SSILD (2.0) Tutorial

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.

Sorry I guess there is a ton of discussion on insomnia, and will try looking specifically for insomnia after WBTB or similar. For now I have just taken my mind off of lucidity and that takes care of it…but I want both lucidity and good sleep…ugh…

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.

Good luck. Galantamine and Alpha-GPC works extremely well with SSILD.

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 dont understand how this can be called as a new method and a fancy name like ssild. it is same as wbtb combined with wild. the basic principle is that after you wake up a few hours after sleep, mind is more conducive to lucid dreaming and then staying aware for a while carries this awareness into sleep and induces lucid dreams. the same effect can be had by meditating in the middle of your sleep, or whatever activity that maintains your awareness just before you drift off to sleep. this same principle can be individualised to see how it works for oneself. two components are very important.

  1. waking up after a few hours of sleep
    2.maintaining awareness before going to sleep.
    naming each variation of the above technique and giving it a special fancy name only adds to confusion for beginners.
    there are no shortcuts or miraculous methods for lucid dreaming. regular reality checks, meditation, maintaining awareness before sleep should be practised.

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 :happy: :woo: :grin:

Nice Innerwolf! It sounds like we may both be somewhat new to this. How did you get your other LD?

My understanding is to not mix methods during bedtime only, so it should be fine and beneficial to do RCs during the day. I have seen Cosmic.Iron recommend RCs to know if you might be in a false awakening, and that takes making it a habit to verify dream in an FA or LD.

Yes, can be a type of WILD but is a specific technique that is supposed to be easy for beginners and has brought me 2 LDs out of 7 attempts as a beginner (first LD attempts since childhood). Still trying to actively pursue consistent LDs without any downsides.

For me, not the method, but the success and anticipation is affecting my being able to go back to sleep (I normally have no trouble. I wake up once nightly on average to go to the bathroom). At first I thought it was the SSILD method but found same trouble without doing the cycles/method if I am thinking much about LDs when trying to go back to sleep. In case it helps anyone with the same issue or also if anyone has suggestions for WBTB insomnia which must be a form of “middle of the night insomnia”, “maintenance insomnia” among other names I will list what I am trying to get around this issue.

-Avoid thoughts of LD including using methods during nights before work days or needing to get up early with energy.
-If I cheat and do it during work week, don’t do it 2 nights in a row (2nd night of insomnia=great exhaustion, 1 night of 45-90minutes of insomnia = not bad exhaustion next day)
-avoid night light when I get up to go to bathroom, and I stay up very little (no trouble staying alert to do cycles, though some drifting)
-close the drapes to keep the early morning light from creeping in eventually
-put in ear plugs after waking to reduce various real life noises - though I may need better ear plugs
-tried adding thinking about area 2 inches above roof of mouth to induce sleepiness -read somewhere…not sure if it or a combination of methods may have helped reduce the insomnia time to 45minutes last night and brought on SP and vibrations…didn’t transition to LD this time but fell asleep shortly after.

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.

Hi cosmic.iron, thank you for posting this! I have a question: on the last step, when you say quickly fall asleep, does that mean stop doing the cycles and just fall asleep?

I tried this last night, however I became too awake so couldn’t really relax enough to go back to sleep while doing this technique. I’ll try this again tonight.

I never realized how effective WBTB is. I remember waking up in the middle of a dream, just literally one moment being in the dream, and the next moment I was in my bed. kinda felt like i was in that dreamy state when i woke up, which i don’t get normally.

This is the moste powerfull technique i have ever seen. :woo:

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 !!

Hmm this sounds like a nice technique. Thank you :happy:

EDIT: Reading other posts here, I’m slightly concerned about the number of FAs and supposed loss of sleep. Having said that, I’ve got a lot of time for sleep this week and will be trying this!

Thanks. It seems like a very nice, straight forward technique. Excited isn’t the word I’m feeling right now! :cool:

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.

Taking SSILD outside lucid dreaming, I’ve incorporated SSILD into my meditation practice. SSILD is actually somewhat similar to classic meditation techniques, especially some forms of Vipassana (insight) meditation. Has anyone considered this or used SSILD as a daytime meditation practice?

aac

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…

Yes you can open your eyes after the cycles. Just don’t keep them open for too long. :smile: What would you like to know about the 3rd component? It’s really very simple – just direct your focus/attention to your body, that’s all. It can be certain part of your body or the whole, doesn’t really matter. You can in fact think in terms of focusing on different axis – Visual --z-axis; Hearing – x-axis; Body – y-axis. Let your attention glide through these axis and you will be fine.

I tried this technique last night. As I was doing the cycles I randomly went into SP. I thought, “Oh, I’m in SP, I guess I’ll just WILD from here.” As I am waiting to enter a dream, the SP sensation changes. I start to feel growing pressure all over my body. It becomes increasingly painful until I feel like I’m being crushed by a stramroller. I try to bear it but eventually I can’t take it any more and I break the paralysis and sit up :bored: . The pain immediately disappears, of course. I will try again tonight.

