Creatively depicted in the blockbuster movie, Inception, lucid dreaming is the ability to become consciously aware inside the dream world and control its events. Though scientifically proven and theoretically accessible to anyone, lucidity is an elusive concept for many people simply because they’re not trained to recognize when they’re dreaming. However, you can always learn…

What is Lucid Dreaming?

A lucid dream literally means clear dreaming. It occurs when you realize you are asleep and your mind is taking part in an internal fantasy world. In normal dreams there is no such recognition; they are guided by the subconscious mind – and that’s why they make little sense and are often vague and fuzzy. The characters, themes and plots of our dreams are written in the mysterious conceptual language of the subconscious, while the logical conscious mind is shut down. But in a lucid dream, all that changes.

When you “wake up” inside a dream, the conscious brain bursts into life. The dreamscape becomes enriched with all the texture, color and depth of reality. Your five senses become alive and the dream world feels real. You have the ability to control your awareness in the dream and even control the dream with sheer willpower. Experienced lucid dreamers can warp space-time like Neo in The Matrix, fly through space like Superman, and become the architect of great cities like Dom Cobb in Inception.

So, how do you do it?

How to Have Lucid Dreams

The first step to becoming a lucid dreamer is to improve your dream recall. This will help you to become more self-aware while dreaming, and to remember your lucid dreams when they do actually happen. The best way to boost your dream recall is to write down your dreams every morning when you wake up. There are also dream supplements and herbs (such as Galantamine, Choline or Calea Z) which alter your brain chemistry and improve your dream intensity, as well as your night-time memory. However don’t rely on them for nightly use – a natural approach will sustain your dream recall abilities far longer.

Once you can remember at least one reasonably vivid dream per night, it’s time to practice some lucid dreaming techniques. While there are at least a dozen proven methods of inducing conscious dreams, Hemi Sync fans will likely be interested in meditation techniques, which involve listening to brainwave entrainment before bed. Once you are in a deeply relaxed state of awareness, incubate your lucid dream by visualizing a vivid dream world and saying to yourself “I’m dreaming”.

Sometimes this can lead to a lucid dream directly, whereby your body falls asleep and you remain conscious as you mentally pop into the dreamworld (this is called a Wake Induced Lucid Dream). Other times you may just fall asleep, but having planted the seed of lucidity, you may encounter a spontaneous lucid dream later the same night (called a Mnemonically Induced Lucid Dream).

These meditation methods bring you to the brink of lucidity – recognizing that you’re dreaming – but then what happens?

Mastering Dream Control

Once you become lucid, your first goal is to stabilize the dream. Don’t run around shouting and telling every dream character that you’re dreaming – that is a rookie mistake! Instead, stay calm, perform a reality check (such as pushing your hand through a wall to verify that you’re dreaming) and rub your hands together to stimulate friction (this sensation wakes up the conscious brain even more).

With the lucid dream stabilized, you are free to explore the virtual reality landscape with complete freedom. Take your time learning the new rules of the dream world – remember it is still generated by your subconscious mind and the laws of physics are easily bent.

For example, start by learning to fly. While some people feel confident shooting into outer space straight off the bat, others may falter at the idea of defying gravity so spectacularly. So, begin by bouncing along the landscape and allowing yourself to bounce higher and higher until you eventually lift off altogether. Your flight of fancy may take you anywhere – from flying above your home town to rocketing through the universe at super speeds. You will soon see that the lucid dreaming learning curve is very steep… 🙂