Why are my WILD attempts unsuccessful?

I go to bed, sleep for 4-6 hours, then wakes up using an alarm. When I wake up, I turn off the alarm and attempt to do the WILD technique. Yesterday, I layed there for an hour and nothing happened. The only weird thing that happened was at one point, my heart rate and breathing rate increased. I think this occured because I focused on my hands, then suddenly there was a "rush" through them, then I felt like I was floating. After a while, it stopped, and that was it. I never entered sleep paralysis. What am I doing wrong?

From what I'm reading here, the problem seems to be the way you're going about this. It sounds to me like you're simply laying there awake, expecting a dream to randomly form in front of you, and what you actually need to do is fall asleep but not lose total consciousness. Practice retaining awareness each time you go to sleep at night - it will most likely help.

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Originally Posted by Graves

From what I'm reading here, the problem seems to be the way you're going about this. It sounds to me like you're simply laying there awake, expecting a dream to randomly form in front of you, and what you actually need to do is fall asleep but not lose total consciousness. Practice retaining awareness each time you go to sleep at night - it will most likely help.

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ok. I'll try doing that.

By the way, how can I fall asleep while not losing total consciousness? Does counting breaths help? Will imagining listening to a song keep me too awake?

Your concentrating to hard. When your heart raced I'm pretty sure it wasn't SP but just you getting to excited.

Stay calm and relax. Make sure you are taking normal breaths to prevent your heart from racing. Get in the most comfortable posison as possible. You won't be ble to WILD if your not comfey.

From here I visualize something like playing a video game. This visuallization should be somewhat like a day dream letting your mind wander. The visualization will become more and more clear until you transition into a lucid dream. You will most likely experience SP during this period.

If you do this correctly, it should only take 5-10 minutes to get into a lucid dream. (at least for me it does).

Hoped this helped! Tell me if it worked for you.

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Originally Posted by iFatal

Your concentrating to hard. When your heart raced I'm pretty sure it wasn't SP but just you getting to excited.

Stay calm and relax. Make sure you are taking normal breaths to prevent your heart from racing. Get in the most comfortable posison as possible. You won't be ble to WILD if your not comfey.

From here I visualize something like playing a video game. This visuallization should be somewhat like a day dream letting your mind wander. The visualization will become more and more clear until you transition into a lucid dream. You will most likely experience SP during this period.

If you do this correctly, it should only take 5-10 minutes to get into a lucid dream. (at least for me it does).

Hoped this helped! Tell me if it worked for you.

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OK. I'll try that. Are u sure that I'm not to concentrate on anything, like my breathing? Will concentrating on something else (like a video game) get me to fall asleep faster?

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Originally Posted by Chevaughn

OK. I'll try that. Are u sure that I'm not to concentrate on anything, like my breathing? Will concentrating on something else (like a video game) get me to fall asleep faster?

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If you concentrate to hard on something your mind will stay active and you won't be able to fall asleep.

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Originally Posted by iFatal

If you concentrate to hard on something your mind will stay active and you won't be able to fall asleep.

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So, is trying to visualize a video game sufficient?

Just visualize anything you would like to. Like flying or walking on a beach.

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Originally Posted by iFatal

Just visualize anything you would like to. Like flying or walking on a beach.

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Sometimes I just let my mind wander, but then get a shock of awareness, and snap out of it. Is this what I should aim for: trying to let my mind wander?
or should I constantly visualize something?

Here this is what I told someone else:

Well when I visualize something I think about what I'm doing and what I want to do next. For example, if you visualize yourself walking on a beach, then maybe you feel like taking a swim and then jump in the water. Later you feel like finding a city so you jump I'm the air and fly around.

This what your visualization should feel like. This way you stay conscience without falling asleep.

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So basically it's somewhat like day dreaming. Visualize yourself doing something and continuously think if what your going to do next like what a actually dream would be like.

Think about it, how do you fall asleep normally? You let your mind wander until you slip into a dream. So by visualizing something, your somewhat simulating what it's like to fall asleep but keeping a bit of awareness so you can actually WILD. While you visualize, the image you are visualizing will be come more and more real until you slip into a lucid dream like you do in WILD.

You will also most likely experience SP.

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Originally Posted by iFatal

Here this is what I told someone else:

Well when I visualize something I think about what I'm doing and what I want to do next. For example, if you visualize yourself walking on a beach, then maybe you feel like taking a swim and then jump in the water. Later you feel like finding a city so you jump I'm the air and fly around.

This what your visualization should feel like. This way you stay conscience without falling asleep.

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So basically it's somewhat like day dreaming. Visualize yourself doing something and continuously think if what your going to do next like what a actually dream would be like.

Think about it, how do you fall asleep normally? You let your mind wander until you slip into a dream. So by visualizing something, your somewhat simulating what it's like to fall asleep but keeping a bit of awareness so you can actually WILD. While you visualize, the image you are visualizing will be come more and more real until you slip into a lucid dream like you do in WILD.

You will also most likely experience SP.

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OK. So what you are saying is that visualizing something won't keep me too awake, but instead would simulate my mind wandering off?

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Originally Posted by Chevaughn

ok. I'll try doing that.

By the way, how can I fall asleep while not losing total consciousness? Does counting breaths help? Will imagining listening to a song keep me too awake?

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Basically let yourself drift off but while doing such remain alert of what's happening. Don't force anything as it will only keep you awake. Just let it all come and go as it pleases and you'll find yourself drifting deeper and deeper into an altered state of consciousness. It's important to let yourself drop to the point where only a shred of consciousness has been retained, because then the body will think the mind is asleep and switch into theta, which is where dreams occur mostly.

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Originally Posted by Graves

Basically let yourself drift off but while doing such remain alert of what's happening. Don't force anything as it will only keep you awake. Just let it all come and go as it pleases and you'll find yourself drifting deeper and deeper into an altered state of consciousness. It's important to let yourself drop to the point where only a shred of consciousness has been retained, because then the body will think the mind is asleep and switch into theta, which is where dreams occur mostly.

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Oh, it's all coming to me now. Are you saying that I should let my mind wander off, but while doing that, I should get those sudden "shocks" of consciousness, like when I am going to bed at night, drifting off, then someone in the same room suddenly speak loudly, and I get that "shock" of awareness? I hope I am making sense:lol:

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Originally Posted by Chevaughn

Oh, it's all coming to me now. Are you saying that I should let my mind wander off, but while doing that, I should get those sudden "shocks" of consciousness, like when I am going to bed at night, drifting off, then someone in the same room suddenly speak loudly, and I get that "shock" of awareness? I hope I am making sense:lol:

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Yes. That shock is when you suddenly become aware, and what I mean is something sort of like that but at a more subtle and relaxed level.

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Originally Posted by Graves

Yes. That shock is when you suddenly become aware, and what I mean is something sort of like that but at a more subtle and relaxed level.

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OK. I'll try it tonight and get back to you.
Thank you:)

One more thing. Its either sleep paralysis experience or dream experience. You might have both, but not at the same time. One after another, it would work, ... But hey. Who would waste time on obserwing his own body getting numb, when he could have a lucid dream ;)