"Wake-Initiated-False-Awakening" Technique

[StJohnny]

I actually stumbled upon this technique accidentally. Have you ever woken up and been laying in bed, then you start thinking about how you need to get up and eat breakfast/take a shower/go to the bathroom- But somehow you begin to actually dream that you are doing these things, only to awake in a few minutes and realize that it had been a dream? It's a sort of wake-initiated-false-awakening... strange, I know. Anyway, your goal in this technique is to induce this sort of thing. Basically, when you wake up in the night, you should focus on feelings and sensations that aren't really there, as you would with other WILD techniques. Example: I lay on my back with my arms at my sides. As I lay there, I begin to imagine that I am actually holding my arms up and am clapping or snapping my fingers. Even though in reality my arms are at my sides, I try to focus on the tactile feeling of what it would be like to be snapping my fingers. I also try to focus on the sound of snapping my fingers. Eventually I will actually hear the sound of me snapping my fingers. After a while, with lots of focus, I am able to fall into a dream where I am laying in bed with my eyes closed and I am snapping my fingers above me. I now sit up and open my eyes, my room looks strange and I am definitely in a lucid-dream/false-awakening. If you practice meditation you should be experienced at focusing on one singular thing like breathing or a candle. This is a lot like that, but try to focus on the imaginary feeling and sound of your hands. Often times, as I am going to sleep, I will be comfortably laying in bed, thinking random thoughts about my day, and relaxing. I may start to think about saying good-bye to my friends earlier that day, waving goodbye to them, and closing the door- But suddenly I actually hear the door slam shut in my mind! This usually startles me and I snap out of my pre-sleep state of mind and look around the room to see where the noise came from. When you are trying to do the above technique, you should begin to hear your hands clapping/fingers snapping every once in a while. It may surprise you and then you will not hear it as vividly anymore; however, if you keep intently listening to the sound and focusing on how real it sounds, you should be able to get to a point where you are repeatedly hearing you snapping/clapping. It's hard to do, but you get better at it as you try. Okay, let me know if you guys like this technique.