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How To Lucid Dream
If you want to know how to condition yourself to be a lucid dreamer, you’ve come to the
right place. Let’s look at how this can be accomplished.
It can be helpful to know why you would like to be a lucid dreamer. What do you have to
gain from the process? In order to find the profit in lucid dreaming we should begin with
the normal dream process.
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.
Normal sleep is just a method of refreshing ourselves for the busyness of the next day.
However, it could be a lot more interesting if you could control the period of time in
which you're dreaming.
What if you could be an active instead of passive participant in your dreams? What if you
could take control of your dream instead of being controlled by it? Someone who has
managed to become a lucid dreamer can do all of this – they are not bound by anything
except for their imagination.
This sounds great, but how can you become a lucid dreamer? There are two ways to
reach this state – one is by having a DLID, or dream initiated lucid dream. These are
instances where the dreamer has taught themselves to recognize that they are having a
dream and start to assert control over the direction of their 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 how are these types of lucid dreaming induced?
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.
The best way to practice dream recall is through keeping a dream journal. This is a tool
in which you write down whatever you can remember about your dream so you can recall
it in the future. Do this right after you wake up - dreams are harder to remember the
longer you wait.
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)
Go to sleep as usual but only for five or six hours, set your alarm if need be. When you
wake up from this, don’t go back to bed; instead occupy yourself with something to keep
you awake. Think about lucid dreaming or watch some TV. After about an hour go back
to sleep
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)
Keep your mind aware and let your body sleep is the theory in this technique. Prepare to
go to sleep but imagine you are staring at a blank screen waiting for the movie to appear,
perhaps even daydream about something you like. Soon your dreams will begin to play
out and you will be aware enough to have a part in what happens there.
You need to stay aware; it is a lot like self hypnosis. This is not a good exercise to try
when you are tired as your mind may not stay as aware. Try to focus on things that
require brain activity such as doing math puzzles, jogging or anything to keep your mind
active. Breathe evenly and focus on relaxing every part of your body.
Like many other areas of our life, technology has made its mark. Today you can find
several electronic devices that can aid you in inducing lucid dreams. There are masks that
can detect when you enter REM sleep then use a vibration, sound or small lights to
induce lucidity.
Listen to binaural beats with headphones; this is a very effective way to achieve a lucid
dream.
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.
Dreams And Lucid Dreaming |
