Hypnagogia
Last night I tried lucid dreaming and I think I got really close, but I never actually entered the dream.
I went to sleep around 12:20 AM and woke up around 4–5 AM. I got up quickly to use the bathroom, then did about 5 cycles of SSILD with each sense focus lasting around 10 seconds. After that I repeated affirmations like “I will remember I’m lucid dreaming” with actual intent
As I started drifting off, my whole body suddenly got really tense and felt weird/heavy. Then I started hearing really loud bell-like sounds and seeing random visuals in my vision. I also felt pretty anxious/excited the entire time, even though I kept trying to calm myself down.
then everything just stopped. The tension faded, the sounds disappeared, the visuals went away, and I never transitioned into a lucidd dream.
Was this hypnagogia or the start of a WILD? Did I mess it up by getting too excited or too focused?
Looking for advice:
- Was I actually close?
- What should I do once the sounds/visuals start?
- How do you stay calm enough to fully transition into the dream?