WILD Technique: Unlocking Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming and explore the mysterious realm of dreams. Lucid dreaming is a practice where you get awareness only after releasing control in a dream.
In contrast, the use of the technique is Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming (or WILD) is such that the user may retain his waking consciousness and thereby access lucid dreams without losing consciousness.
Amongst different methods of awakening, WILD method i.e. the Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming is considered to be one of those that are quite easily recognizable, for its enormous strength as well as for its outstanding complexity.
Essentially, WILD describes the walk on the very thin line between sleep and wake, where the body must be relaxed enough not to resist sleep while the mind must remain conscious.
One might rest in a soft and appropriate position and start working on this technique by closing the eyes and concentrating on one’s breath or a mental anchor that could be formed by visualizing some shapes, lights, or by applying dream imagery.
The paralysis stage of sleep when the body lets go of all the muscles and the mind, however, still remains awake, is the moment for the dream to come in with full consciousness to the mind’s help.
WILD’s intense visual nature and sometimes feel can be very close to reality level of control distinguish it from all other lucid dreaming methods. Colors may seem more vibrant; sounds are sharper, and control over one’s actions is usually stronger.
The effectiveness of advanced dreamer’s reports like pre, visualizing a dream scenario and being there directly at the moment of transition make the WILD technique (wake initiated lucid dreaming) the best choice of the leading extraordinary oneironauts.
Still, the learning process of the technique is a slow one. A beginner may be very sleepy and therefore be able to fall asleep quickly; they may also be making the mistake of attempting to enter the dream while being too awake.
One usually learns and develops the WILD technique through practice, testing different sleep timings such as after 4, 6 hours of rest and perfecting the relaxation of the body without letting the mind get distracted.
Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming offers those committed to mastering the phenomena of lucid dreaming almost, unprecedented possibilities of very clear and conscious dream scenarios.
WILD Method, with persistence and diligent practice, the wake initiated lucid dreaming can turn a typical, night sleep into an extraordinary one.
What is Wild Technique or Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming
Do you have any idea about What is the WILD Technique or Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming? Can It Help with Your Lucid Dream Journey and explore mysterious realm of dreams?
The WILD Technique, short for Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming, is one of the most fascinating methods of a lucid dream entry.
In most methods, you “wake up” inside a dream after it has already started, while WILD enables you to go straight into the dream world but keeping your awareness fully intact.
Simply in this is a state where the mind is awake while the body is asleep, thus creating a connection between the dream and waking.
This is seen as one of the most dependable means to get a lucid dream but it does indeed take a lot of practice and patience.
For newbies, it is often the case that the problem is in staying aware and not getting too restless at the same time, or that the transition happens before they fall asleep.
However, the WILD technique can become your key to very lively and controlled dream episodes with time and effort.
To know more about Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming, this article will take you through:
- What the WILD method entails
- Guidance and preparation for beginners
- The WILD, related issue of sleep paralysis
- Some helpful strategies for boosting the chance of success
- A short WILD technique FAQ to clarify quickly
Surely then you will be ready to take the first step to experience Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming and improve your nightly practice of lucid dreaming.
How the WILD technique works?
The WILD Technique is commonly referred to as one of the inborn triggers for a waking dream especially if combined with meditation and deep relaxation.
The core concept of Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming is very easy: you let your body go to sleep while your mind continues to be active and conscious.
This change is made because of the following main reasons:
Due to your being still, the brain interprets that it’s now sleep time and it sends the signal to the whole body including your lungs and your heart that it is resting time.
On the other hand, your mind is still awake, it is your alertness that leads through a dream.
You can feel this balance at the beginning to be pretty difficult—almost like the situation where you need to do two opposing things simultaneously.
But in a good way, you don’t actually have to be a pro in the dreaming field to give WILD a shot.
Yes, even beginners can pull it off with the help of patience. Actually, some individuals become so accustomed to the method that they end up doing it without knowing.
WILD, one among the different lucid dreaming methods, is not something that can be mastered at once but rather needs the effort of trial and error as well as committed practice.
As each individual’s sleep cycle and concentration level vary greatly, the game of success is therefore won by those who take themselves as the judges of the technique and adapt it to their needs.
The skill you acquire by practicing wake initiated lucid dreaming becomes the better the transition is and thus you have more power over your dream world.
Read : 10 Most Powerful and Best Lucid Dreaming Technique for Beginners In 2024
How to prepare for Wake-Initiated Lucid Dreaming?
First of all, one can try to wake up at the best times to use the WILD technique.
Three are perfect moments when you can try to achieve a Wake Initiated Lucid Dream (WILD Technique):
1) At the time of a nap during the day
If you slept poorly the night before, then WILD during napping might be very successful. Because your body is already exhausted, it will be calm and fall asleep faster, thus you will have a better opportunity to keep your mental consciousness.
