Thread: What the h***?

I have tried to WILD at least 30 times now. I have tried naps, waking up after 3 hours of sleep, 4, 4 and 1/2, 5, 5 and 1/2, 6, 6 1/2. I have tried breathing techniques to keep me aware, I have used anchors such as white noise from a fan, dull pain, ect. I do realize that the point of a WILD is actually to fall asleep, but it seems for me that if my brain is doing anything at all, IE and anchor, that I just can not fall asleep. I haven't even gotten SP before. Is there something I'm doing wrong or what?

-Thanks (^.^)

It sounds like you are keeping yourself awake. Let yourself drift off to sleep like you normally do. Don't start any anchors or awareness type stuff until you feel yourself close to sleep. Wait for some dreamlets, wandering thoughts, slight lapses in consciousness, ect. You could also adjust your WBTB. Maybe make it shorter, or refrain from turning on any lights or electronics. You need to be more tired and closer to sleep.

Originally Posted by Robot_Butler

It sounds like you are keeping yourself awake. Let yourself drift off to sleep like you normally do. Don't start any anchors or awareness type stuff until you feel yourself close to sleep. Wait for some dreamlets, wandering thoughts, slight lapses in consciousness, ect. You could also adjust your WBTB. Maybe make it shorter, or refrain from turning on any lights or electronics. You need to be more tired and closer to sleep.

I have tried every where from 5 minutes to 1 hour in my WBTB. I also have started to see little dream scenes (15 seconds or so.) I just feel that if i wait that long to start an anchor than I will just fall asleep normally.

What do you suggest for keeping a low level of awareness or WILD's?

You just have to find the right balance between encouraging yourself to relax and fall asleep, and keeping a part of your mind aware. It sounds like you have the awareness part down pretty tight. You just need to find something that helps you fall asleep, so you can push yourself in that direction when needed.

Several things work for me. One is reverse blinking. I close my eyes and count each breath on the exhale. As I imagine each number, I quickly blink my eyes open, then closed again. It drops me into a trance or puts me to sleep really quickly. Another thing I do is imagine myself moving. I try to induce the feeling of falling into the bed, rocking back and forth, flying, or even running. I think a big part of falling asleep is forgetting about your physical body, so I don't like to use any technique that requires me to focus on my real body.

my first WILD was in a nap. I wasn't particularly trying to WILd, but it just happened. Try just sleeping less one night, then taking a nap the next day.