Introduction to WILD

WILD is a technique for obtaining lucid dreams. It stands for Wake In Lucid Dream. Unlike reality checks, where one realizes one is in a dream while in the middle of it, the WILD technique involves no lapse in consciousness between being awake and being asleep. That is, if you're successful, you will be in a lucid state from the very beginning of the dream.

There are many different versions of the WILD technique, but what I will describe is the most basic, which is the only one I have personal experience with:

Have you ever been about to drift off to sleep when you suddenly jerked awake because you felt like you were falling? Well, the idea here is to fall asleep the way you normally would, but hold on to the thought that you're about to be dreaming. Wait for the "falling feeling", so that instead of being surprised and waking up, you can just let it happen. And instead of letting your thoughts wander completely - which generally leads to a regular dream which you probably won't remember the beginning of - be aware of what you're experiencing.

The falling experience will go on for a while. You may see shapes, colors, hear sounds, etc. during this time. By the time you stop or "land", you'll be in the dream. If you still remember it's a dream by that time, then congratulations, you're in a lucid dream!


Note that some people experience hallucinations before the falling feeling, but that seems to be associated with the other versions of the WILD technique more than this one. I think it's because the other versions involve a lot more conscious effort and awareness, whereas this one is a lot closer to falling asleep "normally" - that is, a lot more wandering thoughts and not as much consciousness. It's much more likely that you'll accidentally fall asleep without remembering to be aware of the process.