Lucid dreaming is a hybrid state of consciousness. Yet there are some dreams that are not like that. Lucid dreams are dreams in which you know at the time that you are dreaming and are able to essentially do anything your brain conjures up. In this elevated state, it is possible to live out your wildest fantasies, or even unlock your subconscious mind. The experience is something like waking up in your dreams. It is as though you “come to” and find you are dreaming. The process of realizing you are dreaming organically isn’t easy to achieve, but the payoffs are well worth the effort.
Lucidity has also become something of a New Age fad. There are machines and gadgets you can buy and special clubs you can join to learn how to induce lucid dreams, But now I will try to explain how it works.
Start a dream journal
The key to becoming lucid is dream recollection and consistent thought about your dreams. Keeping a dream journal accomplishes both of these things. A dream journal can be as simple as a spiral notebook or as personalized as a leather bound journal. The purpose is the same regardless.
Store your journal and a pen somewhere very close to where you sleep each night. As soon as you wake up, initiate dream recall. Write down everything you remember about your dreams as quickly as possible. The more details the better! On top of doing this every time you wake up, actually read your own journal entries and reflect on every dream you’ve had.Reflection
entails a person regularly asking himself whether he’s dreaming while awake and scanning the environment for incongruences that indicate dreaming. The mechanism of this technique is based on the hypotheses that awake experiences are reflected in dreams. Reality checks performed throughout the day can make their way into dreams and serve as a trigger for lucid dreaming.Meditate at least two times a day
It’s very important to have a clear head when you go to sleep, especially when making attempts at lucid dreaming for the first time. Meditation is something that promotes a healthy mindset all around. Mental well-being should be a priority for everyone, as it transcends into other avenues of life, including how you dream.
Meditate once at any comfortable point in your day and then again half an hour before you go to sleep. This method of meditation should give you plenty of time to be reflective on your day and compose yourself before your lucid dreaming adventures.Spend an hour or more a day researching lucid dreaming
There are many free resources available online related to lucid dreaming. Devote a minimum of an hour a day to self educating yourself on the subject. Control Your Dreams by Tom Stafford is an in depth and name your own price ebook with a vast amount of relevant information. The website World of Lucid Dreaming is another great resource.Wake up back to bed
involves the dreamer wakening from sleep during the early morning hours, remaining awake for between 30 and 120 minutes and then returning to sleep.
Remember to never get frustrated if you don’t have a lucid dream as quickly as you’d like to. If you follow all of these guidelines there is a good chance you will be able to dream lucidly, but there is no guarantee. Like most things in life, the more dedication and effort you put into this, the more likely you are to become lucid during your dreams.