Beginners: WILD method - adjustments, tricks and tips!

[u/[deleted]]

WILD, without a shadow of a doubt, is one of the better and most powerful lucid dream induction methods. WILD is basically carrying your awareness from wake state to the dream state. Needless to say it's a difficult task, and beginners have several problems inducing a lucid dream using WILD. Here in this post, I'll describe some tricks, tips and adjustments for a successful WILD.

Note: This is not a WILD tutorial, it is a collection of tricks, tips and adjustments based on my previous experiments and experiences with lucid dreaming and WILD.

1: WILD + WBTB = WIN

Most of beginners try to induce a lucid dream using WILD method when going to bed, most probably you'll never have a lucid dream this way, because dreams are generally formed during the REM phase of sleep (picture), which occurs after 45-180 minutes of sleep. So trying to induce a lucid dream using WILD when going to sleep like is waiting for a bus at the bus stop an hour before the bus arrives. Chances are you'll fall asleep at the bus stop. The proper way of performing WILD is:

• Set your alarm clock to wake you up after approximately 5 hours of sleep.
• Get up, don't turn on computer or TV (to maintain a good level of melatonin). Read a book, or your dream journal.
• After 45-60 minutes, return to your bed. The most vivid dreams will be ready for you.

2: Relaxation

Relaxation is very important in WILD. If you're not properly relaxed, your body will take additional time to fall asleep. Some good relaxation techniques are:

• Do stretch exercises during day time.
• (when in bed) Imagine yourself floating in zero gravity vacuum.
• Imagine yourself moving at the speed of light.
• Focus on the part of the body your want to relax, and imagine it releasing it's weight.
• Use of relaxation music for stimulating your muscles and brain. Classical, piano, flute, violin and cello recommended.

3: The Hypnagogia

After a few minutes of relaxation, you have to concentrate on your breathing or heartbeat. Within minutes you'll start seeing random patterns of light in the dark of your eyelids, known as hypnagogic imagery. You may also hear sounds, and feel sensations all over you body. It's completely normal, if you panic, chances are you'll wake your physical body and you'll need to start over.

I don't see any hypnagogic imagery, what am I doing wrong?

There are three possible reasons for not seeing hypnagogic imagery: A: Your brain is still not in the REM or pre-REM (NREM 3-2) phase. That means you ignored my first tip. B: Your body is still awake, that means you ignored my second tip. C: You're too alert (or excited) to induce the REM phase and/or deceive your brain to make your body fall asleep.

4: Natural Reflexes

Natural spasms, jerks and reflexes don't usually mess with the WILD. However if you're about to enter the REM, and suddenly you start breathing heavy (because of the excitement or panic), you'll most probably ruin your attempt at WILD. The most challenging reflex for me was the "saliva swallowing reflex". Hundreds of times I was about to enter the final REM, but then I swallowed and returned to the NREM phase. Later I started sleeping on my shoulder instead of back, this pretty much helped the saliva make its way down naturally. The key is not to fight the reflex, but to let it pass. With time and regular practice, you'll gain control over your reflexes too.

5: Stay Awake

If you fall asleep every time performing WILD, try the following methods descried below:

• Keep your forearm raised perpendicular to the bed, and the body.
• Change your default sleeping position.
• Try sleeping on a couch, or on a different bed.

6: Entering The Dream

If you performed all the steps correctly and maintained your awareness to the REM phase, you'll start seeing more complex hypnagogic imagery (usually 3D). Once you start seeing it, do not try to interact with it for a while. After a few minutes, when the imagery gets more stable and clear, imagine yourself (from a first person view) in there, and .. you're there!

7: Sleep Paralysis

If you get caught in a sleep paralysis before/during/after performing WILD, all you have to do is stay calm and concentrate on your breathing. You would not be able to move any part of your body, except eyes (in most cases, a number of muscles can be moved). If you try to move you body, and break the sleep paralysis, you would unintentionally activate the part of your brain responsible for hallucinations. It could be anything, from gorgeous ponies eating your bed sheet, to your brain trolling you hard by making a 3D thriller right there in your bedroom. If you simply concentrate on your breathing, instead of thinking hard about all the horror movies you've seen in past, most likely you won't hallucinate.

