What are Lucid Dreams

What are Lucid Dreams? Lucid dreams are dreams in which the dreamer realises, whilst still asleep, that they are dreaming. Often, with practice, the dreamer can then begin to choose what happens in the dream. Why learn to Lucid Dream? With lucid dreaming, the possibilities have no boundaries. Any idea of fantasy can be followed through with detail and clarity.

Unlike daydreaming, a dream whilst asleep is more consuming and convincing. Also, in practical terms it means we can be more economical with our time. Normally the hours spent sleeping would be lost to us, but lucid dreaming allows to use those hours productively.

Aside from the sheer pleasure one could potentially gain from being able to control dreams, there are other purposes. For instance, the ability to exert control over dreams would be useful for anyone suffering from nightmares. Also, lucid dreaming is a method of self-exploration in its own right. Not much is known about lucid dreaming and the literature and relevant research available is limited. So, if you choose to try and acquire the skill to lucid dream, then in a sense you are qualifying the existence of such a concept, and if you choose to relate your experiences to others then you may help to broaden the knowledge base regarding lucid dreaming. Further, people have often claimed that they have acquired extra knowledge in dreams or been able to problem solve.

One trick to try whilst lucid dreaming could be to ask yourself a question that has so far been irresolvable.

How can I have Lucid Dreams?

Lucid dreaming takes practice and patience. Like any other skill, it needs to be built upon slowly and step by step. One step to begin with, that will move you towards the ability to dream lucidly, is to keep a dream diary - a record of your dreams that you fill in each morning upon waking. Therefore, it's advisable to keep this journal somewhere near to your bed and easily accessible.

You will notice that over time you will begin to remember more dreams each morning and in more detail. When you write in your dream diary, don't be concerned about whether the dream follows a coherent plot, or makes sense at all. Don't try to correct your grammar as you write it either, as long as it is legible to you alone. Simply focus on honestly recording every detail - this not only includes the tangible content like objects and faces, but the intangible content such as feelings, and ideas. Try to hold back from attempting to analyse the meaning of the dream either (or at least postpone it until all the details are recorded accurately). Try not to take a break before recording the dream, as any interference or distraction will mean that you are less likely to remember it.

If you have temporarily forgotten the dream, a trick to remember it is to try and mimic the sleeping position you were in when you woke up. Likewise, when you first awake, try not to move at first but instead remain in your sleeping position and reflect for a moment on your dream (before reaching for you dream diary!).

Another distraction which may affect your ability to recall your dream is any loud noise. If you usually wake up to a loud alarm clock then this could impair your memory of your dreams, as it will jolt you too quickly out of your dream state. If possible, try to wake up naturally, or via a quieter alarm.

Usually when we are dreaming, we are not aware it is a dream and we can frequently be convinced that the dream is real at the time especially if it mimics everyday routine. The trick of lucid dreaming is to have some form of trigger that reminds you that this experience is not real. Therefore, to have a lucid dream you need to find some sort of signal that will tell you that you are currently dreaming. The most famously cited example of such a signal is pinching yourself. But in practice, other signals are more successful. For instance text, clocks and your reflection are three essential ways of checking whether and experience is 'real' or a dream.

In a dream all three of these will appear more obscured. The way to allow these signals to seep in to your dreaming life is to habitually think of them during you waking life. It may seem a little absurd to go about your daily life checking that it is real - but it begins to make more sense when you consider that the content of your dreams tends to be based upon a mixture of your experiences from the day.

If you allow a habit to develop in which you often check the time, look at your reflection, or see if text appears to be blurred. If you are successful at lucid dreaming Further things to consider in order to enhance your lucid dreaming experience are to dedicate some time to reflecting upon what type of dream you want to have, what you want to achieve in your dream, and how that might make you feel.

Other options would be to look at images that you find particularly evocative, or read a favourite story before falling asleep. You might also want focus on the thought of what you want from your dream. Alternately, you might focus on a question as you are falling asleep that you intend you dream to answer. If you are unsure of what you want your dream to entail, then another suggestion would be to simply ask yourself for a message.

A tip to monitor the success of your lucid dreaming is to keep a short list of things that you would like to dream about and then observe if you have achieved them.