Lucid Dreaming Techniques

Here's a brief look at some of the best techniques for bringing the light of lucid awareness to your dreams. I first published this combined list of techniques in 1993, and it isn't meant to replace a committed, consistent study or focus such as the opportunity offered by our teleclasses, but perhaps it can ser e as a !umping off point for those who want to efficiently focus their efforts without delay. "ome techniques are less suitable to a regular daily work schedule, howe er, the more you can focus on the arious techniques and lucid dreaming in general, the more frequent will be your lucid dreams.

Master dream recall: #o other practice is more effecti

e. $he main barrier to reali%ing when one is dreaming is that our waking and dreaming minds are not connected nearly as much as they could be with simple intention, practice and focus. &aking a consistent effort to remember dreams will help your waking mind to ally itself more closely with your dreaming awareness and will also allow you to become more familiar with your personal dream content ' characters, settings, feelings or sensations that seem odd (though only after you awaken) because they're often not a usual part of your waking e*perience. $his will then allow your waking reasoning and reflecti e capabilities to be more present in dreams so that you recogni%e unfamiliar or unlikely surroundings or feelings while you're still actually e*periencing them in a dream. "uccess with lucid dreaming is most likely if you recall one dream or more per night, in fact you may already be ha ing lucid dreams and simply not remembering them. "o, to increase dream recall+ ,s you go to bed, clearly ask yourself to remember your dreams when you awaken in the morning or during the night. -hen you do awaken, keep your eyes closed (or shut them if already opened) and remain as motionless as possible. .ather as many images, feelings or impressions as you can and then rise and quickly !ot them down in a notebook (which you keep bedside), no matter how brief or ague they may at first seem. /ou'll be surprised at how much more you begin to remember as you write. $his is also an e*cellent way to increase intuiti e capabilities, since dreaming and intuition are closely related.

Arise during the night: 0esearch has pro

en that morning naps after a period of wakefulness are e*tremely producti e times for lucid dreaming. $his is for (at least) 3 reasons+ (a) -e ha e more 01& (dream) acti ity per sleep cycle as the night progresses (i.e. more dreams, more chance of a lucid dream), (b) $here's much less time between when we fall asleep and when 01& sleep begins than at the start of the night (about 92 minutes compared to 3'42 minutes during a morning nap), so we ha e more chance of bridging the wake'sleep 5forget'as'you'pass'by5 barrier, (c) we tend to sleep more lightly (with much less or no deep sleep) as the morning approaches. $his technique probably requires the most moti ation, but also pro ides the best pay'off. -eek'ends or acation are a particularly good time to try it. $he best method is to arise either 16 or 3 hours (1 or 4 sleep cycles) earlier than usual, stay awake for 32'92 minutes, and then return to bed for the remainder of your postponed sleep. 7uring the period of wakefulness, it's important to 5get awake5 to some degree. "ome of the best acti ities for this period are+ taking a midnight walk (lots of fun8), lo e'making, and especially meditation ( ipassana technique is particularly good). Ideally, anything that brings or maintains presence of mind.

Visualization (MILD) technique: $his technique is e*tremely effecti

e, although it can be difficult to focus upon since it's practiced while falling asleep. $he basics are+ 9efore going to bed, use the autosuggestion method for promoting good dream recall and the occurrence of lucid dreams, and then (ideally) use the following technique on a pre ious night's dream+ -hen you awaken after any 01& period, arouse yourself and recall as many dreams as possible using the dream recall methods. 9efore returning to sleep (while sitting on the side of your bed is best so as not to do%e off before finishing the technique), tell yourself 5The next time I'm dreaming, I want to remember that I'm dreaming5, then imagine you are back in the dream from which you !ust awoke, remembering it step by step, scene by scene, e*cept that this time you see yourself recogni%ing that you're dreaming (ideally when something odd occurs) and carrying out some planned acti ity (see below). $hen lay down, and focus upon your intention followed by the isuali%ation as many times as you can until you fall asleep.

 Stay present as you drift asleep: ,s you lie ready for sleep, especially after waking during the
night, focus upon your breath and simply obser e any thoughts that arise, without getting caught by them. If you do, and later 5snap back5, focus right back on your breath.

