Lucid dreaming is defined as a dream in which the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming. It is something most of us have experienced, but often lucid dreams happen less frequently as an adult, or not at all for some folks.
The good news is that there are techniques you can use to induce lucid dreams if you don't have them, have them more often if you do - and even control the setting of the dream. With practice, flying, visiting distant lands, or virtually anything you can imagine are within the realm of possibility.
Dream recall
Dream recall is the most important topic we will be covering in this guide. It is quite simply the ability to remember your dreams. By remembering dreams more often, you will increase the number of lucid dreams you remember as well. It's likely you have had them before and simply did not remember them, if you are under the impression you do not lucid dream.
There are many techniques you can use to improve your dream recall - the one that has worked best for me is as follows:
Keep a notebook and pen next to your bed.
As soon as you wake up, do not open your eyes. Try to remember as much as you can about your dreams. Then open them and record everything you can remember in the notebook. It is important to do this fairly quickly, as you'll forget more and more details of any dreams you did remember as time goes by.
Some people take this to an extreme and set an alarm to go off every hour and a half, or so. The hope here is that you wake during a dream and thus it is easier to remember. If you're the type that dosen't dream often, or have convinced yourself you don't dream (teaser: you definitely do) you may find this helpful.
You can also drink a large glass of water before bed ensuring you'll be forced to wake up at least once during the night.
Every few days, or whenever you feel like it, go through your "dream journal" and read what you've written. Try to mentally place yourself within the dreams you recorded earlier. You may find that you recall additional details while doing this. It can be helpful to record these as well.
With enough practice you should find that you are remembering more dreams, more details of those dreams, and hopefully with any luck more lucid dreams as well.
Waking during sleep
Often times while dreaming you may start to become aware that you are sleeping, but only to a certain degree, wondering if you are truly asleep or actually awake.
There are many techniques you can use to find out if you are truly asleep or awake. The one I prefer to use is as follows:
Make sure to wear a watch during the day. If you suspect you are dreaming, take a look at it. If you are, it should not look normal to you. The numbers may not be in the right place, if there are any at all, the dial may be in an odd configuration or in the wrong place. Simply put it will not look as it normally does. If this is the case you are dreaming.
As I said there are many ways to do this and if this one in particular isn't working for you try searching online for a different method and give that a try. There are several related articles at the end of this blog as well which may be helpful to you.
Controlling your dreams
If you've gotten to the point that you can have lucid dreams, the following technique should, with practice, allow you to change the dream into anything you desire.
As you are wandering around in dreamland, find a corner or building or something of that nature and say to yourself there will be a door around this corner. There should be a door there, with practice.
Once you arrive at the door, imagine whatever you desire behind it. If you are lucky, whatever you imagined to be there you will find.
There are many other ways to do this as well, this is a method I found works for me. It does not always work, but it does most of the time.
I hope you enjoyed reading this guide. Feel free to leave a comment below or come say hi in the PAL discord via the following link if you'd like to discuss further:
Helpful guides/articles on lucid dreaming:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-control-dreams/
https://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/04/the-ways-to-control-dreaming/360032/
https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/lucid-dreaming.htm
http://www.asapscience.com/blog/2018/6/11/science-of-lucid-dreaming
