What is Lucid Dreaming?
Lucid Dreaming means that you are totally aware of being in a dream.
You "live" consciously in your dream world and can manipulate what happens in your dream!
You can do whatever you want - fly, breathe under water, alter the law of physics or meet other people.
It's a world without limits!
Maybe you have experienced this before (by accident, positively or not). I personally have had lucid dreams multiple times and enjoy the unique experience.
Lucid Dreaming enables you to see mesmerizing colors and patterns - much more vividly than any colors of the real world!
When meditating on a regular basis, preferably during the same time, you can get used to this deeper state of consciousness and lucid dream much more often.
What are the benefits of Lucid Dreaming?
Lucid Dreaming isn't just for fun, you have a direct connection to your subconsciousness so you can actually use it to improve, deal with problems, or learn new things about yourself.
While Lucid Dreams have been present in shamanism and buddhism for thousands of years, researchers of the western world have only started scientific studies around 150 years ago. So there is still a lot more to be discovered!
Can you trigger Lucid Dreaming?
Yes - at least partly.
There are definitely some factors and techniques that can make a lucid dream much more likely to happen.
1) Enough Sleep
Lucid Dreams happen primarily in the REM phases of sleep (deep phases of sleep). If you don't get enough sleep, you get less of these deep sleep phases, which will make it less likely for you to have a lucid dream.
2) Check for certain signs
There are certain indicators that can let you know if you're in a dream or not. If you pay attention to them while dreaming, you might notice that you're actually in a dream, and then begin your lucid dream experience.
Here are some signs you should pay attention to:
- actions that don't make sense / are against physical laws (like breathing under water, flying etc)
- familiar things having a strange shape or color
- normal things not being in the right context - for example snow in the desert
3) Reality Checks
This is connected to the point above - these reality checks will help you analyze if you are dreaming or not.
By asking ourselves these questions during the day we get used to it, and will ask the same in the dream.
Once you have spotted one of these factors, you will realize you are in a dream and go lucid.
Some examples for reality checks:
- Memory - Can you remember how you got to this place, or what happened 10 minutes earlier?
- Body - can you feel touch? Is your body in its normal condition?
- Objects - do the things around you look the way they normally do? Can you touch them?
- Time - look for a clock. Does the time of the day make sense? Does the time change when you look at it multiple times?
Extra tip: Keep a dream journal!
As corny as this sounds, a dream journal can actually be very helpful.
We forget most details of our dream when we wake up, so it can be very smart to keep a notebook on your bedside table and write down what you experienced in your dream when you wake up.
There are many different ways to initiate lucid dreaming.
You can search the internet and will find many different methods - but in the end, everyone is different. What works for somebody else might not work for you.
Since I haven't tested all the methods I don't want to give any instructions here. Everyone has to decide for themselves what works best!
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@sirwinchester.
Did you experimented one of these lucid dreams?
Yes, I meditate frequently and had an awakening, I can control my dreams. When I go lucid I see amazing colors and I can tell my mind to shape the world however I want it to be
That's superb to be able to get to this state of mind.
We will follow your next posts.
Lucid dreaming can be colourful, exciting and all that.
All fine.
But above all, they can be used to tackle and solve inner conflicts, to overcome some of the subconscious issues we all have.
THAT can change a life.
As an extra tip, I would suggest involving wishes on what to dream, what problem to solve. Consciously - and carefully chosen. Focussing on remembering dreams in the process of gradually slumbering away is like preparing for an expedition.
Which it indeed is.
Enjoy!
I had some lucid dreams and was able to fly and direct it.
Following.
that's awesome!
thank you
Actually, not all cultures would describe the feeling of flying in a dream as a positive sign.
It happens and one should not make a big hairy deal out of it. But perhaps, staying on the ground consciously in your dream may be an interesting experience. Just to see what happens.
what an interesting topic, I'd love to try it out some time and see if I can make myself go lucid
isn't it crazy what our brain does while we sleep?! so interesting !
Im not sure that brain is doing this,i had many lucid dreams,and out of body experiences,and i can say that this "other worlds" are as real as this one.I don't see how brain can create new reality.It makes no sens.
I've only experienced this on accident, and never on purpose. must be amazing to recognize you're in a lucid dream when this was your goal all along!
Wow that's impressive)
I've had this before in a dream where someone tried to hurt me, but I remembered I was dreaming and he couldn't attack me at all. so I was full of confidence and even told myself to wake up
I know that situation as well, strange feeling to tell yourself to wake up suddenly (but it works)
Great. Next time, you can even ask the attacker in your dream, what he or she wants from you.
You might get an interesting response.
Or even better, you can ask what you can help them with.
There is an interesting book by Tsultrim Allione "Feeding your demons".
Very powerful, deep stuff and I would strongly advise against playing around with it.
Yet, handled appropriatly, it may be extremely useful.
it only happens randomly to me, but whenever I go lucid I get so excited! it's like you are in your own imaginary world and can do ANYTHING you want
I've lucid dreamed maybe once or twice in my lifetime. Usually when I realize I'm dreaming, I'll get so excited that I end up waking myself up! Still, on the times that I haven't immediately flown awake, I was able to control my dream world in amazing ways. It was an inspiring experience.
what a pity, but I can understand why you got so excited!
I'd LOVE to experience lucid dreams more often, it's such an amazing experience!
and also, how nice of you to share the rewards and give back!
there are some very interesting studies showing that you can really deal with your problems in your subconsciousness while lucid dreaming. so interesting!
