Do you remember all the hype regarding Virtual Reality about 10 years ago?
If you believed what the experts were saying back then, we would be spending our time today exploring alternative worlds and having a lot of fun with adventures as special agents, powerful warriors or even superheroes … all as if we were really living the experience right there and then.
Sadly, technology has not gotten quite there … and maybe it never will.
However, there are some people who enjoy adventures in virtual reality one, two or more times per week.
These fortunate few have learned to harness the power of lucid dreaming.
Unlike usual dreams which can be hazy, strange and frequently forgotten as soon
as you wake up, lucid dreams are very different and quite special because
when you lucid dream you are awake inside your dream!
You know you’re dreaming, yet the world around you seems as ‘real’ as the one
you’re in now.
Why Would You Want to Learn to Lucid Dream?
A sleeping person who is lucid dreaming knows that he/she is awake inside the dream and can even remember the dream, totally or partially after he awakens. The amazing thing is that those who have developed this amazing ability are able to control or redirect the outcomes of their dreams.
This is HUGE, because you can manipulate your dream to your liking and experience the dream ‘as if’ it was a reality which helps you modify limiting beliefs, handle fears and reprogram your subconscious mind!
Just imagine the possibilities!
Let’s say that you had fear of heights. You can go to sleep, and once you start dreaming you become awake within your dream. Then, you purposefully picture yourself climbing a ladder in total confidence. You can add as many details as you want and see yourself totally confident and enjoying the experience.
Since your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between right from wrong or reality from fantasy, you will be living and feeling the experience as if you were actually there.
Think about it… you can use lucid dreaming as a self development technique to enhance your self growth and achieve your goals easier, faster, and almost effortlessly!
Types of Lucid Dreaming
There are two ways with which lucid dreaming begins. The first one is called the dream-initiated lucid dream. It refers to a person who is asleep, starts dreaming and then begins to be conscious of the fact that he is dreaming and is able to remain asleep. The second one is called the wake-initiated lucid dream. In this one the person is still fully awake yet falls into a state of dream.
How To Lucid Dream
Everyone can develop the ability to dream in this fashion. There are simple methods and ways to develop lucid dreaming which have been proven to be effective for a lot of people. All you need to do is believe that you will be able to achieve the goal of gaining this ability and you will.
- Practice Reality Checks.
If you are in a state of disbelief about something that you consider out of the ordinary or abnormal, check this out against something that is real.
This habit will eventually leak into your dreams and will become the signal that let’s you know you are actually asleep. When this becomes habitual, you will start to dream about this and soon conclude that indeed you are dreaming. Make it a habit to practice reality checks like these.
- Write Your Dreams in a Journal.
As soon as you become awake, recall your dream and write it down in detail; such as place, people, events, facts, and what exactly happened as much as you can remember. Don’t wait long as details become blurry soon. When you keep a dream journal, you will discover that there are common dream patterns or details that are present in your dreams. This will help you first identify if the dream is lucid, and then it will help you fall into this kind of dream on purpose.
- Concentrate on Dreaming Lucidly.
Before falling asleep, focus your attention and concentration on having a lucid dream. Involve yourself deeply by reading and thinking about the topic. Talk about this interest of yours with others and make it a subject of curiosity and exploration so it becomes a frequent instance in your mind.
- Establish Your Own Sleeping Schedule.
Lucid dreaming can be induced by establishing your sleeping time and pattern, because as with any habit, the more you do it the more predictable it becomes, so determine your best time to go to sleep and train your mind to fall asleep and follow patterns in this manner.
- Create a Personal Reminder.
A personal reminder can be a small object to help you confirm that you are awake after having had a dream. It will be your clue to determine whether you are indeed awake or not. When you see and feel this object in your hand, it creates a signal that prompts you to realize that you are indeed awake.
- Side note…
If you watched the mind-bending movie “Inception” by acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan and leading actor Leonardo DiCaprio playing the character of Cobb, you’ll recall that at the end of the movie the viewer is left to make his/her own conclusions based on perception and interpretation of what happens to the spinning top.
Was Cobb still dreaming when he went back to his children or was the spinning top about to fall over and confirm the scene as an awaken reality? The top was the signal (personal reminder) that Cobb used throughout the movie to determine whether he was awake or dreaming.
- Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreaming (MILD) Technique.
This technique was introduced by Stephen Laberge, a psycho-physiologist and leader in the scientific study of lucid dreaming, and founder of “The Lucidity Institute.” The technique allows you to recall your dream as much as possible and becoming conscious that you are dreaming by repetitively telling yourself that your are dreaming.
