Learn How to Have Lucid Dreams
Consciously exploring your dreamscapes can be not only marvelous but quite a useful exercise.
The term “lucid dream” refers to those dreams in which you are conscious that you are dreaming ––with all the marvellous possibilities that this entails. And although there are people who can involuntarily enter into lucid dreaming, this practice constitutes an ancient discipline taught by several cultures, among them, of course, the Tibetan and Egyptian.
In recent decades scientists have started to take an interest in lucid dreams, which has resulted in research projects and even in the development of lucid dream institutes. Stephen LaBerge, psychophysiologist at the University of Stanford and founder of The Lucidity Institute, has published three books to help the laymen and the scientist alike understand lucid dreams.
But beyond theory, we’d like to lay out a few simple steps to help you enter into the fascinating world of lucid dreaming. With dedication and patience, you just might be able to consciously explore your own dream states.
1. Predisposition
The first step is one that could be applied to any aspect of your life. Basically it consists in mentally preparing yourself for what you want to do: self-programming to “wake up” in the middle of your dream.
2. Make sure you remember your dreams
Effort would be wasted if you learned to consciously enter your dreams but then you forgot the experience. In fact, it’s possible that you’ve already had an experience of lucid dreaming but you’ve simply forgotten it. There are a number of ways to help you remember your dreams. It is important to remember that we have between five and seven dream cycles every night––to start you should focus on remembering just one or two of the dreams.
3. Dream Journaling
Recording your dreams in a journal is fundamental to familiarizing yourself with the scenarios and places you typically dream of. Also, establishing a relationship between your dream life and your waking life will help you later in achieving lucidity.
4. Familiarization
The better you know the most common story threads in your dreams, the easier it will be to realize that you’re dreaming, which is how lucid dreaming begins. It’s worth noting that the more self-conscious you are, the more likely it is that you’ll reach this euphoric state. And, by the way, meditation is a great way to work toward lucid dreaming.
5. Reality Test
This one is fun. It entails trying to prove to yourself that you’re not awake by detecting the patterns and fantastical elements around you. Some of the more popular tests are:
-Looking for something nearby that you can read, reading it, looking away and reading it again. If the text transforms itself, then it’s very probable that you’re not awake.
-Try to fly or levitate, if it works, I’m sorry to say, you’re probably dreaming.
-Look for a mirror to test if you see yourself in the reflection and if you as you should.
6. Lucid Dream
Once you’ve confirmed that you’re dreaming, you may begin your adventure. Try to take advantage of the absence of life’s daily limits (time, space, gravity, etc.) to experience and learn from situations that wouldn’t usually be possible.
Though following a series of instructions on how to facilitate having lucid dreams may seem a bit odd, with a little time you’ll no doubt be following them with ease. Practicing these recommendations can lead to self-discovery, greater health and even spiritual enjoyment.
If you’re interested in learning more about the topic, we recommend you look at the following books by Dr. La Berge:
Lucid Dreaming: The power of being aware and awake in your dreams (1995)
Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming (1990)
Lucid Dreaming: A Concise Guide to Awakening in Your Dreams and in Your Life (1994)
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