It appears that you might have tried too hard. SSILD uses a very “lazy” approach and you should stick to that in order to achieve optimal results. Do not focus too much on the sensations, and do NOT try to stay completely still. When you try to stay still, you often become tense and that will keep you from falling into sleep. It also tends to cause SPs and various weird sensations, many of which are extremely uncomfortable.

Man, it’s been a while since I’ve last lucid dreamed, mainly because of irregular sleeping patterns (damn you school). I’ve just found motivation to start LDing again and it seems that I’ve found the perfect technique to start with.

I’ll try it whenever I wake up, hopefully tonight
Will report success(If any) :wink:

Nice, it did the job. I didn’t really do the exact steps, rather, I remembered to do it just before I fell asleep, I was already in SP at that point so there was no point in doing the steps :razz:.

So a very summarised version of what I did in the LD:
I was on a small floating snow island in space where I learned ‘Super Sight’. Then I woke up, decided to do an RC and realised I was still dreaming. Drank lucidity pills and tried to extend dream time. Summoned a door from the ground and made it change shapes. Got carried away and woke up.

I’m still not fully used to SP, I don’t think I will lol :anx:

For those interested, here is the full dream:

[spoiler]So, you know how SP is. Loud sounds, I could see faces and all sorts of stuff, I was just waiting impatiently for that ‘moment’. All these creepy things became more and more intense and soon… silence. I was ready to enter a dream.
I tried to enter the north pole, or atleast, somewhere snowy. It was pretty difficult at first, I kept visualizing that I was somewhere cold, with the snow blowing against me and stuff, you know, but I still saw darkness.

A distinct sound soon entered my ears though. At first, it was muffled and quite hard to make out, but excitement ran over me once I realised it was the sound of snow, compressing as my shoes tread over them. Slowly but surely each of my five senses ‘phased’ into the dreamworld. I could feel my feet, and soon, my legs traversing the snow. Then, I could feel the weight and warmth of my clothes, and the freezing cold winds that blasted at me. Lastly, bracing myself to fully enter this dream scene. I opened my eyes.

It was very blurry at first, everything was surprisingly, or rather, disappointingly calm. I could see the outline of the goggles that I was wearing. After awhile my dream eyes adjusted and the snow blizzard that I felt earlier wasn’t there anymore. In front me was a wall of snow, literally, like a brick wall except made of snow, about 6 feet high. The sky was eerily dark, it was a mix of bright purple, blue, white’ish yellow and dark blue. Basically imagine you’re looking at space with all those galaxies and nebulas. There was an opening on the wall, of which I entered to see the other side, half expecting to see mountains of snow far in the distance, but it wasn’t exactly that. The ground just… ended. I was on an island of snow floating in space. I really wanted to go exploring and and have some sort of adventure but here I am stuck in this place.

I went back to the wall of snow to take a closer look at it. Unfortunately I started to lose lucidity. My vision blurred and I was phasing in and out of consciousness.

In a dire attempt I said out loud, “Increase lucidity”.

For a second, everything then just became clear… too clear. It was like some sort of supersight. The detail on the snow was amazing, I could see each individual flake of the snow, but then it was accompanied by an extreme headache and loss of clarity afterwards. It didn’t help when I kept doing it on other objects haha, I lost lucidity soon afterwards.

I woke up, feeling mildly angry. I cursed for a bit, ranting about how I could’ve done things better. Then it hit me… what if I was still dreaming? Nah it couldn’t be… Well it couldn’t hurt to try. I raised and looked at both of my hands, counting my fingers. 1, 2, 3, 4 ,5. Check. 1 ,2 ,3… 4?? BOOM sudden realization! I’m still dreaming!.

I was now in some sort small green room with a few furnitures here and there, but this time, I was determined. It felt like I just passed a test given to me by my subconscious and I felt awesome. Everything was clearer this time round too, it really did felt like real life.

“Okay, I need to get there*, but first I have to make sure I don’t lose lucidity again”, I said, noticing how different my voice felt in a dream, “and then i’ll start spawing a door or something”

(*For those wondering, I was referring to a place, a dreamworld to be exact, that I’ve been meaning to get back to, and it’s probably the reason why i’m trying so hard to LD …)

I tried every trick I could remember, shouting ‘increase lucidity’, looking at details around me. Eating a ‘lucidity pill’. Just to make sure I was ‘anchored’ in the dream. I then remembered how Writerscube would control how long he dreamt for.

Pacing around the room I stated, “Okay subconscious, 2 hours of dreamtime, and umm… 6 hours of sleep”, unsure if it would work or not.

“Well, time to start”

After cycling through different ideas, I decided to try creating a door. I readied my self and looked at the ground in front of me. Like some sort of summoner I raised my hands, attempting to ‘pull’ a door out of the ground. It was very difficult and tiring so I stopped and looked at my progress. There was only like this bump on the floor, not very promising :sad: I took and step back and tried again, this time in a more relaxed manner.

A large door was rising from the ground. Excited I tried to alter the shape, making it wider, smaller, etc. I realised that the key to using dream powers is to not to do consciously, in a sense. It was more like knowing that it would happen. The more I tried to consciously alter the door, the harder it gets.

Anyway, at this point I sort of got carried away. I ended up just changing the shape of door and lost my original intent. It soon resulted in me waking up.[/spoiler]