Lucid dreaming is the ability to be aware of your dream state, while still dreaming.
With time and practicing, you can learn to lucid dream on a level that your dreams can be shaped and controlled the way you want to.
Another thing is that you can benefit out of that type of dreams quite a lot!
The few things that you can reach with lucid dreams are:
– experiencing the impossible (such as flying, meeting passed on family members/friends, meeting your favorite actors, going to the moon or back in time, etc.)
– you can connect to your Inner Self
– you can overcome nightmares, fears, and phobias
– you can practice and improve real-life skills – with no risks or worries of injuries!
– you can increase your creativity and explore beyond imagination
– you can simply enjoy the conscious dream and do whatever you want (such as eating dream food, having dream sex, exploring your subconscious mind)
These are just some of the advantages of lucid dreaming! (Check more of them here!)
Do you want to learn to lucid dream and to find out how to have conscious dreams?
It is actually not that hard. The 2 main things you will need are patience and consistency.
Besides that, there are a number of ways that can help you to experience lucid dreaming, such as dream journaling, proven techniques, reality checks, mindfulness, etc.
But do you want to hear the best part?
With the needed amount of effort – EVERYONE can lucid dream. That’s right!
In this article, I will tell you the EXACT steps, which you should follow so you can learn to lucid dream.
Are you ready?
We will go through:
1. How to lucid dream: Essentials of lucid dreaming
2. Choosing a method: WILD or DILD?
3. Wake-initiated Lucid Dreams
4. Dream-initiated Lucid Dreams
5. FAQ
• Which one is better – WILD or DILD?
• When should I expect my first lucid dream?
• I want to try WILD but I don’t want to experience Sleep paralysis…
• Can I combine both DILD and WILD?
1. How to lucid dream: Essentials of lucid dreaming
Learning lucid dreaming can be pretty fun!
These are some important techniques that will increase your awareness in your dream state!
You should not underestimate any of them.
They will prepare you for the lucid dreaming techniques since some of these essentials are crucial parts of the Dream Induction Techniques (WILD and DILD)!
You will understand what I mean – just keep reading!
The very first, essential steps that you should take are dream journaling, reality checking, setting an intention, becoming more mindful. That’s basically it!
• Dream Journaling
– The key elements of dream journaling are two:
1) to improve your dream recall and 2) to identify your dream symbols.
Why these things are important?
By writing your dream each morning, you will be able to remember your dreams much more!
That will result in recalling more of your dreams as well as more details and having much more vivid dreams.
On the other hand, identifying dream symbols is crucial for becoming conscious!
You will be able to recognize that you are in a dream exactly with the help of your dream symbols/signs!
The dream symbols are symbols that will tell you indirectly: “HEY! You are dreaming!“
Important note:
The more you wait, the harder it will be to remember what was your dream.
So, in the morning, with the opening of your eyes, start to write in your journal.
This will make it much easier for you as well you will become better in a shorter period.
• Reality Checking
– Reality check is the action that you perform during the day, that tests your reality.
It can be psychical or mental.
Reality check is an essential and simple technique that will prove to you if you are in the REAL world or in the DREAM world.
The whole idea is the persistent daily performance of reality checks should expectedly lead to practice them in dreams too!
By taking the decision of doubting your reality on a daily basis, you increase your self-awareness in the real world, which will affect your dream world, too. (find out a scientific proof in our article HERE)
In order to perform them properly you will need to do this:
STEP 1: Full awareness – shift your awareness completely and only on it
STEP 2: Build a habit – this will result in paying closer attention to everyday life, also it will transfer the reality checks into your dream world.
You must do them every 1 or 2 hours – try to set a phone alarm on your every hour, and every time it rings ask yourself “Am I dreaming?” or perform a reality check (see a few ideas below).
