Why
you should learn to lucid dream
Lucid dreaming is
being aware that you are dreaming. Typically, this occurs in the middle of a
regular dream. Often the actual theme of the dream is beyond the individual’s
control. However, it may be possible to influence the dream – to change the
characters or course of events – including the ending of an unpleasant dream.
If you’ve never experienced it then you may find it hard
to understand what lucid dreaming is all about. In fact you may be thoroughly
sceptical and dismiss the whole thing as silly nonsense. But I can tell you
from personal experience that lucid dreams are very real and something that
many millions of people regularly enjoy.
These types of dreams are hyper-real in that when you
experience one it is bursting with vibrant colour, there’s often marvellous
music playing in the background (if you listen for it), the air is the freshest
and sweetest you’ve ever smelled, and you are the healthiest you have ever been
(or could ever be).
Lucid dreaming is when you experience full consciousness
while dreaming. You know that you are in a dream and you discover that you can
do absolutely anything you like in it. What generally causes you to become
conscious without waking up is when you notice something so incongruous that
you would never see in real life that you instantly realise you must be in a
dream. But, you may be thinking that so much of what you dream is weird and
wonderful and could never occur in real life. And you’re right. It’s only
sometimes that the incongruity stands out, and there’s no way of knowing when
it will happen. However, there are techniques you can use to increase the
possibility, which I’ll explain a little later.
You may also have another question on your mind, along
the lines of “What’s the big deal with being conscious while dreaming, anyway?”
And that’s a good question to ask if you’ve never experienced it. The answer is
that when you dream you create a world that is far more real than you remember
when you wake up. Usually it’s packed with colour and texture that you rarely
see in real life.
When you ‘wake up’ inside a dream you can consciously
appreciate just how wonderful dreams really are. And because you’re awake you
will remember the dream in exquisite detail. I promise, you’ll never forget
your first lucid dream.
Experiencing
a lucid dream
The dreamworld your unconscious mind creates for you is
so intricately constructed that you can pluck a leaf from a tree and examine it
in tiny detail. Every little vein and pockmark is there. You can walk over to a
building and examine its brickwork, where you’ll discover every item of sand or
other material that went into its making. You can also feel all manner of fine
and rough textures.
The only thing you don’t feel, though, is pain. Nothing
actually hurts you physically in a dream, which is why pinching yourself inside
one is a sure way of proving that you are, indeed, dreaming (although, it turns
out from the comments below, that some people can feel pain while asleep –
which just goes to show how different we all are).
When you are experiencing a lucid dream you can do
absolutely anything you want. You can float, bounce or fly around. You can
dance and run super-fast. And you can even participate in dream sex. What you
do is entirely up to you, and whatever you desire to manifest, your unconscious
will create for you to enjoy. Most lucid dreamers also report that they
experience extreme joy when in the state.
You can also use your awake time in a dream to work on
your personal growth because it’s the perfect time to slay any nightmare
monsters or demons that bother you. Seek them out and cuddle them with
inescapable love. Envelop them with goodwill and optimism and turn them from
black and menacing ugly things (which dream monsters often are), into tiny,
colourful collectable figures that couldn’t hurt a fly. This will go a long way
towards reducing the incidence of nightmares if you have them.
Becoming
lucid while sleeping
I most frequently used to lucid dream after working the
night shift at the home for disabled people where I spent my first few years
after completing my education. The night staff had to stay up all night and
regularly attend to the resident’s needs, so napping wasn’t an option, and
copious amounts of coffee would be drunk to keep us alert throughout each
12-hour shift.
We used to work only a few nights at a time and then
would go back onto day shifts, so our internal day and night clock was
constantly changing, and by the morning after the first night shift in a
series, I would have a combination of sleep deficit, exhaustion and caffeine,
which would make it quite hard indeed to get to sleep. It also meant that
sometimes my dreams would become lucid – since then I have learned to recognize
the first hints of becoming conscious during sleep and am able to “wake myself
up” once or twice a month to enjoy a lucid experience.
One way to help bring on a lucid experience is to think
about the concept as you go to sleep. This will prime your unconscious mind to
be more willing to relinquish control when it thinks appropriate. So imagine
having a lucid dream (even if you’ve never had one) and visualize all the
things you would like to do, and allow yourself to drift off to sleep as you do
so.
You can also get into the habit of pinching yourself
regularly throughout the day. Try to do so at least once an hour so that it
becomes standard routine and quite normal for you. After a while you may find
that the habit carries over into your sleeping, and if you do pinch yourself
while asleep, the lack of pain should be enough to awaken your consciousness.
If your partner doesn’t object another method that often
works is to set your alarm clock for about five hours after you normally go to
sleep. When it sounds turn it off and try to remember everything you can about
your interrupted dream. Sit up in bed while you do this and keep the concept of
lucid dreaming firmly in your mind. Imagine what it is like and what you will
do. Try to stay awake for at least fifteen minutes (or longer if you can), then
settle back down and let yourself drift back off to sleep, and sometimes this
will help provoke a lucid dream – but you may have to try it quite a few times
before it does.
Making
the most while it lasts
Sadly, lucid dreams last only about five or ten minutes
in most cases. Either your conscious mind gets tired or your unconscious mind
decides to seize the reins again. So as soon as you know that you have become
lucid don’t waste any time before doing all the things you have been waiting
for. Quickly go and examine all the objects around you to see how exquisitely
detailed they are – this alone will tell you how amazing lucid dreams are – and
how much more powerful than the most expensive computer graphics card your
brain is.
Seek out other people, animals or things to interact
with. As you move around, notice how the
3D parallax is absolutely perfect, with the vanishing points moving slower than
things near you. Listen quietly and see if your unconscious is playing music
for you. If it is, sometimes it may be a tune you know but often it will be a
new kind of music that’s rich and almost angelic – somehow the best music
you’ve ever heard. Go and fly and look down on the world – the trees and houses
and everything else you can see. It’s all there in perfect detail, and you can
fly to any part of it. In fact you can fly as far and high as you like, even to
the moon, where the air you breathe will be just as fresh as on earth.
As you become skilled you will even be able to create
your own imaginary worlds, islands, buildings, animals, aliens, or what have
you. Just like in the movie Inception, it will all instantly come to life and
you can then experience it to your heart’s content.
If nothing else, once you have dreamed lucidly, you will
forever be in complete awe at the depth, ability and creativity of your
unconscious mind. And if you use creative visualization you will understand
just how it is that your visualizations manage to bring your goals to fruition.
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