Intense feeling stopping me from WILDing?

Yo! I tried to WILD earlier today, and a couple of days ago during an afternoon nap. They were my first proper WILD attempts. I did try a WBTB one but I ended up inadvertently doing a MILD and falling asleep and becoming lucid later on leading to my first lucid dream.

During both of these attempts, I've gotten to a stage where I can see mild swirling colours and things that look like electronic static flying around my eyes, but during this phase my body starts to feel really strange and my breathing gets heavier and increases in rate and I start to feel actually more alert rather than like I'm going deeper in which stops the imagery completely. I count 1 to 100 and back. I only feel like I'm going deeper in when I start to lose my conscious and snap out of it. Is that feeling the onset of sleep paralysis and me reacting to the strange alien feeling because when I tried to get out of bed I found it was more difficult that usual to move, I had to force my numb hand open even though I was fully awake.

What is with the breathing and feeling of heart rate increasing? I read your heart rate speeds up during rem, so maybe it's just entering REM? I don't know, but when I read all the forum posts, everyone seems to be all relaxed and I just don't seem to be relaxed in this stage. :/

I've had three WILD attemps where I experienced what you describe.
My heart rate and breathing become faster, and it seems to cancel the process - it might just be excitement, I'm not really sure.

Either way, I will follow this thread, and hope someone will provide some input.

I have this same issue. It's simply excitement. Your heart rate increases and you become suddenly very aware of your body. How can this be avoided though?

I wonder if meditation is the key? If I meditate before I try to WILD maybe I'll be calm enough and clear in the head enough to do it, or maybe some binaurals, i tried them once and I was well relaxed, if you could get the timing right it might work?

I found the same issue. It effectively prevented me from doing WILDs, even though I was successful before. When I feel the WILD transition phase, my mind starts to control the breathing and snaps me out of it. I've been able to overcome that a couple times by distracting my mind with imagery until the transition phase hit me. If you are laying there and watching every little tingle in your body, you are doing it wrong.

One thing that may help you is that WILD can be Chained. Each failed attempt means your body is getting ready and if you keep trying, you will feel another onset in less than 5 minutes.


By definition, the WILD transition phase is full of hallucinations that you are supposed to ignore as your body materializes in a dream.

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Originally Posted by CloudArchitect

During both of these attempts, I've gotten to a stage where I can see mild swirling colours and things that look like electronic static flying around my eyes, but during this phase my body starts to feel really strange and my breathing gets heavier and increases in rate and I start to feel actually more alert rather than like I'm going deeper in which stops the imagery completely. :/

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You were experiencing Hypnogogic images. Hypnogogia can also come in the form of sounds. You were in a form of self-hypnosis that we go through every night known as the Theta brainwave state. This occurs directly before Deep Delta brainwave sleep. You were on the cusp of entering non- REM dreaming lucid. I have experienced very similar things. It is tough to let go of the conscious state when strange things are happening to your body. Remind yourself next time that these things will happen, when you are trying to fall asleep, whether or not you are aware of them. The weirdness of staying aware during the sleep onset process, and coming to terms with it, is something you can master

In general intense feelings usually means you are about to enter a dream, though I don't know about breathing quickly. I have not really heard that before. Intense vibrations, dream images, a sense of falling, loud sounds are all normal though, just prior to entering a dream. They can startle you awake but usually at that point you don't have to really do anything, but just wait a moment and let yourself enter.

I feel these sensations as well. Especially the heavy breathing. It's almost like after my heart rate increases, so does my breathing, and then I get the urge to swallow. All of those combined force me to wake. I get so frustrated with it. There has to be a way to counteract it, surely. At least I hope. ;)

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Originally Posted by Reamous

I feel these sensations as well. Especially the heavy breathing. It's almost like after my heart rate increases, so does my breathing, and then I get the urge to swallow. All of those combined force me to wake. I get so frustrated with it. There has to be a way to counteract it, surely. At least I hope. ;)

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I get the same thing, with my breathing getting heavier and heavier and my mouth building up with saliva it requires so much willpower to just stay still and as calm as possible that my mind is doing so much work it keeps me awake. Its a conundrum!

Yup, same experience. I think it's just the excitement of "omg I'm gonna have hallucinations, and then.. ..a lucid dream! OH BOY!!" ..annnnnd then it's over and you can start all over again XD

Problem is, of course, once you *notice* your breathing is heavier, you automatically focus on it, and break off the WILD process. I have issues with this lately..

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Originally Posted by CloudArchitect

I had to force my numb hand open even though I was fully awake.

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SERIOUSLY!! I haven't found much on this subject! What is it with this?
For me, it's usually my entire arm. The whole thing, a limb that has absolutely no feeling in it and it's completely heavy. It happens all the time. And it isn't that I fell asleep on it. It's the weirdest thing. Is this part of coming out of SP?