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Another Night, Another Lucid Dream!
Wouldn’t it be nice to have lucid dreams, to be aware you are dreaming and control what
happens? Of course you do, but how does one learn to do this?
You'll need to think about why you want to be a lucid dreamer, as well as the benefits of
it. First, we'll take a look at normal sleeping.
You go to bed and sleep, and then you wake up. Maybe you remember fragments of a
dream or an entire dream; maybe you don’t remember dreaming at all. This adds up to a
pretty boring experience.
We need normal sleep to refresh our minds and bodies, keeping us healthy mentally and
physically. What would happen if you could control the time when you are dreaming?
What if you could control your dream rather than the other way around? A lucid dreamer
is someone who can do exactly that; someone who is not a passenger but a driver of their
dreams.
How can a person achieve this? How do you learn to be a lucid dreamer? DILD refers to
a dream initiated lucid dream. You need to realize you are dreaming. In other words, if
you are dreaming and know it, you are having a lucid dream.
The second method is to have a wake initiated lucid dream, or WILD. In these situations,
the dreamer goes from awake to lucid dream with no change in consciousness. The
dreamer simply begins dreaming without having the sensation of falling asleep.
Now that we know the basic how, what are the fine points to entering either one of these
lucid dream realms?
Remember your dreams.
If you're interested in lucid dreaming, dream recall is one of the most effective ways of
learning to do it. Dream recall is the ability to remember your dreams. If you remember
them, you're more likely to be able to recognize them while you're asleep. That's because
most of us have the same dreams or dream elements more than once.
The best way to remember your dreams is of course to write them down. Keep a pen and
pad by the bed and immediately upon waking from a dream write it down. The reason
you want to write it immediately upon waking is so you do not forget any part of the
dream. Dreams tend to fade from our conscious mind rather quickly.
Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD)
This technique was developed by Dr. Stephen LaBerge, one of the lead scientists in the
field of lucid dreaming. To use this method, just tell yourself about an object or element
that you will remember. When you dream, there's a good chance you'll see this element,
then realize that you're dreaming.
Wake Back to Bed or WBTB
This technique is fairly simple. You set your alarm for just a few hours after you go to
bed. When you wake, don't just go back to sleep. Instead, stay awake for about an hour,
then return to sleep.
Dr, LaBerge says that his method has a 60% rate of success. Why is this? Basically, you
wake in the middle of an REM cycle, so when you return to sleep, you will have a better
chance of lucid dreaming.
Cycle Adjustment Technique
Developed by Daniel Love, in this technique you first acclimate yourself to waking 90
minutes earlier than usual. Then alternate waking early with waking at your usual time.
When you wake up at the later (regular) time, your body will begin to stir 90 minutes
earlier, giving you a much better chance at achieving a state of lucid dreaming, at least
during this 90 minutes.
Wake-initiation of Lucid Dreams (WILD)
As described earlier wake initiated lucid dreams are matter of keeping your mind
conscious as you fall asleep. This may be the most fun way to achieve lucid dream state.
Imagine if you will that, your dreams are like a movie you are planning to watch. You get
comfortable, turn on the television set, (sleep), first you have a dark screen (eyes closed)
and now it is a matter of getting through the previews to the movie.
There are any number of ways to keep your mind alert, count, controlled breathing
techniques or concentrated relaxation are all great ways to keep the mind alert. It is a bit
like hypnotizing your self. This works best if you are not exhausted, try it during an
afternoon nap.
Try some of the new aids available for inducing lucid dreaming. Dreaming masks, strobe
lights and many other things will help to induce a lucid dream.
One of the easiest, most reliable methods to induce lucid dreaming is by listening to
binaural beats and special sound frequencies through headphones.
These sounds naturally change your brainwaves and cause you to go into REM sleep
quickly and easily. You will also still be aware so it will be a lucid dream.
With a combination of self affirmations, self hypnosis and binaural sounds, being a lucid
dreamer is something anyone can do successfully.
Lucid Dreamer Tactics |
