Everyone dreams whether they remember their dreams or not. In fact, most people have 3-4 dreams per night. In a “lucid dream state”, which occur in 60 minute cycles during sleep, the person is aware that they are in a dream and have the ability to control the dream as they see fit. This gives the person a means to think, rationalize, invent (Mendeleev was said to have devised the periodic table in a dream), or just have fun. As crazy as it may sound, researchers believe there are techniques you can use to promote lucid dreams.
First, you must place an importance on dreams and dreaming. Keep a “dream log” by your bed and each time you wake up (interrupted dreams are often the ones we remember), record the dream in the log. If you wake up and were not dreaming, record that fact too. Recording your dreams will emphasize the importance of your dreams and will also give you a reference that you can use with the techniques discussed below.
Secondly, you must learn to recognize when you are dreaming. Many people have “dream signs” or common elements that appear repeatedly in their dreams. Learn to recognize these dream signs, pick them out, and try to use them as a cue to “wake up” during your dream. For instance, if you often dream about dogs, try to use dogs as a cue to trigger control of your dream. Tell yourself that you will recognize the cue and relinquish control of your dream to your consciousness when you see the dogs in a dream.
Another way to control dreams is to train yourself to recognize when you are having one. The purpose is to learn signs of a dream state so you become conditioned to recognize the dream state itself. You can do this by forming “reality checks’. During the day, while you are awake, make a point of asking yourself, “Am I dreaming?” Learn to distinguish between dreams and reality by checking physical objects such as time clocks (time often does not change in dreams) during your waking hours and making a mental note that the changing time is an indicator that you are awake. Over time you will learn to recognize cues in dreams that trigger awareness of the dream state.
Another method suggested by dream researchers is to write a letter (e.g. “A”) on the palm of your hand. When you notice the letter during waking hours, challenge yourself whether or not you are awake or dreaming. This will develop into a habit that will begin to occur in your dreams. You may notice the letter during a dream and activate the awareness that you are dreaming.
Mnemonically Induced Lucid Dreams (MILD) is simply the practice of repeating the phrase “I will have a lucid dream” over and over as you are falling asleep. If you wake up during the night, begin repeating the phrase to yourself again, over and over, until you fall asleep. Researchers report that this often triggers a lucid dream state during REM sleep.
Wake Induced Lucid Dreams (WILD) is another method to induce lucid dreams. Keep your mind aware as you fall asleep. “Play a movie” in your head as you are dozing off. Often you will carry this awareness into your dreams and directly into REM sleep causing you to start out with a lucid dream.
A similar method is to imagine a wall with reality on one side of the wall (the side you are on while you are falling asleep) and a fantasy world on the other side of the wall. Given the fact that moving through walls is a common dream action, as you fall asleep, you may move through the wall into the fantasy world located on the other side.
In addition to these techniques, you must make sure you incur normal REM sleep patterns during the night. Avoid eating heavy before going to sleep and avoid sleep aids (they often prevent dreaming). Avoid watching stimulating TV shows right before you got to sleep.
