Lucid Dreaming - A User's Guide
Created | Updated Apr 6, 2002
At some time or other, almost everyone has experienced the realization that they are dreaming whilst they sleep. When this realization occurs, it is possible to take control of the dream and use it as a tool for wish-fulfilment. This state of consciousness is known as Lucid Dreaming.
If you have ever achieved Lucid Dreaming, you will realise its benefits as a harmless way to live out your fantasies. Some lucky people achieve Lucidity on a regular basis, whilst others can induce it at will. Most of us, though, have to train ourselves for Lucid Dreaming.
The best way to do this is to work some regular habit into your daily routine that will help you to check if you are dreaming. If you perform this act frequently enough, you will even do it in your dream environment. This will cause you to perform a mental check, and you will hopefully realize that you are dreaming, thus becoming Lucid.
For instance, you could simply look around at your surroundings several times a day. Rather than accepting what you see, question everything. Look carefully at each object in turn. If you make a habit of doing this in your everyday life, Then you will also do it in a dream-state. Hopefully, by questioning your surroundings, you will notice something incongruous and become Lucid.
This very simple technique is very easy to use, and will allow most people to become Lucid. However, you MUST HAVE PATIENCE. You are unlikely to become Lucid on the first night, but you should be able to do it in one to two weeks. Just persevere - and remember, very few people can experience Lucidity every time they dream.
One problem often had by inexperienced Lucid Dreamers is that the realization that they are dreaming, jarrs their mind and that they wake up straight away. You can often tell that you are waking from a dream when the scene starts to loose its colour or focus, just like a video. You may also experience a loss of sound.
To counteract the waking process, try turning quickly at ninety degrees. Don't just turn, though. Experience the air rushing around you as you move. Tell yourself that the experience is real. You should see the dream coming back into focus; if not, repeat the procedure again.
Finally, you should keep a Dream Journal. Every morning, write down as much as you can remember about every dream you've had. Write in the first person, and the present tense. This should help you transfer the dreams, which are often only remembered just after waking, into your long-term memory. And if you do forget, you have a hard copy. You can even use your Dream Journal to relive dreams, by reading it before sleeping, and telling yourself that you wish to re-live that particular dream.
As a final note, why not use the Forum to share your own dreams, whether Lucid or not, and to give your own methods for acheiving Lucidity.
Pleasant dreams...
If you have ever achieved Lucid Dreaming, you will realise its benefits as a harmless way to live out your fantasies. Some lucky people achieve Lucidity on a regular basis, whilst others can induce it at will. Most of us, though, have to train ourselves for Lucid Dreaming.
The best way to do this is to work some regular habit into your daily routine that will help you to check if you are dreaming. If you perform this act frequently enough, you will even do it in your dream environment. This will cause you to perform a mental check, and you will hopefully realize that you are dreaming, thus becoming Lucid.
For instance, you could simply look around at your surroundings several times a day. Rather than accepting what you see, question everything. Look carefully at each object in turn. If you make a habit of doing this in your everyday life, Then you will also do it in a dream-state. Hopefully, by questioning your surroundings, you will notice something incongruous and become Lucid.
This very simple technique is very easy to use, and will allow most people to become Lucid. However, you MUST HAVE PATIENCE. You are unlikely to become Lucid on the first night, but you should be able to do it in one to two weeks. Just persevere - and remember, very few people can experience Lucidity every time they dream.
One problem often had by inexperienced Lucid Dreamers is that the realization that they are dreaming, jarrs their mind and that they wake up straight away. You can often tell that you are waking from a dream when the scene starts to loose its colour or focus, just like a video. You may also experience a loss of sound.
To counteract the waking process, try turning quickly at ninety degrees. Don't just turn, though. Experience the air rushing around you as you move. Tell yourself that the experience is real. You should see the dream coming back into focus; if not, repeat the procedure again.
Finally, you should keep a Dream Journal. Every morning, write down as much as you can remember about every dream you've had. Write in the first person, and the present tense. This should help you transfer the dreams, which are often only remembered just after waking, into your long-term memory. And if you do forget, you have a hard copy. You can even use your Dream Journal to relive dreams, by reading it before sleeping, and telling yourself that you wish to re-live that particular dream.
As a final note, why not use the Forum to share your own dreams, whether Lucid or not, and to give your own methods for acheiving Lucidity.
Pleasant dreams...
