Complete Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming (FILD) Guide

FILD stands for Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming and is a technique based on the method WILD and that stands for Wake Induced Lucid dreaming. This technique has been known to be the easiest way to perform WILD for beginners.

What is Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming?

Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming (FILD) is a method where you use your hands as an anchor to perform WILD. FILD is often used in a Wake Back to Bed (WBTB).

A WBTB in short is waking up in the middle of the night to increase the chance of getting a lucid dream. You can read about WBTB here: How to perform WBTB the right way.

FILD was popular in 2016 and people got really excited about it. For most people, this was the best way to peform WILD and it was beginner-friendly.

How can I perform FILD?

FILD can be performed in a couple of simple steps. These are:

Step 1: Doing a WBTB.

First, you should do a Wake Back to Bed (WBTB) this is to make it easier to perform FILD. The best timing to do a WBTB is 3 to 4 hours after bedtime. Use an alarm or use intention or mantra’s. This is all explained in my WBTB guide.

Step 2: Performing FILD.

The technique itself has multiple ways of doing it, and I will go in-depth about them. These are:

FILD piano technique.

The most popular one is the piano technique. You perform this by laying on your back. The best thing to do now waits a minute and maybe meditate for that minute and start the technique.

The technique is performed by visualizing yourself playing the piano. Make your hands touch your bed and push your fingers against the bed softly until you succeed.

You will notice if you succeed that your hand will go through the bed or you will see suddenly a dream appearing in front of you. Now you are lucid and you can enjoy the lucid dream and succeed in your goals.

FILD push technique.

This FILD technique is not as popular but has the same results as the piano technique. This starts the same as the piano technique and that is by laying on your back. I would again suggest you to meditate for a minute before performing the technique.

Imagine a big door or gate in front of yourself, and try to push the door by pushing softly with your fingers against your bed (or hand). Visualize the door or gate slowly moving forward.

You will notice that your hand goes through the bed or that you see a dream appearing in front of you. Stay calm and you become lucid. Now you can enjoy your lucid dream and do your dream goal.

Other FILD techniques that don’t require explanation:

• Keyboard FILD. Works like the piano technique, but instead you visualize a keyboard.
• Mouse click FILD. Also works the same as the piano technique.
• Massage FILD. Think about massaging someone or something and slowly stroke your bed without moving your hand.

Frequently Asked Questions – FILD

I will go over some common issues with FILD and will explain what you should do if this occurs to you.

What should I do after I failed FILD?

You may want to try it again, and if that doesn’t work you can do one of the following things:

Wait 5 minutes and try again

This can help you to reset your mindset, and maybe you were not in a REM state and you struggled more. Now you may struggle less and succeed.

Do another WILD technique. (Such as VILD)

Sometimes the technique is not meant to be. Try a technique at least for a couple of weeks, and if you have no single result, you can maybe decide to switch to another technique such as Visualization Induced Lucid Dreaming (VILD).

Do MILD to increase the chance of becoming lucid (Mild Guide).

Mnemonic Induction Lucid Dreaming (MILD) is a beginner-friendly technique you can do passively during the days. It is a method that is related to the Dream Induced Lucid Dreaming (DILD) method. You can read how to do this technique here: How to do MILD the right way.

Meditate.

Meditation can help you increase the chance of lucid dreaming and it also increases your recall and becoming more aware in your dreams. It is a great thing to practice and I highly recommend you starting meditation. You can read on how to meditate for lucid dreaming here: Meditation and Lucid Dreaming.

Go to sleep.

Sometimes it is better to go back to sleep, instead of doing anything else. Sleeping is important and if you are awake for a long time you may lose some quality sleep. Try to prevent it and do not stay awake for longer than an hour.

What should I do when I fail FILD multiple times?

When you fail to perform FILD, you need to think back on what you did and how you did it. Maybe you find out that you maybe are not in REM period, and you needed this. It could also be that you cannot fall asleep on your back, if that is the case try it on your sleeping position (you may only need to use 1 hand).

What should I do when I get sleep paralysis?

Do not worry. Sleep paralysis is normal and occurs every night. Only this time you are aware of this happening. Sleep paralysis is not scary, it is only scary if you don’t know what is happening. Learn more about sleep paralysis here: Lucid Dreaming and Sleep Paralysis. You can also check out some lucid dreaming myths here: Lucid dreaming myths, you should not believe in.

How does FILD feel like?

If you have experienced a Wake Induced Lucid Dream (WILD) before, you will know how it may feel like. It is hard to compare it with things of waking life, but you could be comparing it with falling down the stairs into the clay. You will also experience vibrations that suddenly turns into the sound of the dream.

Final thoughts

I personally do not use Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming (FILD), because I do not like this technique as much as I do with Visualize Induced Lucid Dream (VILD). In the end FILD is just another WILD technique. I still think that this post is helpful for people who want to pursue FILD. It is highly recommended trying this technique out and see what results you may have with that technique.