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Do You Like The Idea Of Being A Lucid Dreamer?
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.
Normally, you lay down and you're out for six to eight hours. Maybe you remember your
dreams, maybe not. The usual – not all that interesting, really.
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?
Instead of being helplessly caught up in whatever dreams your subconscious mind
decides to hand you, how about you controlling the action? A lucid dreamer can do this.
It is a new and fun world, a lot like being inside your own video game where you can fly
or wish for something and have it.
All well and good, but how exactly do you become a lucid dreamer? There are two ways
of accomplishing this goal. The first method is to have a dream-initiated lucid dream, or
DLID. This is where the dreamer becomes aware that they are in fact dreaming and
begins to take control over the dream.
Method number two is a wake initiated lucid dream, or WILD. This is when the dreamer
begins awake, then goes to being asleep, but without losing consciousness. The dreamer
enters their dream as though via a door, instead of waking up inside a dream he or she is
already having.
So, what methods can you use to induce these kinds of lucid dreaming states?
Remember your dreams.
You will need to learn how to remember your dreams if you want to be able to have lucid
dreams. It is referred to as dream recall, the ability to remember your dreams. If you can
remember your dreams you are more likely to realize when you are dreaming because
many of the dreams you have will be the same or almost the same.
Keeping a dream journal is the best way to learn this skill. A dream journal is for writing
down anything which you can remember about your dreams for future reference. You
should do this immediately after waking up; the longer you wait, the harder it will be to
recall.
Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD)
Dr Steven LaBerge is a leading scientist who studies lucid dreaming. He was the founder
of MILD. This method involves telling yourself you will remember your dreams or
perhaps an object in the dream. When you see the object while dreaming it will trigger
your mind into knowing you are in a dream.
Wake-Back-to-Bed (WBTB)
The way you do this one is, only plan on sleeping for a few hours like five or six. Set
your alarm if you need to so you will wake up. After you have slept the few hours and
wake up, stay up. Find something to do to stay awake. Do a little house work; Think
about what you might like to do in your lucid dreams. Return to bed in an hour.
According to research, this technique has about a 60% success rate. What has happened is
you were awakened during an intense time of REM sleep. Your brain will not be
completely aware that you are awake. Many times since REM stages tend to be longer,
the episodes of lucid dreaming will be as well.
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)
Let's get back to this method which is described above. To achieve lucid dreaming, the
technique is to try to keep mentally aware even as your body relaxes into a sleep state.
Think of it this way – you are getting ready to watch a movie; your closed eyelids are like
the black screen before the movie begins and you are waiting for the trailers to roll.
Think of ways to keep your mind awake. Count something, keep your mind active. Focus
on your breathing and deliberately relax every muscle in your body. This is a self
hypnosis technique. Do not do this when you are too tired as you will have much more
trouble keeping your mind active.
In recent years, the advance of technology has brought us new devices to help us dream
lucidly. These include strobe lights, dreaming masks, and other gadgets thought to assist
with lucid dreaming.
The best and easiest way to achieving the state of lucid dreaming is by using headphones.
You should listen to sounds that naturally alter your brainwaves, these are called binaural
beats.
These work because they're able to synchronize both brain hemispheres, giving the effect
of an almost instantaneous change to the frequency used in REM sleep, which is also
necessary for lucid dreaming.
Anyone can learn to be a lucid dreamer. Practice the self hypnosis and keep telling
yourself when awake that you will be aware when you are dreaming. This will prepare
you for your lucid dream experience.
Keys to interpreting your dreams successfully |
