# Lucid Dreaming > Attaining Lucidity > Wake Initiated Lucid Dreams (WILD) >  >  What exactly is a WILD? Is it scary??? :/

## DreamSkater101

Okay, so I know you will think I am stupid for asking this question.. But I dont really understand what a WILD actually is!  ::?: 

I have read tons about them on here and on other websites... but I cant really understand what it is! 
So.. you go into a dream from being awake? 

I understand you need to do into SP first? And you are aware of the SP? That frightens me... So.. do you feel paralysed before you dream? Whats the difference between going into a LD from Normal sleeping, or from a WILD? 

Im sorry, but the whole WILD thing confuses me! I have read about it a _lot_ and ive tried really hard to understand it, but i just dont understand what it actually is you are trying to do! I'm sorry, I know its a silly question!

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## Tara

A WILD or Wake-Initiated-Lucid-Dream involves the exact same process as falling asleep normally, except you're aware of it.
You stay mentally awake and aware of what's happening while the rest of you falls asleep. It's the most direct way to enter a lucid dream.
Sleep paralysis or SP happens every night but we're not conscious for it. You are during a WILD.

In order for your body to not move and act out your dreams, thus waking you up, your brain paralyzes the body beforehand. When you consciously go through that (sleep paralysis), it's basically a transition into dreaming, so a lot of strange hallucinations can happen, usually visual and auditory. It's frightening your first time, but once you get used to it and remind yourself that it's all in your head, you can enjoy the ride right into a lucid dream straight away.

I remember one WILD I had a few months ago. I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to try having a lucid dream. I stayed still and conscious, not letting my mind drift off. Eventually my body went into sleep paralysis. I could hear echoing laughter everywhere! Eventually the laughing stabilized as if coming from one source. I felt myself sitting on something hard. Eventually the sensations of my bed were gone, I opened my 'eyes' and there I was at a party, my friends laughing, and I was lucid!

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## spaceexplorer

Don't worry too much about sleep paralysis.

Having had hundreds of WILDs in my life, i've rarely experienced extreme sleep paralysis whilst falling asleep into a WILD. It has happened on occasions, but it's never been a huge factor. I think either i'm incredibly unusual (but many people i've talked to say they too share this), or that SP is made out to be more important than it really needs be.

What is far far more common for me is this:

1) Im aware of my sleeping body
2) I become disinterested in my body (see why later)
3) My imagination starts to become my main focus (my attention is focused inwards, rather than on sensory perceptions)
4) eventually my imagination forms into a dream and I find myself in a dreambody.


As for the Why? in number 2:

I've never bought into the idea that remaining completely still is required for a WILD. I think it's a red herring that has become popular.
Sure, don't move too much, but, after a while, if you're not obsessing about your body or not moving too much, the need to move to get comfortable tends to vanish on it's own anyway... because if you let yourself get as comfortable as you can, eventually your mind and body calm down enough to fall asleep. 

If you don't make staying still your main focus, but instead you make your main focus, your thoughts/imagination, your body soon becomes irrelevant.
Staying completely still, in my opinion, actually forces you to focus on your real body more than you should... and in turn, that slows down the process of falling into your internal world.

I've always considered the most important factor in inducing a WILD (or falling asleep for those with insomnia) is to direct your actions towards whatever is the most restful and inward behaviour.

Obviously worrying about not moving, or laying uncomfortably frightened to move in case you "ruin your chances" is absolutely not restful behaviour.

I think the techniques that insist that you absolutely don't move, work not because they are the most effective techinques... i think they work *in-spite* of staying still. That is to say, that the staying completely still uncomfortably dosn't help you have a WILD, that instead it actually hinders your falling asleep.. but given enough time, the mind/body will become exaughsted enough that it will HAVE to fall asleep (unless you give up beforehand). Perhaps this is why people have more extreme SP with these methods... because they are putting the mind/body through a more traumatic drawn out sleep entry system.

I think a lot of people who have problems with the "stay completely still methods" would do well to try what I do... just forget about what your body is doing, it's not important as long as you are reasonably comfortable. If you need to shift about a bit, do it, don't sweat about it... it's just normal behaviour to want to get comfy. Move, then get back to your imagination.

I think the single most important factor for inducing a WILD is* shifting your awareness towards your thoughts and imagination and away from your body and sensory external input*

I find it especially useful to use my imagination to focus on shifting to my dreambody... so instead of focusing on staying still and awaiting SP, I'll just imagine walking around my room, or some other familiar scene, feeling the floor beneath my feet, touching objects.
The key, for me, is to let the body fall asleep on it's own... just let it do it's thing, ignore it, whilst keeping the mind active on the imaginary realm... focus on thoughts, imaginations, what it would feel like to be running, or walking or whatever. Just override your physical sensations with your imagination and imaginary sensations.

This way, I fall asleep much faster, much more easily, no worries, no painful laying around uncomfortably still obsessing about what my body is up to.
Instead, it's a relaxed smooth submersion into the sea of my imagination... and when you're deep enough, you find yourself in the sea of dreams.

