Lucid dreaming is the state of being aware that you are actually dreaming. When this happens, it may be totally involuntary to you, but there are real benefits to being in this state – that is why people actually want to induce it for themselves.
Some benefits include being able to control the dream. You would want to do this if the dream is a bad one, like a nightmare.
Other times, you could alter the state of your dream just to experience more pleasure or satisfaction from it.
This heightened awareness also gives you increased understanding of your subconscious faculties, resulting in increased feelings of power and control.
There are ways you can be able to induce lucid dreaming for yourself.
Some preparations before going through the actual method may have to be put in place. Think of them as skills you need to acquire, or conditioning exercises you need to do before engaging in a sport. For lucid dreaming, these are some of those things:
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Dream recall
You must be able to develop the skill of being able to recall your dreams on a moderate level for you to be able to lucid dream.
This means that you have to be able to remember what you dreamed about when you wake up. This is a great exercise not just for lucid dreaming but for your memory in general.
Make it a practice to write down your dreams as soon as you wake up. This is vital because even as little as ten minutes after you wake up, you may already forget about ninety percent of what you dreamt about.
So, writing them down as soon as you wake is helpful in retaining as many details about your dream as possible.
What could help is putting a notebook by your bedside, so that it becomes easier to inculcate the habit. As soon as you wake up, grab your notebook and pen, and write down everything you remember about what you just dreamt.
Even seemingly insignificant details like colors, shapes, and characters that just showed up but didn’t do anything should be taken into account. Write them all down even if they don’t initially make sense to you.
Even just the act of writing will help you remember your dreams better as you make this into a habit. Eventually, as the days wear on and you do this every day, you will be able to remember more and more of the things you dream.
This exercise, as mentioned, has the added benefit of improving your overall memory. So, it is worthwhile even if you don’t want to induce lucid dreaming for yourself!
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Reality Testing
This is a way to check whether you are dreaming or not. It is a way you can train your brain to be aware of reality – whether you are in a dream state or if you are awake.
The science states that if you are able to train yourself to be more aware when you are awake, you are more likely to have heightened awareness when you are dreaming as well.
This can be done by continuing to check yourself when you are awake. For example, you can continue to ask yourself, “Am I dreaming?” And check your environment to see how they register when you are in your awake state. Also check how you relate to the things around you.
It may sound silly when you are awake, but it is just like repeating self-love mantras to yourself when you want to increase your confidence. Just saying them out loud, or making an effort to register them to your consciousness better, actually helps in advancing your pursuits.
Check your mirrors if your reflection is normal. Check your touch with solid objects. Look at your own body, such as your hands or legs.
If everything looks, feels, and seems as it should be, then you are awake. If they are somewhat distorted or don’t hold their normal properties, then you are dreaming.
You can also do something like pinch your nose to see if it stops you from breathing. If it doesn’t, then you are dreaming.
These two are the basic preparations you can engage in in order that you may be able to lucid dream more effectively. Now to actually induce your lucid dreams, here are some ways you can do that:
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Finger Induced Lucid Dream – FILD
One way you can induce lucid dreaming is to use this technique. What you can do is set your alarm 6 hours from the time you get to sleep. This will catch you right before going into REM or Rapid Eye Movement.
Just be calm in stopping your alarm. Relax as you try to get back to sleep, but do this while also tapping your index finger and middle finger alternately, very lightly on a flat surface beside you.
Imagine that you are playing the piano, pressing down on the keys very gently. The trick is to be able to be conscious enough to do this minor movement, but relaxed enough so you can fall into the dream state.
There is no need to count in your head, as this may make you more conscious and awake and take away the sleepiness.
You may realize that as you relax into this state, you will start to see visions before your closed eyes. This is great – it means that you have already entered a dream state.
You can perform a reality check shortly after falling into this state – just to make sure if you are dreaming or not. You can just be relaxed as you do this.
Apart from the reality checks mentioned above, you can try biting your tongue to see if it hurts. If it doesn’t, then you are in a dream state.
It is good to be able to do this when you are relatively tired from a long day’s work, so that it is easier to fall asleep.
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Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreaming – MILD
This is a way you can induce the lucid dream by remembering something from a previous dream that you want to include in the next dream you are about to experience.
Before you are about to sleep, think of something from a previous dream. Then, tell yourself that you want to include that in your next dream.
Get a dream sign – something that doesn’t normally happen when you are awake – something fantastical like being able to fly.
In your head, state the fact that this dream sign only happens when you dream. And then, also tell yourself that the next time you dream, you want to remember that you are dreaming.
Sometimes, when you wake up in the middle of the night from a dream, you can use this technique in order to induce a lucid dream if you want to get back to sleep.
This is great because the memory of the previous dream is still fresh in your head, and you can use those memories in order to reinforce the dream state as you fall back to sleep.
Some things to remember:
It would be good to train your mind to do these things even when you are awake, such as the reinforcements you can tell yourself consciously, so that even when you are already unconscious, it will be easier to command yourself to do the same things.
You can actually practice the finger movements and the imaginations even when you are fully conscious. That way, when you are already asleep, it will be easier to call on these functions.
When you have trained yourself enough, you will be able to call on them more automatically and with minimal effort. This will help you keep in your sleep much easier as well.
Remember that when you do these things as you wake up in the middle of the night, to not do things that will get you more awake.
Do not go to the bathroom, do not drink or eat anything, don’t open the light, don’t check the time. All these things can fully wake you.
You would want to still be in a relaxed, sleepy state so that you can fall back into sleep and then dream more smoothly.
Don’t be too conscious of how long you need to be in a lucid dream from the time you close your eyes. We know this has to happen within thirty seconds of when the dream starts, but when you are too rigid with the timing, it can cause you to wake up from the dream and make you have to start from the beginning.
It is best to try these lucid dream inducing techniques when you are already tired so that it is easier to fall into them. And it will be easier to fall asleep to begin with.
Remember that if it doesn’t work the first time, you can definitely try again. Remember to have the basic practices in place so that you can enter your lucid dreams more quickly. Good luck!
Thank you for taking the time to read this article !