool actually. In any event, I was always right where I left off: in my bed.

[unseen wombat]

Yeah, this is tough. There was a time when I was able to do it, but for some reason, now when I try, I either have to be so alert and aware that I can't fall asleep, or I just drift off into unconsciousness. I always got the transition sensations too. Sometimes sounds, but never any SP that I noticed or made me uncomfortable. It was pretty awesome.

[DrTechnical]

Hey all.

Yeah, that is the issue with WILDs. There is a fine line between too much and too little concentration.

I suppose I remain mindful of my place in time and space, but also allow my attention to slowly drift off. The notion of "drifting off to sleep" is a valid description.

In all fairness, a bias in Acetylcholine helps as well (e.g. - take some Galantamine) - though I have pulled off these types of WILDS without supps. In those cases, the WILDS were almost always DEILDs (wake, lie perfectly still and fool the mind directly back into stage 5 REM). It can be done!