Do I have to stay up for WBTB?

**Alien348** · 07-07-2015 06:38 PM

When the alarm sounds, can I just stay awake while on bed or do I have to stay off bed? I have been 2 weeks practicing WBTB this way:
The alarm sounds off, I then go to the bathroom, drink water and lay down staying awake for 20-30 minutes then going to sleep.
Those 2 weeks gave me no lucid dreams. Then one night I decided to stay off bed the whole 20-30 minutes, no laying down until the time had passed. That night I had a lucid dream.
So was I doing it wrong the 2 weeks? or is it just coincidence?

**spellbee2** · 07-07-2015 06:55 PM

Are you doing other techniques during your WBTB, or are you just laying down and immediately going to sleep?

Keep in mind that WBTB is not a technique in and of itself, but is more of a way to make other techniques more effective, especially WILD. So the problem may not be whether you're staying up or laying down, it could be that you're not actually doing anything to induce them (the one that you did have may have been a fortunate accident).

**Alien348** · 07-07-2015 07:38 PM

That explains everything. I thought WBTB was a technique in and of itself

Thanks!

**Laurelindo** · 07-08-2015 12:13 AM

Originally Posted by Alien348

That explains everything. I thought WBTB was a technique in and of itself

Thanks!

Well, not really, WBTB is better thought of as a way to increase the success rate for other techniques.
Stephen LaBerge doesn't even give it an actual name in his book "Exploring The World Of Lucid Dreaming", he just says that some techniques have a better chance of working after you have been awake for a little while (since this makes your brain more alert), which of course is WBTB in disguise.

For example, if you get out of bed for a while right during a REM period and then practice MILD, then this will allow you to go back into a REM period with a prepared intention.
This will make it much easier for you to remember your intention, since you go from wakefulness into REM instead of going from deep sleep into REM.