Wakeinitiated

Wake-initiated lucid dream, commonly abbreviated WILD, is a lucid dreaming technique in which the dreamer enters a lucid dream directly from waking consciousness, without an intervening non-lucid sleep period. In a WILD, awareness is maintained as the body falls asleep and the experience transitions through the hypnagogic state into a dream scene.

Practitioners typically choose a quiet time, relax the body, and set an intention to remain aware. They may focus on a single mental image, a breathing rhythm, or counting to anchor consciousness while allowing the body to drift toward sleep. When hypnagogic imagery appears, the task is to observe it without becoming fully absorbed, then to shift into the dream while retaining wakeful awareness. Sensory input from the waking world is reduced, and the dream environment can unfold rapidly or gradually.

WILD is distinct from dream-initiated lucid dreams, where lucidity arises after entering a dream scene. The technique can yield long, controllable lucid dreams, but it is often challenging and unreliable for beginners. Common difficulties include sleep paralysis, confusion about whether one is dreaming, and waking the body before the dream fully forms.

People often combine WILD with other lucid-dreaming strategies such as wake-back-to-bed (WBTB) and mnemonic induction (MILD) to improve odds. Historically, WILD has appeared in lucid-dreaming literature since the mid-20th century, with researchers such as Paul Tholey and Stephen LaBerge highlighting its potential as well as its pitfalls.