How to have lucid dreams

“A lucid dream, also known as a conscious dream, is a dream in which the person is aware that he or she is dreaming while the dream is in progress.“

Think as you fall asleep without loosing your conscious awareness. Keep your mind focused on the idea of lucid dreaming as you fall asleep. Think about lucid dreaming during the day, during normal tasks. Ask yourself whether you are dreaming at the present time. “Am I dreaming?“

Examine your surroundings — analyze them critically. Think about yourself — what did you do before performing the current task, then, what are you doing at the present time? Trace your memories back. In a dream you may find your memory to be short-lived. You may come the the conclusion that you are or are not dreaming.

To help yourself experience a lucid dream:

• Read a book — stimulate your mind before bed.
• Before you sleep — walk around your house to stimulate physical awareness.
• Think about your experiences as you fall asleep — you will slowly fall into sleep-paralysis.

Test yourself:

• Jump. In a dream, you float down, rather than abruptly land.
• Try to push your hand through a wall.
• Try to lift something you know you cannot lift.
• Try to pass the handles of a knife and fork together — if successful, you can confirm you are dreaming.

Note: Losing contact with reality may be an effect of lucid dreaming. You may come to the conclusion that you are having a lucid dream while in the physical world. If it becomes a habit - be aware of the tests mentioned above.

Subjects of lucid dreaming report it to not conflict with their nights sleep — to my knowledge no reports of suicide have been reported. Throwing yourself into traffic to see if it will stop is not a wise test.

One may have his or her first lucid dream in a nightmare. You can use the tests above to come the the realization you are in a dream. When coming to the conclusion — you can turn the nightmare into a less frightening experience.

You can release yourself from a recurring nightmare through lucid dreaming.

Lucid dreams are a way to escape a physical world constrained by physics. Cases of ESP (Extra Sensory Perception) have been reported. It may be hard to realize that you are awake — as lucid dreams may become indistinguishable from conscious life.

Tests on reality have been performed on several subjects. Subjects placed in a pitch-black room without physical interaction report hallucinations, similar to that of dreaming even though they were physically awake and well. After being released back into the world, subjects report their hallucinations to accompany them — even to the extent of casting a shadow. There in-lies the question. Is reality just a lucid dream? Does our psyche make up what we see and experience, rather than our physical senses?

Use lucid dreaming to explore your psyche…