Some years ago, I had a VERY lucid dream. It was awesome! I'd like to repeat the experience. I've been doing some research and I've read it has a lot of advantages. Quote:

The benefits of lucid dreaming are far-reaching. You can take on a new life in lucid dreams, free of all your fears and inhibitions, confident that you can do absolutely anything. This has a real positive impact on your waking life. But that's not all... Conscious dreaming is a fascinating experience. The realism is shocking, yet you are in a completely safe and controllable environment. Alternate realities here we come! It's against this background that you can face your fears, enhance your creative problem solving skills, improve your confidence and practice new skills. That's not to mention the enormous fun that comes from playing within your own virtual reality dream world and how it relates to your own subconscious mind. Soon you will see it is all interconnected - conscious and unconscious - enabling you to use this playground for profound personal growth and insights. And then there is the obvious benefit: pure wish fulfillment. Act out your greatest fantasies in full color. You don't need inspiration for that, do you...?

I find this exremely interesting.

I was wondering if some of you have also had Lucid Dreams?

And in your opinion, what are the best techniques to accomplish this the faster? I have read you can get to have 4 - 5 Lucid Dreams per week!!!

Thanks!

BJ09

asked 11 Aug '10, 11:38

BridgetJones09's gravatar image

BridgetJones09
4.6k43789

edited 11 Aug '10, 16:41

Barry%20Allen's gravatar image

Barry Allen ♦♦
11411

Like you, I've had just the one very lucid dream, and likewise it was a few years ago now. It was absolutely blardy fabulous I can tell you! But regrettably, I've never been able to repeat the experience. Still, maybe that's just as well, cos otherwise I'd probably decide to spend all my time sleeping!

(11 Aug '10, 11:45) Account closed
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The most successful, but probably one of the more difficult to adopt, ways of influencing the induction of lucid dreaming is to cultivate a mindset that always questions if you are dreaming or not. Work this kind of critical evaluation into your daily life and you will not only have a higher chance noticing the idiosyncrasies that indicate that you're dreaming, but also a steadier awareness and higher lucidity in your waking life.

There are lots of other techniques, but the general undertone is to structure your life in such a way as to be thinking about your dreams often. Start a dream journal, record what you remember, and look over past dreams before bed. This will prime your brain to be thinking about them while you sleep, as well as slowly start to show you some of the common themes and patterns of your dreaming mind that have likely gone unnoticed.

Meditate. The states of calm abiding and awareness that are cultivated by meditation transition very well into lucid dreaming. The trick is to pay attention and be engaged without being super excited or attached. This will either wake you up or pull you back into nonlucidity. And aside from that, dreaming or not, meditation is a good idea!

There are audio tracks you can listen to (or make yourself) that are largely silent, except for the approximate periods you're dreaming. Then a gentle voice reminds you that you are dreaming, and you may hear it in the dream and respond with increased awareness and control. There are masks that take this a step further, detect your REM periods and blink subtle lights when appropriate. Likewise, you can repeat a phrase or mantra to yourself as you fall to sleep, even something simple like "Am I dreaming?" over and over, as long as you actually try and answer that question! Look up MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreaming) and there will be many more examples.

You can also mess with your alarm clock, to try and catch yourself or increase your chances. Time and alarm for maybe 4.5, 6, and 7.5 hours after you fall asleep to boost the odds you will wake up during a REM period. For those with faith in the mind and body, simply telling yourself that you will wake up at x o'clock after a dream will be enough. If youre flexible with your morning routine, being able to wake up for an hour or so (get the "awake" mind going by reading old dreams, meditating, or even just take care of what you have to do usually in the morning) and then sleeping for another 90 minutes is often highly recommended. These types of things usually fall in the category of WILD (Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming).

Basically, step 1 is start a dream journal. Step 2 is think about it all the time. Step 3 is get crazy with your waking time.

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answered 11 Aug '10, 15:10

Nate's gravatar image

Nate
31612

Thank you, Nate! Your tips are very interesting. I'll try some. :)

(13 Aug '10, 14:44) BridgetJones09

simply be aware. yes if you have a analytical mind it can help because you analyse everything that you experience. so in a dream when you are doing something that you do not do in physical reality then you realize that you are not in Kansas any more. I would say that being aware is the most important part, if you take meditation for example some will fall asleep and cannot be aware siting still. it takes practice like anything else.

(15 Oct '15, 01:44) white tiger

According to Tenzin Wengyal Rinpoche in his book The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep,

"There is no stronger method of bringing consistent lucidity to dream than by abiding continuously in lucid presence during the day. ... an important part of this practice is to experience yourself as a dream. Imagine yourself as an illusion, as a dream figure, with a body that lacks solidity. Imagine your personality and various identities as projections of mind. Maintain presence, the same lucidity you are trying to cultivate in dream, while sensing yourself as insubstantial and transient, made only of light. This creates a very different relationship with yourself that is comfortable, flexible, and expansive. ... it is not enough to simply repeat again and again that you are in a dream. The truth of the statement must be felt and experienced beyond the words."

Thank you for reminding me of the Great Dream with your question Bridget!

May you find what you seek!

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answered 06 Dec '10, 09:03

Hu%20Ra's gravatar image

Hu Ra
1.1k314

Thank you very much! That's really helpful! x

(06 Dec '10, 14:20) BridgetJones09

I like that quote!.......

