Really great tutorial, I am excited to try this. I wish there was a 'Thank you' button.  

Golvellius wrote:
cosmic.iron wrote:
SP, for a lucid dreamer, is a good friend  Next time don't break out of it. Try spin yourself into a dream.

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I would, but it's hard to tell that I'm in SP and not still in a dream. Not that I can tell that I'm in a dream when this is happening, but you get the idea. So I end up breaking out of it without realizing. It's also quite hard to think rationally when as far as you can tell, you can't breathe.

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It certainly takes a while to get used to it. I must have had it over 100 times now but I still break out of it because of uneven breathing.  

Golvellius wrote:
Can I do the first 3 cycles while sitting up in bed (eyes closed and all that) then lie down for the other 1 or 2 before I sleep? Is that fine? I'm still falling asleep far too quickly.

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You could try that. One DreamViews a person did it while sitting in a chair and it seemed to work.  

Hey Cosmic.iron, Here's four quick questions for you

1. Do I have to repeat the cycles until I fall asleep, or is it enough that I do 3-4 cycles in slow motion?

2. While doing the cycle, Do I have to exclusively focus on the component alone, when I am doing the component. Ex: While looking at the void behind eyelids, do I hv to exclusively focus on it, keeping other components in abeyance? Sometimes I get distracted and focus on sounds as well, while looking at my closed eyelids.

3. My fan is quite noisy, as a result I am unable to focus on subtle internal sounds and always get distracted to focus externally at the sound of my fan. Is it OK?

4. What about thoughts that I have when I am doing the cycles. Do I have to ignore them or suppress them?

Thank you.  

dreamergirl123 wrote:
I attempted this method last night and it didn't work. I'm not sure what happened  I'll try again tonight though.

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Let me know how you did it (the more details the better) so I can help you diagnose.  

Thank you cosmic.iron,

Well, here's a few more questions:

1. Can i sleep by 12 and get up at 4 AM, study for 2 hrs and around 6-6.30 lie in my bed while doing this technique and falling asleep naturally. ( What i imply is that, will this method work if gap between WBTB method is large)

2. Can i do this technique at afternoon naps?

3. do i have to repeat any mantra while doing this technique?

Thank you.  

Thanks a lot cosmic iron.

I still hv few doubts left.

1. Can I change my sleep position during/after the exercise? Is it necessary to do this exercise with my body facing the ceiling?

2. Can I move my hands and legs during the exercise? When I am doing the exercise, can I open my eyes?

3. Can I do this LD induction exercise for 1.5 hrs, i.e, max half an hour for the exercise and 1 hr sleep to induce LD?

4. Do I hv to allot equal time for each component?

5. Do I hv to follow the same pattern of 'Eye-Hear-Feel' Pattern or is components done in random order?

Thank you.  

lucky1990 wrote:
Thanks a lot cosmic iron.

I still hv few doubts left.

1. Can I change my sleep position during/after the exercise? Is it necessary to do this exercise with my body facing the ceiling?

2. Can I move my hands and legs during the exercise? When I am doing the exercise, can I open my eyes?

3. Can I do this LD induction exercise for 1.5 hrs, i.e, max half an hour for the exercise and 1 hr sleep to induce LD?

4. Do I hv to allot equal time for each component?

5. Do I hv to follow the same pattern of 'Eye-Hear-Feel' Pattern or is components done in random order?

Thank you.
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1. No you don't have to. Sleeping in a different position helps you stay more awake, but if you have trouble fall asleep you might want to use the most comfortable position instead.

2. You can move around if that makes you more comfortable. Just compensate with some extra cycles and you should be fine. You don't want to open your eyes.

3. Yes. It is important for you to experiment and tailor the technique to suit your individual needs.

4. No, and you shouldn't be counting. Do it in a relaxed, loose manner. It doesn't hurt to allow your mind to drift once in a while.

5. Try to do it in that sequence, although it is fine if you lose track at some point. Just resume from the beginning.  

Okay, it has been about a week since my last experience. I have been working everyday this week and waking up many times a night with a teething baby so I was always WAY to tired to fully commit to trying my this method. However twice this week I dreamed of dreaming or teaching people to LD!  

So I woke up at about 5:30 am to feed the "little dreamer" and I was so calm and relaxed and happy I was rocking him thinking "This is great I dont have to be up in an hour for work..I can lay back down and try to LD" I felt very positive.

