Thread: How to WILD

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WILD

Before we start I need you to clear your mind of all the preconceived notions you may have about WILD. All of this crazy-advanced-hard-to-understand mumbo jumbo thats been being piped into your head was based on false premises. The people that were trying to teach you how to WILD actually had no idea what was happening when they laid down and WILDed, they just knew that what they did worked for them, and thus it must work for others.

Alright, so that was a very big statement that I'm sure offended a whole bunch of good people.
Let me call out one fact to justify what I've just said: have you ever heard of a WILD technique that works for everyone?

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Understanding WILD can seem incredibly daunting. Why is it that some people seem to be incapable of WILDing, whereas others go to bed and get it right on night one? Also, why don't we all just WILD randomly during the day as we're lying still watching the tube?

I've been WILDing for a very long time. To be perfectly honest, I haven't been able to go one week without thinking about what the heck separates me, and others that can WILD, from everyone else.
About a month ago, it all started making sense.


Ok, so enough ranting. What the hell is "WILD," and why is it so damned hard?
It all started a very, very, long time ago. Surely before Homo-sapiens ever walked the earth. To make things a bit more understandable for you however, I'll just pretend it started with us.

Imagine you are early man. All you would have to kill your dinner with would be like, a rock or stick.
We aren't very stealthy animals. Our smell, height, and lumbering two footed gait would warn any prey of our location long before we got anywhere near close enough to kill it. Instead of dying out, we learned to lay in wait for our prey so as to kill it when it got too near. This involved very long bouts of lying perfectly motionless in our hiding spots, listening intently for either the sound of prey approaching, or the sound of a predator coming near (both would mean the difference between life and death).

Now imagine that you pass out into the dreamworld/sleep paralysis while lying there. You're dead. Your genes never got passed down.


The reason you have never been able to WILD is because of the system evolution set in place to solve this "passing out" problem. The first step to learning to WILD at will is understanding the system.
What is the system? Like all good evolutionary solutions to problems, it is elegantly simple. "Do not enter REM/sleep-paralysis when you are waiting for something to happen."

Think of the human laying there waiting for a sound. He has done this a thousand times over the course of his lifetime. Sitting here is second nature to him. Maybe he's thinking about his woman's beautiful, soft, supple cooking or something like that. His conscious mind is wandering, only barely thinking about the hunt. Yet he does not enter his dreams. The reason for this is because, subconsciously, he has told himself to "listen out for any odd sounds, and then alert my consciousness instantly/shoot me up with some adrenalin when you hear something so I can make the kill."

Do you see the connections between this and what almost everyone does when WILDing?


When learning to WILD, the majority of people learn about these crAzY things like "Hypnogogic Imagery, Sleep Paralysis, Auditory Hallucinations, etc." and are then told that these things "lead up to" dreams.
What happens when they lay down to WILD? They subconsciously tell themselves "watch out for hypnogogia/paralysis/voices as these things mean you are closer to lucidity!" This is the exact equivalent of what the prehistoric human thought. This is the exact thing the system watches for to keep you from falling into your dreams!

Something that few seem to realize: all WILD techniques are simply mind exercises to keep you from thinking about what you're trying to do (ie. get into the dreamstate) as you do it. They are merely attempts to keep you distracted as you slowly drift off to sleep.


As I said earlier, all of these techniques are, unfortunately, completely misguided. The inventors of them are merely trying to teach others what they personally found out how to do through trial and error, without having any idea of what the heck is going on.
This has led to methods that would have you lay doing a mental exercise for 15, 30, 60, or even 120 minutes before you fall into a dream. Insane.



These lengthy WILDs work by having the user focus all their willpower on counting/relaxing/seeing a visual image. With all their willpower directed at this one task, thoughts of "was that hypnogogic imagery" and all other forms of waiting for something to happen vanish. Unfortunately now that all of their conscious mind is focused on getting a task done, it becomes impossible for them to fall asleep (and thus dream). Only an hour later when lying still for so long finally overcomes their conscious willpower do they enter a dream (this is the best case scenario. Most just pass out).

So, what does it actually take to successfully WILD?

WILD Simplified

Fortunately, WILD is very simple indeed. There are only five steps:

1. Sleep beforehand
2. Get up for a little while
3. Calm your body/mind
4. Use an anchor
5. Fall asleep

"Fall asleep!? But I thought I was trying to consciously enter a dream!" This is where the Anchor comes in.