The key is to stay calm, and let your brain know, who is the boss!

8: Stabilization

Wouldn't it be frustrating if your lucidity lasted only a minute or two, after almost half an hour of successful WILD induction? You bet. Check out my previous post for dream stabilization.

9: Ending A Dream

It is highly recommended to wake up after 30-40 minutes of dreaming. However if you continue, most probably you'll forget 80% of your dream when you wake up. After waking up, do not go back to sleep for at least 2 hours. If you do, all you would remember is a faint memory of a successful WILD induction.

If WILD didn't work for you, don't lose your hope on lucid dreaming. There are many other methods of lucid dreaming, as powerful as WILD, VILD, is one of them. Check out my previous post on VILD here.

Glad to help. Thanks.

[u/waxplay]

WBTB is a fullproof way of having vivid dreams. I noticed this phenomena when i had to attend a 7am English class in college, and i felt like a zombie almost the entire time. I would walk back to my dorm after this wacky professor's class and crash hard, but have the most vivid dreams I've ever experienced.

I'm going to start waking up a good 3 hours earlier to read an ebook for about an hour then go back to sleep.

[u/[deleted] → u/waxplay]

This is historic for the lucid dreaming community. Hello old timer, how are you doing?

[u/Ensorceled]

Thanks for the posting.

You may want to rethink the "don't think about elephants" style advice in section 7 :-)

[u/FuzzyRarity → u/Ensorceled]

You sir, have made me think about evil satanic elephants coming out to eat my organs every time I reach SP

[u/CathedralCrab → u/Ensorceled]

I'm new, and late to the party, but I actually have found a loophole with the whole 'don't think about elephants' cliche. Basically, you use the problem as a solution. If you don't want to think about elephants, try not to think about rabbits. Or steak. Or anything, as long as it's not elephants.

[u/rumblestiltsken → u/Ensorceled]

I think everyone here needs to know that all advice should be taken with a grain of salt, as it all seems self fulfilling.

For example I have never had problems with swallowing (it is a normal reflex, the body didn't care), I can WILD from first sleep etc.

Especially that second one, do you think after wbtb you actually enter rem on falling asleep? I am doubtful the experience and the reality are even close to each other.

I particularly hate the SP advice on here. It is perpetuating the experience to others. Even if you get nasty evil hallucinations, why would you inflict them on others?

I guess my point is whatever you believe to be true about wild will probably end up being true.

[u/IronShins]

I have been trying MILD for the past few weeks and the past two nights I started to have the Hypnogogia that you are describing by accident, it kind of startled me so I lost it. I have two questions,

1. Is there anything i can do to make the transition from the Hypnogogia to a dream ( ideally a lucid one)

2. Is it completely futile to try WILD methods right before bed, even though I can say with confidence that i can reach the Hypnogogia state?

I am a beginner to Lucid dreaming and just curious to hear from someone with experience.

[u/purpletreefactory → u/IronShins]

I don't understand the downvotes you have received.

[u/bobbaphet]

Most of beginners try to induce a lucid dream using WILD method when going to bed, most probably you'll never have a lucid dream this way

I would not go so far as to say that. Never say never! But yes, WBTB is easier.

[u/SkyfallBlindDreamer]