I was still very tired when I crawled back into bed and I started my cycle...fell asleep....dreamed about teaching my husband how to use SSILD! URG!  

I then woke up again and started my SSILD cycle again, I got into the second rep of the first cycle and I started having INTENSE HI, usually If I do get HI- I end up startling awake right after I see a flash of a vision or whatever. Well this time I felt it coming on and building up very intense but there was no color to it it looked like the snow/fuzz from the TV but with black borders that were trying to create images.

I then became aware of my body and I couldnt move! I was concious and aware during the HI and the SP. I kept telling myself to calm down that it was okay nothing was scary or going to hurt me.  This has never happened to me and it was exhilarating to be aware of and concious in my mind although my body and imagery was doing its own thing. I kept testing to see if I could move and I also kept trying to make the imagery turn into something other. I believe I was so excited yet unfocused that I woke up. I immediatly did a RC to make sure I was really awake and I was

I really think this eperience was a BIG step on my lucidity path. It was exciting and fun and now I kind of know what people are talking about now when they say "be aware and try to mold the images while your body is asleep" I was always confused by that. So I guess now I need to learn how to get myself into a LD when I reach that state again I guess I could have WILD if I knew how to focus.

But it all started with trying to SSILD this morning and that is exciting!
          Current LD goal(s): speaking with SC, Find dream guide  

So after having like 1 LD over two weeks I had 5 or 6 this morning with a mixture of this and MILD.

Can't think of anything I did differently other than taking panadeine painkillers before lying back down. I guess I'll try doing the same again just in case.  

lucky1990 wrote:
Hi,

Just wanted to ask about time allotment to each component.

1. During warm up cycles - 10 secs for each component = 10*3 components per cycle = 30 secs for each cycle. Max 3 mins for 6 short cycles.

2. Main cycle - Max 1 min for each component in a cycle * 4 cycles = 12 mins.

Total duration of SSILD = 12+3 = 15 Mins.

Is it enough?
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About that, yeah. You shouldn't be so calculating with it, though. Best to just think to yourself "yeah, I think I've been doing this part for somewhere around 30 seconds, time for the next step" each time.  

Well, now that I'm registered, thanks for posting this!

I actually had no trouble with this - one FA but I was soon back on track... also the methods are great for everyday relaxation :o

          Current LD goal(s): LD without waking up quickly  

Anti678 wrote:
it sounds like you want to "catch" yourself fall asleep, by remembering you were doing a routine in your head prior. i read through it but i didnt see anything about afternoon naps? what is your take on those? can ssild be performed or are other techniques more prominant for afternoon naps

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Not really... that's not how SSILD works -- after performing the cycles you just go to sleep. There is no need to remember anything and LD does not need to be the last thing on your mind.

As for afternoon naps, they are not the most ideal for SSILD because they are normally very short. Some people do report success, but I suspect there are techniques better suited for afternoon naps than SSILD.  

@ Cosmic.iron,

Can i sleep with body position turned sideways while doing this technique? And, can i change my body positions while doing the technique?

What advice you would give for increasing dream vividness, the moment i realise i am dreaming? And also i am always in third person perspective, watching myself dreaming. how can i change it to first person perspective?

Also, how do i extend my time in lucid dreams?

Thank you.  

ParanoiDave wrote:
@cosmic.iron

I've been using the updated technique for nearly a week now, and only managed to get in one "real attempt."

When I woke up the next morning, I had the feeling that I had a lucid dream!

This is definitely the only technique I will use from now on.

My only problem is that I still tend to wake up, make a poor attempt to do a cycle, and fall asleep. Any tips on how to combat this?

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After you wake up do you leave the bed? Sounds like you are no sufficiently awake when you begin performing the cycles, which will lead to less than optimal result. Make sure you have sufficient sleep (4 hours and plus), then leave the bed or sit up for a few minutes. When performing the cycles try to really focus on the first couple of them then let go.  

@ cosmic iron,

First of all, I wish to congratulate u for the efforts u are taking to help everyone.

Did the SSILD tech yest and had some good results, though did nt become lucid. Did it for few mins, in a rather, erratic manner and slept. No sooner, my body was knocked by a powerful blow like some hammer knocking me up. I woke up alarmed. Though this tech looks promising.

