Lucid Dreaming: The Difference Between DILD and WILD

The two broad categories of types of lucid dreams are the Dream Induced Lucid Dream (DILD) and the Wake Induced Lucid Dream (WILD).  All other methods are either variations of one of these types or a means to achieve one of the two. 

The Dream Induced Lucid Dream:

The Dream Induced Lucid Dream (DILD) occurs when you come to awareness while you are within a dream during sleep. For example you may be sitting talking to Grandma in your living room and suddenly think to yourself "Wait, Grandma died 10 years ago.  I'm dreaming" or you may catch yourself doing a reality check and come to awareness when it passes (the outcome is consistent with what you'd expect to happen in dreamland).

The DILD is the most natural way to lucid dream and probably yields the most consistent results for those who are good at it because we dream all the time effortlessly. In other words, every time we sleep we have the opportunity to DILD and if you've been practicing your awareness skills in the day you can get good at recognizing that you are dreaming in sleep.

And again, it sounds simple in theory, but we are pretty dumb in normal dreams and naturally just go along with the story, no matter how little sense it makes. 

The Wake Induced Lucid Dream:

The Wake Induced Lucid Dream (WILD) is when you go from awake directly into a dream.

In a nutshell WILD-ing involves relaxing until the body falls asleep before the mind. Mind awake, body asleep.

When we go to sleep the body looks for signs that the mind is no longer aware before it determines that it's safe to paralyze the body in preparation for REM sleep. This is where that sometimes terrifying phenomenon of sleep paralysis comes in to play.

You may have experienced sleep paralysis before.  You come to alertness and realize that it feels like something is holding you down and you can't move.  You scream, but only hear it in your head. It can be a terrifying experience and it usually occurs when you are in that state between being asleep and awake.  Either you're on your way to sleep or you wake up and find yourself in it.

It can be very scary because it can occur along with spooky hallucinations.  Many people believe that sleep paralysis episodes are caused by demonic activity.  If you've ever experienced it before, you know that this explanation is understandable.

Everyone experiences sleep paralysis during sleep; we just aren't aware of it because our minds usually are totally unconscious (asleep) before it sets in.  The purpose of sleep paralysis is to prevent us from getting up and running into the front door in real life when that bear is chasing us in a dream.

When it comes to WILD-ing, sleep paralysis is the key indicator of transition from reality to dream.

The advantages of WILD are as follows:

1. If the timing is right, you can have a lucid dream at will.  Just lay down, relax and get it poppin'.

2. WILD dreams tend to be more vivid since your mind is totally aware when you enter the dream.

WILD-ing is harder than it sounds because you have to stay mentally AWAKE until your body goes into sleep paralysis, while at the same time letting go and  keeping just a light grip on consciousness.  Your body has to think you are going to sleep.  People who are skilled at meditation may find this a piece of cake because it's all about concentration.

I have done WILD a few times before, but those successes have just been lucky shots.  Each of those times, I've actually fallen asleep during the process, but just happened to wake up while sleep paralysis was occurring and was able to step into a dream.

Most times, not unlike most who attempt this, I just end up falling asleep and kicking myself when I wake up! I've had way more FAILS than semi-successes.

My WILDs have been so much more clear and realistic than the DILDs I've had.
 
Some things to remember about WILD-ing is that you must be near an REM cycle when you do this in order to be successful. This is why it's best to attempt WILD after 4-6 hours of regular sleep.  Or during a nap.  I have heard that naps are totally REM sleep, but I don't really understand why they would be.  However, my WILDs have been during naps.

Sometimes I question the validity of the REM chart across the board for all people because I know I've had dreams soon after I've gone to bed based on the time it is when I snap awake.  This would indicate an REM cycle less than an hour into sleep.  So I think for some it may be just as possible to attempt WILD upon first going to bed.

If you haven't been able to achieve at least one or two DILDs you probably should not try to WILD yet before you know what a lucid dream looks and feels like.

However, this method may be preferred for those who just can't seem to "wake up" during dreams no matter how hard they try.