Thread: WILD question & waking up to record dreams

Drink alot of water before you go to bed, and tell yourself that you will wake up - make it your intention to wake up while it's still dark.

As for wilding, it may well be impossible unless you wake up after a few hours of sleep to try it.

If you need any advice on it, feel free to PM me, or look through the vast amounts of information on the site =]

Originally Posted by DC111

Hi, all! I'm back after a lifetime and a day. Anyway, I've been trying Lucid Dreaming again (now that summer is nearing and I'll be less busy/stressed) and I gots some questions.

The first has to do with WILDing. When I'm laying there, I sometimes experience what I think is the beginning of a dream, then I wake up. It happens just after a few minutes of laying still with my eyes closed, and it feels like my thoughts (which are usually daydreams of what I want to dream about) sort of start turning into a little dream. There isn't really any transition from being awake to being asleep. It's sort of hard to explain... it's like a mini-dream. It's not very vivid. I guess what I'm trying to ask is, does anyone else experience something like this or know what it is? I just find it weird because there's no hypnogogic imagery or falling-through-the-bed feeling or anything like that involved.

I think what you are experiencing is hypnogogic imagery. The more intense sensations and transitions (like feeling like you are falling through the bed) usually happen to me after hypnogogic imagery--often like "mini-dreams"--has been going on for a while.

And second... it seems like a lot of people wake up in the middle of the night to remember and record their dreams, or just wake up naturally after REM. Now, I never wake up in the middle of the night, so in the morning, I can only remember one or two dreams, if any. I can't set an alarm because there are other people in the house who actually want to sleep. So... how can I, like, wake myself up after dreams? Autosuggestion? Something else?

You do wake up. Everyone wakes up briefly several times a night. You just don't remember it. The suggestion about drinking water is a good one. But also, WILDing should be tried after 4-6 hours of sleep. I usually just set my alarm, wake up and record any dreams I remember or do something for 30 minutes, and then try to WILD. And if I WILD successfully, I usually wake up after the LD and am then able to write it down.

You could try an REM suppressor like 5-HTP. For me it suppresses REM for a while, then when it wears off I wake up, usually in 4 or 5 hours, then I can try for a WILD or WBTB, and most of your REM periods will be in the morning, so you may remeber more dreams when you finally awaken in the morning.

Large amounts of B6, like 200mg with food, before bed also usually allows me to awaken some time during the night, and remeber dreams. It works better than 5-HTP for me.

I usually can't awaken in the middle of the night naturally.

Originally Posted by DC111

The first has to do with WILDing. When I'm laying there, I sometimes experience what I think is the beginning of a dream, then I wake up. It happens just after a few minutes of laying still with my eyes closed, and it feels like my thoughts (which are usually daydreams of what I want to dream about) sort of start turning into a little dream. There isn't really any transition from being awake to being asleep. It's sort of hard to explain... it's like a mini-dream. It's not very vivid. I guess what I'm trying to ask is, does anyone else experience something like this or know what it is? I just find it weird because there's no hypnogogic imagery or falling-through-the-bed feeling or anything like that involved.

Yes I experience(as do us all I believe) this same thing. Semi-dreams. Its like while your laying there, your mind just starts seeing mini scenes and images take place. I think this is Hypnagogic Imaging as in the HILD tutorial describes these pretty accurately.

The key is:

When these images manifest into moving, vivid scenarios allow yourself to passively be drawn into the dream world. Try to maintain a level of awareness so to not fall asleep unconsciously.
Do not try and actively enter the dream scene. Take a detached interest in the imagery.
Let your involvement with what is happening draw you into the dream.
There is a fine line...... Too much involvement may lead you to awake. too little, you will drift of to sleep.
If you maintain the proper level of awareness you will find that you have just went directly from a waking state to a lucid dream state.

And second... it seems like a lot of people wake up in the middle of the night to remember and record their dreams, or just wake up naturally after REM. Now, I never wake up in the middle of the night, so in the morning, I can only remember one or two dreams, if any. I can't set an alarm because there are other people in the house who actually want to sleep. So... how can I, like, wake myself up after dreams? Autosuggestion? Something else?

I've been progressing every day. The key is right before you fall asleep, tell your subconscious(and if you have them, dream guides, spirit guides, guardians, your God, star elders..etc) to remember your dreams, and anything else you need help with(ex: remembering to preform RC's). Then VISUALIZE yourself waking up in the morning with a clear head, remaining still with eyes closed while remembering the stream of dreams you had. I find all it is, is building a new habit. If I awake with my eyes closed and remain still and empty minded, I can recall waaaay easier. But if I go back to my old habit, I'll wake up, open my eyes, switch positions, have thoughts about the time or whatever, and will have shot myself in the foot when it comes to recall.

For your alarm problem, if you have a computer or laptop next to your bed, I recommend downloading BuddhaBell. Its a meditation "timer" that's dings a peaceful gong(you can choose) once upon start and 3 times upon ending. These 3 rings of the gong should be all it takes to wake you up, but at the same time it should'nt awake your household. What this essentially is, is an alarm clock that doesn't disturb your brain upon waking, and auto shuts itself off.

If you can't do that, I recommend buying some Sleep Phones(headphones made to sleep in: http://www.sleepphones.com). You could then create an mp3 alarm, of which only you would hear, and you wouldn't have to worry about discomfort of big bulky headphones.

Thanks for all the help so far, guys. I tried telling myself to remember my dreams in the morning or to wake up in the middle of the night. I have recalled more dreams and I actually remember waking up in the night a few times this week. I'm definitely going to try using B6, too, and visualize what I want to happen like dtrevinofl said.