Lucid dreaming refers to the mental state when you are conscious of the fact that you are dreaming while you are dreaming. Though lucid dreaming is a rare occurrence for most people when they are sleeping, you can actually mentally train yourself during the waking hours and incorporate a number of techniques to increase your chances of achieving a lucid dreaming state.
A few pointers. Start improving your ability to remember your dreams by keeping a dream journal and writing down as much as possible of what you remember from your nightly visions. People who are actually able to remember their dreams are more likely to be conscious of the fact that they're dreaming when they dream.
By getting in the habit of doing reality checks throughout the day by asking yourself if you are dreaming or not, you are also embedding this habit in your subconscious state when you are dreaming.
Other than just a cool way to live out your superhero fantasies of flying and walking through walls, lucid dreaming has helped people overcome their fears and anxieties and even mentally prepare themselves to acquire difficult skills in real life. Cool brain science or just more mumbo jumbo self-help pipe dreams? There is only one way to find out...
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29 Comments
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Very good article! I am a very frequent lucid dreamer- the method I use is called WILDing. You should look it up sometime- its like your body/senses go to sleep but your brain doesnt.
WILDing IS so fun... But it is sort of annoying, Im abit OCD so... its really hard for me to do...
I also go lucid dreaming a lot but its harder to do for me...
BTW,
MILD stands for mnemonic induced lucid dreaming
WILD wake induced lucid dreaming
BOTH WORK :D
Thanks for the How-To
Thanks for the additional information. Such a fascinating topic.
Love doing this! i made a machine to help me, it analyzes my eye movement using an IR sensor, and pulses lights into my eyes when it knows im REM-ing :) works like a charm, only a little bit of habit-making required.
wow! please post some pictures!
Ditto. Very curious to see this machine.
Also would like to hear if anybody has used lucid dreaming for a specific goal with success (getting through fears, confidence in acquiring difficult skills, etc.)!
hmm, well i love designing buildings and structures in lucid dreams. I also love playing music! because its so similar to real life, yet not. complicated stuff, dreams!
lol, whenever i have a big exam i study all day and review all night. I also try to get ideas for technological stuff of the future. I have actually come pretty close to curing HIV in one of my dreams... However the technology isn't all there yet. I submitted it into a future tech science competition, however it didn't do so well... (I wrote up a 10 sheet paper in like 2 days, too rushed to sound good)
hmmm... I kind of like having dreams that i cannot control. makes for some unpredictable times. could someone explain to me if it's possible to revert back to "normal" sleep or if it's a one time change that's irreverseable. it is an awesome concept, i'm just a little concerned though... think of the movie inception.....
I think people can mentally train themselves to increase the likelihood of lucid dreaming while they are dreaming, but I don't think there is any way to permanently change your dream-state from non-lucid to lucid, especially if you don't have any conscious intention to always lucid dream.
I must say after making this blog post my dream recall has gotten a lot better and I've been able to experience brief interludes of lucid dreaming. Yay for action-packed sleep adventures!
Who gets nine hours of sleep?
You'd be surprised.
people who dont go to school
I am always having to do reality checks, ya know college life sleep deprivation and all? :) I am too lazy or busy to write dreams down, but maybe I will try to get in the habit. Dreams are pretty awesome, our minds are so mysterious even though they are the epitome of our existence (or something)? haha
Yes, dreams are awesome! Even if you don't have the time to write down dreams (which I've tried to many times but always forget to do), making a conscious effort to remember your dreams make a huge difference.
I also have this iPhone app called Smart Alarm Clock. ou put it by your bed when you sleep and it monitors your REM cycles a d you can even set it up to wake you up at the right time (when youre in your lightest sleep). It can help your REM cycles so you have a good idea when to set your alarm (right after the REM cycles). Its a really cool app.
Very cool!
What amazing drawings!
This app is designed to induce lucid dreams - "DreamZ" http://www.dreamzapp.com/
it also has a lite version that helps dream recall. you should try it out. It has so many cool features!!
So amazing that apps exist specifically for lucid dreaming. Very intrigued!
can i move like change sleeping positions while induceing lucid and do i have to be in a quiet environment??
i don't think sleeping position really matters, and I would imagine that being in a quiet environment helps so loud noises while you are lucid dreaming doesn't wake you out of your dream state--especially if you are a light sleeper.
All you have to do is fall asleep normally and try to awake your mind in a dream. For other methods, though, like WILDing, you have to be completely still so you trick your body into going to sleep while your mind is awake.
wilding sounds a heck of a lot harder than lucid dreaming. your body may go to "sleep", but does your brain still feel refreshed in the morning? little tip for those who get little to no sleep. if your stomach is feeling really upset, drink a full glass of milk, or creamer, not the powder stuff though.
After you've had your fun in lucid dreaming, you can let your brain go to sleep. Its exactly like normal lucid dreaming except the entry method is much harder, but requires no recognition that you are sleeping in your dream.
Amazing podcast on lucid dreaming! Confirms a lot of what's covered in the illustration (like reality checks, spinning in your dream, etc.) and great stories from people training themselves! http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/uf/uf120330the_lucid_dreamers
do you know anything about binaural beats. if you d, can you write a guide please??? :)
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