Lucid Dreaming
First published: Monday November 18th, 2024
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Introduction To Lucid Dreaming
If you don't know what lucid dreaming is, it's basically when you're aware that you're dreaming - inside of the dream. This enables you to do practically whatever you want if you know what you're doing. Lucid dreaming is extremely vivid and almost feels like real life, except you can manipulate your surroundings and create things at will. It's fun, can help you in real life, and is a very exciting experience.
It's difficult to learn at first, but the more practice you get, the more you lucid dream.
Note: This blog was a bit longer than I expected. Feel free to skip around if you get bored or need certain information.
How To Lucid Dream
Anyone and everyone, and I mean everyone, can learn how to lucid dream. So unless you have a very severe medical condition that takes away your ability to dream, then you can learn this skill. Before I show you a few common and effective techniques that you can use, here are some things that you should start doing:
Keeping A Dream Journal
Keeping a dream journal helps become more familiar with your own dream world and remembering your dreams. This can improve your dream recall, which will help you be more aware in your dreams. This can also keep your mind more engaged with your dreams. Your journal can be either digital or in a physical journal. Try to describe your dreams in as much detail as possible, generally right after you wake up. Also, there's no point in having lucid dreams if you forget everything you did a week later. It should be close to your sleeping area so you can make it a habit.
Doing Reality Checks
The idea of reality checks is that if you do them in real life, you will also do them in your dreams, causing you to be aware that you're dreaming. Sometimes it can also be hard to distinguish a lucid dream from reality (if you start your lucid dream from where you're sleeping), so it's always important to always check if you're actually awake or dreaming. Great reality checks include looking at your hand (many people do not have perfect hands in their dreams, instead they may have missing or extra fingers). Holding your nose and trying to breathe also works well, because you're pretty much always breathing in a dream.
Having Regular Sleep Habits
If you can, go to bed at the same time each night, preferably before 11 PM. I generally have a hard time with this, but it will increase your chances. Many lucid dreaming techniques interrupt your sleep schedule by waking up in the middle of the night, so make sure not to do certain techniques too often. Drinking lots of water right before bed also acts like an alarm to wake you up in the night, which can be useful for remembering dreams or other uses, but also interrupts your sleep.
More Tips
- You need to want to be motivated to lucid dream to lucid dream. One way to do this is to list things you want to do in a lucid dream to increase your need to have a dream.
- Indulge yourself in the concept of lucid dreaming. I've been typing this blog at night, which is training my brain to be more aware of the thought of lucid dreaming, which can make it more likely to happen.
- Don't give up. Lucid dreaming is not an easy skill to learn. Surprisingly, many lucid dreamers use lucid dreaming mainly to practice real life skills and support their health, because they were most focused on lucid dreaming.
- Give yourself reminders. Whether it's changing your lock screen or background to say 'Are you dreaming', having a reality check bracelet, or tattooing the words on your arm, simply seeing these phrases or reminders often will cause them to show up in your dreams, initiating lucidity.
- Hypnagogic state. The hypnagogic state is like a bridge between being awake and asleep. You've probably experienced this state when waking up at night. You might 'see' colorful patterns or echoes.
- Sleep paralysis. This is a stage where you are completely aware and awake but are unable to move, which can last from a few seconds to several minutes. You may experience hallucinations or feel as if you are choking or someone or something dangerous is in the room. Even though it can be a very scary experience (shoutout to the people who've experienced it before) it's harmless, and in many lucid dreaming techniques it's actually a sign that the technique is working.
Now that you know a little tidbits and tricks to support your dreaming journey, you can finally learn techniques!
Lucid Dreaming Techniques
MILD
The MILD Technique (Mnenomic Induction of Lucid Dreams) is one of the most common and effective lucidity techniques. This technique works best after waking up from a dream in the middle of the night, staying up for 30-60 minutes, and going back to sleep.
1. As you are following asleep, repeat the phrase 'I will be aware in my dreams', or another related sentence.
2. When you are repeating your phrase, imagine yourself in your last dream (or any other dream) but imagine that you have successfully done a reality check and are now lucid.
What this technique does is set your intention to do these steps in your dreams, causing you to become lucid.
WILD
WILD is a more difficult technique to use but is extremely effective if done right. This technique should be paired with WBTB:
1. Stay up from 20 minutes to an hour before falling asleep, preferably doing something related to lucid dreaming.
2. Once you are in bed, lie absolutely still and clear your mind. You might enter the hypnagogic state, but this is a sign that this technique is working.
