Lucid dreams and conscious dreaming tips
What are lucid dreams?
What are lucid dreams?
Lucid dreams are a unique type of dream where the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming while still within the dream. This awareness can sometimes allow the dreamer to take control of various aspects of the dream, such as the environment, characters, or actions they perform.
Key Characteristics of Lucid Dreams:
The dreamer realizes they are in a dream.
Some dreamers can influence the narrative, setting, or outcomes in the dream. However, the level of control can vary.
These dreams are often more vivid and detailed compared to regular dreams.
While the dreamer knows they are dreaming, the dream may still feel incredibly real.
How to induce lucid dreams?
In order to induce lucid dreams, use the following methods:
Reality Checks
In order to realize in a dream that you are dreaming….you must realize in real life that you are living!
This might sound crazy but if you only say to yourself that you will recognize you are dreaming whilst you are dreaming, this is not going to work. Your subconscious will come up with a lot of excuses in a dream that you are NOT dreaming so you will never realize you are dreaming. The elephant that is running through your house, well that is not a dream because there is a zoo in the neighborhood. You are flying but that is not a dream because your subconscious will tell you that you have wings…
So in order to do reality checks in a dream and realize you are dreaming, you must do them in real life so that, eventually, it becaomes a habit and you will also do them in your dreams.
Since the right part of your brain is very active during dreams and the left, more rational thinking, is not, reality checks work best with tests which challenge the left part of your brain, thus producing mistakes in the dreamworld and make you realize that is a dream.
Do reality checks while being awake and tell youself several times during the day: “Am I dreaming?”
Use the following checks:
- Look at the clock, away and then again at the clock: Is the time displayed still the same? – In real life, yes, in a dream, no it will change.
- Look at you shoes, are those yours? Look away and again, still the same? – In real life, yes, in a dream the shoes are not yours.
- Remember were you are, how did you get here, is that normal? – In a dream this reflexion causes logical problems.
- Read text twice. Normally, it remains the same. In a dream, it will change.
- Can you fly? Try it. I mean, really try it! From the floor of course. Otherwise you will come up with the same excuse in your dream.
Doing those reality checks several times during your waking life (can you be sure you are awake?) becaomes a habit and you will do them in your dreams and your chances of becoming lucid will increase.
Keep a dream journal
Normally, you don’t really remember your dreams. Well, maybe you do, immediately after waking up. Some people even say they never remember their dreams.
Well this can be changed.
In order to beome lucid, you must remember your dreams. Why? Because of two reasons:
Telling your subconscious that dreams are as important than real life and
Finding out dream patterns, thoughts, places, persons that are always come back and that would not make sense in real life.
You see? If you can find out those patterns, you can tell youself while being awake: ‘Next time I spot an elephant, I will do a reality check or I will know that I am dreaming’ or ‘Next time, I see my ex partner again (you never see him in ream life), I will realize that I am dreaming.
So how to remember your dreams? Well, by keeping a dream journal. That way, you tell your subconscious, dream are important and you will also remember more and more dreams.
Buy yourself a big journal, place it next to your bed along with a pen. Everytime you wake up and remember a dream or only the last few seconds of it, whether in the morning or in the middle of the night, IMMEDIATELY grab the pen and write or scribble down what you recall. Don’t tell yourself that you will do that later during the morning, because then most of what you recall will be lost.
When you will do that regularly, also reading through your journal, you will remember more and more dreams, sometimes up to 8 or 10 per night as you might wake up after every REM phase and remember everything. This might not give you a lack of sleep since it always occurs after an REM phase.
Tip: Have trouble recalling while still in bed? Change the position of your body. You recall better in the same position you had been dreaming in.
Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD)
You can also try to become lucid by using affirmations and self talk right before falling asleep. This is called the MILD method.
Before falling asleep, repeat a phrase like, “I will recognize that I am dreaming.” Visualize yourself becoming lucid in a recent or imagined dream.
The purpose is to strengthen the mental connection between the intention and the dream state.
Additional methods (sleep masks)
You can also use external stimuli to trigger lucidity.
There are sleeping masks for example which regognize the movement of your eyes which typically occur during dreaming or REM state.
These sleeping masks then send out audible or light cues which penetrate into your dreams. Your dream will be changed if you will with the cues entering your dreams.
Obviously, those cues must not wake you up, therefore you can often change and experiment with the intensity of those cues.
Furthermore you must have given yourself autosuggestions the days before regarding the cues. For example you might say: ‘Whenever I see red lights appearing in my dream, I will realize this is a dream.”
Benefits and Challenges
Why Do Lucid Dreams Happen?
Lucid dreams typically occur during the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep. They can arise spontaneously or through deliberate practice. Several factors might contribute, including:
Heightened self-awareness during the day.
Dream journaling, which improves dream recall and awareness.
Techniques like reality checks (e.g., asking yourself if you’re dreaming during the day) or using mnemonic induction of lucid dreaming (MILD), where you intentionally set the intention to recognize when you’re dreaming.
Benefits of Lucid Dreaming:
Exploration: Offers a safe way to explore creativity or unusual scenarios.
Problem-solving: Some people use it to address personal or psychological challenges.
Overcoming nightmares: It can help individuals gain control over recurring bad dreams.
What to do during lucid dreams?
You could do the following:
You can fly around
Trying to find probles to everyday solutions
Meeting other people
This might be tempting but....you will highly likely wake up because your physical body gets too much involved.
