Lucid dreaming is the ability to be consciously aware of the fact that we are dreaming, as it is happening, and often involves choosing to change the actions, characters, or outcomes of our dreams. When we are asleep, the conscious part of the mind that involves rational thinking goes off line. That’s why dreams seem so bizarre once we are awake, because they are from the non-linear, subconscious, creative and intuitive part of the mind that thinks in pictures, symbols and metaphors. Becoming lucid in the dream state involves bringing some of the conscious part of the mind back online. That’s why it’s also very easy to wake up  – and difficult to stay in the dream – when we become lucid.

There are conflicting opinions about lucid dreaming. One is that if you can control the outcome of your dreams, you can control the outcome of your life, which can be a great way to take charge of our own destiny. A second theory is that the unconscious mind needs to work things out as we sleep, and this process should not be interfered with. To me each side has value and could apply in different context. For example, if a child is having nightmares, it is very helpful to teach them lucid skills to slay the monster that is causing them fear in the night.

Can I learn how to have lucid dreams?

It can take some practice, but it is definitely possible. Some stumble into the ability, but for most it can take some effort and practice just like learning any new skill. Following are some steps that can help if you would like to learn how to become lucid in your dreams.

Set the intention that you a going to have lucid dreams tonight and that you will remember your dreams when you wake up. Repeat this over and over to yourself as you are falling asleep. You can also decide ahead of time what you would like dream about while you are lucid. For example: “Tonight I am going to have lucid dreams that I am flying through the sky with my true love, and I will remember everything when I wake up!”

Perform ‘reality checks’ throughout the day: take note of your surroundings to see if there is anything unusual such as strange landscapes, words floating off the pages of a book, or the fact that you can walk on water. By making reality checks a habit when you are awake, you will start to do them in your dreams. Then when you realize that you are dreaming, you will know you are lucid and can experiment with changing the dreamscape, characters, or story line.

Create an association that you can use to trigger your awareness during dreaming, such as looking at your hands – a common technique – or make up your own association, one that works for you. Practice this through out the day, similar to reality checks. By making awareness-association a habit you will start to do it in your dreams. When you do it, awake or asleep, check in with yourself to see weather or not you are dreaming. If you look at your hands and gain the awareness that you are dreaming, you are lucid.

Some suggest setting the alarm clock early because if you wake up in the middle of a dream, you are more likely to remember it. Personally I don’t like being woken up early, or by intrusive alarm clock. But it is an option if you are having trouble recalling your dreams. Just be sure to write your dream down or record it when you do wake up, or it will likely be lost in the first 10 minutes.

One study found that by being woken up an hour early and staying up for 30-60 minutes, then going back to sleep, people were 15-20 times more likely to have lucid dreams.

Once you become lucid, realizing that you are dreaming while in the dreaming state, you will be able to take control of the characters, scenery, plots, and actions in your dream. Even if you can’t control the entire dream, you can usually change and direct key parts of it. If you are being chased by a monster, you can confront him and turn him into a spec of dust, a feather, an angel, or you can even have a conversation with him. Choose whatever you want, anything you can think of, that makes a better outcome for you in the dream story. You can do fun things such as get romantic with your favorite celebrity or ‘dream partner’, or travel the world, but you can also seek deeper insights such as answers for how to heal physical, emotional or spiritual wounds of yourself, others or the world.

Hypnogogic State – The transitional, twilight state between being awake and falling asleep. In this state it is common for paranormal phenomena to occur, including auditory and/or visual hallucinations, out of body experiences, sleep paralysis and sleep paralysis attacks.

Hypnopompic State – Same as the hypnogogic state, except this term refers to the transition from sleep to waking.

Out of Body Experience (O.B.E.) –  When a person’s consciousness leaves the body and is able to observe the physical surroundings such as the bedroom they are in.  This may also involve travelling around, yet still viewing the physical surroundings as we know them in waking reality.

Near Death Experience (N.D.E.) – (a form of O.B.E.) A person may be pronounced clinically dead, only to later come back to life later.  Many will report conversations they overheard (for example between surgeons at the operating table if they died in a hospital) that are later confirmed, and the person would have had no way of knowing this information otherwise. This brings up the interesting and fascinating distinction between mind and brain, as consciousness (mind) is surviving without and beyond the death of the physical matter (brain).

