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Lucid Dreaming Delights.
Do you want to dream lucidly? Knowing what you want to do is a good start, but it's not
all you'll need to do. There are several different methods you can use.
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.
When you lie down to go to sleep, your eyes close and hopefully you go to sleep. When
you wake up you remember dreaming something or you don’t remember anything at all.
Kind of strange when you think about it.
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.
Would you like to stop just being a passive observer and make sure your dreams are
whatever you want them to be? That's what being a lucid dreamer is all about. You're
totally in control of your dreams, and able to explore new worlds that aren't bound to the
real world's laws.
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.
WILD refers to a wake initiated lucid dream. You slip into a dream before you are fully
asleep. Instead of going to sleep before you dream you simply enter into the dream with
your mind still conscious.
So how are these types of lucid dreaming induced?
Recall your dreams
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 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 or MILD
One of the leading scientists who studies lucid dreaming is Dr Stephen LaBerge. He
developed the MILD system. Keep telling yourself you will remember your dreams.
Think of something in the dream and resolve to remember it. When you see this in your
dream it will remind you that you are dreaming.
Wake-Back-to-Bed (WBTB)
This simple process has you taking no action except to set an alarm that will waken you
in less time than you normally sleep. For most of us about five or six hours will do it.
After the alarm awakens you do not try to fall back to sleep. For about an hour you
should read, watch TV or concentrate on lucid dreaming then go back to sleep.
According to Dr. LaBerge, this technique has a success rate of about sixty percent. That's
because you've awakened in the middle of the sleep process, while you're still in the
middle of an REM cycle and not completely aware. It's like telling your mind that you're
interested in lucid dreaming.
Cycle Adjustment Technique
This method was created by Daniel Love in this technique you set an alarm to awaken
you 90 minutes before you normally would awaken. This is done for approximately a
week. After a week, you begin to alternate between normal wake up and early. On the
normal waking days, the body will come alert earlier thereby increasing the chance of
lucidity.
WILD refers to Wake Initiation of Lucid Dreams
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.
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.
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.
However, the most reliable method of all is to listen to binaural sound frequencies (also
called binaural beats) 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.
With self affirmations and self hypnosis combined with binaural sound, being a lucid
dreamer is a goal which anyone can reach.
How To Become A Lucid Dreamer |