I'd be interested to see how the scientific research in this topic progresses in the future!
It is true what you say to me has happened to me, it happens when I'm anxious masiado Ecstatic much elegri, very exalted sure esse day I have that kind of dream, excellent post, brilliant words, very interesting congratulations, thank you very much
thank you, glad you enjoyed it :)
I wanna be in control during fantastic dreams like wet dreams for example.
I was able to increase my frequency of lucid dreams many times over by listening to Eckhart Tolle's CDs while falling asleep. My most interesting experience was awakening into a lucid dream and the dream vision persisted in my head while I got out of bed and walked about fully conscious.
In addition, I have been able to go into a dream from the awake state. However, these dreams were not very vivid and quite simple in nature.
I have had these and tried to explain them to people and they have no idea what I'm talking about, making me doubt myself. But I've definitely been conscious of being in a dream and controlled those dreams :) I'm an artist, so this actually makes me consider basing a drawing on the concept. Following you now, thanks!
mugwort is a great, cheap herbal assitant for dreaming. I used to smoke it out of my bong in my own time, and then when i would use it for other substances with my friends, they would tell me about these crazy dreams that they had! awesome stuff
And how has your (or their) dreaming developed when going off drugs?
Or do you sleepwise feel blank without them?
Do not get me wrong, I do not mean to be moralistic. Just curious.
His or her own dream journal is also funny to read like years later.
More seriously, my main reaction to your post is related to your way to trigger comments.
Upvotes and rewards are one thing, but the most precious rewards for anyone carefully writing posts lie definitely at the level of the comments. It is so frustrating to spend 8 or 9 hours on a piece of text and get only one or two commentators.
But do we really need an incentive to trigger discussions? I would like to get some statistics once your 'experiment' will be achieved, if you don't mind, possibly including a good versus useless comment splitting. Please let me know if you feel the courage to collect those stats.
And apologies for being off topic...
I get lucid dreaming when I wake up in the morning and I "force" myself to sleep with the intention of being conscious in my dreams. The problem is that it doesn't last long before I wake up.
Who says you can not go back?
Takes a bit of luck and training plus being very relaxed on it.
Just go through the different scenarios of how it could have continued.
Without attachment if possible. ;-)
And if you manage to fall asleep again, your mind is not stuck on what you dreamt before but on how to continue with it. Going after some technical detail worked fine with me the other day in getting back into the dream.
I think you should reconsider this one and maybe form it into another method instead of making it like a gamble for readers and commenters.
This is just my opinion, since it might create more unwanted spam/automated comments instead of there just being good quality ones in general instead.
If you would for instance instead give 1% of your post rewards to a good comment instead it would have the same effects and drive users to write good and thoughtful comments for more of your posts.
But I appreciate your interaction with your followers and the quality of an author you are. This is just an opinion about that part. Thanks :)
Hey! Very interesting subject. I've started lucid dreaming some years ago, at first, I was terrified :) Some of the techniques you mentioned, such as meditation and reality checks, really helped me make this experience enjoyable. My favorite thing to do now to is jump off extremely high buildings and stop right before hitting floor, or fly down in spirals towards water. Ohhh the world of dreams :)
Interesting, can you fully control events when fully lucid? Do you have to be awake to experience lucid dreaming? What is it like for you to live the awakening?
It's a really weird phenomenon. I've had it maybe three or four times in my life, it would be interesting to try and encourage lucid dreaming because it was incredible when it did happen (the times I didn't just instantly wake from them).
Sadly I get sleep paralysis at least twice as often* as I have a lucid dream. Still quite rare, but it is really awful, the exact inverse of lucid dreams.
* At a guess, maybe twice a year. A friend of mine gets it about once a month, can't imagine having to deal with that.
Hey Tony! I love lucid dreaming and love that you're sharing this work. I've read a book on it and am always looking for more, may I ask your resource on this?
Hmm. I've lucid dreamed only a few times. Usually, when it happens, I'll suddenly become aware that I'm in a dream.
When I was a child it happened during this nightmare I used to have. In the nightmare I'd be falling off a building and wake with a start just before hitting the ground. The last time I had the dream there was a sort of awareness as I reached the ground, and I landed on my feet.
That is a good initiative! I'll begin reading you more. Not because of this but because you inspire me!
This is so interesting! I have found that I'm most likely to have a lucid dream when I'm especially stressed. Then, of course, these dreams are more like a "trapped in my body" experience. There have been a few gems, though.
I've been doing this since a child. I never actually knew that it had its own definition until I reached adulthood. My favorite thing to do whilst lucid dreaming is fly. It's weird though, not like superman flying, it's more like floating on an invisible chair. Fun times.
I seem to go through seasons of great dreams where I can't wait to go to bed to start dreaming. I would wake up and wonder if it really happened. Another great post @sirwinchester
I used to be able to lucid dream but since I've grown up more I lost the ability. I have been remembering my dreams more often though.
Great post! I used to be able to lucid dream but I've lost the knack. I'll look out for the signposts tonight! Thanks so much!
I've done this. But it is usually related to sleep paralysis with me, and I really do not enjoy that at all...
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I just saw this on Kickstarter - The Lucid Dreamer: Wake Up Inside Your Dreams
It certainly looks interesting.
The real power comes when you find that you can bend and form lucid dreams rather than just tag along as an observer.
Nice article written in nice lucid way ....