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How Do You Become 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 may have heard that there are benefits to being a lucid dreamer. This is the case, but
to get a clearer picture of what these benefits are, you need to take a look at what usually
happens when you go to sleep.
What typically happens is you lay down, you close your eyes and you wake six to eight
hours later – you may or may not remember any dreams you gave had in this time. In and
of itself, not terribly exciting.
We have to sleep so we won’t be tired through the day when we have things we must do.
How would you like to be a part of what is going on in your dreams?
What if there was a way to become a full participant in your dreams? Lead them in the
manner in which you alone determine consciously? That my friend is basically what a
lucid dreamer does. They control all aspects of their dreams, going where they will and
doing whatever they want in the confines of the dream state.
If you want to become a lucid dreamer, how do you manage it? There are two main
ways. The first is what's called a dream initiated lucid dream, or DILD. That's when the
dreamer realizes they're dreaming in the middle of a dream, restoring their consciousness
without leaving the dreaming state itself.
The other method is by having a wake initiated lucid dream (or WILD) this is where the
dreamer transitions from a state of wakefulness to lucid dreaming without a sensation of
falling asleep. The dreamer simply goes straight from being awake to lucid dreaming.
So how are these types of lucid dreaming induced?
Dream Recall
If you want to become a lucid dreamer, one of the easiest ways is to begin by learning
dream recall. Dream recall is nothing more than being able to remember your dreams.
Learning to remember you dreams makes it easier for you to recognize that you are in a
dream while sleeping – you are more than likely to either have the same dream moiré
than once, or at least have elements which recur in your dreams.
A dream journal is perhaps the best way to learn this skill. Use this to write down every
detail of your dream that you can remember immediately after you wake. If you wait., it
will become increasingly difficult 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 (WBTB)
In this technique, you sleep and set your alarm for only a few hours from the time that
you go to bed. Upon awakening, don't go right back to sleep – stay awake 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
Created by Daniel Love, this method involves setting an alarm to wake you one and a
half hours before your normal wake-up time. Once you get used to this early time,
alternate your alarm between a normal time and the early one. When your alarm is set to
wake you normally, you'll find your body's already ready to wake up early. That makes it
more likely that you'll wake up in your dream, and dream lucidly.
Wake-initiation of Lucid Dreams (WILD)
This method is described above. If you'd like to use it, the thing to do is to keep your
mind awake during the process of your body falling asleep. This is one of the most
interesting ways of entering lucid dreams, and is a lot like watching a movie. Just like
when you're watching a movie, you start in a state of readiness, and prepare yourself.
Then, you'll either hit play or start to fall asleep. The screen and what you see when your
eyes are closed are both black. Just wait for your movie or dream to begin.
You can also use this technique with tactics like counting, chanting or imagining yourself
climbing stairs as you go to sleep. This method of achieving lucid dreaming is best done
in the afternoon or other times when you are not terribly tired.
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.
One of the easiest, most reliable methods to induce lucid dreaming is by listening to
binaural beats and special sound frequencies through headphones.
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.
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.
Night Time Thoughts Of A Lucid Dreamer |
