Lucid dreaming is something we have all experienced at least a few times and those were quite strange experiences. But there is a way to master lucid dreaming and do it constantly.
Dreams are different images and sensations that we can experience involuntarily during sleep. Dreams are so elusive that they have been studied throughout human history, but no clear conclusion has ever been reached as to how dreams arise or what their real role is.
That is why dreams are something that interests scientists, philosophers, religious people and everyone else equally. Many great psychiatrists and psychologists like Sigmund Freud have analyzed dreams in their most significant researches. Although many things are known about dreams today, we will probably never get into all the secrets.
Lucid dreams have a special attention, because they are even more unusual in the feeling they create for us. People have learned how to control lucid dreams, and even how to lucid dreams tonight, which means establishing control over such dreams.
In this article, we will tell you more about lucid dreams, how to lucid dream tonight, how to wake up and what are benefits.
Table of Contents
Add a header to begin generating the table of contents
The definition of lucid dream is that it is a conscious dream and that may sound like something that conflicts with what the dream really is. But it has happened to all of us to become all aware that we are dreaming. Yet in these cases we are still asleep but when a certain part of our mind becomes conscious and this allows us to “explore” dreams.
What we can learn to control is to stay in the dream state and continue to explore what our subconscious creates for us. How much you will be able to control lucid dream varies from person to person, but it is certainly a skill that can be developed. There are even people who can influence dreams to focus on some of their problem and the like.
Lucid dream can usually occur in two moments. One moment when lucid dream occurs is when you sleep and then you become aware during the REM phase, but do not wake up. Then you can start exploring the dream, although usually the control over the dream in those moments is smaller compared to second moment.
The second moment when you can experience lucid dream is in the moments while falling asleep. In that case, you will have much more control over the events that follow in your dream, and even with some exercise and planning, you can provoke a lucid dream as you fall asleep.
People at first weren’t sure if our brains were capable of triggering and controlling lucid dreams but it turned out to be really possible. It takes time as well as practice so you need to be patient and practice regularly. A very first lucid dream is likely to be interrupted by your overwhelming feeling but do not give it up. A wake induced lucid dreaming takes a lot of practice but eventually, more lucid dreams will happen naturally as you learn to induce these.
One of the most important things for vivid dreams is a dream recall, as you need to remember your dreams from the previous night. This is one of the most essential lucid dreaming induction techniques as it trains you to become conscious that you are dreaming. Over time you will train your own consciousness and you will easily fall into a lucid dream. Following are lucid dreaming techniques and tips on how to lucid dream tonight and every other night.
Since lucid dream is only possible during the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep then it is necessary to increase the amount of REM sleep.
People who sleep poorly and suffer from insomnia have short and irregular REM phases, so it is necessary to improve your sleep in various ways. You will achieve this with physical activities during the day, a healthy diet, a balanced intake of vitamins and minerals, then going to bed and waking up at the same time. Also pay attention to fluid intake at least an hour before bedtime.
You probably know that feeling when you just wake up and remember the dream very vividly, but within a few minutes you can hardly remember anything. That is why it is necessary to start a dream diary. Keep it by your bed and as soon as you wake up write down everything, so you know later what you dreamed.
You can also record an audio file if it's easier for you. Write down all the aspects of the dream environment that you encounter – the more you describe, the more you'll remember. Over time, you will begin to recognize certain signs and improve awareness during lucid dream.
If you’ve watched Christopher Nolan’s film “Inception” you know that each of the main characters has their own totem to know if they are still dreaming or awake.
Reality testing, or reality checking is something like that, although of course you don’t need to have a totem. You should have 5 to 10 reality checks every day because that way you will teach your brain to recognize whether it is sleeping or awake which is key to lucid dreaming. These are some of the best and most common reality checks.
You have to perform reality checks in the real life, whenever you can. The more you do it, more will you be able to lucid dream. Finger through a palm is one of the most common and easiest reality checks to conduct. What you need to do is the following.
Look in one of your palms. Then place the finger of the other hand on that palm. If you are awake, your finger will touch your palm. If you dream, the finger will pass through the palm as if from the air.
Dream world is odd and one things that can help you to determine that you are dreaming is the mirror. You can do the mirror check countless times a day, whenever you walk past the mirror.
If you look normal, then you are awake. If you look completely different or can’t see yourself in the mirror at all, you’re dreaming.
A nose pinch is also very easy and quick to way to check your current state. All you have to do is pinch your nose. If you do not feel any sensation on your nose or your fingers pass through your nose, as if it were air, you are dreaming.
This is mostly used by all those who have several tattoos. If you notice that you no longer have them, then you are dreaming. Also, those who do not have tattoos can use this test by noticing that they have tattoos during a lucid dream.
This theoretically does not have to be a 100% reliable reality check, as it can happen that you are awake and the light bulb has simply broken down or there is no electricity. However, mostly in the reality light will turn on, while in the dream it will not.
Famous American psychophysiologist Stephen LaBerge who is a world renowned specialist in the field of scientific study of lucid dreaming come up with something technique called Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD).