(06 Dec '10, 15:02) daniele

thanks for the book reference :)

(06 Apr '14, 02:45) jaz
showing 2 of 3 show 1 more comments

I had a lucid dream not long ago, though I was so excited when I realised it that when I started to fly I couldn't navigate properly and ended up crashing and waking myself up. The way I knew it was a dream was to look at my watch face and see the numbers spinning round quickly. Like you I have been trying to repeat the experience but so far no luck.I'll let you know if I do.

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answered 11 Aug '10, 14:33

evelyn's gravatar image

evelyn
771419

I sure will! :)

(11 Aug '10, 14:43) BridgetJones09

Just had 2 Lucid Dreams last night! It was absolutely fabulous!!!

(26 Aug '10, 14:04) BridgetJones09

James Twyman has a technique where you go to sleep and tell yourself you will wake up prior to when you have to wake up, stay up for about a half an hour, then go back to sleep and tell yourself you will remember what you are dreaming. This happens in the last few hours of your sleep. He has even developed a way to connect with the non physical during the sleep state. Look up Dream Dancing by James Twyman. That is where I found it.

But there is a wonderful CD you can get from the www.jonahlifeinstitute.com called "Sleep". There is much learning we receive during the sleep state and you can get answers to your questions if you work with this information.

There is also a book called "The Artists Way" that says if you ponder a question prior to sleep and then when you first wake up don't move for at least 30 minutes and simply recall your dream and then as soon as you get up write it down. Much can be achieved and learned from our dreams.

I do much of my lucid dreaming whilst riding in a car. I am awake but dreaming. I would guess I am in either a Theta brainwave or Delta brainwave. There is breathwork you can do to get into those brainwave states, see Jack Schwartz books, "The Human Energy System" or "The Method of Atogenics".

Hope this helps!

From the Heart!

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answered 12 Aug '10, 22:06

Assister's gravatar image

Assister
448312

Thank you so much for all the books you've recomended me! I'll see if I can get some of them.

(13 Aug '10, 14:46) BridgetJones09

I get them about once or twice every six months. I have no idea how they come about. Something just clicks mid-dream and bingo! I say to myself "I am dreaming" then its party time.

I like that it is always a surprise and I do not bring it on by request.

ZZZZZzzzzzz

Michae...

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answered 07 Dec '10, 03:48

jim%2010's gravatar image

jim 10
(suspended)

If you want to have them whenever you like, many times (needs practice) visit http://www.dreamviews.com/content/. All the techniques there! :)

(07 Dec '10, 13:15) BridgetJones09

it comes with practice!just be aware that you are not in the physical body anny more! most of my dream i am aware! some time i do around 3 to 4 dream in the same night! yes it is fun you can fight nightmare and after a while you will not have anny nightmare anny more they get tired to try to scare something more powerful then them! in creative dream you can control annything!(change enviromment colors etc.) also you can rewind dream and pass in slow motion!yep it is very fun!

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answered 24 Apr '11, 05:41

white%20tiger's gravatar image

white tiger
21.9k114116

This article covers quite a few techniques to explore: http://www.zengardner.com/52-ways-lucid-dreams/

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answered 03 Apr '14, 03:13

Catherine's gravatar image

Catherine
4.1k932

Somewhat a deviation from the question of your initial post, but Bashar of the Sessani, in one of the many Bashar videos on youtube, stated that he/she and their race are currently in, or are approaching, a state of conscious existence of what we would call 'Lucid Dreaming'. I found this statement not only interesting but a highly resonating reminder of our directional manifestational abilities. Unfortunately, I do not recall the particular video in which Bashar made this statement; but in the event I come across this video again, I will most certainly post it to this particular forum stream.

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answered 06 Apr '14, 01:53

TGunn's gravatar image

TGunn
1.3k213

this fits in perfectly with Hu Ra's text "there is no stronger method of consistent lucidity to dream than abiding continuously in lucid presence during the day ... "

(06 Apr '14, 02:34) jaz

Scientific researchers have recently discovered how to make people aware of themselves during a dream ... by zapping the brain with a weak electric current, "we can really quite easily change conscious awareness in dreams"

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140511-lucid-dreaming-sleep-nightmares-consciousness-brain/

alt text

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answered 14 May '14, 11:30

jaz's gravatar image

jaz
2.4k312

First of all, if you don't already, you need to keep a dream journal so that you develop a better dream memory. This will take some time but after 2-3 weeks you will be able to remember up to 4-5 dreams every morning.

As an astonishing side effect your dreams get extremely vivid.

While developing your dream memory you can start training your awareness with "Reality Checks."

Here are the very basics of this easy lucid dreaming technique:

During your day start observing reality for situations that seem weird,odd or "out of place." Every time you happen to have one of these moments, you do a reality check by looking at your hands. IF you are dreaming - you will see your fingers in a funny, deformed way. If not, your hands, of course, will look normal.

This works because you will develop the habit of being more critical and doing reality checks in your dreams too. If you're disciplined with this you will find yourself doing reality checks in your dreams, discovering that your hands look "funny" and recognizing, "Wow, this must be a dream!"

I've had great success with this technique. It's easy and enhances your awareness - brings you from day's "sleep mode" to high-awareness mode.

Eli

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answered 12 Oct '15, 23:48

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EloiseC
1014

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