The anchor is something you passively "keep track of" as you let your mind more or less wander. It is the tether that holds your prefrontal cortex just functioning as you drift into the dreamworld.

Notice that this is an extremely passive method of entering your dreams. It is the shortest approach possible. If you have something like "FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING" dominating the forefront of your mind, its going to take a very, very long time to actually enter a dream.
Using the anchor method however, you're bargaining away part of your awareness for a speedy entry into a dream. You could literally enter a dream within one minute once you have this down.

So how is this possible?
I'm sure some of you have heard of "FILD," "DEILD," and tactile WILDing. These all use anchors in the same way what I'm explaining now does. Unfortunately, they use really shitty anchors. Anchors must be extraordinarily 'solid.' You have to be able to sense them while your body is numb - on the brink of losing consciousness.

What is the best anchor I have found so far? Dull aching pain.
Its as simple as arranging your legs into a slightly different position that creates pain. Perhaps putting a hand beneath your body... Pain works best because it is one of our most primordial feelings. It easily reaches you as you drift off.


Ok, ok. Perhaps I've gotten a little ahead of myself. Let me explain what would be typical of this WILD:

1. Sleep first.

This WILD depends on you being both pretty tired, as well as you being near a REM period.

Sleep through one or more REM periods before getting up to do this. Typically somewhere between three and eight hours. I usually sleep for six.
Use trial and error to find a good time for you. Everyone is different.


2. Get up for a little while.

If you just woke up, reached over and hit your alarm clock, then rolled over and started WILDing, chances are you'd fall unconscious. Some people can simply lie in the dark for a second and then start and get it to work, but the majority will be very groggy at this point.
Get out of bed, maybe turn on a lamp, use the restroom, get a sip of water, or whatever. I would do some reality checks now, which help to wake up my prefrontal/logic.

Usually I stay up for about ten minutes just sitting cross legged on my bed staring into space/reality checking. If I feel any fear about the impending WILD (for example, if I just came out of a nightmare), I'll look at some soothing or beautiful pictures that I have printed out lying beside my bed.

Basically you don't want to think about anything much during this time. Don't get on the computer, or crack open a book etc. You want to be able to pretty easily fall back asleep once you start WILDing (but again, you don't want to instantly pass out). Use your own discretion.

After a little while, when you're feeling tired, but not like you're going to conk out (would you drive your vehicle without fear of falling asleep behind the wheel?) go ahead and lay down like you normally would to go to sleep. The time you stay up can be anywhere from five seconds, to fifteen minutes. Depends on the person. Trial and error.


3. Relax.

Now you want to relax. This will serve the double purpose of keeping you from insta-passing out and also give you a moment to clear away any pre-WILD expectations.
As a rule, you're going to want to think about the coming dream as little as possible from the time you wake up until the next morning. Remember the caveman? You don't want to fall into the trap of expecting something to happen. Just passively relax.

I usually relax body part by body part. for example, I'll start at my legs, relax them a little bit with each exhale, then move on to my arms, torso, etc.
Do this organically. Don't be thinking "OK! Going to relax my left arm for 10 exhales, then go to my right leg for 10 exhales etc." Your body is already going to be pretty relaxed since you just woke up. Just relax randomly and in whatever order you want. This is all really just a way for you to allow your mind to unwind and start getting closer to sleep.


4. Use the anchor.

If you're using the pain anchor I mentioned earlier then you should have initiated some type of dull throb when you first laid down. If you're on your side, put your knees in a strange position where they're slightly uncomfortable (the pain will increase as time passes). If on your back, put your hand underneath you, etc. Use your imagination, just don't be stupid and cut off the blood to something where you're going to have to get it amputated when you wake up ().

Now that you've finished relaxing yourself just lay there and allow your body and mind to drift off to sleep like you normally would. As you're drifting, keep that pain in your awareness. Don't let it dominate your awareness, just continue to notice it.

That pain is your anchor to consciousness. Just keep noticing it as you slowly go deeper and deeper into sleep.
Rather than just passing out like you normally would if you did this before sleeping for 3-8 hours, you will eventually, inexplicably, be in a dream.

_________

To recap:
WILD is simple and has five steps,

1. Sleep for 3 to x hours
2. Wake up for a little while
3. Lay down and relax your body and mind for a short period
4. Notice your anchor as you drift into sleep.
5. Drift into sleep

Do NOT think about the logic of what I've explained in this tutorial when you get up to WILD. Just get up and do what you know you have to do. Its as simple as getting up and then falling back asleep.

