DILD – Dream Initiated Lucid Dreams

DILD, or Dream Initiated Lucid Dreams, are the most common types of lucid dreams, particularly for beginners. They stand in contrast to WILD – Wake Initiated Lucid Dreams – where you go directly from waking to dreaming without losing consciousness. In DILD, you do lose consciousness, fall asleep normally, and then realize you’re in a dream so you can become lucid only later.

Some people can actually enter DILD’s without any training or practice at all first. You may have experienced this during naps or when you have to wake up at night and go back to bed, particularly. This is because during these times, your consciousness is closer to the surface, so to speak, even though you’re sleeping. People who have really weird, vivid, memorable dreams are also more likely to experience DILD without trying.

The great thing about DILD is that anyone can learn to have these types of dreams with the right kind of training. It takes some people longer than others, but, seriously, anyone can do it. Once you’ve mastered DILD, the art of simply becoming lucid during your dreams, you can start having control over your dreams. This allows you to use dreams for problems solving, stress relief, or having any adventure you can imagine!

A Few Tips for DILD

There are lots and lots of techniques for starting to have DILD’s. Different techniques work well for different people, so what works for me may not work for you. However, there are a few overarching techniques that you need to learn to make it more likely that you’ll become lucid during a dream. Here are just a few things to start with:

1. Start with a Dream Journal: A dream journal is just what it sounds like – a journal where you write down the content of your dreams. Having a dream journal can make you remember dreams more often. It’s also useful for finding symbols and items in your dreams that you can use for reality checks when you start working on more advanced lucid dreaming techniques.
2. Understand Reality Checks: Reality checks are the best way to become conscious during a dream. Basically, you start asking yourself, “Is this real?” If something isn’t real but you’re still seeing or experiencing it, you’ll know you’re dreaming.Common reality checks involve writing and clocks. When you might be dreaming, look at a piece of paper with some writing on it. Look away, and look back. When you look back it will probably say something different or be unreadable altogether. Digital clocks also tend to change time in strange ways during dreams. The best way to make reality checks a part of your dreams is to do them during the day frequently, either when you’re in places or see people and items that are in your dreams, or just at set intervals when you can look at a digital watch or read something.It may seem strange to do reality checks during the day, but this is the way to train your brain to have DILD lucid dreams, because you’ll soon subconsciously be performing reality checks in your dreams, too!
3. Other Dreaming Techniques: There are lots of other lucid dreaming techniques outlined here and in other places. Different techniques, such as CAT and WBTB can make DILD more effective and frequent. Learn about these techniques and try them, one or two at a time, to see which ones work best for your brain and the way it functions.

Learning to have DILD’s isn’t terribly difficult, but for some it will take time and discipline. It was a couple of months before I was regularly having a DILD. Don’t give up, but keep pressing on, trying different things to see what works best for you.