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Lucid Dreams Revealed
You want to have a lucid dream. That much you are sure of; however, what you are not at
all sure of is how to go about having one.
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.
Sleep itself is not so interesting; you get ready for bed, lie down and close your eyes.
Then you may have uncontrolled dreams or not and several hours later you awaken.
Average sleep has a purpose it prepares our minds and bodies to carry out the duties of
the next day. However, consider the idea of managing your dreams consciously.
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 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.
How do you go about achieving these two states of lucid dreaming?
Dream Recall
Remembering your dreams is the first step; this is known as dream recall. It will help you
to realize when you are in a dream because we often have the same dreams and see the
same or similar objects in our dreams. This is one of the best ways to learn the art of lucid
dreaming.
Writing down everything you can recall dreaming, this is called keeping a dream journal.
The more you do this the more likely you will be to remember your dreams. If possible
do this as soon as you wake up as this is the time when you will remember the most about
your dreams.
Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD)
This method was developed by top lucid dreaming researcher Dr. Stephen LaBerge. The
idea is to affirm to yourself that you will remember something when you see it in a dream
– then when you do, you will realize that you are dreaming and begin to assert control
over your dream.
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.
This technique of learning to lucid dream has a sixty percent success rate according to
Stephen LaBerge. You have waked up during the dream cycle of your sleep which is
referred to as REM. This is like a trigger telling your mind that you want to be aware
when you are dreaming.
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.
WILD refers to Wake Initiation of Lucid Dreams
The trick is to keep your conscious mind aware and let your physical body sleep. This
can prove to be very interesting. Lay back, close your eyes and wait for your dream to
begin. Imagine you have put a movie in the DVD player and you are waiting for it to
begin. Focus on the black screen until your dream begins to play out.
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.
Possibly the best method of all is to play binaural sound frequencies on headphones.
The purpose is to synchronize both sides of the brain to create the REM frequency that is
required 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.
Becoming a Lucid Dreamer |