As an important side note: do not move during your WILD. It is imperative that from the time you lie down to WILD to the time you wake up the next morning that you do not move. Yes, you can swallow, burp, etc. Just don't move your body.
Moving will interrupt your body's natural progression into sleep paralysis/the dreamworld.

Hey guys.
Its been awhile since I've posted a tutorial, so I figured I'd fill you in on some of the stuff I've learned about WILD over the past few months.

I hope you find it as useful as I have.

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That pain technique is not "the way to WILD." It is just an example of how to use an anchor to keep your consciousness up.

Other anchors could be anything:

• Passively noticing your breathing
• Turn on some white noise
• Make the room colder/hotter than usual
• Buy something that vibrates and tie it to your leg/let it vibrate there as you fall asleep.

The reason I used pain as an example is because even the person that has almost zero willpower will be able to hold onto it as they slowly drift off.


The pain method will NOT work for everyone. As someone in this thread mentioned, some people have a low tolerance for pain and will not be able to properly fall asleep due to it clouding the forefronts of their mind's (much like normal 'long' WILD methods do with breathing/etc).

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There were two things I wanted you guys to take out of this tutorial:
the five step process.

1. Sleep beforehand
2. Get up for a little while
3. Calm your body/mind
4. Use an anchor
5. Fall asleep

And a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanics of "WILD."

If pain doesn't seem to work for you, try low volume white noise. If that doesn't work, use your breathing. Think of FILD and DEILD, they work for some people but not for others. Now that you know what to look for, you can choose the method that is right for you (or easily create one for yourself).
With any anchor you use, use it passively.

very nice

Oi! You're back? =O

Originally Posted by BillyBob

The people that were trying to teach you how to WILD actually had no idea what was happening when they laid down and WILDed, they just knew that what they did worked for them, and thus it must work for others.

I love you..... so true... I'm one of the few people that will admit it in my tech thread =P but I don't have time to read the rest of this. Later I will =P

Excellent

Thank you!

Nice tutorial! So are you saying this method would work for everyone? I am pretty sure that dull ache would occupy my mind so much that i wouldn't be able to sleep, i find it hard to go to sleep anyway, for example i could wake up from a dream, turn over and lay there for an hour without passing out. Ill give it a try though also what kind of dull ache do you create as standard when doing this? I think i may have done this by accident this morning, i woke up from a dream and was laying on my front with my arms underneath me and i was quite uncomfortable but couldn't be bothered to move and i could hear things in my ear, then i went into a dream where i was playing a 2d game but thats all i could see, im not sure though it could have just been HI, but im guna try laying like that again tonight

Great tutorial! I'm definitely trying the pain anchor tonight.

Thx , this really help

Ok cool.
But what is the difference between people thinking about what they did today and falling asleep to that (as half the population would),
and the WILDers using the same method of imagining scenes etc, as an anchor.
They are both anchoring and falling to sleep, yet the normal sleepers don't go Lucid.
Is the only diff that the WILDers are focussing on one image and not many?
Just a question.

Great tutorial

Originally Posted by DreamChaser

Ok cool.
But what is the difference between people thinking about what they did today and falling asleep to that (as half the population would),
and the WILDers using the same method of imagining scenes etc, as an anchor.
They are both anchoring and falling to sleep, yet the normal sleepers don't go Lucid.
Is the only diff that the WILDers are focussing on one image and not many?
Just a question.

Really there isn't; imagery, tactile sensations, counting breaths etc etc... are all just other forms of anchors. Being able to WILD comes from being able to use your anchor as an assistant/tool; not being able to think about what it is. We need more posts about anchor/transition theories (Don't mean examples); never mind WBTB/Relaxation. I think everyone knows a WBTB is important after spending 5 minutes on the boards.

Pretty consistent guideline with every other tutorial:

• Wbtb
• Relax
• Apply Anchor
• Sleep

Nothing new; but he says it in a simplistic way that is attracting more people. Its causing people to actually notice it so its doing something right.

Originally Posted by Shady

Really there isn't; imagery, tactile sensations, counting breaths etc etc... are all just other forms of anchors. Being able to WILD comes from being able to use your anchor as an assistant/tool; not being able to think about what it is.

