主题:Hurts To Keep Brain AwakeI've been trying to keep my brain awake, whilst letting my body shut down but the process is incredibly painful!
First off, it feels like an eternity to actually get into the state everyone is talking about. All I see is black, and the pins and needles hurt so badly. I once tried staying still for an hour, and it didn't work. I can't get my body to sleep properly without putting a lot of effort into it, and I don't want it to hurt either. The guided meditations don't work either.
Then switch from WILDs to DILDs.
WILDing isn't for everyone, in fact most people can't do it reliably and it is generally regarded as the harder Method of Induction.
It should not hurt. It feels no different from falling asleep any other day. Is it possible you laid in bed in an odd position?
No, it's the pins and needles that do it. Is it because I have aspergers and everything is amplified? I was considering that.
Are there any tips for successful astral projection through falling asleep/meditation? I'm awake right now, and would like to try it a few times today. It's 4pm in the UK.
Firstly I hope you're doing a properly timed WBTB, because if you're just trying to WILD off the bat when going to bed you're not likely to see any abundant signs that a dream is coming since you won't enter REM sleep yet. don't start off with WILD, look into something more relaxing like SSILD for short term development, and work on your foundations of DILD for long term development. Even if doing WILD, you may be focusing too hard. WILDs should be relaxing, but controlled, not forced. Were you comfortable trying to stay still for an hour? Because if you felt you needed to scratch or move, then you should. You should not be actively looking for any imagery, try MILD and just gently and slowly focus on repeating a simple mantra in order to keep your mind awake but prevent it from having so many thoughts.
The painful sensation you experienced is caused by trying to stay completely still. Before your brain goes to sleep, it needs to make sure that the body is asleep first. It accomplishes this by creating a brief yet extremely uncomfortable sensation. If your body does not respond to this the brain then knows it's safe to go to sleep too. Usually if you can resist the discomfort you will slip right into a dream while being fully awake. However, this is easier said than done, as you have already experienced.
To relax doesn't mean you have to be completely still. In fact it's often the opposite. There is no better way to relax than simply making yourself comfortable!
WILD can be much more easily achieved with your mind/body properly conditioned. The dream entry techniques are far less important than good conditioning techniques. Simply trying to relax can be hard to do and often have opposite effects, as you've experienced. Based on my own experience, the "cycles" as described in SSILD can serve as a very effective conditioning tool. I suggest you try them first, followed by your WILD routines. This way your WILD will require much less effort, and even when it fails you may end up having a DILD later.
Hope this helps.
I don't particularly like WBTB, so are there other methods of having a WILD? Just dislike the idea of getting up halfway through my sleep. I have a hair tie on my wrist that I use for a reality check, along with counting fingers for example. And sometimes I try using my senses and observing my surroundings, that way I have more of a chance to notice odd things during dreams.
I almost became lucid, once the other day. I was catapulted through the air, but afterwards was on the ground and don't remember the part in between. I was thinking 'weird' and shook myself a bit before walking off. And sometimes I talk about lucid dreaming, or characters mention the word to me but it never makes me become fully lucid. Or I dream about controlling my dreams a lot of the time.
Dreaming about becoming lucid usually means you're pretty close! Keep at it!
The only time I'm aware of that WILD is useful without WBTB is when you're so tired that when you go to bed your body sometimes directly puts you into a REM cycle. I honestly would give WBTB a shot on the weekends or something. the thing is, if you have the time, you can even try getting up after 7.5 hrs of sleep, and then do WILD (if you can still fall asleep by then). Technically, the more you sleep, the longer your REM is, it's just most people don't need any more sleep, or can't afford the time at that point. If not, just keep going with DILD.