Was there a time in your life when you dreamed, and you are aware that you are dreaming? Some people refer to this as lucid dreaming. During their dream, they can even manage to gain control of the narratives of their dreamland.
Lucid dreaming has become so popular that it became the subject of some famous novels and movies such as Inception. It highlights the ability of an artisan who was able to change the flow of the story.
While the film presents a more extraordinary approach to this subject, it does not necessarily mean that some parts of it cannot be replicated in real life. Through sleep meditation for lucid dreaming, we can manipulate the content of our dream.
A Complete Guide on Sleep Meditation for Lucid Dreaming
While this may not be the first time that you heard about the concept of lucid dreaming, you are probably still confused about what it is and how it works. In this article, we will provide answers to some of your most common concerns about a lucid dream.
What is Lucid Dreaming?
When we are dreaming, we are not aware that our dream is unreal. In the dreamland, all things feel real. We will not know that we are dreaming about something strange until such time that we wake up. We can encounter all the mystical beings and dead people in our dream and do unimaginable things.
However, some people discovered that it is possible to enter our dream and be completely aware that we are merely dreaming.
Perhaps the first-ever documented record of this concept is found in work ‘On Dreams’ written by Aristotle, a renowned Greek philosopher.
There are no current records that will tell the number of people who are experiencing a lucid dream. Nonetheless, there have been studies in the past that prove that it may be quite more common than we initially thought.
One particular study was conducted in 2013 in Brazil. More than 3,000 participants were surveyed on the research. According to the result, 77% of the participants have experienced lucid dreaming once in their life.
How Does it Happen?
Just like most of our dreams, lucid dreaming will generally occur during your REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement). To some, this may happen spontaneously. Others will train themselves to experience a lucid dream.
The level of how much a dreamer can influence the narratives of their dream will also greatly vary. Some people will immediately wake up once they realized that they are just dreaming.
Through meditation and proper practice, a few dreamers have learned how to take control of their activities during their dream. Others can transform the setting or parts of it. Doing this will allow them to experience a more pleasant dream.
What Are the Benefits of Lucid Dreaming?
Apart from helping you realize your goals, boosting your creativity, and giving you satisfaction, various studies have proved that lucid dreaming can be useful in treating PTSD and recurring nightmares.
According to a study published last 2009, there has been a noticeable increase in the brain activity of the people who are lucid dreaming, especially on the gamma brainwave.
Therefore, most researchers have started categorizing lucid dreaming as a different form of consciousness. The activity in the gamma brainwave states that there is an expansion in spirituality and consciousness.
While the dreamers are in this state of consciousness, their mind can keep functioning in a manner that will help them achieve their goals in their walking life.
Lucid dreaming is also an essential outlet to find a solution to a problem that has been bugging you for ages.
For instance, you are probably afraid to speak in front of people; this dream may help you get used to the idea and overcome your fear. Though this may seem complicated, there are some techniques and meditation that you can do to attain this state.
Lucid Dream Meditation and Tricks
Because lucid dreaming will happen during the REM stage of the dreamer’s sleep cycle, the most efficient way to enter a state of lucid dreaming is to keep training your consciousness. Here are some of the most effective meditation and techniques that you can use to induce lucid sleeping.
WBTB (Wake Back to Bed)
This technique will train your mind and your body to enter the REM phase of sleep. Set your alarm at around 2-3 hours before your usual wakeup call. Once the alarm triggers, shut it down and go back to your bed.
Allow your mind to remain awake while putting your body in a state of relaxation. Think about the particular dream that you want to experience. When you fall asleep, you will be in your REM stage, but your mind will remain conscious.
WILD (Wake-Induced Lucid Dreaming)
This is a type of meditation that has been inspired by the dream yoga of the Tibetan people. It allows you to maintain your mental consciousness while your body will enter a state of sleep. Start by lying comfortably on your back.
Try to breathe deeply to relax your body further. Then focus on the colorful patterns that you will see on the eyelid; this is also known as hypnagogia.
You will notice that the more you concentrate on these patterns, the more you feel asleep. Finally, think about the things that you want to encounter in your dream. Develop a scene and start interacting with your dream.
Listening to Brainwave Audio
Another meditation technique that you can use to enter a phase of lucid dreaming is by listening to the brainwave audio.
It is a method that uses a binaural beat that will alter the frequency of our brain and transform it into a mental state that you want.
We mentioned before how lucid dreaming can increase the production of gamma activity. Binaural beats that are in the gamma frequency can help induce a lucid dream.
MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreaming)
In this method, the dreamer will wake up in the middle of the night. They will then sleep with the clear intention to enter a phase of a lucid dream. In this method, the duration of sleep plays an important role.
For the novice, it would be easier to experience this if they are sleeping for nine hours and then wake up around 10 minutes every hour.
By waking and sleeping at the right interval, this blurs the lines of your reality and dream and makes it more possible to enter lucidity.
Meditations are an effective way to lucid dream. However, if you want to improve your recall, or you simply need assistance, there are some medications that you can use.
For instance, Huperzine-A is for treating people who have Alzheimer’s disease. It increases the life of acetylcholine. It also apparently helps in lucid dreaming and boost your recollection.
Why Will Someone Need to Dream Lucidly
According to the study, most of the psychological problems happen because we don’t know ourselves perfectly well. With lucid dreaming, you will reach a whole new level of self-awareness.
When experts compared the brain structure of those who rarely dream lucidly to those who have frequent lucid dreaming, they discovered that the area of the brain that manages the conscious cognitive function is considerably larger to the lucid dreamers. Therefore, they will have more opportunities for self-realization.
Psychological healing can also be triggered by those who are going through lucid dreaming, which makes it very beneficial to those who have PTSD.
People who recently lost their loved ones can also be more at peace, knowing that they can talk to their dead relatives in their dream. Lucid dreaming has also been proven effective in boosting your creativity.
Is There Any Danger?
While it offers a range of benefits, you want to know first if there are any dangers related to it. Based on the existing studies, lucid dreaming is safe. However, it still has some negative implications.
For instance, people who are new to this concept may find it scary since there may be a time that they may not be able to differentiate what is real or not. However, after a quick realization and reality check, you will realize how fun and satisfying it can be.
Understand that the dreamer can encounter a lucid nightmare. You may feel that the terrifying scenario in your dream is real and that will make it more disturbing.
However, as you learn more about how to control your dream, you will be able to transform the narratives into a more pleasant and favorable story.
Conclusion
Train yourself to understand the content of the dream that will keep your consciousness alert the next time you are dreaming lucidly.
You can also practice sleep meditation for lucid dreaming to familiarize the content and successfully spot the typical pattern.
For instance, if you are always dreaming about a school scenario, you can immediately tell your mind that you are dreaming the next time you will encounter the same setting.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article !