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How Do Lucid Dreamers Control Their Dreams?
You have decided you want to be a lucid dreamer, otherwise known as a conscious
dreamer. Knowing what you would like to do is good, the question remains on how do
you accomplish this?
Why do you want to be a lucid dreamer? How will it help you? To understand the
rewards of this type of dreaming better, let’s look at common sleep experiences.
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?
How would you like to control what you do while in your dream? Control the events that
happen in it in any way you like. A lucid dreamer is in complete control of their dreams.
They are able to enter the spiritual realm of existence far removed from what exists in the
physical waking hours.
How does a person train themselves to be a lucid dreamer? A dream initiated lucid dream
or DILD is when the dreamer realizes he or she is dreaming. When you are having a
dream and know you are dreaming, you are having a lucid dream.
A wake initiated lucid dream or WILD is a state where the person passes almost
immediately from being awake into having a dream, with no period of dreamless sleep in
between. In this way your mind will still be aware of what you are dreaming.
What are the steps to begin having these lucid dream experiences?
Dream Recall
One of the best ways to begin learning to become a lucid dreamer is by practicing dream
recall. This is simply the ability to remember your dreams. When you remember your
dreams and learn more about the commonalities which can be observed in your dreams, it
is easier to recognize a dream and start to take control over the direction of it.
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)
Developed by renowned lucid dream researcher Dr. Stephen LaBerge, this technique
works by telling yourself to recognize a certain object or situation when you see it in your
dreams. When you see this object, it triggers the realization that you are in a dreaming,
allowing you to begin lucid dreaming.
Wake Back to Bed or WBTB
To use this process, go to sleep with an alarm set to wake you up five to six hours later.
When you wake up, don't go right back to sleep. Instead, do something else, like think
about lucid dreaming or read a book, for about an hour. Then go back to bed.
The creator of this, Stephen LaBerge believes it has a success rate of sixty percent
because you awoke during REM sleep which is the time when you are dreaming. It is like
informing your brain that you want to be aware of your dreaming, to have lucid dreams.
Cycle Adjustment Technique
Daniel Love came up with this way to accomplish lucid dreaming. Start getting up an
hour and a half earlier. After you get used to this, go back to getting up at your usual
time. Since you are used to getting up earlier but don’t have to now, your mind is still
thinking you are awake, therefore you will be more likely to be aware in your dream.
Wake-initiation of Lucid Dreams (WILD)
This technique involves maintaining mental alertness even as your body shuts down for
sleep. Think of it as if you are in a movies theater, with the film soon to begin; your
closed eyelids are like the black screen just before the movie starts.
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.
Possibly the best method of all is to play binaural sound frequencies on 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.
Put all or many of these techniques together and you are ready to begin your journey into
the wonderful world of lucid dreaming. It is a simple process that anyone can do.
How to induce a Lucid dream-A dreamers tale! |