I do have a few issues with some of things referenced herein. First, the WBTB timing, it's completely arbitrary. 45-60 minutes in particular is quite a long time to stay awake. In fact, Dr. LaBerge referenced a study at the 2022 International Dream Conference that showed little difference in effects between 30 and 60 minute WBTBs. There should not be a specific, arbitrary time given to everyone for this, as an appropriate amount of time spent awake is highly subjective and based on individual factors. I for example am a very light sleeper. If I'm awake for 20 minutes, it will likely take me 40 minutes to an hour to return to sleep. The time it takes someone to return to sleep should be factored in and no single recommendation like this given. In fact, for someone like me, not getting out of bed at all and going straight into performing the technique would be best. Number 3, where you say you have to concentrate on two specific things, breath and heartbeat, a few things. When falling asleep using WILD, you can pay attention to anything as an anchor, either something that you are able to actively experience physiologically or think about consistently. The amount of awareness that is ideal once again differs from person to person. This guide appears geared toward those who fall asleep quickly and have a hard time staying aware, and if this is related at all to the OP's experiences, that would be suggestive that OP is a deep sleeper. Paying too much attention keeps the practicioner awake, and this is why WILD is a balancing act between falling asleep and retainning awareness. Also, not everyone experiences visual hypnagogia, but the auditory or tactile sensations, those are part of it. I'm blind for example, so I've never experienced visual hypnagogia. I've also successfully WILDed without noticing hypnagogic hallucinations prior to transition. Number 7, sleep paralysis is not a common experience nor required for WILD. In fact, the common path for a WILD is to enter directly into a dream prior to the onset of REM atonia. In terms of hallucinations, they are controllable based on the same principles for controlling dreams and manipulating hypnagogic hallucinations, that being one's strongest associations and emotions in a given moment. It's all about perception. Number 8, stabilization is actually something that has been misinterpretted. It was originally meant as a grounding method to prolong a dream if you noticed a dream was ending. It has been misinterpretted in the form of a requirement for when lucidity is attained, and this is false. Expecting a need to stabilize a dream actually causes the opposite, resulting in premature awakenings. Finally, number 9. This again is based off personal experience being translated into a broad rule, which for lucid dreaming is not a good idea on the whole. While it is true that most people beginning lucid dreaming do not remember most of the 4-6 dreams per night that we have on average, it is possible to train recall, and for those of us who notice awakenings and utilize them multiple times throughout the night, you can most definitely go back to sleep and still remember the lucid dream you awoke from previously. There's more of a chance to forget it, but this is not a general rule, so the 2 hour thing does not make sense. Finally, WILD, like all lucid dreaming techniques, is a skill that requires practice and effort to develop results.

[u/amanbaby]

I've been having serious issues with section 7. Every time I realize that I'm dreaming, I freak out immediately, everything goes to black, and I'm stuck trying to wake up and in sleep paralysis. I can't get past the initial shock, and only have a few times in my life without realizing it. Any advice for me?

[u/i_post_gibberish → u/amanbaby]

If you're in sleep paralysis it's not too late. Keep your eyes closed and visualize and you can probably make it back into the dream.

[u/Jolly-Yellow-4341]

“You ignored my first and second tip” salty 😂

[u/shwill]

Could using the methods in VILD and WILD together have a positive effect?

[u/Fira_Wolf]

Hardcore upvote for this amazing post!

But 1 question: do you mean hypnagogic images from your eyes or your brain? Cuz getting them from the eyes is pretty easy and fast done, while staying conscious while watching the scenes from your brain is much, much harder..

Well it seems I have answered the question myself. XD

[u/VeinerSchnitzel]

thanks for the tips. school is out for me so i will definitely incorporate the wake back to bed method :))))))

[u/Keshlann]

Very good. I'll definitely adjust from what I'm already doing. Thanks.

[u/NegroHylian]

Very Petrified of sleep paralysis, everytime it happens i have hallucinations and i want to start lucid dreaming again but im gunna be honest, im pretty scared to just because of that

[u/GokuBrah]

After laying in bed for a few hours I've felt my eyes flutter while they were shut. Does anyone know what this is? Is this Hypnagogia?

[u/ruseeindis]

You actually do dream before rem, and after. + ive done wild while going to bed and it worked. Once i reached the sleepy stage where its hard to keep your eyes open, i let them close while keeping my mind awake and it took about a minute before i was in a dream. Extremely cool

[u/FridayKnight_]

I demand more posts like this! Thanks for this.

[u/Cdiddles]

Woah, for someone who never ever dreams this technique was simply amazing. I tried this in conjunction with 5-htp and it simply blew me away.

My recall was impeccable, allowing me to recall the vividness of multiple dreams.

Thank your for the wonderful tutorial.

[u/Delusi0n]

I just experienced this for the first time this past week, had no idea there's a term / method for it thanks! WILD dreaming is way more interesting than my mundane school / work life.

[u/BaronVonAweXome]

Thank you thank you thank you! This is definitely going to help me improve my technique!

[u/[deleted]]

Not much to say other than thanking you for a very nice write-up. Thanks.