Lucid Dreaming Techniques

Becoming conscious during your dreams and taking control of them is one of the most fulfilling and fun things to do with your brain. With over a decade of lucid dreaming, I've used my dreams to talk with people who were important to me, to grieve fully and deeply so I could let go of someone I loved, to take on wild adventures I'd never get to have in real life, to have nightly vacations during really stressful times, and even to conquer my irrational fear of creepy-crawly things (especially centipedes - so gross!). I still don't like bugs, but now they don't freak me out anymore because I used lucid dreaming techniques to overcome them in my dreams.

When your lucid dreaming life becomes vivid and amazing, you'll find you have more balance in your daily life, relieve stress more easily, and work through mental problems when you're asleep. Contrary to what you might think, becoming conscious during your dreams doesn't actually make you wake up tired unless you're using majorly sleep depriving lucid dreaming techniques. In fact, on the nights I have lucid dreams - which is most nights these days! - I wake up feeling more energized and illuminated than on nights when I sleep for ten hours without remembering my dreams.

But enough about that. If you're here, you're probably already interested in learning about the best lucid dreaming techniques in the experience of myself and others. As you can see, there's lots of information about lucid dreaming techniques on this blog. Before you dive into specific articles, let me lead you through the basics of some of the lucid dreaming techniques that work for most people, especially beginners.

Lucid Dreaming Techniques to Try

Okay, this isn't really a technique, but here's something you need to know before you start out: don't beat yourself up! Some people have an easier time learning to use lucid dreaming techniques. For me, it took a couple of months before I was experiencing even one lucid dream every seven or eight days.

I have friends who would be considered very "artistic" and "imaginative" by most people, and it tends to take them less time to learn some of these lucid dreaming techniques. Also, people who grew up playing video games (and I have LOTS of adult friends who play them still) have been scientifically proven to have an easier time with some lucid dreaming techniques than others do.

Does that mean that if you're an accountant who's never touched a joystick in her life you won't be able to dream lucidly? Nope. Not at all! Everyone has an imagination, and everyone dreams. Therefore, everyone can learn to have lucid dreams. It might just take you a while, and that's okay because this isn't a competition.

With that out of the way, I'll take you through some of the best lucid dreaming techniques from my perspective:

• Keep a dream journal. This is one of the more essential lucid dreaming techniques when you're just starting out. It helps you find patterns in your dreams, which can help you figure out when it's best for you to do reality checks.
• Wake Back to Bed makes other lucid dreaming techniques more effective. When you get 4.5 to 6 hours of sleep, wake up, and go back to sleep, you're much more likely to fall almost straight into a lucid dream because your brain is active but your body is still ready for more sleep. This is absolutely one of the most-performed lucid dreaming techniques for beginning lucid dreamers, and, in fact, I still use it most nights, especially if I really want a lucid dream that night.
• Try different triggers. There are all sorts of triggers you can use to do a reality check and wake your consciousness in a dream. As a heavy reader, mine is usually letters or words, since they tend to factor heavily into my dreams. For you, sex or other symbols might work better. The best lucid dreaming techniques are the ones that work for you.
• Figure out how to set your intentions. Setting your intentions is one of the greatest lucid dreaming techniques out there. You need to really intend - consciously and sub-consciously - to have a lucid dream. I like reward induced lucid dreaming, which is more effective than punishment for me. However, if punishment sets your intentions more, it might work for you. Another of the best lucid dreaming techniques is mnemonic induced lucid dreaming, where you repeat a phrase that makes sure you intend to become conscious during your dreams. This one I don't have to use as much anymore, but it was invaluable to me when I was starting out.

Again, remember that the best lucid dreaming techniques are the ones that work for you. Don't worry about it if you have trouble dreaming lucidly for a while. Many, many people do, but later go on to have lucid dreams on a very regular basis. It's about discipline, yes, but also about figuring out how your mind works so you can assist it to the best of your ability. So are you ready to get started? Jump right in! The many topics of lucid dreaming techniques on this blog will help you to figure out how to induce lucid dreams and, later, completely control what you're dreaming about.