MILD is based on prospective memory, and what does that actually mean? As you fall asleep you should repeat a certain sentence as a mantra or think of some recent dream. By repeating a certain mantra you will stimulate the brain to be aware when you start dreaming. And by thinking about a recent dream, you can start it again and then control it.
It is wrong to think that lucid dreams have no benefits for us, but that it is more of a form of entertainment. Many psychologists and psychiatrists have proven that lucid dreams can help us overcome problems such as nightmares, anxiety, fears, the loss of a loved one, and also enhance creativity.
It is perfectly normal for nightmares to occur from time to time. That is not a cause for concern. But there are people with recurring nightmares and this can significantly affect sleep and stress.
Sometimes nightmares are just a consequence of some other condition, and sometimes those nightmares can cause us problems even though there is no underlying condition. Lucid dreaming will help you control your dreams, including nightmares, and significantly reduce the stress your body feels during nightmares. You will also be able to change the outcome of the nightmare and make it enjoyable in the end.
Anxiety is a problem that affects a large number of people nowadays. The causes can be various, and anxiety is very often accompanied by nightmares. As we have already said lucid dreaming will help you overcome nightmares.
But also, research has shown that lucid dreaming will help you overcome or better cope with anxiety in the waking world, and not just in your sleep.
Lucid dreaming can help us improve various skills, and most of all creativity. Many people say that lucid dreaming has also helped them improve other skills, such as playing instruments.
When we’re just talking about creativity, it’s a great way to stimulate your brain to be as creative as possible while creating parts of your dream.
Have you ever wanted to dream something specifically? Or are you tired of constantly dreaming of complete nonsense that makes you exhausted when you wake up?
Lucid dreaming is the best way to control your dreams, instead of them being completely random. In time, you will find that you control them more and more. A few lucid dreams and you'll be able to control your dreams however you want to!
You must have had a dream where you dreamed of someone who passed away. What does it mean when you dream of someone, exactly? Well, no one can tell that for sure but it is probably because you miss that person a lot.
When the loss of a loved one occurs, it is one of the most difficult situations in the lives of all people. Then people try to deal with grief in different ways, in order to somehow manage to fill the void created by the loss of that person.
Lucid dreaming is a way to meet that person again, at least in your dreams, and have a meaningful conversation there. When you dream of that person, you are usually sorry that everything was as meaningless as usual in dreams. So by controlling your sleep, you can take a significant step toward healing.
Probably the hardest step towards overcoming your fears is to confront them. While it is very difficult for you to confront them while you are awake, it will be much easier in your sleep. The only real danger (though it cannot make any physical/psychological damage) is a sleep paralysis, which can be very uncomfortable.
Since the dream has no consequences for you, lucid dreaming can help you face your dream many times, until you eventually overcome it. For example, you can hold a snake in your hands if you are afraid of snakes or you can jump from airplane if you are afraid of heights.
Although you will quickly see how interesting lucid dreaming is, as an experience that gives you so many opportunities to overcome your fears and the like, you will still want to wake up sometimes.
This will probably be because you feel that you are losing control of the dream and then the dream is going in a direction you do not want, and it can even turn into a nightmare. That is why it’s important to know a few ways to wake up, and the most common 4 ways to wake up are:
Calling for help is something that raises the alertness of the brain to the highest level because it activates the fight-or-flight response. So if you want to wake up, try shouting for help, because it will suggest to your brain that it is time to wake up.
Very often you will make certain sounds that will be heard by the person sleeping next to you, but those sounds will not be as loud as you think in your dream and will not be articulated.
During the REM phase, only our eyes move. You can try to blink during a lucid dream and thus stimulate the brain to wake up, because blinking is something that the brain associates with moments when you are awake, not when you are asleep. So blinking is also one of the ways to wake up.
As we have said many times, during a lucid dream you are aware that you are dreaming. So we cannot then say that you are asleep but that you are more awake.
So one of the ways is to let your brain fall asleep and thus interrupt your lucid dream, and later you will wake up naturally. This is a great way, because you will have the lucid dream you want, and you will also have enough sleep because you will not wake up after the lucid dream but continue to sleep.
There are a lot of different signs that you can pay attention to during a lucid dream. For example, you may try to read something or do something similar and you will probably be able to wake up your brain.
Wondering which way? The parts of the brain that engage in reading are not active during REM, so activating those parts of the brain will awaken the whole brain.
Lucid dreaming is such an interesting and comprehensive topic that it is always possible to add new questions which need to be answered. So we will give answers to some more questions that are very common among all those who have begun to be interested in lucid dreams.
Are lucid dreams dangerous?
They are not dangerous to your physical health, nor are they to your emotions and thoughts as long as you know how to deal with them. The ” waking life” is completely natural and 100% safe for your health.
How hard is it to achieve lucid dreaming?
It varies from person to person because of their unique characteristic, but we can say that is neither easy or hard.
Can I make my own dreams in a lucid state of dreaming?
You probably won’t be able to make your own dreams right away, but after certain time, yes, you can make your own dreams.
