Note from the editor (Stefan) – This is a subscribers story regarding an experience he had with the Senses induced lucid dreaming technique (The SSILD). It’s an interesting story so I thought I’d share it on the site with you guys.
Seans story about trying the SSILD technique
“About a week ago, I was surfing the lucid dreaming sub-reddit and stumbled upon a lucid dreaming induction technique which I was unfamiliar with, the SSILD (Senses Initiated Lucid Dream).
This basically involves waking up similar to the WBTB technique, but as you fall asleep, focusing on your sight, hearing, and touch in cycles. Once you fall asleep, this causes the chances of achieving lucidity to be much greater.
On the night I first attempted this technique, I went to bed at 10:30 (my normal bedtime) and fell asleep without any problems. I managed to wake up right after a dream without an alarm clock, and after I gained my bearings, I remembered that I was going to attempt an SSILD. I had turned off my digital clock so I am not sure what time it was, but it was at least a couple of hours before 6 (when I wake up).
As I laid in bed, I closed my eyes and began to focus on what visions I could see with my eyes closed. Just as a disclaimer, I do not do any kind of drugs or drink alcohol. Anyways, after ~15 seconds, I began to focus on my hearing. I was laying on the left side of my body (and had woken up this way), which I NEVER (I really do mean this) do. I always sleep on the right side of my body, and wake up this way. However, being tired, this didn’t really register to me.
Suddenly, about 3 seconds into focusing on my hearing, I felt a heaviness come over me out of NOWHERE. I have never had sleep paralysis, but based on descriptions I have heard, it seemed like it may have been sleep paralysis. The heaviness caused my body to fall onto my back all by itself, with me having no control. Suddenly, lights began to flash in and out of my mind.
I actually thought this was pretty cool, and thought to myself, “Huh, that’s neat.”
Then things got weird!
After the lights flashed in my head for a couple of seconds, the next thing I see is myself laying in bed, but out of my own eyes. At no point do I remember opening my own eyes. When I glanced down at my arm, a section from my wrist to my elbow was COMPLETELY gone and had been replaced by a giant green fluorescent light with the time on it.
Seriously, it was just right on my arm. I don’t even wear a watch.
At this point, I started freaking out hoping that my arm wasn’t gone, but I also thought that that would be pretty convenient for checking the time. I then realized that I should probably perform a reality check, but since my body was paralyzed, I couldn’t do one.
I became somewhat scared at this point, and this was made worse because, out of nowhere, some random guy strolled into my vision in the corner of the room. Or, rather, his figure, as it was dark and I couldn’t see. He started talking to me, and as he approached me, I LOST it.
My mind completely flipped out, and my body involuntarily jumped up. I recall opening my eyes again at this point, and I quickly performed 2 reality checks (These are where you test whether you’re dreaming or not) both of which passed (at this point I am confident that I was awake). In wake of this experience, I have not tried an SSILD again, but may soon.
As far as what actually, happened… Honestly, I’m not sure. This may have just been sleep paralysis, but since it occurred only 15 seconds after I went back to bed, that seems unlikely. Since I never performed a reality check at first, it could have been a very realistic false awakening ABOUT sleep paralysis. Also, like I previously mentioned, I doubt that I would actually wake up on my left side”.
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