Atheist - Focussing On An Image

Whoa! I was thinking that right before I saw your post. I would definitely pick The Matrix as my movie of choice. I’ve watched it so many times that I can actually watch it in my head with full detail and surround sound. :content: Perhaps if I started off with that, then started imagining some of the sensations that Neo is experiencing or something…I might have just discovered my own personal WILD technique! :cool_laugh: I’ll have to give that a try.

No wonder why I couldn’t WILD right… I wake up in the middle of the night almost everytime I fall asleep. Well, last night, I finally tried it… I wasn’t thinking of anything, and that’s the catch…

I’m going to bed very shortly, so I’m going to have to think of something… Perhaps an apple… or a kazoo. :happy:

Walking around and holding a gun out seems to work for me. Visuals tied into the sensations, plus the thrill of having a golden gun!

infection0 hahahah i cant tell if you are kidding or serious. Eitherway its funny. Anyways I had a question for you Image focusing people. I was wondering. If you focus on a picture of a person… say Bruce Lee will the dream start off with that person in it right away? If it did then that would save me a hell of a lot of LD time.

If you’re successful with WILD, yes. The image gives you something to ‘hold on to’, as you enter the dream. Provided you remain conscious and in control of what you’re seeing, you should enter a dream constructed from the initial image or combination of senses you were maintaining.

As an example, I usually focus on the image of an open book if I’m attempting WILD. Eventually, if I can stay conscious while I pass completely into the dream, I’ll always find myself in my bed with the book I was picturing. From there I stand up, look around, and decide how today I’m going to amuse myself at the cost of my unfortunate DCs.

sorry accidentally posted twice

Aetheist thanx for the info. I must tell you though that sometimes when I read your posts they are incredibly damaging to the subconscious and the rest of the time they are the exact opposite.

When I hear stuff like:

I begin to smile.

It makes me want to jump in bed right away and start dreaming. thanx.

Woodydrn:

It excites me - but doesn’t surprise me - your succes with RC’s.
I ran a RC-project once with great succes as well. And now when I’m back doing them, I have lucid dreams every night.

I want to ask you, how you do them. Here’s how I do them:

I have 3 fases:

  1. Question: “Is this a dream”. I look around and become aware of my surroundings.

  2. The actual check: This can be many thing. I often count my fingers.

  3. Conclusion: Stating wether I’m awake or dreaming.

How do you do?

Regards,
Thomas

@Gjedde: Hmm the same way, just ask the question like you - “am i dreaming ?” … it’s easy to notice it’s a dream. And as i said before, i use my mobile alot, logo changes in my dreams allways. But isn’t RC defenition - ask the question, check stuff, conclude if it’s a dream - ? Couldn’t be other way ?

Woodydrn:

This is too crazy!!! Do you know why??

Because jeg er fra Valby!

Halløj! Hvordan går det så med dig? Det er sgu da helt vildt!

Jeg ved slet ikke, hvad jeg skal sige…

Det er helt vildt sejt, at du har så stor succes med virkelighedskontroller. Det har jeg også!

Sorry, I just wrote danish with woodydrn. He’s from Denmark like me - and not only that. We live in the same area. Crazy!

Thomas

Haha … Ja det var lidt underligt, jeg bor også lige ved valby …

Hey guys, do you think your conversation in Danish could be kept to private messages? It doesn’t really help the rest of us…

Thanks. :smile:

Ofcause, i kept it short for the same reason :wink:

These methods make WILD seem much easier. I think I’ll try them tonight :smile:

But sounds would probably work better, in my opinion. For example, last night, while I was trying to fall asleep, I imagined a living skull-man (think Pirates of the Caribbean) who was saying something. I kept making him repeat it because I was trying to see how a skull can make shapes with his mouth to make an “O” or “OO” sound. The last time he spoke, it kind of startled me because it sounded like someone really said something.

So trying to imagine sound as well as something visual might help more. It would probably be kind of hard to accidentally fall asleep while you see and hear someone talking to you. I’ll test out my theory tonight or maybe tomorrow night.

It is very possible, but much harder to do than in morning. I managed it for the first time and only time a few months ago… Should try to attempt it again :smile:

Do you mean that you went straight into REM? I think the reason it’s so difficult is b/c that first cylce of sleep is mostly non-REM. I wonder, is it possible to “force” yourself into REM? :eh:

I have no clue, all i know is that i entered a dream fully conscious in the evning. Took some time than doing wild in morning though… Also have talked people people who say they can do it on will.

I guess this is a question better suited for jeff, since i think he did some experiments with brainwave"eeg" machine. :smile:

The thing is, all these conversations about whether or not WILD is possible when you first go to sleep, overlook the fact that it might not just be REM sleep in which we dream.

What if it’s possible to dream in the first 1 or 2 stages of sleep? After all, they are light sleep. Just because you’re eyes aren’t moving doesn’t mean your brain’s not doing something.

Although I’ve never had WILD when first going to sleep at night, I have, very many times, awoken from from a short bit of sleep when first going to sleep and remember having some kind of dream experience.

It’s like, about 5 years ago, I remember the film Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me being on, and I was recording it but also watching it in bed, and I fell asleep whilst watching it and woke up about half an hour later definately sure I had dreamt about it. How do I know it was a dream and not just me watching it whilst half asleep? Well, I was in it for a start!

So I think you have to break down the question of “can we WILD first thing at night” into what you’re actually asking. Are you asking more specifically if REM sleep can happen first thing at night? The answer is probably “no”. Are you asking if dreams can happen in stages of sleep other than REM? Then the answer is probably “yes”.

And then if you’re asking the more specific question, can WILD be induced when not in REM sleep, the answer is probably “yes, but it’s much much harder”.

I don’t know why you lot seam to have spent so much time dancing round the vague issue without actually asking the really important questions. The debate of whether or not WILD can happen first thing at night seams to, up until now, consisted mainly of comments like “Well I don’t think it’s possble because REM sleep doesn’t happen first thing at night” followed by comments like “Well it happened to me once.”

It’s like sombody saying, “I think it’s impossible to break a plank of wood in half without using a saw,” and then somebody else says, “Well I did it once by leaning it against a wall and jumping on it.” The answer is the same: it’s possible but harder.

Life is not a series of strict rules, it’s an endless continuum of possibilities…

:smile:

Ed.

I like to think we at least have some idea of when dreams occur. After all, we can monitor the various components of the brain while sleeping, and we can see when it perks up to indicate activity. We can also identify patterns to indicate visual/sensory processing, and we can easily determine what stages of sleep exhibit signs of dreaming. In all of this, it’s been confidently declared that we only dream visually in the REM sleep cycle.

Sure, you can apparently obtain consciousness in NREM, but you’re essentially stuck in limbo with only your thoughts until the next REM period comes around to provide the full functionality of your mind. I think I’ll just get on at the appropriate stop, even if it means waiting 6 hours first.

Someone mentioned playing some video games for a while before focusing on an image. I suggest Quake 2 :ok: ; or any other fast paced 3D games in which you move quickly over a lot of area.