Lucid dreaming

An accurate representation of how text may appear within a dream.

A lucid dream is any dream in which one is aware that they are dreaming. This is a well-established phenomenon and something which can happen to people during normal sleep. However, simple techniques can be learnt to consistently induce lucid dreams within any person who chooses to do so. If this is done, it can be utilized as a powerful method of consciousness exploration which makes lucid dreaming an important field of psychonautics. This article exists to serve as a dedicated descriptive breakdown, analysis and instructional guide regarding dreams and the behaviour of their general content, their embedded limitations and the skill sets necessary to consciously utilize them as powerful methods of self-exploration.

Techniques

Despite powerful senses of delirium and plot acceptance, there are moments within dreams in which a person realizes that they are dreaming and takes control of the situation. These are known as lucid dreams and are formally defined as any dream in which for an uninterrupted and prolonged amount of time, one is consciously aware that they are dreaming.

The second half of this article will focus not on defining the principles behind the physics and behaviour of the dream scape but on gaining a stabilized sense of lucidity within one's own dreams and the techniques for utilizing and harnessing specific control and navigation techniques once this has been achieved.

Improving memory recall

One of the biggest hurdles that some people encounter when learning to lucid dream is that they cannot remember their dreams in the first place. This is easily reversed and does not indicate an inability to dream but simply means that the dreamer's brain does not focus any attention on memorizing them once they are over. The most effective methods of reversing this are listed and detailed below:

• Keeping a dream journal - Writing out any and all details within a daily dream log will drastically improve one's ability to recall their dreams. This should preferably be done first thing in the morning if at all possible and quickly shifts one's memory into one which is attentive to its own dreams. The writing style should be in the first person and in present tense to further improve one's ability to recall the specific plot as it is written down. If there was no dream the previous night, simply write down "I did not dream last night" and continue to do so as recall improves over time.
• Use memory signifiers - If one is prone to waking up in the middle of the night and finding that they can remember a dream will be forgotten the moment one falls back to sleep, simply arrange an object of some sort so that is clearly out of place in a way that will be noticed in the morning. This can be as simple as turning an empty glass of water upside down or putting a small object on one's computer keyboard. This may seem silly but will act as a powerful memory trigger when it is seen the next day and will allow one to write the dream down in their journal.
• Stop smoking cannabis before sleep - It is common knowledge among cannabis users that marijuana suppresses one's ability to dream; this effect has been backed up by scientific study which indicates that smoking marijuana inhibits REM activity during sleep and therefore suppresses dreams. Once a person stops smoking marijuana before bed, however, REM activity undergoes a rebound effect and dreams will temporarily become much more vivid than usual.

Reality checks

Main article: Reality checks

changing one's desktop wallpaper to this image as a reminder to perform reality checks will greatly improve one's own sense of general lucidity.

In order to determine whether or not one is dreaming, it is necessary to develop a habit of performing frequent reality checks. A reality check simply involves asking the question, such as "Am I dreaming?" or "Is this a dream?", alongside of a specific action which is capable of determining if one is awake or dreaming.

Because most people are not in the habit of asking ourselves "Am I dreaming?" while in the midst of a dream, it is necessary to train oneself into the habit of questioning reality to achieve a state of lucidity throughout them. By training oneself to habitually question reality during waking life, the habit will eventually carry over to dreaming life and ultimately one will find themselves posing the question while dreaming. When this happens, the odds of realizing one is within a dream and thus increase the odds of achieving lucidity.

There are many simple reality checks that can be used to accurately determine whether or not one is currently dreaming and these are listed below:

• Pushing one's thumb into the palm of their hand - During a dream, if one is to push their thumb into the palm of their other hand and exert pressure, it will pass straight through the hand and come out onto the other side. This can be used to determine whether or not one is dreaming very reliably.
• Double taking / rereading text and clocks - During a dream, if one decides to read text or check the time on a clock, upon further examination it will be shown to be unreadable. This means that every time one looks away and looks back, the information will change repeatedly, appear as nonsensical or never keep still. This can be used to determine whether or not one is dreaming very reliably.
• Counting fingers - During a dream, if one is to look at their hand and attempt to count their fingers, they will quickly realize it is impossible. The amount of fingers may constantly change or simply remain somehow intrinsically uncountable. This can be used to determine whether or not one is dreaming very reliably.
• Pinching one's nose and breathing - During a dream, if one tightly pinches their nose shut and attempts to breath, they will find that they can breath through their nose as normal regardless. This can be used to determine whether or not one is dreaming very reliably.

In order to gain the best results possible, these reality checks should be performed habitually every time the situation changes and on a daily basis. For example, every time one walks through a door or enters a new environment a reality check should be performed, every time one talks to a new person or simply remembers that they they may well be dreaming a reality check should be performed. If this is done 10 - 30 times a day the habit will quickly spill over into one's own dreams.

An excellent way to remind oneself to perform reality checks is to put notes containing messages such as "are you dreaming?" or "perform a reality check" in places which one frequently looks at throughout the day. For example, putting a visible note by a frequently used computer screen, writing a message on one's hand or changing one's desktop wallpaper to the image found on the right will greatly improve general lucidity.