Pretty consistent guideline with every other tutorial:

• Wbtb
• Relax
• Apply Anchor
• Sleep

Nothing new; but he says it in a simplistic way that is attracting more people. Its causing people to rave over it so its doing something right.

Ok no problem, but why aren't half the population WILDing since they are all anchoring with daily thoughts?

BillyBob you are amazing. I have always had trouble with WILD's. Today I tried your technique with my fan as an anchor and bam, I had my first wild of the month . I woke up for 10 min, performed a wild, and in 20 min I had my false awakening. I knew it was a dream immediately because my fan was off.

Don't be that excited yet. It will just pass away. The role of any focal point is to keep your intent / waking personality intact. You also need pulling or at least a pushing force. Sleep interruption gives you the push, an elevated power of background theta activity. Visualization is both a pushing and a pulling force but if executed poorly it just rips you apart.

Nothing beats a well conceptualized pulling force. There was a time when I was LDing by protruding my bubble of attention. I just keep pushing inward into the dark until the environment formed around me. You use visualization to give a shape to your intent, to conceptualize your progress toward the state you want to be in.

It ultimately comes down to your willpower and your reservoirs of vital energy, chi, or whatever you would call it. Besides a bunch of other things, vital energy enhances your EEG power, therefore your intent, your ability to visualize, everything. Your brain runs on ions, and having a surplus of them really makes the difference.

As for the focal point, I've found two that really works. It took me years to understand why they really are the best. The first one is the geometric centre of your body. Basically you want to push yourself through that point. The second one is the hiss like noise that comes from the middle of your head. It fluctuates really strong in interrupted sleep and occasionally turns into auditory hallucinations. The best time to WILD.

this Im really gonna test out since I just got my right eyebrow pirced , its going to be my Anchor ;

So in theory instead of using the pain as an anchor I could listen to my loud fan, and wait until I hear it otherwise. Once hearing it different I do a reality check, and should be fine.

(While waiting to hear this is it suggested to just think random thoughtsl, but actaully listening as well? or do i just try to clear head completly and listen?)

thank you, trying to have my first wild

Originally Posted by TripleX223

So in theory instead of using the pain as an anchor I could listen to my loud fan, and wait until I hear it otherwise. Once hearing it different I do a reality check, and should be fine.

(While waiting to hear this is it suggested to just think random thoughtsl, but actaully listening as well? or do i just try to clear head completly and listen?)

thank you, trying to have my first wild

Well if your like 99% of the population; you will either overlook it because it is background noise and fall asleep losing awareness or you will lay in bed concentrating to hard and never fall asleep. The only reason I "hear it differently" is because by this point I'm naturally conditioned to be aware of it. Im checking if its there without even trying to sort of thing.

In theory yes it would work; but unfortunately things are usually not as easy as they sound. Personally I dont hear it "turn off". Its simply that after working on WILDs/LDs so much I subconsciously do these reality checks almost constantly. The goal of the anchor is to give you something to passively observe as you slip off. Having a vivid anchor helps you draw the line; but vivid for me might be completely unnoticeable for you. The best thing you can do is on a night to night basis simply try to remain conscious slightly longer and get a little but further. You will know if your doing something wrong if it takes you more then a few seconds/minutes longer then normal to fall asleep. I am not saying lay in bed waiting for things to happen, just fall asleep normally but try to passively observe whats going on around you and what you feel as it happens (Or even before it happens). I used to make notes of the last thing I remembered before falling asleep such as sensations/level of imagery etc. Anything that stands out.

So many people think remaining aware or focusing on something when falling asleep means you have to sit there thinking about it constantly. Its really not something I focus on but its always in the back of my mind. Ideally I dont "check every 20 seconds" or whatever; its just more of a constant awareness.

You cant just wake up one day and say "Ok I'm going to remain conscious as I fall asleep". Your whole life you've been completely unaware of this phase and its going to take some time to be able to do anything with it. If you manage to passively remain conscious and aware during it the first time you try to WILD; and actually make the transition through to the dream then your amazing. Most people just get a taste of the transition phase and just get to excited and "wake up".

You really have to find the balance for something that works for you, start big and attempt using pain as billybob explained or something. Its really something you have to learn by feel.

