Is Lucid Dreaming REAL?
Despite the accumulation of ground-breaking knowledge and attaining feats such as traveling through space, eradication of disease and understanding nature at its tiniest form, humans have made little progress in understanding consciousness, subconsciousness, unconsciousness and the workings of the human brain.
The peaking interest in neuroscience and the extraordinary abilities of the brain have brought much interest and attention not only to lucid dreams but to dreams in general.
With the use of brain hacking to affect and even change people’s mental state, cognitive processes, and level of function in personal development and marketing, many have come to appreciate the capabilities and benefits of the unconscious and subconscious mind, especially in the dream state.
With increasing research into neuroscience and how personal development can be attained through brain hacking, sleep, dreams, and consciousness have become a key interest in the scientific world.
Despite increasing research, the question ‘is lucid dreaming real?’ has been a common one as the concept of lucid dreaming slowly becomes popular.
So, ‘Is lucid dreaming real?’ We could even ask, ‘Is dreaming in general real?’
I think how you answer the second question determines a lot about how you will answer the first one.
Anyway, before we answer the question ‘is lucid dreaming real?’ let us first understand what it is.
What is lucid dreaming?
A lucid dream is a dream in which the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming, while they are dreaming.
Lucid dreaming, therefore, is when YOU ARE dreaming- And YOU KNOW IT.
And now to the real question; Is lucid dreaming real?
While there are many who continue to question whether lucid dreaming actually happens at all, there is a growing body of research dating back to the stone age that shows that not only is lucid dreaming real, but that there are actually ways to incubate and induce these dreams and to even decide what to dream about.
While the available research may not be enough to convince skeptics and answer the question ‘Is lucid dreaming real?’, what it has done is fuel more curiosity and captured the imaginations of many people including researchers and even clinicians.
With the call from Experts for more studies to be done to determine the usefulness and effects of lucid dreaming, many are looking to it as a solution for chronic nightmares, a way to boost creativity and even help with problem-solving.
Is lucid dreaming safe?
Research shows that almost 80% of the population have had a lucid dream at least once in their lives. Most of these lucid dreams occur by accident with little notice from the dreamer, and hardly any effects when the dreamer awakens.
So, is lucid dreaming safe?
Lucid Dreaming is safe, and there is nothing dangerous about it.
However, caution is advised among those with mental illnesses that could lead to an inability to differentiate between their dream and waking states thus putting them in physical harm.
Lucid Dreaming steps
How to have a lucid dream tonight
Now that you have the basics of lucid dreaming, you may be wondering what lucid dreaming steps you can take to show you how to lucid dream tonight.
The good news is everyone has the capability to slip into this strange dream state where one is aware that they are dreaming.
For this to happen, the dreamer has to experience something that causes them to question their reality, resulting in them realizing that they are actually in a dream at that point of realization.
Below are some lucid dreaming steps to help you induce and incubate lucid dreams.
Lucid dreaming techniques
WILD
This is the Wake-Induced Lucid Dreaming technique. As the name suggests, this process involves moving your awareness from a physically waking state directly into a sleeping lucid dream state. Though not the easiest technique, WILD has 2 advantages; enables you to choose when to go lucid, and it produces the most vivid lucid dreams ever.
There are two routes to having a Wake Induced Lucid Dream; these are, visualization and the out-of-body exit.
First and foremost, relax.
Get your body relaxed and loose. This can be done by laying on your back and mimicking your sleep process or can be achieved after waking up from a deep sleep using the Wake-Back-to-Bed Technique which makes the use of an alarm clock 4-6 hrs after sleeping.
Observe your Hypnagogic
Notice the onset of your hypnagogic state. This is a peculiar hallucinogenic state that includes mesmerizing visions, sounds, bodily sensations and insights as once moves between the sleep-wake state.
You can interact with your hypnagogic or just ignore it. Whatever you do, just relax and flow with it and let it help you transition into the dream state.
If you are frightened by unusual hypnagogic, remember it is just a dream, and it is all in your head. Whatever the case, expect the unexpected, including sleep paralysis.
At this point, your body is asleep but hold onto your consciousness. Your dream is close.
Create a scene
At this point, start creating the scene of your dream in your head and make it as real as possible. As you create it immerse yourself in the dream by exploring your surroundings calmly and peacefully. Move around and try to forget your real body and its inhibitions and inhabit the lucid dream body, and let your body completely fall asleep.
With this disassociation, you will transition into your dream which will now be effortlessly 3 dimensional and interactive.
You will now be lucid dreaming!
WBTB (Wake-Back-To-Bed)
This is the Wake-Back-To-Bed Lucid dreaming technique, which is part of the WILD technique as mentioned above.
However, in this lucid dreaming technique, you interrupt your sleep using an alarm clock to achieve the state where your mind alert while your body is still in deep sleep.
You set your alarm 4-6 hrs after you sleep to awaken you and then immediately go back to sleep.
And because you will have woken up from your REM sleep, your body will immediately go back to deep sleep state while your mind will still be awake. This will induce sleep paralysis making you unable to move.
As with all techniques, it is important that you relax at this point, no matter how scary it may be, and just go with the flow.
Allow yourself to drift into the flashes of vision, sound, and scenery that follow no matter how random. As you immerse yourself into these hallucinations, you will start to be aware of what is happening and realize that you are in a dream.
You will now be lucid dreaming!
MILD
The MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreaming) technique is said to be the easiest and most used lucid dreaming technique. Because of its simplicity, it is best recommended for beginners and has been known to have a higher success rate than the rest.