Astral Projection –  When consciousness leaves the physical body and travels, similar to an Out of Body Experience, but the travel is through a more dream like, other worldly realm.

Lucid Dreaming – Becoming aware of the fact that one is dreaming during the experience of having a dream.  For more information read Robert Waggoner’s fascinating book “Lucid Dreaming”.  For more info, go here: https://www.thedreamdetective.com/faq.html#lucid

After Death Contact (A.D.C.) – When a deceased loved one comes to visit us in our dreams.  While some dreams of loved ones who have crossed over are ways of processing our loss, other are reported as feeling very ‘different’ than regular dreams. Some of the hallmarks of A.D.C. dreams are that they feel very real, as if the loved one were actually with the dreamer.  The dreamer may report smelling grandma’s perfume or grandpa’s cigar, and often the dream takes place in the dreamer’s bedroom, which is not the case for most dreams.  Sometimes a dream ‘already in progress’ may be interrupted by the appearance the deceased loved one, who almost always brings messages of comfort and love in any of these scenarios.  Many people also have these dreams of former pets who have crossed over as well.

Shared Dreams or Mutual Dreaming – The experience of having the same dream at the same time as another person.  Usually this occurs between people who are emotionally close such as siblings, close friends, family members or romantic partners. The degree of the ‘shared’ experience may vary from part of each person’s dream being the same (overlapping), to the entire dream being identical for both dreamers.  People sometimes intend for a shared dream experience, visualizing it and agreeing on a meeting spot before going to sleep.

Sleep Paralysis – In R.E.M. sleep our body becomes paralyzed so that we don’t physically act out what we are dreaming about, as this could be very harmful to our self and others.  When we wake up the paralysis releases, however sometimes there is a ‘glitch in the system’ where the paralysis takes a little longer to release.  Becoming conscious and finding that the body is paralyzed can be a terrifying experience that about 20-30% of the population will experience at some time. However, it usually resolves itself and is nothing to be afraid of.

Sleep Paralysis Attacks – A phenomenon that sometimes occurs during the state of sleep paralysis, where the dreamer reports a visitation. The visitor is most often described as either a dark, shadowy figure, or something know as ‘the old hag’, who is reported to look something like a Halloween witch. This phenomenon has been reported all over the world through out history.  Researcher David Hufford wrote a book about this called ‘The Terror that Comes in the Night’.

Nightmares – Scary dreams that often will wake us up with a pounding heart and covered in sweat.  These are R.E.M. dreams and are important to pay attention to when working through life’s difficulties.  If a nightmare relives a trauma and repeats with no progression or resolution over time, this would indicate a P.T.S.D. nightmare and professional guidance with an experienced professional is recommended.

Night Terrors – Different than a nightmare, these do not occur in R.E.M. sleep, but rather in stage 4, or the deepest, non-dream sleep. Often night terrors cause the sufferer to scream out loud, but upon waking they will have no recollection of any kind of dream or what happened.

Daydreams – A relaxed state (similar to a hypnotic trance) where creativity, imagination, problem solving and learning consolidation occur.  As part of our circadian rhythm (similar to the 90 minute cycles between R.E.M. dreams when asleep), we have a natural tendency to daydream about every 70-120 minutes through out the day.

Precognitive Dreams – Dreams that pick up on potentials for the future that may or may not play out. There have been reports of people who have had a precognitive dream and later recognized a dangerous situation in waking life because of the dream.  They were then able to make a course correction to prevent the potential negative outcome because the dream provided them with the warning and awareness to do this.

Clairvoyant Dreams –  A dream during which the dreamer is able to witnesses an outside event (happening in waking reality) at the same time it is actually occurring.

Empathic telepathy –  Similar to a clairvoyant dream, except that instead of witnessing an event as an outside observer during the dream, the dreamer experiences the event as if it were happening to them – in a sense assuming the identity of someone that the waking life event is actually happening to.