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The Lucid Dreaming Experience
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 need to know why it is that you want to be a lucid dreamer. Are there benefits to be
gained through lucid dreaming? There are, but to understand them we should first start by
examining normal sleep.
You go to bed and sleep, and then you wake up. Maybe you remember fragments of a
dream or an entire dream; maybe you don’t remember dreaming at all. This adds up to a
pretty boring experience.
We need normal sleep to refresh our minds and bodies, keeping us healthy mentally and
physically. What would happen if you could control the time when you are 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 the only thing left is the how. You can accomplish lucid dream state in
one of two ways. One, you can have a dream initiated lucid dream (DILD); this is where
while dreaming you become aware of the fact that you are dreaming. In this way, you
bring a level of consciousness into the 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.
What are the steps to begin having these lucid dream experiences?
Remember your dreams.
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.
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.
MILD refers to Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams
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 technique is fairly simple. You set your alarm for just a few hours after you go to
bed. When you wake, don't just go back to sleep. Instead, stay awake for about an hour,
then return 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
This invention of Daniel Love is another way to have lucid dreams. This involves getting
up earlier. Get up an hour and a half earlier until you get used to it. After that switch back
to your regular time to get up. Keep switching back and forth. This way when you sleep
the later time period, you will be likely to lucid dream as your brain is used to awakening
earlier.
Wake-initiation of Lucid Dreams (WILD)
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.
Some of the methods which can keep you mentally alert are chanting, being aware of
your breathing, counting, and picturing yourself climbing up or down stairs and focusing
on relaxing your body from head to toe. All of these techniques fall under the umbrella of
self hypnosis. The best time to use this technique is when you are not physically tired,
especially in the afternoon.
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.
However, the most reliable method of all is to listen to binaural sound frequencies (also
called binaural beats) on headphones.
The purpose is to synchronize both sides of the brain to create the REM frequency that is
required for lucid dreaming.
With self affirmations and self hypnosis combined with binaural sound, being a lucid
dreamer is a goal which anyone can reach.
How Technology Helps You Become A Lucid Dreamer. |
