How to Lucid Dream
So now that you know what lucid dreaming is all about it's time to learn how to have them. It does take some practice and persistence but if you keep at it then you should be able to have lucid dreams in no time. It's important that you don't try to rush and push having a lucid dream. This will cause you to fail and then discourage you to try again and you will miss out on the wonderful world of lucid dreaming. The average person takes about 2 months to have their first lucid dream but I can guarantee that if you are serious about lucid dreaming and implement all of these techniques then you should have your first lucid dream in less than two weeks or sooner.
Dream Recall
The first step to having lucid dreams is to have excellent dream recall. Before attempting to lucid dream you should be able to remember at least one dream every single night. The more dreams and details about them that you can remember each night the better chances you have at lucid dreaming. Remembering your dreams allows you to become familiar with the dream world making it much easier to recognize that you are in a dream while it's happening. Besides, what is the point of trying to lucid dream if your not going to remember anything in the morning. Once you have mastered remembering your dreams you can then move on to attempting to lucid dream.
Intention
Keeping the intention that you will lucid dream is the first step. Constantly thinking and reading about lucid dreams automatically triggers your subconscious to think about it and chances are you will think about it in your dreams causing you to realize that you are dreaming. Just like remembering your dreams, you should also tell yourself the night before that you will have a lucid dream that night over and over.
Self Awareness
In a world that is so bizarre and strange with nothing rational happening, we go through it accepting that we are awake and that its real. This is the repercussions of how we go through and accept waking reality. Were so busy running around that our subconscious has taken over and controls most of our thoughts. Push this button, push that button, do you want fries with that? Most people can't even remember what they had for dinner last night or even driving home. If we would start to pay more attention and become more self aware in the world around us then we would do the same in our dreams and realize that the dream world is not real.
Reality Checks
Performing reality checks is a great way to induce lucid dreams. Reality checks are nothing more than tests that you preform while you are awake to make sure that you are not dreaming. It may seem silly when you are performing these tests but by constantly doing this you will automatically carry this on into the dream world. When you perform one of the tests in the dream world they will fail and you will instantly realize that you are dreaming.
There are so many things that you can do to perform reality checks. The most practical and effective ones that I know of are:
- Lights- Every single time you walk into a room and turn on a light you should double check it again to make sure that it works properly. This is a very simple technique that can be done multiple times a day with no effort. When you are in a dream the light switches will not work correctly. You will most likely be able to switch them on and off and nothing will happen.
- Time- Another simple technique to perform is to double check the time. Every single time you look at a clock or your cellphone for the time turn away and look back to make sure that it still says the same time as before. When you are in a dream and do this it will be a completely different time and you will know you are dreaming.
- Memory- When you are dreaming chances are that basic waking life memories are forgotten. The date or day of the week, your birthday, address or even your own name. You should stop and constantly ask yourself these questions to make sure you know the answer to them.
- Breathing- Cover your nose and your mouth and make sure that you still can't breath.
- Hands- Count your fingers and make sure they are all there and then recount them. Another thing that you can do is see if you can push your finger through your hand.
- Where am I?- Another thing that you can do is ask yourself where you are at and how you got there. Do you remember where you were at before you were at this place?
- Vision- Look around and make sure that everything is where and how it is supposed to be. Does the sky look normal today?
As you preform each of these checks you should make sure and ask yourself if this is just a dream and be prepared to find out what the answer is. Make sure that each check that you do you are fully conscious and not just performing them like a habit or unconscious action. If you perform these reality checks already knowing that your awake and expecting them to pass then chances are you will do the same thing in your dreams and they will not work.
Cycle Adjustment Technique
The cycle adjustment technique, also known as CAT, has been scientifically proven to be 80 percent effective for inducing lucid dreams in the first two weeks of performing this technique. Its main purpose is to raise your conscious awareness during the early morning hours that you are REM sleeping. This is a technique that requires some discipline and can be impractical for most people.
The first step with CAT is to set your alarm and get up 90 minutes earlier than you normally wake up for an entire week. After you have done this for a week the next step is to alternate the time that you wake up each day from normal to early. You will wake up at your normal time the first day and then the second day you will wake up 90 minutes early. What this does is cause your conscious mind to be more awake and alert on the days that you sleep normal because it is used to waking up 90 minutes earlier.
Wake Back to Bed Method
The WBTB method is simpler than the cycle adjustment technique and in my opinion it is more effective. This technique does not have to be performed every single day and can be done whenever you want to try and have a lucid dream.
The first step is to set your alarm and wake up after 6 hours of sleeping. Once you wake up you want to get out of bed and do something that keeps your brain active. You can check your emails, read a book, write in your dream journal or anything as long as your thought process is working. I would recommend that you don't watch TV or perform any actions that a zombie could do. After you have been awake for about 30 minutes you want to go back to bed for at least another hour. This causes you to enter REM sleep after being in a fully conscious state making you more aware and alert in your dreams.
Role Playing Technique
This is one of my favorite techniques that works best for me. Is how it works is it makes you become more aware of the dream world and tells your subconscious how to react when it is in that world. It also helps you visualize and think about becoming lucid which carries on into the dream world. It is a technique derived from other techniques but one that I have created myself.
The first thing that you want to do is scroll through your dream journal and pick one or two dreams that you remember very well and are still fresh in your head. As you are laying down to go to bed start to imagine that you are back in the dream. Close your eyes and picture everything happening just as it did when you were dreaming. Then after you imagine yourself in that dream exactly how it happened, imagine that all of a sudden you became lucid. Say out loud, "Hey this is just a dream!" After that keep imagining that you are still in the dream fully lucid and aware experience everything you would want to if you were really lucid dreaming. You should keep imagining this until you fall asleep.
Binaural Beats
If you have been attempting to lucid dream for awhile with no success or you are just looking for a way to induce them easier then you should consider giving binaural beats a try. Binaural beats will influence your brain to perform on the exact frequencies needed for lucid dreaming.
Each persons body reacts a little differently to binaural beats. Some people are very open to them and they will lucid dream every single time they listen to them. Other people might not be effected by them as much and it may take a few times of using them before they take effect. Either way binaural beats dramatically improves your chances of having lucid dreams. My favorite lucid dreaming binaural beat is from the Unexplainable Store.
The Ace Technique
This is another technique that I have invented but it is nothing more than a combination of the other techniques. After you have learned the other techniques you should then move onto trying out this technique. If you are truly wanting to lucid dream then this method is your door into the lucid dream world. This is the method that I use to induce my lucid dreams. I do it about once or twice a week and I lucid dream almost every single time.
The first thing is to preplan the night before that you are going to lucid dream that night no matter what. I recommend that you go to bed a half an hour early in order to prepare for it. The first thing that you want to do is set your alarm to wake you up after about 6 hours of sleep. Once your ready to go to bed spend the first 10-15 minutes doing nothing more than reading your dream journal. I would recommend that you read the dreams where you became lucid if you have had any yet. The next step is to lay down and then do the role playing technique until you feel yourself falling asleep. Before you fall asleep repeat to yourself over and over that I am in a dream. Repeat those words as long as it takes until you fall asleep. When your alarm clock goes off 6 hours later you should get up for at least 10 minutes. You should be able to remember at least one dream once you wake up and you can spend this time writing it down in your dream journal. After you have been awake for at least 10 minutes you should go back to bed listening to your lucid dream binaural beat recording. Meditate on the sounds and as you drift off keep repeating the same words with emphasis I am in a dream over and over. Once you fall alseep you should enter into a dream within a few minutes and become fully lucid.
After you have mastered becoming lucid the next step is learn:
