Thread: Wilds painful

Whenever I try to wild my eyes start to move really fast and it gets painful and they move so much I have to strain to keep my lids shut. Any tips?

Try to focus on something other than your eyes. The smoothest transitions happen when you direct your attention away from your body.

When you get close to sleep paralysis, your body may send a strong signal to the mind telling it that it's uncomfortable, and to 'do something about it' so to speak. My guess is that this can be through the eyes as well, in which case you need to bear the discomfort and not move, until you enter sleep paralysis. However, if you're experiencing this while in SP and trying to fall asleep, I would suggest relaxing your eyes and allowing the rapid movement to happen, because it sounds like you're entering REM sleep.

ShockWave.

That's REM (rapid eye movement) - it happens naturally during sleep, or more specifically, during the aptly-named "REM phase" of sleep. It can be a pain - literally - but sometimes it's just a part of the WILD process. If it happens, just relax and focus on a different part of your body or visualize a dream scene. If your eyes are forced open, be sure to wear a sleep mask (the pressure can help keep your eyes shut) or keep the lighting in the room way down.

I agree with much of what Puffin and Robot have said, focusing on something other than your eyes helps. I don't feel any pain but I do start to notice my eyes crossing sometimes and it makes me uncomfortable, often ending up in me having to open my eyes and try again. Its annoying.

Originally Posted by Loaf

I agree with much of what Puffin and Robot have said, focusing on something other than your eyes helps. I don't feel any pain but I do start to notice my eyes crossing sometimes and it makes me uncomfortable, often ending up in me having to open my eyes and try again. Its annoying.

^This. So many times what (I think) would have otherwise been a successful attempt is ruined when my eyes start flickering, the eyelids fluttering, going cross-eyed etc. and I don't know whether to focus on something else and let them relax, or let them carry on because it's part of the process, sometimes my eyes will just be forced open. :/

This happens everytime I try to WILD, and I usually get too uncomfortable to fall asleep. It happens right before sleep paralysis, I think, because I have always been able to just open my eyes and move normally. Even when I try to focus on images or where I want to be in my dream, images may fade in and out and I'll just give up. I'll try to shift my focus from my body to my mind, though.

Same with me, I start to show classic signs of SP and then when I finally give up I can move normally and just get out of bed.

I think part of the issue is that I feel to excited to actually fall asleep once things begin to develop. I also seem to feel 'time-pressure', if I'm attempting at night I want to hurry it because I don't want to be attempting all night, I don't want to be trying to WILD all morning or all afternoon etc.

Have you tried focusing on breathing though? Or just letting your imagination run wild and ignoring your physical body. ALTHOUGH I have no clue how true this is, but someone said if you start imagining scenes and places in your head your eyes will do this... again, I don't know if that is a load of bullshit but there you go.

My body does all sorts of weird stuff during a good WILD. My eyes will bug out, as described. I will often get crazy body distortion hallucinations where I am bending in impossible ways. I almost always get really intense vibrations and loud buzzing and roaring sounds. All these things are distracting. That is why I try to take my attention away from my body. Of course, if something like this does ruin your attempt, don't give up. Just go back to what you were doing, and you should get right back where you were before the interruption.

My body does crazy stuff too. For me the problem isn't the eyes, it's my heart going crazy. Or at least, my mind imagining that my heart's going crazy. I just focus on the things that aren't physical. So, for instance, the crazy imagery, or the sounds that go on. I try to ignore sensations coming from - or seeming to come from - my body.

What the hell. I just noticed your coffee changed and I shat bricks.

Result!

Seriously though, I'm sorry to have done that to you.

Originally Posted by Loaf

What the hell. I just noticed your coffee changed and I shat bricks.

Originally Posted by TeaSea

Result!

Seriously though, I'm sorry to have done that to you.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! This is where you got it made people shit bricks.

BTW did you make that avatar yourself?

Anyway i dont know what is causing your pain. I guess you just need to think of something else. You should try to just go with the movements and look for visuales.

Originally Posted by dakotahnok

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! This is where you got it made people shit bricks.

BTW did you make that avatar yourself?

Yep, I was hoping someone would get it

Yeah, I made it myself in paint.NET, which (for me) is amazing considering how counterintuitive the program often seems.

Originally Posted by TeaSea

Yep, I was hoping someone would get it

Lol, I saw that post somewhere too.

I also have the sensation that I need to swallow so I do I'm pretty sure that that's not a hallucination, but I would like to know how to get rid of this weird urge.

Originally Posted by dacher2

I also have the sensation that I need to swallow so I do I'm pretty sure that that's not a hallucination, but I would like to know how to get rid of this weird urge.

Just go with the urge. Just swallow and dont think much about it. While sleeping you swallow so you should be able to swallow when you are trying to trick your mind that you are sleeping.

Oh wow I've heard about the swallowing thing before but not for a long time, I heard its really uncomfortable. Again the solution seems to be thinking about something else; typically people choose breathing as said before. Its all just an issue regarding mentality, no physical problem to worry about.

You can also just simply go ahead and swallow, especially if trying not to do so is stressing you out. Pay as little attention to it as possible, though, and just let yourself swallow naturally.

Puffin is right to some extent, often people are told not to move if they want SP or to fall asleep quickly, but that is counter-productive as it makes you tense and often uncomfortable. However I think that the issue here is people having a hangup about certain things and focusing on them too much, don't get carried away with the swallowing or it may be just as distracting.