3. Reinforce your mind that you are entering a lucid dream, especially if you enter sleep paralysis.
This technique depends on who you are, so it may be a great technique for you or absolutely useless. If you decide to use this technique, you should probably try for multiple nights.
DEILD
The DEILD (Dream Exit Initiated Lucid Dreams) technique may be a little difficult, but can be used to string multiple lucid dreams per night if done correctly.
1. After waking up from a dream, lie still (meaning that you cannot use an alarm to wake you up at night). It's completely fine to make movements to make yourself feel more comfortable, but try to move as little as possible.
2. Visualize a dream scene in your head, the dream you just woke up from if possible, and physical movements such as dancing or rolling.
3. If you wake up from this dream you can easily do the technique again to have another lucid dream if you do your dream chaining correctly.
IMP
IMP (Impossible movement practice) is one of the best lucidity techniques. It requires little effort and still works amazingly! (works best when paired with WBTB).
1. Be aware of the sleeping position you are currently in.
2.Imagine an impossible movement to perform in your sleeping position. This could be bending your legs through your mattress, rolling through the wall, or just about anything that's impossible in the waking world. Repeat this movement in your mind over and over.
3. If done right, you should start feeling that movement being real, and have fallen into a dream without losing consciousness.
This may not work if done right after falling asleep because you are not in the REM stage for ideal dreaming conditions.
RAUSIS
RAUSIS utilizes sound from the waking world and makes it audible in your dreams, causing you to recognize that sound and making you lucid.
1. Set an alarm for a time in the morning where you are still tired enough to fall asleep. About three to five minutes later, set an alarm with a ringtone similar to a sound you would hear in real life (a bell, a duck quacking, etc.). Note: you have to fall asleep again before the next alarm. If you can't fall asleep quickly, set an alarm for 5-10 minutes.
2. After the second alarm wakes you up, fall back asleep right away. While you are falling asleep, reassure yourself you will hear this sound in your dream and become aware.
3. If you successfully enter a dream, move away from the sound or the technique could backfire and wake you up.
WBTB
WBTB is commonly paired with other techniques. It involves waking up in the middle of the night and falling back asleep, generally during REM sleep. Your best REM sleep period is usually 4-6 hours after you fall asleep, which is when you should wake up.
SSILD
Ah, SSILD. SSILD is a harder technique that engages your senses in hopes of making you become lucid in your dreams.
1. Wake up 4-6 hours after you fall asleep.
2. Stay awake for 5-10 minutes. You can get up, but try not to wake yourself up too much and go back to bed. If you can, fall asleep in a different position than you normally do (this causes you to be more alert).
3. Focus on what you can see behind your closed eyes. Then, focus on the sounds around you. After, focus on your sense of touch. Repeat this cycle about 4 to 5 times, spending about 10 seconds on each sense.
4. Do the cycle another 3-4 times but instead focusing on each sense for 30 seconds.
When doing this technique, passively observe your senses. If you encounter hypnagogia or disruptive thoughts, don't try to push them away, just observe what you see.
Other Techniques
Most other techniques are not as effective as the ones I've described here, but if you're really struggling to lucid dream, you could try one of these:
FILD: Uses the movement of your fingers to induce a lucid dream.
90ILD: This technique utilizes you sleep cycles by waking up every 90 minutes at night.
VILD: Uses visual images to allow you to become lucid.
There are literally hundreds of other techniques, so if none of these work, then you can research about the countless other techniques out there to become a lucid dreaming master.
Inside The Dream
Hooray! Your favorite technique has finally worked, and you've entered your first lucid dream! But what do you do from there?
First off, you should probably stabilize your dream. You could spin around, do mental math, rub your hands together, meditate, or even ask the dream to become stable. This solidifies your conscience into being aware that you're in a dream, and that you want to stay in this dream.
Your first few lucid dreams will likely be very short (~10 minutes) but can last up to 90 minutes if you are in the right dreaming conditions (note that your time perception may feel different in dreams)
A common mistake for many lucid dreamers is that they get too excited or engage in exciting activities too early in the dream, which causes them to wake up. You should start with doing simple things and continue to go up from there until you are stable enough to do all the things you want to do, occasionally doing reality checks. In this first dream, you shouldn't do anything too crazy (this process takes time, sadly). Instead, do simple tasks like talking to people around you, engaging your senses, or drawing (or asking the pencil to draw for you).