STEP 3: A state of a doubt – by doubting your reality you increase the awareness both in the waking and the dream world
Some reality check ideas:
1. Try to read something, look away, then look back – if the words changes somehow, or you are not able to read, you are dreaming
2. Plug your nose, close your mouth and try to breathe through it – if you can actually breathe, then you are in the dream world
3. Finger palm push – if you are dreaming, your finger will go either through your palm or when you touch your palm you won’t feel anything
4. Bite your tongue and see if it hurts – if you don’t feel pain, you are dreaming
5. Looking at the mirror – you might notice weird things about yourself or in your surrounding
6. Look at your hands – often, when we dream, our body parts might be distorted when you inspect them closely
*for more ideas, click here*
• Dream Affirmations
– The mind is a very powerful tool, so you should use it!
Focus on a mantra/a dream affirmation that will set an intention and ”plant” this idea in your head, that will help you to become lucid!
It is a form of self-forced meditation or repetition that you should repeat it in your head either throughout your day or just before going to sleep, such as:
“I will know I’m dreaming “
“When I dream tonight I will become lucid “
“I’ll have a lucid dream tonight”
“I’ll realize that I am dreaming tonight”
“Next time when I dream I will become lucid”
• Becoming More Mindful
– The most important part that you should take in mind is that meditation and lucid dreaming are sharing many common features!
The two skills go hand-in-hand.
Meditators have been found to have very high levels of lucidity in sleep.
It is pretty obvious: by improving your attention to the present moment by practicing mindfulness, your awareness will rise – both in your awake and dream state.
Living consciously will increase the likelihood of experiencing lucid dreaming!
Extremely easy meditation/breathing technique, that you can practice every morning or whenever you have the time and you feel like it:
Preparation: Decide on how long you want to meditate and put an alarm on your phone. When you hear the gentle melody you will know when is the end of your meditation.
1. Find a place to sit with your back straight
Or even lie down in a comfortable position.
2. Close your eyes and relax your body
Be aware of the sensations you feel and try to not move your body throughout the practice
3. Start to deeply inhale, then slowly exhale
Feel the natural flow of your breath—in, and out.
4. You have thoughts, coming in and out?
Don’t worry!
Just remember that every time you get lost in thoughts, simply return to your breathing – the point is to NOT pay attention to the thoughts in your head.
5. At the end of your practice, gently and slowly, start moving your body.
Start from something small, such as the fingers on your hand! Whenever you feel ready, open slowly your eyes.
That’s all about it! Start to implement this breathing exercise in your daily life! Soon, you will see the tons of benefits that it will bring you!
For more detailed step-by-step guided meditation, click here.
2. Choosing a method: WILD or DILD?
There are 2 methods to experience lucid dreaming – wake-initiated lucid dreaming (WILD) and Dream-initiated lucid dream (DILD).
A wake-initiated lucid dreaming occurs when you jump right into a dreaming state from a waking state.
A dream-initiated lucid dream occurs, when you are in the middle of your dream, and you suddenly realize “Oh, I’m dreaming.”
The most important for both of the methods is that when it comes to the actual time for lucid dreaming, you need to ensure that your mind is conscious.
3. Wake-initiated lucid dreaming technique (WILD):
You can perform the technique either just as you fall asleep (when you go to bed normally) or after 4-6 hours of sleep (you need to interrupt your sleep and perform it).
Try both of the ways and see which one works best for you.
The exact step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Lay down comfortably (preferably) on your back and RELAX
Step 2: Observe your hypnagogic state
Step 3: Create a dream scene
Step 4: Mind Awake / Body Asleep
Step 5: Stabilize your lucid dream
… That’s it! After the 4th step, you should be having your lucid dream.
Step 1: Lay down comfortably (preferably) on your back and RELAX!
Other sleeping postures might work too, but (for me) this most effective.
Simply loose all of your muscles and do not move!
This step will be very easy for you if you are practicing meditation.
For this step, the most important detail is also quite simple – total relaxation.
So, lay comfortable and try to relax as much as you can.
