SP Setbacks

[Molder]

Hey there, everyone. Been a while since I've taken part in the forums, so I'll just cut to the chase. I apologize in advance if this has been covered elsewhere (and something tells me it has been). Anyway, I've been trying for some time to get into sleep paralysis before going to sleep with the hope of inducing a lucid dream, or perhaps have an out-of-body experience. Now the things that seem to always hinder my attempts are the facts that I produce incredible amounts of saliva in my mouth (even more so when I think about it), and thus I have to constantly swallow or drool all over my bed (which is quite uncomfortable; I can't seem to tell my mind to ignore it once it starts), as well as the irresistible urge to roll over, twitch, scratch an itch or generally move about. I'm one of those very nervous types in general, and on an average level, I maybe change positions 10-15 times every single time before I go to sleep. Now I know this is a common obstacle when attempting to reach SP, but it seems to be particularly troublesome in my case. At one point, it will literally drive me nuts to try and keep the same pose. So those are the main issues. Another thing is, it's my experience that I'm most relaxed when I let my thoughts drift away without having to guide or control them. Every time I attempt to focus my attention, it keeps me quite awake, which in turn causes me to focus on my urge to swallow and move around. Pretty crappy, right? Last night, I attempted to go to sleep with some guided meditation recording I found on YouTube. All it seemed to do, however, was it made me upset and kind of annoyed, because the woman in the recording kept repeating and putting an emphasis on how I should be relaxed and take slow, deep breaths, and also focus on my heartbeat (which should also be slow and calm). All I could think of while she was talking was "DUDE, how am I supposed to relax when I know that I'm SUPPOSED to be relaxing, and how can I guide my thoughts (WHILE BEING RELAXED?!) when it exhausts and frustrates me to have to focus on your voice, and how the HELL am I supposed to keep a steady, CALM heartbeat, when the idea of going into SP is exciting me, and naturally making me nervous?" Seriously, how does any of that makes sense? It sounds like a paradox to me, and I just can't seem to figure out a way around it. What's more is, every time I actually feel relaxed and calm, and my thoughts are drifting away, if I feel the slightest tingle that reminds of SP, that immediately makes me excited and alert, thus my heartbeat starts racing, my steady breathing goes to hell, and to top it all off, my nice comfortable position has been compromised and I feel the freaking urge to roll over again... >_> So... help?

[Scionox]

Sorry about all the misleading tutorials on the forums, but SP can't be induced at all unless you have ISP sleep disorder... http://www.dreamviews.com/wake-initi...explained.html You don't need SP to get WILD though, all you need for WILD is to fall asleep while being aware, here's tutorial that explains process in depth: WILD . *Moved to WILD*

[Molder]

Thanks. I'll give those a thorough read when I can. It appears to me, though, that there is no mention of an "impossibility" to induce SP. I, for one, have had at least 5 experiences of SP, two of which occurred when I was trying to fall asleep while cuddling with my (sadly) ex-girlfriend. Does that mean I suffer from a sleep disorder or something? o_O

[Scionox]

SP can rarely happen naturally, though for those who experience it that way it only happens like one or two times through whole lifetime, but that can't be really induced. ISP is when SP happens on regular basis, if it's only five cases then it's not ISP, unless they were happening on regular basis recently. Are you sure anyway it was SP, like not being able to move? People often confuse it with natural sensations of falling asleep and REM Atonia and sometimes with false awakenings with paralysis(I /was/ confusing SP with that for quite a while myself until i read about it more).

[Molder]

Oh, I am quite sure. I have had numerous false awakenings (pretty neat!) and then there's the sleep paralysis. The first time it ever happened to me was quite terrifying, actually, till I learned there was nothing to be afraid of. Last couple of times it happened to me, I was able to either fall asleep (not into a lucid dream, though) or will myself fully awake and in control of my body within a few seconds. The sensation is unmistakable. It's like sending your body multiple impulses to move, but it won't budge. Like you've lost communication, or reception, so to speak.

[Nicho]

Ok, so I don't agree on SP being an impossibility unless you have a sleep disorder, also it's not "natural" if you're trying to reach that state, it's intentional. I intend to enter SP every night whilst WILDing, even if it never happens, it's a good intention to have as you fall into sleep. Trying for SP has never worked for me in any real way, but neither have most of the other techniques, that doesn't mean I'll stop trying them. Just my opinion though and I discredit no one else's. Now, I know exactly what you mean about the saliva and swallowing, I try for WILD almost every night and swallowing was the thorn in my side for quite some time. I learned how to counter it by chance when trying to WILD on the sofa one night when the missus was out. The trick - for me at least - is to prop your head up, now the angle may vary from person to person and maybe even the effectiveness, also it doesn't eliminate it completely, but it does however reduce it and when you do have to swallow, the angle of your head to your body makes the action of swallowing less intrusive. Also, I don't know if you're aware, but swallowing is a reflex action, meaning your body will do it for you on autopilot if you don't focus on it. So give it a try, prop your head up a little, then a little more if you don't have any results. You could try to find your optimum position whilst awake, just lie in your sleeping position and practice swallowing until you find you can swallow without hardly moving. I hope this helps somewhat. Let us know. Cheers, Nicho...!

[Sivason]

Don't over complicate it. Relax, work on your own little anchor technique, like visualizing, day dreaming, repeating a word, or perhaps counting to 10 over and over. Do not think about your worries or your real life. Some people sleep in certain positions, but you must experiment to see if any are better for you. Read the thread on SP just so you understand it a bit better, and here is the most critical bit,,, this is very important,,, Fall Asleep I am not being funny, that is my real advice,, Fall Asleep Just get comfy, do your own version of an anchor, and fall asleep.

[Molder]

Thank you all for your feedback. I'll let you know about my progress.

[melanieb]

Now, I know exactly what you mean about the saliva and swallowing, I try for WILD almost every night and swallowing was the thorn in my side for quite some time. I learned how to counter it by chance when trying to WILD on the sofa one night when the missus was out. The trick - for me at least - is to prop your head up, now the angle may vary from person to person and maybe even the effectiveness, also it doesn't eliminate it completely, but it does however reduce it and when you do have to swallow, the angle of your head to your body makes the action of swallowing less intrusive. Also, I don't know if you're aware, but swallowing is a reflex action, meaning your body will do it for you on autopilot if you don't focus on it. So give it a try, prop your head up a little, then a little more if you don't have any results. You could try to find your optimum position whilst awake, just lie in your sleeping position and practice swallowing until you find you can swallow without hardly moving. I hope this helps somewhat. Let us know. Cheers, Nicho...! I've been practicing this without intent for ages before I knew about WILD. I tell people this same thing as I usually do my WBTB in the living room chair. Reclined slightly prevents the soft-tissues of the mouth and throat from closing off the throat completely. As for this thread...SP need not be a component of WILD at all. I speak from experience.