I am a student and cant dedicate much time for ld's. As far as ur experiences are concerned as well as numerous testimonials that u have recieved, how much time, do u think, that i should dedicate for the technique as well as sleep (to induce ld's) ? That is, after doing the technique (around 15 mins), for how much time i should sleep to induce ld's?

Thank you.  

Cosmic Iron or anyone with suggestions:

I tried SSILD a few times since the success recorded below and I think the anticipation(I don't seem super excited) is waking me up more than normal so I am having trouble going to sleep. Last night went to bed a little late(does going to bed earlier help with getting back to sleep?) maybe to bed by 11:15pm and got up earlier than normal around 3:45am to use the restroom. Went quickly back to bed in most comfortable position,did cycles restarting at first cycle or continuing where left off if knew where I left off, finished then tried to sleep. After a while I felt the urge to lay on my side, so I did(which tends to hurt my back, so I roll back to my back-though during the success I wonder if I stayed on my side-so my back may be a tricky factor). I also had what seemed like the beginning of about 10 different dreams(very short-maybe 2-7seconds, were dream like scenarios, not like typical daydreaming)finding myself awake in between them before dozing off after a good while (several RC's done=awake). I suprisingly was not very tired today but was quite tired in the 2 previous times I tried after the success(took a week or so off).

Any ideas?

cosmic.iron wrote:
fogelbise wrote:
Cosmic Iron, thank you for continuing to research/refine your method!

Lucky1990, check the tutorial in the meantime, should help with some of your questions.

My Experience in brief. LD last night from SSILD!(assumed)  In the past, I had at least one lucid dream maybe around 12years old after my father told me about it as a way to deal with nightmares(defeating the "monster") but over the years I got away from the practice of recalling my dreams, much less having lucid dreams. In the last 10days or so I started researching, started dream journal, reality checks, looked at different methods to induce LD and decided to try SSILD. Had LD last night on 3rd night time attempt (3 night time attempts, 2 afternoon nap attempts=no luck at nap). LD success was great, though a little short and was discovered instantly when something happened and I said "this is a dream, now I can do what I want"(and did until it ended) - did not do RC in dream.

Some challenges to work through further. Before starting LD methods, I was already waking up to use the bathroom about 4-5 hours after going to bed so don't need the alarm I think. Previously it seemed I could go back to sleep within 1 minute. SSILD seems to wake me up more so I tweaked it last night so I only stayed out of bed maybe 2 minutes and went straight to SSILD cycles, still didn't sleep right away (verified through RCs) like normal but did have a big event today-so that probably didn't help me in dozing off quickly after cycles and is the type of event that can cause some insomnia where I normally have none. Also some noises including wife noise/movement probably isn't ideal - I put in ear plugs last night when it worked! I only did a few short *additional cycles after putting in earplugs.

Any tips?
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It is really rewarding when I read about people's success stories with this technique. They make the effort worthwhile!

If you always have trouble falling asleep after the exercise, you should consider the following:

1. Get up a little early and go back to bed quickly.

2. Sleep in the usual, most comfortable position.

3. Do more short cycles and fewer long cycles.

4. Don't get up at all. Just remember to do a few cycles upon each subsequent awakening. I call this "chaining" and usually you will hit some HIs or FAs after the first couple of tries.

I hope this helps
          Current LD goal(s): Consistant, long LDs  

Really awesome experience! More on that in a bit. First:

**I can't blame ssild for my trouble getting back to sleep. This night I decided I wasn't even going to try because I had a game the next day and wanted to be fully rested. Got up as usual to use the bathroom and had trouble getting back to sleep and I think the blame is my mind thinking about lucidity since I wasnt doing cycles. After getting up one more time and not being able to sleep I decided to the cylcles for relaxation.

That night I was reading about someones scary sleep paralysis experience and had decided if I get SP I would use what other people have sugguested or used (with SP many people see a figure or creature or alien or whatever holding them down as the minds way of explaining why they can't move) so I decided to use imagining a beautiful woman holding me down.