Try to avoid moving, fixing your position, scratching, etc.
Breathe slowly and deeply.
Empty your mind and focus on the darkness of your closed eyes.
If you have any thoughts, just simply acknowledge this fact, but do not interact with them.
Focus on your breathing (use the guided meditation above)!
Tip:
A simple trick that you can use is white noise for meditation or binaural beats.
Both will aid for easier relaxation and mindfulness.
It will be much easier to relax and clear your mind, especially if you are new to meditation.
Spend as much as you feel like it on this step – it can be 5-10 or 15 minutes.
You just have to be sure that you are completely relaxed and comfortable.
Step 2: Observe your hypnagogic state
At some point, you should be able to see images and shapes.
This state is referred to as hypnagogia or “hypnagogic hallucinations“.
It is the transitional state from wakefulness to sleep. It includes visions, sounds, and bodily sensations.
You will almost certainly recognize it!
Just stay calm and relaxed, as before and observe the hypnagogia.
By being aware and remaining conscious, you can use this interesting hallucinogenic state to have Wake induced lucid dreams.
The hypnagogic step can be good preparation and beginning of creating the concepts of your dream!
This will lead directly to your dream landscape!
Step 3: Create a dream scene
Now, choose a simple environment for your dream, for instance, a forest with green trees, or a nice big beach with mild waves.
Something slow, without too many different elements and movements.
Try to visualize it as much as you can, imagining also some small details.
When you think you have the background of the dream, try to see it, as you are there at the moment.
Try to look down, to see your hands or feet.
Step 4: Mind Awake / Body Asleep
This is the final step! That is the main purpose of the technique – your body should be asleep, while your mind should be awake!
Let me guess, you think that is too difficult? Think again!
It does require some practice and mental preparation in order to stay conscious while your body falls asleep.
But that doesn’t mean that it is impossible – it just needs patience and consistency!
Simply doing the ”essentials” for lucid dreaming will be enough to be able to complete the technique.
Step 5: Stabilize your lucid dream
If that is one of your first lucid dreams you may experience it for too short (getting too excited and waking up), or you may be unable to control it at all.
Well, the important parts are to stay very calm and to stabilize the semi-lucid state by making a few reality checks.
When you feel more stable, decide what do you want to do if you have control over the dream.
If you don’t have full control, but you are just aware that you are dreaming – that is okay too.
With practicing, you will gain more control over it, until then, enjoy and explore your subconscious desires and actions!
Common WILD side effect: Sleep Paralysis
Does this sound familiar – unable to move, feeling a heavy weight on your chest, feeling weird, demonic presence?
These are some often features of the sleep paralysis.
The truth is that 7.6% of the general population, 28.3% of students, and 31.9% of psychiatric patients experienced at least one episode of sleep paralysis.
The good things about it are:
-you can transfer the sleep paralysis into a lucid dream
-it is not harmful and it should pass in a few seconds/minutes
The bad thing: It can be pretty frightening.
The few things that you should consider if you experience it are:
– you should definitely not freak out
– repeat in your head “It is only a dream“, ” I am safe “, etc.
– try to move a small part of your body( like your toes, fingers, eyes, lips, etc.)This will simply send signals to your brain and you will wake up. The visuals and hallucinations will disappear right away.
For detailed explanations, tips on how to overcome sleep paralysis and a step-by-step guide on how to transfer it into a lucid dream – click here!
4. Dream-initiated lucid dream (DILD):
As I mentioned, these lucid dreams are the one you almost randomly realize that you are dreaming within the dream.
It is easy and beginner friendly, a lot of people who are starting with lucid dreaming are choosing to start with DILD techniques.
Since the crucial part is to build self-awareness within the dream state, some of the ”essentials” that we mentioned earlier are DILD techniques too.
The most effective Dream-initiated lucid dream techniques are:
– by ”living” the full day awareness state, you will be able to distinguish between the real and the dream world MUCH faster and easier.
