LUCID DREAM
With all the garnered attention from main stream medias, you'd know what lucid dream is by now or at least the tip of it. If you don't, it's basically being aware and in-control of your dreams where all your wildest fantasies are played out in every imaginable way possible. Yeah.. SEX too if that's what you're thinking about. For beginners, it's totally up to you to follow this guide provided you put TONS of effort into it.
AWARENESS
By definition, the ability to directly KNOW, PERCEIVE and FEEL the current situation. The vast majority of us are consistently on an autopilot mode. We take everything for granted, especially doing mundane task. For instance, when driving, you're so fixated on getting to the destination that you scarcely notice the broken sign board that you usually drive pass in the morning to work OR walking while looking down at your phone without remembering the street you've crossed. Autopiloting has created a huge barrier for us to remember dreams let alone lucid dream. The predominant thoughts and actions throughout the day will reflect in the dream. That is why a natural lucid dreamer is ALWAYS aware of everything.
To battle it, we're going to learn about Lucid living, popularly known as All-Day Awareness a method that will assist us in becoming aware and alert throughout the day until it becomes second nature. This awareness will then transfer to the dream. I believe that this is the ultimate technique of all techniques to master lucidity although underrated in comparison to the likes of WILD, DILD or MILD. Think of reality checking on roids whereby you're conscious of all five senses, questioning your reality and checking your surrounding on a constant basis. Now, it sounds impossible to keep it up for the entire waking hours but i believe it is doable in an extended period of time. Once it has ingrained in you, your lucid dream rate will increase exponentially.
THE ADVANCED METHOD
Let's jump right in !
Recalling your day when you're going to sleep. Just like dream recall, you should remember the details of the entire day. I personally rewind backwards from the last thing I did and work my way up until the morning I woke up and also remembering the dreams I had the night before. This might take a couple minutes as you might want to thoroughly go through it without missing any important parts. Another method you can do is to break it into sessions by doing it hourly throughout the day. Take a minute to recall the event of the last hour. Practicing this enhances your memory thus helping you to remember details in your dreams and hopefully triggers a DILD.
Being aware of your surrounding all the time. It's like being vigilant when you're walking in the dark alley. Notice the smell of the location, know where you are walking, listen to the bustling city sound, observe little things that you overlooked all the time and most importantly be present in your body. If there's any object around you, try touching it and feel the texture. Walking with mindfulness can feel a forced when you're tired physically and mentally but it will be worthy. This is essentially walking meditation.
Stay conscious of your actions. As a night owl, i hated waking up early in the morning. Carrying out the usual routine of brushing teeth , making breakfast with half ass motivation, I tried to use this opportunity to discipline my subconscious mind. I had to fight back and prevent myself from falling back to autopilot. It can be as simple as noticing how you hold your toothbrush, the motion of brushing, picking up and feeling the weight of the cup, taking in deep breath, tasting your coffee and so on. It sounds tedious but it serves to create a habit of knowing what you are doing.
So what if I'm at my desk, working in the office, how do I practice it ? Once you've done your task, allow yourself to relax and be present. Take 5 - 10 minutes to perform reality checks. Take long and slow deep breath, notice the air flowing through your lungs, look at your finger when you type on the keyboard, feel your wrist moving the mouse and clicking it, let your body sink in the chair and feel it supporting you.
Like I mentioned above, really question your reality. If it looks unusual to you in anyway. An example, your friend bought you a gift on a random day, stop in your track and ask if this is real or not. I cannot stress this enough, you have to pretend you are in a dream state, ask yourself and look around you.
Extra Tips: If you feel exhausted the next day, you can just minimize your All Day Awareness practice. Always keep a dream journal too. You can also pair it with Wake-Back-To-Bed Method (WBTB) to do a short affirmation like "I'll be aware in my dreams" as you drift off. Usually waking up after 3-5 hours of sleep works best for me. REMEMBER to stabilize once you achieve lucidity no matter how LUCID the dream is.In the end, your motivation and intention to be lucid is what counts the most. Commit to it and you'll see results.
EXPERIENCE
Honestly, I actually stopped lucid dreaming 2 years ago. I had a total of over 200 lucid counts. 3 months ago, I decided to lucid dream again. This is when I got serious, 2-3 weeks of failing did not stop me. When I eventually practice "ADA" with the method I listed above, I had multiple lucid dreams that same night. One day of being aware boosted my awareness in the dream. So yes, this shit works.
CONCLUSION
To be awake in your dream is to be awake in reality. Once you grasp that concept and apply it daily, you'll see changes from a half drunk lucid state to full blown realistic lucid dream. This is my first attempt in blogging so excuse me if I made mistakes. I appreciate your time and patience. Let me know what you think at the comment section below !