To help your mind stay active, you can recite a very simple phrase:
“I will be lucid.”
“I will wake up in my dream.”
This soft repetition delicately supports your mind to be present when your body is shutting down.
2) At the time of going to sleep
A person can also do the wake initiated lucid dreaming as soon as he lies down for the night. First, get comfortable, then go step by step through the method, and let yourself get sleep intentionally.
It might not always be successful at the first try, but consistent practice makes you get better over time.
3) After 5-6 hours of sleep
One of the best times for the WILD is when a person wakes up in the middle of the night after sleeping for about 5-6 hours.
Now the body can fall back asleep quickly, yet the mind remains active.
This method is called DEILD (Dream Exit Induced Lucid Dreaming) – which is a very close variation of the WILD technique.
The main point is that in DEILD, you first wake up and then you go back to sleep, while in wake initiated lucid dreaming you can do it at any time.
Try out these three windows of opportunity and decide which one suits you the most. Most lucid dreamers report that they manage to achieve the highest success rate either in the early morning or right after sleep; however, your own rhythm may be different.
Wake-Initiated Lucid Dream (WILD) – Step by Step Guide
You can easily practice wake initiated lucid dreaming with our step-by-step guide. This guide is specially for beginner and easy to do practice so that you can do it easily.
Step 1: Get Comfortable and Relax
To begin, lie on your back in a position that is totally comfortable for you. The aim is to stay still, so pick a position that you can stay in without moving or adjusting.
While other sleeping positions may be good too, lying on your back is generally the most successful one for the WILD Technique.
Relaxation is the main feature of the scene. Let every muscle in your body relax and let go of the tension.
This stage in wake initiated lucid dreaming may be quite easy for you if you are already doing meditation. If not, simply try to be still and calm.
Do not move, scratch, change your position or get involved in overthinking.
Practice slow, deep breaths and let your mind calm down. Softly focus on the dark behind your closed eyes or keep being aware of your breathing.
If thoughts come, don’t follow them, let them go- that way, you won’t get involved with them and you can bring your attention back to the breath.
Tip: One of the easiest ways that a lot of people find to relax is by listening to binaural beats which are freely available online. The sounds help in silencing the mind and in guiding the body to a deeper zone of rest.
The first phase normally takes about 10–20 minutes, it depends on how sleepy you are and how much you know about the wake initiated lucid dreaming technique.
Don’t be concerned if a lot of time has passed- just concentrate on getting a state of complete stillness and relaxation.
Step 2: Observe the Hypnagogic State
When you are completely relaxed and ready, you may see faint images or shapes, and colors, or even hear sounds coming and going in your mind.
This is the place of the hypnagogic state – the change from being awake to sleeping. You need to observe this state during wake initiated lucid dreaming.
Psychologically, some people are able to observe short and almost very rapid flashes of light, little pieces of voices, or a feeling of floating and the like, while some may just feel a soft shaking.
The first-time experience can be a bit weird; however, it is quite normal. Nevertheless, the essential thing is to behave calm, and the same relaxed concentration as in Step 1 should be maintained.
Do not be tempted to analyze the things you see or hear. At this time, you should only observe the fleeting appearances and disappearances of these impresses.
This stage is like the entrance to your dream. As the sights and sensations are being revealed, start to gently shift your focus on the one you want to experience in your lucid dream.
Seeing a place, a scene, a person, or even the action you want to perform in sleep can be your dream soon.
Consider hypnagogia as an empty canvas-your thoughts and aims can be the initial strokes that soon turn into your dream. Keep calm, be conscious, and allow the change to occur on its own. Just make it all happening smoothly during wake initiated lucid dreaming.
Step 3: Build Your Dream Scene
The mind is a very powerful tool – once you have entered the hypnagogic state, you can start to change it into a dream.
The flashing images and feelings are like the base of the dream, and then you can add to them with your own dream scene.
Imagine a beach with silky waves and fresh air, or a wonderful forest with green trees and the smell of the earth under your feet, just to name a couple of things.
The fewer elements you have in your dream, the easier it would be to make it last.
Make the picture sound, feel, or look real—listen to the beach noise, feel the ground beneath your feet, or look at the sun through the trees.
As your dream scene gets clearer, think of yourself there. See your hands or feet that are attached to you, walk a little, or touch something near you.
Dream movement is one of the easiest methods for awareness most lucid dreaming techniques will advise you to do it.
Step 4: Mind Awake, Body Asleep
At this point, your body should be empty of life and asleep but your mind needs to be awake and energetic.