Find 2 easy awareness techniques here.
– we are not aware that we are dreaming, because we think that we are awake.
By taking the decision of doubting your reality on a daily basis, you increase your self-awareness in the real world, which will affect your dream world, too.
– a deeply relaxing state, which works like ”programming” your mind that you will have a lucid dream (it is safe and relatively simple)
4. Meditation
– highly increase the chance of having a lucid dream since meditation helps you to sharpen your focus, improves your visualization skills and enhance your self-awareness.
5. Dream Signs
– dream signs can be ANY cue which suggests that you are in a dream.
The more attention you pay to spot dream signs, the more you’ll notice them and the more lucid dreams you’ll have!
5. CAT (Cycle Adjustment Technique)
– created by Daniel Love-the author of the book Are You Dreaming?, the technique includes 3 easy steps
7. WBTB (Wake-Back-to-Bed Technique)
– it works when you wake up during the night (or early morning) to perform the technique, whereafter you go back to sleep in order to induce lucid dreaming NATURALLY
8. MILD Technique (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams)
– the method has been shown to lead to increased lucid dream experience and vividness.
It includes 4 important steps (3 of which are the essential parts for lucid dreaming that we mentioned) – find the details here.
9. SILD Technique (Subliminal Induction of Lucid Dreams)
– works by programming our mind to have more lucid dreams by watching videos with ”hidden” messages.
Subliminal messages are direct instructions given to our unconscious mind.
10. Binaural Beats
– can help you to lucid dream, since they can stimulate and change our brain state!
If you want to try any of these, simply follow our article that explains each of the techniques!
5. FAQ
Which one is better – WILD or DILD?
Through my personal observations, I can say that WILD is a more direct technique that tends to be preferred by lucid dream researchers.
However, it is all about your own preference.
Since everyone practices and react differently to a chosen technique, you may find that DILD, for example, works better for you, or the other way around.
When should I expect my first lucid dream?
For a beginner, perhaps, none of them are going to guarantee a lucid dream within the first night.
You should be consistent and definitely not giving up after 1-2 trials.
For DILD, you will need more time, in order to create some routines, such as Reality checking, All day awareness, finding your Dream symbols, becoming more mindful through meditation, etc.
You will gradually improve your lucidity in your dreams.
For WILD, you will simply need to follow the instructions.
This technique is a bit more under your control, meaning that in DILD, you should kinda expect to sparkle lucidity randomly.
However, you still need to do reality checks (for example, to stabilize your lucidity).
Another point is that WILD is keeping awareness during the time your body falls asleep.
This can be associated as a form of meditation which is another reason (and positive advantage) to meditate.
Decide which technique you would like to try first and STICK to it for AT LEAST a week!
If you don’t succeed after this period, you either should give yourself a few more days, or switch to the other technique.
I want to try WILD but I don’t want to experience Sleep paralysis…
The best advice that I can give you here is to RESEARCH and understand the sleep paralysis.
Some important facts, that you may want to know are:
1. While we sleep, electrical nerve impulses are cut off from the muscles and the brain, which is what makes us unable to move (state called ”atonia”).
2. When we wake up from sleep naturally, the atonia is supposed to end, but sometimes it doesn’t.
3. Sleep paralysis happens when a person wakes up before REM (sleeping stage, where we are dreaming) is finished. We would “transfer” strong dream material into our awaken state.
Yes, it might sound pretty creepy.
But when you understand all the science behind it, you will be completely prepared to turn something scary into something wonderful – a lucid dream!
Can I combine both DILD and WILD?
You can, for example, perform during your daily reality checks, meditation, dream journaling, all-day-awareness and use WILD when you go to sleep/after 4-6 hours of sleep.
Perhaps, you will have much better and faster success.
As a beginner, just be careful to not feel overwhelmed and annoyed if you don’t succeed quickly.
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