Stabilization

Once lucidity has been achieved the dreamer will usually have a tendency to become very excited as the realization that one is dreaming washes over them. This flood of emotions rapidly results in dream destabilization and quickly causes the setting to begin to collapse in on itself and the dreamer either wakes up or falls unconscious before losing lucidity and finding themselves back within another dream.

This can be extremely frustrating but easily overcome through the simple stabilization technique of maintaining sensory input through the basic action of rubbing one's hands together. When the dreamer begins to rapidly rub their hands together the sensory input somehow keeps the dream perfectly stable and grounded. This can be further taken advantage of by continuously rubbing one's shoulder with their hand to maintain sensory input while walking around and admiring or exploring the scenery.

Activities and control techniques

Once lucidity has been gained and the dream has been stabilized, the dreamer can now begin to practise taking control of the dream and exploring their own mind. Through the power of expecting an action or task to work, anything is possible within the dream scape and this can allow for some truly incredible experiences in which the only limit is one's own imagination. The most common of these actions and the techniques behind achieving them are listed out below:

• Enhancing clarity and detail - If the dream is blurred and low in clarity or detail (level 3) one can enhance and improve these factors (level 4) by verbally stating aloud "enhance visual clarity" and simply expecting it to work.
• Spawning objects - If one desires to spawn objects such as vehicles, weapons, food, people or anything else this can be done through two different methods. The first is walking into a room and simply expect to find the object in a particular location and the second is drawing the vague shape of the desired object in the air with one's hands whilst verbally commanding the object into existence through expectant dialogue such as "A jetpack is going to appear in front of me". The more specific the detail of the request, the more accurately the object will fit one's desires when it spawns.
• Travelling to new locations - If one desires to travel to a new location besides the one they are currently in there are two methods through which this can be done. The first of these is to spawn a door by drawing its shape in the air and stating clearly where one would like it take them before walking through it. A quick example of this would be the statement "this door is going to take me to my childhood home". The second is to verbally state where one would like to visit whilst spinning around in circles, once one has stopped spinning they should find themselves in the desired location. The more detailed the request, the more accurate the outcome will be.
• Flying - There are different styles of flight that people use, each with a varied level of success for each individual. Methods such as swimming through the air as if it were water, “Superman style” (one arm outstretched), “Airplane style” (both arms out) and "bird style" (gliding through the wind, flapping one's arms to navigate air currents) are often used. There are a few methods of getting up into the air, such as simply jumping (dreamers can jump really high in dreams if they believe it) or simply willing one's body to rise into the air. Perhaps the easiest method of flying is to use a tool, this can be done by summoning a jetpack or using a stick found on the floor as a magical broom stick (harry potter style).
• Shape shifting - Most people try to shape shift into animals or creatures by wilfully changing their body parts one by one. This is ineffective as the body changes back quicker than one can complete the process. A much quicker and more effective route is to turn the transformation into an instant process by spawning a tool which will help one to transform. An excellent example of this would be to spawn a magical transformation pill which can be swallowed or perhaps a magical wand which can be waved in order to instantly transform one into their desired form.
• Having sex - Many people learn to lucid dream purely for the sex which it offers. This can be difficult as it is often very challenging to maintain lucidity during the act of dream sex and the chosen partner may shift into an undesirable form half way through. In order to have sex within a lucid dream, all one needs to do is simply initiate it with a dream character; they will be perfectly compliant and orgasms which are far more powerful than those found within waking life are completely attainable with practise.
• Body swapping - To swap bodies with another person simply climb into them from behind and wear them over one's skin like a wet suit. The most interesting application of this technique is the way in which it allows one to experience extremely convincing and detailed sex/orgasm as the opposite gender or within an entirely different body altogether.
• Taking drugs - An excellent way to change the course of the trip is to ingest drugs which one may or may not have tried in real life. This will result in inducing the expected effects without any real ingestion of the drug itself but is extremely limited and incapable when it comes to psychedelic visual geometry.
• Eating food - Another great past time or activity to explore within the dream scape is eating food. This results in food which tastes even richer and more detailed than any food found within real life and is extremely pleasurable.

Alternative/Advance LD techniques

• Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming (FILD) - FILD is defined as waking up from sleep, then doing light repetitive movements with the fingers as if one were playing the piano with their index and middle finger and allowing the body to drift off to sleep while the mind stays quiet, but conscious, until a dream is perceived. This process lasts usually between several seconds and a few minutes.
• Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming (WILD) - This is a technique in which one maintains consciousness while their body falls asleep. It can be read about in detail here.
• Mnemonically Induced Lucid Dream (MILD) - In short, MILD is telling oneself as they are in bed ready to sleep that they are going to become lucid when they dream, then visualizing oneself in a dream becoming lucid. This should be repeated until one falls asleep.
• All Day Awareness (ADA) - Is a technique which involves maintaining complete mindful focus on the present moment, all day and every day. This allows one to remain completely aware even when they are dreaming and is perhaps the most effective but effort intensive lucid dreaming technique. It can be read about in detail here.