Here are some common mistakes:
Thinking about your physical body. This can cause you to actually move in the real world and wake up.
Thinking negatively. In your dreams, your thoughts become a reality, so a negative mind equals a negative dream, which could potentially result in being inside a lucid nightmare.
Panicking. This is one of the best ways to wake yourself up.
Telling dream characters that you are dreaming. This isn't much of a problem for most people, but for some this could trick your mind into waking up because of their reactions.
Also, there are things you should absolutely NEVER DO while lucid dreaming. I'm not going to list them because you would do those tihngs. Remember to use your common sense, and keep the thought in the back of your mind that this isn't the real world and things are...sometimes different in the dream world.
Having More Fun
You've gotten to the point where you're experienced enough to do more exciting things while lucid. (Note that doing thrilling or dangerous things will wake you up much faster). Anything you think of in your imagination in this world real be real, and ANYTHING will be possible, without the consequences of real life. Here are some really cool things you can do...
Ask the dream to surprise you. You can ask your dream to do whatever you want it to. Ask it to surprise you and see what happens!
Bend the elements. Let's be honest, we all want to be the avatar. Now's your chance!
Use superpowers. Whether it's time control, flying, or mind reading, this should really spice up your dream.
Go on a date. Let's be honest, we're all going to fill our romantic fantasies. Whether it's a person you know or a random person you find, you could do anything with them, if you really believe in yourself.
Go inside a video game. Ever wanted to live in the mario universe, Genshin Impact, or one of those junky runner mobile games? Now's your chance!
Convince one of the dream characters that they're lucid dreaming. This may be a bit difficult, but you could make one of these people into your dream guide (so they appear in all your dreams and guide you. If you get lucky, they could also appear in a regular dream and cause you to become lucid.
Talk to your inner conscience. Your entire dream world is a figment of your imagination. You could ask the dream to talk to yourself, and really get answers deep down in you. Maybe you could ask how you're feeling about something complicated, or the like.
Don't limit yourself to these things! Remember, the sky's not the limit - your imagination is!
My Experiences
I started writing this blog about a month ago, obviously because I'm trying to lucid dream.
My success? None, sadly.
I started with the usual, a dream journal and reality checks, waking up at 4AM every night to use MILD. My dreams stared to be more frequent and more vivid, however I never became lucid, with a bunch of failed reality checks and attempts. I tried using IMP as well, but I had no success. It might be just my sleeping patterns, but I'm not sure. Obviously I have little idea about who you are, so your luck with it could be much better.
Q&A
What is the best technique to use?
It really depends on you, but generally MILD paired with WBTB works best. If MILD fails several times, IMP could work.Is lucid dreaming on my first night guarenteed?
Of course not. Practice makes perfect. However, you could get lucky.This blog was a terrible source of information. What are some good sources I could use to keep my lucid dream career going?
If you need more info or clarity, I'd recommend going to this channel or this other channel. If you still need more info then you can always do more research.Is this dangerous? Can I get stuck?
Long story short, definitely not. Lucid dreaming should not affect your waking body. If you are experienced enough in lucid dreaming, you may reach a stage where you are 'stuck' in the dream, but this will not last for too long, and you will wake up normally.Can I...have...
Yes...but for obvious reasons, it'll make you wake up a lot faster than other activities. Also can cause very disturbing things to happen...Conclusion
I decided to make an informative blog because I thought this was an interesting topic to discuss (don't expect this type of extremely nerdy blog from me too often). Hope you enjoyed this one! If you have any success, let me know!
Very rough blog publishing dates for the next month (zero promises!):
November 25th: A Little Word Game Storyblog
December 1st: Tales Of A JetPunker Part 4
December 11th: HTML Part 2
December 25th: Fixing The World Map
Dancing Cat Gif by dashrainbow9 on DeviantArt (so I don't get a copyright claim) hope you like dancing cat *meow*
(The blog itself is still awesome)
Like, if I have had the dream before, then I can change different aspects of the dream. For instance, if I'm in a part where I walk through a house, I can remember what is in different rooms and either seek it out or ignore it, etc, and more.
But I can't do anything like that if I have never had the dream before
Ugh after that i tried a few times to enter a lucid dream again bc the feeling/experience was ethereal and psychedelic-like. The attempts were of no avail but after reading your blog i think i may try again
jk ofc