This is the character of the WILD Technique (Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming)—keeping awareness while your body goes through the stage of sleep.
The first thing that will come to your mind is that it is very difficult to accomplish, the truth is that only through practicing and having patience this transition can be made.
No two people are the same and, therefore, this change can be felt differently by each person, meaning that it might take some practice before discovering the correct way.
You may at the beginning either fall asleep too fast or find it hard enough to calm down but in the long run, you will master the skill of balancing both states.
Trusting the process, staying true and preparing for a try in your mind before you really do it is the trick. With practice, your mind will know how to be bright and active while your body goes into sleep giving lucid dreams to you.
Step 5: Stabilize Your Lucid Dream
After having a dream, the most valuable thing for you is to keep your calm. It’s understandable to get very excited when you see that you are dreaming, but this feeling should not be too much, or you will wake up.
You have to keep a balance during the time of wake initiated lucid dreaming.
Take a big breath, slow down, and allow yourself to move with the dream.
In order to keep the dream stable, do some reality checks—look at your hands, try to put your finger through your palm, and read the text, then look at it again to see if it changed.
Such operations provide support for your consciousness inside the dream.
At the very beginning, you may not be able to control all the things in the dream. That’s absolutely normal. Even a simple acknowledgment of the fact that you are dreaming is a big win.
Practicing the WILD-technique (Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming) will greatly increase your awareness and thus your ability to influence and direct the dream.
Once the dream has been stabilized, you may think of what you want to do—this may be the case of the dream, the visiting of a person, or the practicing of the skills.
If by any chance that you lost control, do not let it discourage you.
The more you try the better you get at holding the lucid state for longer periods and at interacting deeper with your subconscious world.
A common side effect of WILD: Sleep Paralysis
One of the most widely recognized side effects of the WILD technique (Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming) is sleep paralysis.
Research shows that approximately 7.6% of the general population, 28.3% of students, and 31.9% of psychiatric patients have reported that they have had at least one instance of it.
For each person, sleep paralysis may have different manifestations, however, most commonly, it is the inability to move the body, feeling a heavy weight on the chest, and sometimes that a strange or scary presence is in the room.
Although these symptoms during wake initiated lucid dreaming WILD Technique can be quite scary, the fact that sleep paralysis itself is 100% safe and most of the time it goes away from a few seconds to a couple of minutes should always be kept in mind.
However, that’s not all: sleep paralysis can be used as one of the most convenient entrances to a lucid dream. Instead of fighting the experience, be calm and constantly remind yourself that you are secure.
Saying to yourself over and over again “It’s only a dream” or “I am safe” can bring the fear down and shift the concentration towards the oneiromantic state.
In the case that the experience is so heavy that it becomes unbearable, the best way to wake up is to concentrate on moving a tiny part of your body; for instance, your toes, fingers, eyes, or lips.
Even the slightest movement is a signal that the brain receives, it is the escape from paralysis and the hallucinations stop immediately.
While initial phases may be quite scary, with enough rehearsals and the right attitude, sleep paralysis can evolve from a frightening nightmare into a memorable dream world experience.
Some helpful tips
Sleep Paralysis and Lucid Dreaming
Consider sleep paralysis not as your enemy but as a gateway to the dream realm. Basically, through the WILD method performance, (Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming) some occurrences of sleep paralysis are noticed by a lot of lucid dreamers, and these people may feel a kind of disturbance at the very beginning, but physiologically, it is a normal process.
The most effective way to deal with sleep paralysis is by getting to know every bit about it. When you fully comprehend the reasons and the process, the whole thing becomes less scary. Instead of losing it, you will be more composed, safer, and take the incident as a vessel through which you can smoothly enter a lucid dream.
If you want to dive deeper into mystery of lucid dreaming, we suggest these tutorials:
- How to sleep paralysis page by page lucid dream
- 33 facts about how to cope with sleep paralysis
- What causes sleep paralysis and how to get rid of it
Ultimately, immersing yourself in this enigmatic occurrence will not only quiet the fear but also allow you to keep more control over your lucid dream routine.
Vibrations
Usually, as you cross over to the lucid realm, you will sense that you are shaking or buzzing strongly.
These sensations may appear as sounds or lights, but essentially, they are quite safe. During the time of wake initiated lucid dreaming you can experience such vibrations.
Actually, vibrations are a confirmation that the person is at the verge of falling asleep, but still remains conscious.
Not everyone gets them, but those who do, will get a good sign—this is the right way.
Reality Checks
One of the most dependable methods for stabilizing a lucid dream is carrying out reality checks.
It is a common mistake for the new comers to think that they remember only few reality checks done inside the dream, and this is quite normal.
The most effective way to become accustomed to reality checks is to make them a daily habit when you are awake. Thus, they are carried over naturally into your dream world.