The whole idea behind this technique is to plant a cue in the unconscious mind so as to help you become aware in your dreams. This is done by repeating a phrase to yourself as you fall asleep.
This phrase is;
‘The next time I am dreaming, I will remember that I am dreaming’
While you may not have a lucid dream immediately, what you will have accomplishes is embed into your brain your intention of having a lucid dream. And sooner or later, the dream will manifest itself.
Reality Checking
The whole concept of lucid dreaming is hinged on the aspect of being aware or conscious when you are actually unconscious. Being aware of a dream is hugely dependent on one’s ability to tell the difference between dream and reality.
For this to successfully happen, something has to occur that causes the dreamer to question their state thereby realizing that they are actually in a dream.
Reality checks are supposed to be the triggers that alert you that something is not right thus launching you into your lucid state by making you aware that you are dreaming.
Reality checking is the use of actions that you do in real life to prove you are awake or dreaming. These actions, though similar in both states, have different results in the two realms.
For example;
The finger palm push
You can use the finger palm push to do a reality check and determine whether you are lucid dreaming or not.
In real life, this will elicit resistance and even pain.
However, in the dream state, you are likely not to feel the finger on your palm at all, or it may go through your palm.
Actions such as this enable the dreamer to quickly identify their surroundings and determine whether they are dreaming or awake. It is therefore very important for one to practice these reality checks as often as possible during the day so as to increase their awareness of the waking state, which will help them identify their dream state much more easily.
How to lucid dream easily
Like most things in life, lucid dreaming is easily attained with good preparation. While it is not an easy feat, there are things you can do to help you in how to lucid dream easily.
Knowing the techniques and cues works well, but setting the right environment works excellently. Setting a dream conducive environment is critical in learning how to lucid dream easily.
This includes;
Dream Journal
One of the first habits towards learning how to lucid dream easily is dream recall. When you are able to remember your dreams, you increase your chances of tapping into them and your ability to control them.
Keeping a dream journal helps you in your dream recall process. This could be a notebook or a voice recorder. What you do is develop the habit of writing down what you can remember of your dreams first thing when you wake up.
This journal will not only help you remember and maybe identify your dominant dreams, but will also help you map out your overall state and help you understand yourself better.
Constant Reality Checks
Ensure that you do constant reality checks throughout your day. The constant reality checks not only make you more aware of your waking world but also makes it a habit thus increasing the chances of you remembering to do reality checks in your dream state.
Deep Sleep
And as with all dreams, getting a good night sleep is very important. This means that one has to put an end to the dysfunctional relationship with sleep that most of us have and develop habits that support a healthy sleeping schedule, so as to learn how to lucid dream easily.
Ensure that you get a solid 8hrs of sleep and avoid all things that will impede this such as alcohol and drugs, certain foods and even sleeping on a full bladder.
Steps on your lucid dreaming journey
Stay motivated
The lucid dreaming journey is not easy, one does not just fall asleep and lucid dream. Most importantly, it is different for everyone. However, one key thing is intention. Keep sending the cues to your brain of your wish to have a lucid dream and it will stick. In the meantime, stay motivated and enjoy the process, experiment and have fun, and when you finally attain your lucid dream, relax and enjoy the experience.
Practice Daily
It can never be said enough that practice makes perfect.
Practice your daily habits, practice having a good sleeping environment, practice having a healthy sleeping schedule and practice the lucid dreaming techniques.
It may seem like a lot of work, but the whole process is guaranteed to improve your overall wellbeing and get you even more benefits once you attain lucidity.
Track Progress
Ensure you track your progress including your sleeping schedule, dominant dream, emotions and thoughts within dreams, time of sleep, and even diet.
This will help you map out your dream patterns and identify opportunities for lucid dreaming.
Lucid dreaming tips
In conclusion, while there are techniques to induce lucid dreams, there are also tools and tips that can assist in incubating and sustaining lucid dreams. These lucid dreaming tips and tools include but are not limited to;
Meditation– The common aspect of lucid dreaming and meditation is that in both, your aim is to reach a high level of awareness.
Meditation promotes the mental habit of observing and becoming aware of one’s surrounding, making it very useful not only for lucid dreaming but for one’s overall wellbeing. The more frequent you meditate the more you are to realize you are dreaming.
Binaural Beats– This is the playing of two different tones of frequencies at the same time but separately to each ear. Binaural beats stimulate and change the state of the brain and have been known to help with insomnia, restlessness and have helped in inducing lucid dreams.
Dream pillow– this is a pillow that is infused with essential oils. These oils and their smells have been known to enhance dream recall, stronger visualization, and better sleep. The use of some of these oils shape dreams and stimulate lucid dreams
Sleep supplements– These are supplements that help with sleeping in general and help one attain the REM state faster and for longer, increasing the chances of lucid dreams and even assist with dream recall. These include supplements such as vitamin B6, tryptophan, vitamin B5, choline bitartrate among others. It is important to check with your doctor before trying any supplements.
Use Blackout blinds– Sleeping in a dark room increases the production of melatonin, which regulates our sleep patterns and sleep-wake cycles thus affecting the quality of our dreams and the success of lucid dreaming. Using blackout blinds results in the production of melatonin which means better sleep. These can easily be substituted with the use of a good sleeping mask.
Like most things, lucid dreaming is a difference experience for difference people, there are those that will attain it naturally, those that need a few days of trying and those that will need a whole lot of trying and commitment.
In all cases, Lucid dreaming takes a lot of patience and practice. Coupled with the right techniques and environment, almost anyone can experience and play around with the extraordinary capabilities of their brain while they are sleeping.