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Lucid Dreams for Beginners
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?
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.
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.
This kind of sleep allows us to get the rest we need to go about our activities the
following day. Have you ever wondered, though, what it would be like if you could
actually take control of your dreams and dictate their events?
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.
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.
The next way is called wake initiated lucid dream (WILD); in this process, you go from
wake to sleep stage with no loss of consciousness. To put it more simply you walk
through the door from here to your dreams instead of just happening upon them
So how are these types of lucid dreaming induced?
Dream Recall
The easiest place to begin your lucid dream search is in dreams you have already had.
When you can remember your dreams, you will be able to recognize when you have that
dream again. Many times, we will have the same dream or part of a dream over and over.
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)
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
One of the easiest, most reliable methods to induce lucid dreaming is by listening to
binaural beats and special sound frequencies through headphones.
This type of sound can alter your brain and bring you to the REM stage of sleep very
quickly. This is where your lucid dreaming will occur.
Keep telling yourself to remember your dreams and be aware when you are dreaming. Do
the self hypnosis technique often. Before long you will be experiencing lucid dreams.
How To Lucid Dream |
