VILD is “Visualization Induced Lucid Dreaming” or sometimes “Visually Induced Lucid Dream” and is a technique like Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming (WILD). VILD is a great way to lucid dream because you visualize the world and become one with it.

Why use VILD?

VILD is by far the most unique technique out there. With this technique, you can incubate the lucid dream and be directed at the place you want to be in. VILD is not an easy technique like Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD). VILD requires some practice and with this practice, you can become lucid from a waking state easier than with other WILD techniques.

How to do VILD step by step?

Let’s get started with the beginning, you need to be able to visualize. Almost everyone is able to visualize but some people struggle with it. I never experienced struggling with visualization, but I have met some people who did and this is what they did to improve in visualization:

First Step – Practice VILD without doing VILD

Explore the day

This may sound stupid, but it actually works. Exploring your day is a way you can use visualization. When you go hiking you can visualize mountains in the background or a certain smell you enjoy when you are outside. This is only one way to do it there are plenty of other ways of doing this. Maybe you enjoy staying at home and you can practice visualization by visualizing your favorite place or family and interact with them from your visualization.

Playing mind games

This is what I still practice. Mind games can be everything and you can even play it with others. For example:

Easy mind games

• Tic-Tac-Toe
• Rock, Paper, Scissors
• Visualize Counting

Intermediate mind games

• Checkers (use the A1, H8 system)
• Playing Instrument (know the chords)
• Ludo (maybe be difficult if you play with others. use paper)

Hard mind games

• Chess
• Monopoly
• Mindscape

You can see that there are mind games for everyone. Most of the mind games can be played together. You can also play alone for example an instrument, chess against yourself and playing an instrument.

Second Step – Trying VILD

When you have a decent idea of how to visualize your dreams, we can start on how to make you lucid with this. You need to first have an idea of what you want to do incubate, you need at least a list of 10 dream goal locations to try. I suggest thinking about movies you enjoyed and use those beautiful or terrific locations as a starting point.

After you created your list of incubating lucid dreaming locations we can start on, how to do VILD. There are multiple ways of doing VILD so let’s split it into 3 different ways.

Method 1 – Midnight VILD (Recommended)

The first method is by far the best way to do VILD because it has the boost of REM “Rapid Eye Movement”, and it is easier to fall asleep.

To do this technique you first have to set an alarm or use intention or mantra’s.

Intention

For the people who don’t know what intention is, it is a way to set your intent on waking up in the middle of the night. This works because in the middle of the night you have brief awakenings you probably don’t know of.

These are the sleeping stage you go through every night. When you set your intention to wake up in the middle of the night there is a big chance you wake up at the end of rem. With practice, you can wake up earlier and be able to use VILD at the perfect moment. I recommend you using mantra’s if you struggle with believing that you wake up in the middle of the night. Intentions should be short and clear. You can set an intention in multiple ways. I suggest you do your intent with a short sentence that you visualize, say out loud, and write down.

Mantra’s

Mantra’s work the same as intention, but instead of you set an intention, you repeatedly say to yourself that you wake up in the middle of the night. Mantra’s are suggested for people who don’t believe in themselves to wake up in the middle of the night with intention. Mantra’s work best if you do them before bed. When you wake up in the middle of the night you can repeat them to try to gain the same effect. Use short mantra’s, because they are easier to use. Mantra’s do not have to be repeated for a long time. I suggest you do it for a minute and then just stop.

Alarm

I would not suggest you using an alarm. Alarms can be annoying and can be a struggle to fall back to sleep afterward. If you still decide to use an alarm, I would suggest you use an alarm with a vibration mode and without sound. The best way to do this is by using your phone as an alarm and put it under your pillow. I suggest setting your alarm at least 4 hours from when you fall asleep. Do not set the alarm 4 hours from the moment you set the alarm, because you are not sleeping yet. You can also set multiple alarms if you fail to do VILD. I suggest putting the alarms at least 45 minutes away from each other, otherwise, you may feel tired the day after and miss the important deep sleep.

What to do when I woke up in the middle of the night?

Now I suggest you to write down your dreams in your dream journal and try to stay awake for at least 5 minutes before you try to do VILD. I suggest this, because there is a chance that you are too tired to try this, and you will fail to keep your focus. Do not stay awake for too long, otherwise, you may be not able to fall back asleep, and that night will be miserable for you then.

Finally, you can do VILD. VILD will be difficult at first and you may fail. You have to think of your dream goal location and try to visualize it in full detail. With full detail I mean:

• All your senses. (you may struggle to do this, but then try to use the senses you can visualize)
• Focus on the details of the location.
• Movement. (the trees that are moving in the background, moving around the beautiful world and the feeling of the movement)

When everything works, you may feel vibrations all over your body. Do not be scared and continue with visualizing your dream location. Now you are in your dream and you should do a reality check to be sure.

I made a guide on how to use reality checks, you can read it here.

When you fail, you can try to do it again or do MILD.

Method 2 and 3 – Before Bed and During the day

This method is a lot more difficult because you have to be good at meditation. You first have to reach a state where your body is sleeping but your mind is awake. This can only be reached with meditation. I suggest you doing:

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is easy to do, it only requires you to focus on something and leave your thoughts as it is. For example, focus on your breathing and when the thoughts come in you leave them alone and not interact with them. When you reach the state where your body is sleeping and your mind is awake, you can finally try VILD.

If you reach this state you can focus on VILD. You have to think of your dream goal location and try to visualize it in full detail. With full detail I mean:

• All your senses. (you may struggle to do this, but then try to use the senses you can visualize)
• Focus on the details of the location.
• Movement. (the trees that are moving in the background, moving around the beautiful world and the feeling of the movement)

When everything works, you may feel vibrations all over your body. Do not be scared and continue with visualizing your dream location. Now you are in your dream and you should do a reality check to be sure.

When you fail try to take a break and try again.

Final conclusion

VILD is a great way to lucid dream and probably the most unique way to lucid dream. After some experience with VILD you can be able to lucid dream from the beginning of the night until you wake up. I still suggest you follow the first method I suggested. Remember that people who try VILD can struggle for a long period of time, so do not lose your motivation and keep trying.