Here's an analogy of the two:

One is like, wanting to go swimming... you slowly walk into the water, you let your body adjust to the water, you move slowly and naturally to a comfortable depth then start swimming.

The other is like laying uncomforably still on the shore just in front of the sea, waiting for the tide to come in, not moving an inch... just waiting... uncomfortably. Crabs come and nip your toes whilst you're waiting... but you can't move.... you've got to wait for the "sea to come to you", the occasional splash of a wave gives you a glimpse of what it's like to be in the cool sea... it excites you so much you almost move... but, no, you have to stay still... how else is the sea going to come to you?

I know which I prefer, and which makes more sense.

I see it like this:

Waking like: is the beach.
Imagination: is the shoreline where the waves crash and lap against your feet.
Dreams: are swimming in the sea.

Rather than waiting for the sea of dreams to come to you... meet it half way... play around in the shoreline of the imagination. You'll find yourself getting deeper, more confident... and the tide will come in quicker, if you're already ankle deep in the sea.

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## topten35

I like the last reply and i'm gonna try this when i do a wild today.  I'm gonna focus on my imagination and let my body do its own thing, i've been trying to find an easy way to keep my mind awake while letting my body fall asleep, the main problem i have is my itching problem.

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## spaceexplorer

> I like the last reply and i'm gonna try this when i do a wild today.  I'm gonna focus on my imagination and let my body do its own thing, i've been trying to find an easy way to keep my mind awake while letting my body fall asleep, the main problem i have is my itching problem.



Hope all goes well.
Let us know how you get on.  :smiley:

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## sonosoft

You sound very well versed in W.I.L.D and I myself have not musttered up the willpower to do one -.- I
'm 13 and want to know what do you visually see whilst performing a W.I.L.D and what do you hear? I heard it's like pitch black or something I rather it not be insanely scary like that because my worst fear is being in like a completely dark void. Thanks for any feedback you make reply with

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## AstralMango

> You sound very well versed in W.I.L.D and I myself have not musttered up the willpower to do one -.- I
> 'm 13 and want to know what do you visually see whilst performing a W.I.L.D and what do you hear? I heard it's like pitch black or something I rather it not be insanely scary like that because my worst fear is being in like a completely dark void. Thanks for any feedback you make reply with



WILD is different for everyone. So what one person might see or hear in transition probably won't be the same for you. Just know that nothing can hurt you and you'll be fine!  :smiley:

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## Sibyline

Epic post, spaceexplorer. Wise words from an experienced WILDer!  ::thumbup:: 

I have gone through the terror of fearing WILD, but just like dreams, the WILD entry responds to your expectations. Once I found out what was going on, that these were normal sensations that my body went through every night (only with my mind already asleep) and that if I dared to ignore all this "noise" and sink into it, I would have fantastic lucid dreams... well, then WILDing stopped being scary and became more of a mild annoyance. And recently I have begun to thoroughly enjoy the process. Nothing scary ever happens anymore.  ::dreaming::

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## gab

ayyyayayayay

necro

well, not that we don't have anough fresh SP threads, *sigh*, maybe this one will help someone too?

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## Sophianyankat

> A WILD or Wake-Initiated-Lucid-Dream involves the exact same process as falling asleep normally, except you're aware of it.
> You stay mentally awake and aware of what's happening while the rest of you falls asleep. It's the most direct way to enter a lucid dream.
> Sleep paralysis or SP happens every night but we're not conscious for it. You are during a WILD.
> 
> In order for your body to not move and act out your dreams, thus waking you up, your brain paralyzes the body beforehand. When you consciously go through that (sleep paralysis), it's basically a transition into dreaming, so a lot of strange hallucinations can happen, usually visual and auditory. It's frightening your first time, but once you get used to it and remind yourself that it's all in your head, you can enjoy the ride right into a lucid dream straight away.
> 
> I remember one WILD I had a few months ago. I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to try having a lucid dream. I stayed still and conscious, not letting my mind drift off. Eventually my body went into sleep paralysis. I could hear echoing laughter everywhere! Eventually the laughing stabilized as if coming from one source. I felt myself sitting on something hard. Eventually the sensations of my bed were gone, I opened my 'eyes' and there I was at a party, my friends laughing, and I was lucid!




You seem really experienced with WILD and I hope I am successful in WILD tonight but I feel a bit uneasy  thinking about what hallucinations I may have. Will I know that these are just hallucinations, or will I be genuinely afraid until I enter the dream state? I am a bit afraid but still willing to try WILD because I feel it could be amazing! ::hrm::  ::hrm::  ::wtf2::  ::whyme::

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## cooleymd

> I hope I am successful in WILD tonight



Your going to start with a WILD

have you had any lucid dreams

Not that you should be afraid of it, but I think you should probably try for MILD of DILD first
unless your feeling really lucky.  I have never even been able to DEILD and I'm quite good
at detecting exit from pretty much every dream.  

You don't want to get discouraged because you can't grasp the holy grail on your first night!

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