Total Relaxation
Relaxation is the basic principle of the WILD method. You must keep yourself relaxed during wake initiated lucid dreaming practice.
The body will not be able to go to sleep properly without it. If you find it hard to relax, you might want to consider doing breathing exercises or following some guided meditation for your body and mind before starting.
Conscious Awareness
The WILD Technique is most successful when the practitioner remains androgynously aware. If you let your mind wander far and fall into deep sleep, you are not going to experience lucid dreaming.
So, don’t give up if you “lose” it at the beginning—this is part of the training process.
Each experiment makes you better. It is always better to try and fall asleep than not to attempt WILD altogether.
Therefore, with repeated practice, you will eventually find it easier to be aware during the transition.
Read : How to Practice Finger Induced Lucid Dream Technique in 2024 for Safe and Successful Experience
Is Lucid Dreaming Bad for You? conclusion
Though many people perceive lucid dreams as fascinating and fun, they are not always beneficial. In certain situations, they may even pose risks to ones physical and mental health.
Sleep loss: Just about all the lucid dreaming methods involve at least one waking up during the night. As a result, this is often leading to interrupted sleep and a problem of getting back to sleep again.
Poor sleep quality or frequent awakenings can cause tiredness and other health issues.
Deep sleep/presence of brain waves: During a lucid dream, the brain is more active, and the dreamer is in some way aware that they are dreaming, so the normal REM sleep cycle is different.
Medical professionals give warnings that this might disturb the natural events that take place during REM sleep, which are very important for memory, good mood and, generally, for health.
Sleep paralysis: A situation of sleep deprivation is sleep paralysis. This mainly occurs if someone is trying to change his/her sleep pattern so that he or she can have a lucid dream.
Sleep paralysis overlaps with a phase in which the affected person cannot move or talk but is not asleep.
Nightmares and dysphoric dreams: Trying to dominate dreams may ironically lead to the generation of terrible dream experiences.
Very rarely, people can have lucid nightmares, where they recognize that they dream but are caught in horrifying dream contents.
Confusion with reality: Lucid dreamers may sometimes come across false awakenings which are dreams wherein they think they have awakened but are still dreaming.
When this happens it can be quite confusing when one tries to establish what is real and what is not.
Dissociative states: For some individuals, especially those with certain psychological issues, the practice of lucid dreaming can lead to emotional instability, separation from reality, or trouble in keeping up with ones healthy sense of self.
Due to the above-mentioned risks, those who want to experiment with lucid dreaming (if they take some supplements or use some methods that change their normal sleep) would be better off first talking with their doctor or a mental health professional.
FAQ
Q. How to practice Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming (WILD)?
To practice WILD, you need to transition directly from wakefulness into a lucid dream without losing awareness. The common method involves lying down in a comfortable position, relaxing your body, and focusing your mind while staying calm. Some people use techniques like counting, focusing on breathing, or visualizing dream scenes. Waking up in the middle of the night (after 4–6 hours of sleep) and then attempting WILD is often more successful, as the body quickly re-enters REM sleep.
Q. What can trigger lucid dreaming?
Lucid dreams can be triggered by several factors:
Keeping a dream journal to improve dream recall.
Practicing reality checks during the day.
Setting intentions or affirmations before sleep.
Waking up and going back to bed (the Wake-Back-to-Bed method).
Deep meditation and mindfulness practices.
For WILD specifically, maintaining awareness as your body falls asleep is the key trigger.
Q. What is the rarest type of dream?
One of the rarest types of dreams is a fully conscious lucid dream entered through WILD. Unlike regular lucid dreams, where you “wake up” inside a dream, WILD lets you experience the entire transition from the waking state into the dream world. Other rare dream types include false awakenings within lucid dreams and shared dream phenomena, though the latter is still debated scientifically.
Q. What are the risks or cautions of lucid dreaming, especially WILD?
While generally safe, WILD can sometimes cause:
Sleep paralysis: A temporary inability to move, which can feel frightening.
Sleep disruption: Staying too alert may prevent you from falling asleep.
Increased anxiety: Vivid hallucinations during the transition phase may unsettle beginners.
Fatigue: If practiced too often, it may reduce sleep quality.
To minimize risks, it’s best to practice occasionally, ensure you get enough rest, and approach the experience calmly.
Q. Is Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming suitable for beginners?
WILD is considered one of the more advanced lucid dreaming techniques. Beginners may find it difficult because it requires balancing relaxation with awareness. It can be frustrating if you either fall asleep too quickly or stay awake too long. Many dreamers recommend starting with easier methods—like reality checks or dream journaling—before moving to WILD. With practice and patience, however, beginners can still experience success.