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Team
One of the coolest "brain hacks" out there is the the WILD technique - a.k.a. the Wake Initiated Lucid Dream.
The name says it all:
During a WILD, you literally carry your awareness from a physically waking state directly into a sleeping lucid dream state.
Though not the easiest technique, it does have two big advantages:
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Lucidity on demand - choose when you go lucid
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Peak lucidity - it's the most vivid type of dream possible
Because it's such a powerful technique, today I wanted to make sure you all have been performing it properly!
Also know that, while it does usually require practice, WILD is also totally intuitive. I know people who naturally taught themselves to WILD as children. I call it "dreaming yourself to sleep".
The key is getting to know your body's sleep signals.
Once you can identify the natural triggers and responses to falling asleep, you'll be able to exploit the process to have lucid dreams.
Think about how you fall asleep every night. We're going to replicate that process with one difference: as your body falls asleep, your mind will stay awake.
That may sound like an alien concept, but rest assured it's entirely possible - and it becomes easier with practice. When it does happen, you'll be surprised how natural it feels, slipping straight into the dream state with full awareness.
To begin, your body should already be very relaxed and loose.
That's why it's so much easier to do after waking up from a deeper sleep (the ideal time to have a WILD is after 4-6 hours of sleep).
If you’re going to take a lucid dreaming supplement to potentiate this method, then take it now.
Lie on your back in the corpse pose. Other sleeping postures can work too, but I find this most effective because it doesn't cut off blood supply to any limbs and allows you to imagine floating out of your body if you need to.
Empty your mind and gaze into the blackness of your closed eyelids.
If any thoughts pop up, just observe them and send them on their way. Don't interact with your thoughts or let your inner monologue kick in.
Breathe slowly and deeply. Focus on breathing in to the count of four, holding for seven, then breathing out for eight counts. (This is also a great stress-reliever at any time of day.)
Do this ten times. You'll be totally relaxed.
After a while, you'll notice the onset of the hypnagogic state.
The most obvious sign involves phosphorescent patterns flowing behind your closed eyelids. Allow yourself to become mesmerized by the color play and let it draw your awareness inwards.
Some people have difficulty seeing these patterns for some reason. I normally suggest that you try very gently placing the slightest bit of pressure on your closed eyelids with the palms of your hands for about 20-30 seconds
As you do it, try to literally look at the back of your eyelids.
This should slowly trigger a cascade of phosphorescence!
This trick can help plant the seed for the rest of this technique, as once you start the patterns off, they are easier to latch onto.
Don't let it all seize your attention, but relax and flow with it as you transition into the dream state.
You can interact with your hypnagogia if it draws you deeper into the meditation. Some people prefer to ignore it, allowing what's beyond the hypnagogic imagery to produce the dream instead.
As you go deeper, your hypnagogia may also simulate sounds (like distant music or voices) and physical sensations (like floating or tipping out of bed). This is all normal. Often, your mind is asleep by this point.
Hold on to your consciousness awareness. Don't fall asleep. You need awareness to go lucid!
Sometimes you'll wake up in the night and find yourself already immersed in this deep, dreamy state. Your body is soft and relaxed. And your mind drifts between your bedroom and the dream world.
When you catch that cloud - float on it.
If you jump out of bed to use the bathroom at this point, you'll have to start over. The same goes if your partner starts walking around the bedroom. You need absolute peace and stillness and mental immersion.
Zero external distractions allow you to focus in.
Soon, the internal dream world will start to evolve, either directly from the hypnagogic images or from the space beyond it, beyond your field of vision.
Wherever it comes from, embrace it.
All the while, silently and slowly repeat the mantra: "I'm dreaming... I'm dreaming... I'm dreaming..." At this point, the temptation to let go and fall asleep mentally is the strongest. Hold on just a bit more.
If you're startled by any unusual hypnagogia, remember it's just the dream world emerging in your mind.
I once heard a man's voice which seemed to come from outside my bedroom window yell: "It's f***ing winter!" Of course, there was no-one there. It was all in my head.
Expect the unexpected!
This may include the onset of sleep paralysis. (Don't be alarmed - use it.)
More often, you'll find your body becomes a distant memory (you can no longer feel it in bed) and your mind will start to make leaps into other realms.
The dream is close.
If you feel the dream state coming on in fleeting but intense snatches of memory - you're ready to start the launch sequence for your lucid dream.
If not, then enjoy the hypnagogia for longer, and don't put any pressure on yourself to succeed at every attempt. In fact, you'll probably need to practice just getting to this point many times before you can launch into a lucid dream. It's totally worth it.
If you're a dab hand at visualization, you can now start to picture your desired dream scene in your mind's eye. Layer up the landscape, like an artist, or recall the face of a desired dream character. Make it vivid.
Once again, you can either program the images into your moving visual hypnagogia (it's easily controlled with willpower at this point) or draw the imagery from beyond your field of vision.
As the scene intensifies in your imagination, put yourself right in the middle of the action. Explore your surroundings in a calm, peaceful manner. Immerse your awareness as fully as possible.
Move around. Kinetic sensations such as walking, running or riding a bicycle are a great way to "teleport" your awareness into a dream body.
And that's the critical goal here: to forget about the real body and inhabit a lucid dream body, wafting around in an alternate reality.
With your mind absorbed in the vivid daydream, allow your body to fall asleep altogether.
You do this by forgetting - or even denying - its existence. It should be completely limp and relaxed; a distant memory of an old body. It's not yours, you don't control it, you don't even know how. Right?
This is called dissociation.
With complete dissociation, the moment of transition is unmistakable. You will POP into your daydream, now a highly vivid lucid dream world, surrounding you in three dimensions and fully tangible and interactive.
The dream is now easy and effortless and you will not believe how you just did that.
You are now lucid dreaming!
Enjoy!
Chris - Team WOLD
P.S. Do a reality check for good measure. Verbalize your desires. You will have full dream control.
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