What are the chances that I would have only my 2nd SP ever or maybe it was a dream where I became lucid and jumped into another dream? (First SP was maybe 8 months ago, well before I decided to get back to LD for 1st time since childhood, and at that time I didn't know what it was and it scared the heck out of me, evil spirit style, led me to research and got me thinking about LDs again). Anyway this night after having trouble going to sleep at some point I felt a dark figure creeping over me and I immediately switched it to the beautiful woman..don't remember seeing her but felt the paralysis, stayed calm and then had awesome vibrations  through my whole body as if I was under a jet engine! After it seemed to be going 10 seconds or so I decided to jump into a grayish formation and into a dream and I was flying lucid  but not real vivid at first. I was looking for an interesting place to stop...did at a green meadow with some characters I decided to shoot flames at, I guess because I had read about others trying this. I flew off somewhere else and should have wrote all this down earlier but ended up somewhere with a dark haired woman in some romantic situation and it seemed to end there.

Wow, the vibrations!!

Cosmic Iron or anyone...Still looking for a good way to not be so excited about LDing so I can sleep after the daily early morning trip to the bathroom. Before pursuing LDing I would knock right back out except rare ocassions of heavy stress. Again, on the night above I did not plan to SSILD but habitually did my RC as I got up to go the bathroom and my mind was still thinking about LDs and only later did SSILD cycles to relax after not being able to sleep.

          Current LD goal(s): Consistant, long LDs  

This technique looks very promising, I am a novice Lucid Dreamer and in 2 months, i tried many classical techniques (WBTB, WILD, MILD, RC etc.) with great effort and the results are very frustrating (only 2 very low lucid dream for a few seconds and 1 LD with Sleep Paralysis for 15 seconds) and my motivation started to disappear.

@cosmic.iron

I will try SSILD tonight but i want to know that; Should I continue to do constant Reality Checks in the daytime to remember to do RC in SSILD dreams? or SSILD give that awareness naturally?

Has anyone tried Thomas Yuschak's Aminoacid Blend (Theanine, Glutamine and Aspartic Acid) when he woke up for SSILD at night? Maybe this can make it much more easier.  

My last night result is, i went to bed late (1.30 am.) because of my lately morning nap and couldn't do WBTB but i did SSILD completely before sleeping and i got into a trance state and had a very deep sleep and nice dream recall. I will do this tonight with WBTB and  Galantamine/Choline combination properly.

Should I continue to do constant Reality Checks in the daytime to remember to do RC in SSILD dreams? or SSILD give that awareness naturally?  

I actually never awoke and did the cycles instead my mind did the cycles when I went to sleep causing to have two FA's and I got my first lucid dream      

          Current LD goal(s): Hold on to my lucidty for longer and remember what I want to do in the dream  

Tried during a nap after work (too late in the day? was 4:45pm or so)

After doing cycles and not going to sleep I tried the following for the first time in addition to retrying some of the above methods mentioned.

-one less blanket to stay cooler (though weather was nice)

-nasal spray to reduce nasal drainage, increase comfort

-thought about the "mini-dreams" that were drifting into my head and trying to figure out the origin - odd thoughts much like regular dreams - seemed different from daydreams which seem to have more logic but want to research further. One involved a female with a very specific unique face that I don't remember seeing anywhere-perhaps from my dreams.

-finally what seemed most effective and tried last (all of these were after cycles and while trying to go to sleep) - android app named "binaural beats therapy" using the sleep induction setting.

I feel fairly sure I would have slept, but too much family noise in the house after I started. Even though I believe I never slept(only did one RC=awake), I eventually got up after 1.25 hours very upbeat and refreshed, at least for a few hours. I attribute the refreshed feeling to having relaxed and rested and the binaural beats, but I am unsure.

          Current LD goal(s): Consistant, long LDs  

This is the moste powerfull technique i have ever seen.  

I had for now a 100 % rate for now !!!!

I had ld's, and even wilds and so on. Incredible, it's the only technique that i can use wich can make me ld easly and 100%

Thanks a bunch, now i can LD at will !!
          Current LD goal(s): Be able to LD at WILL  

Hey Cosmic.iron,

I hv been having wonderful results in a week of using this technique. I have two questions for u.

1) I usually dont sleep quickly as i finish doing the technique. Can i momentarily open the eyes after doing the technique before falling asleep naturally?

2) Could u pls elaborate more on third component, the somesthic senses?

Thank you.  

I did consider using SSILD as a meditation method. However, since I don't meditate regularly, I haven't actually tried it.

My only problem with SSILD after WBTB is that I fall asleep much too quickly! I will have to find a way to make myself more uncomfortable...