*And just an edit to reply to allensig3654 from the post below.. (Since Im here editing spelling anyways )*
I have never had a problem with moving either; moving is no different then burping or swallowing in my opinion. It will only distract you if you make it a big deal.. For me being comfortable means I fall asleep faster and more 'peacefully'. Unfortunately laying like a brick isn't always great if it takes more then a few minutes to fall asleep. In fact for me if I have trouble with my WILD moving is usually the thing that helps me . Obviously that's going to vary for others but.. its defiantly not written in stone that it has a completely negative effect. Congrats on the repeated success though ; you'll get there.

Originally Posted by TripleX223

So in theory instead of using the pain as an anchor I could listen to my loud fan, and wait until I hear it otherwise. Once hearing it different I do a reality check, and should be fine.

(While waiting to hear this is it suggested to just think random thoughtsl, but actaully listening as well? or do i just try to clear head completly and listen?)

thank you, trying to have my first wild

Just did it again this afternoon while listening to my loud fan. I didn't get far, just out of body in my room, but I am proud .

Another thing I noticed was that it is ok to move. I started off reading a book. I then relaxed while visualizing the book in front of me for about 20 min. I then had my gf interrupt me so I turned to my side and lightly focused on my fan. Before I knew it I felt a click in the middle of my forehead and I pulled myself out of body. I looked at my door and realized it was open (it was closed before) This got me too excited and I was pulled back in body and woke up.

Great advice! I had posted something a few weeks ago with a similar message to this, I called it the "Clock tick tock-induced LD" method, where listening to a rhythmic external sound as an "anchor" as you put it, will help you fall asleep "naturally" while still holding to a thread of consciousness.

Just a question: You mention the whole "don't be expecting to enter SP" thing, which I agree with. I was recently thinking about listening to music while attempting a WILD, a soft low rythmic song like "Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space" by Spiritualized (which is actually the song from Vanilla Sky, at the end, when he's told he's in a LD)

Would listening to light, rhythmic music on an iPod through ear buds as the "anchor" be a good idea? I played with it the other night and it felt like I was slipping into sleep quickly (it wasn't a serious attempt though), but I hadn't slept for over 24 hours. Anyway, great tute and thanks for any reply.

Happy lucid dreaming and god bless!

I would say that the biggest addition in this thread is the word Anchor. And simple generalization of WILD.

Becouse many of us tried different methods of WILD, we start to sense, that every WILD has some relaxation at the beginning and that you should do it at WBTB....

This tutorial brought generalization and that is fine. It is only logical that some questions will arise, {I have questions myself} but when a guide such as this comes, it helps to gain another view and thats what everybody here searches for.

For me, it is really interesting, that this thread is mostly interesting for experienced WILDers, becouse also they are searching for new knowledge to improve their results. So the outcome of this thread for me would be... Even the most experienced WILDers are sometimes not successful and it takes time to achieve at least some success rate. So there is no need for results coming fast, there is only need for practice... And now, everybody sees the right sequence of WILD.

As for what Shady said. The same questions are asked, and the same answers are provided. I would say, people in this forums learn in spirals. Three steps forward, two steps backward. But thats pretty normal for this kind of community. I can clearly recall tutorials that tell the same as this one. But each in different way. So I would say... Thanx Billy for good view on WILD and thx shady for counterargumenting this tutorial. This way everything stays balanced and we may continue to learn.

I would rather someone post a Tut, and even if some of us get one thing out of it, it is worth it.
Imagine if people like BillyBob just didn't bother. Credit where credit is due.
I have learnt about anchoring. And a good technique to TRY.
It may seem similar each Tut, but for some it is their first glimpse of this.

This really helped alot thanks!

On an unrelated note, I've been told that prehistoric humans actually outran their prey in endurance. Unlike the majority of species, humans can sweat, they'd simply chase their prey until it eventually overheated, and quit on itself.

Originally Posted by goodkat

Unlike the majority of species, humans can sweat, they'd simply chase their prey until it eventually overheated, and quit on itself.

Yes, humans may not be the fastest creatures, but one of the most enduring.

Umm. All my WILD attemps since 07 have been failures. And after looking through this tutorial, for the first time last night I got SP.

I didn't transition to a lucid dream though, don't know how, lol. But I will DEFINENTLY keep trying this "anchor" thing.

I also learned a lot from "Shadys" posts, I think a lot of people overlooked them.

very nice tutorial!!! I will try it tonight, thanks for taking the time to make it, it is very easy to understand whereas other tutorials often confuse me