Autosuggestion: ,s you go to bed, or if you awaken during the night, put yourself in the frame of
mind of genuinely e*pecting that tonight or sometime soon you will become conscious within a dream. :learly con ince yourself in a friendly, assured (rather than pressured) way, and then let it go like a baloon. $he ;ucidity Institute's 5$rance Induction of ;ucid 7reaming5 cassette can be helpful with this.

lan a lucid dream acti!ity: 0eali%ing that you are dreaming is e*citing ' the thrill is great, but can
also awaken you, especially if you're not sure what to do ne*t. Imagine you' e really been focusing for three weeks and all of sudden you reali%e you're dreaming, only to awaken from e*citement. It's quite common ' unless you ha e some specific acti ity to focus on right away. $o continue past those first few moments of lucidity, plan in ad ance something specific to do in your ne*t lucid dream. &any people choose flying, but the options are truly limitless. ;et your imagination take you. $he best acti ities for maintaining a lucid dream are those that engage you in the dream scenario.

erform reality chec"s as a ha#it: ,lways Test First and then Decide when you ha

e e en the slightest inclination that you might be dreaming. In this way you won't miss aluable lucid opportunities. ,lso, throughout the day, ask yourself as often as you can remember, whether you are dreaming, and perform a test to find out. $his may seem silly, but it will carry o er by habit to the dream state, and you will be ery glad (for once) when you find that your check has bounced8 $he best test is to read some te*t, look away and quickly look back. If the words change ' you are dreaming8 It helps to try to get the words to change. , digital watch is e*cellent for this. If there is no te*t nearby, look at your hands for a good 3'12 seconds to see if they appear wa y or odd in any way ' as they most often do in dreams.

$e patient and persistent: ,lthough many people e*perience success the first night or during the
first couple of weeks, lucid dreaming is a skill that requires time and focus to master. In this regard it's more like learning a sport or musical instrument rather than learning to ride a bike where you get it from one day to the ne*t for good. $ry to maintain a rela*ed and playful attitude of looking forward to your dreams while being willing to let it happen all in good time. $rying too hard or being too serious can be limiting factors. 7ream recall, lucid dreams and e en moti ation all tend to come and go naturally in cycles, and also depend upon what else is going on in our li es. :ontinued practice of these techniques o er at least a few months is more likely to bring mastery than a few intense but sparse attempts ' a %ee"ly study group of people %ith a li"e interest is unmatcha#le for sustained moti!ation and inspiration . <nce you start on a cycle of focusing on some of the e*ercises, stick with it for at least a four or fi e days, because consecuti e nights seem to ha e an additi e effect.

&eep your life in #alance: $he subtle energies, ideology and reali%ations connected with lucid
dreams and related e*periences are ery powerful and often of profound waking influence, at least psychologically. $he approach of 5as'much'lucidity'as'possible'as'fast'as'possible5 is strongly discouraged. "uch an approach can bring great imbalances and e en unnecessary calamities into your waking life. $here=s no need for fear, but do remain aware of this important point. 0emember that trees stand as tall and withstand storms only as deep as their roots go, so stay grounded and maintain a healthy outward daily focus. $o help regain balance if trouble arises, eat and sleep well, and maintain social connections. <ther suggestions include getting a massage, going for e*tended e*ercise outdoors, and focusing on simple day'to'day tasks and therefore remo ing your focus from dreams and inner life for a while.

Dream Recall Techniques: Remember more Dreams

$he main barrier to dream recall and to lucid dreaming (reali%ing during a dream that one is dreaming) is that waking and dreaming memory aren't connected nearly as well as they could be with greater intention, practice and focus. &aking a consistent effort to remember and record your dreams will help your waking mind to ally itself more closely with your dream e*perience. It's also an e*cellent way to increase imagination, creati e and intuiti e capabilities which are all intimately connected with dreams. $his alone should pro ide strong incenti e. 1. YOU'VE GOT TO WA T !T" >irst and foremost, you must feel that it will be useful to you, if not e*tremely aluable. -ithout this, moti ation will soon disappear. &ore importantly, the desire acts as a magnet which draws your dreams into memory. 4. !T'# A $ATTER O% %O&U# A D ATTE T!O " ?nderstand that dream recall is an inherent, natural human trait. $hat is why young children are usually in touch with dreams, as are some nati e cultures who share their dreams with each other daily. 7ream recall is a bit like a mental muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. -ithout e*ercise it may shrink, but it is there if you decide to work it out again. "o if your recall is poor, trust that it will come in time, and the trust alone will actually help. 3. 'EDT!$E (RA&T!&E: 9efore sleep, reread your dreams from the pre ious (or more) night(s). $his allows you to begin to connect with your dream memory, and is also an opportunity to interpret your dreams and spot connections to the day's e ents. $hen, as you go to bed, clearly ask (rather than command) yourself to remember your dreams when you awaken in the morning or during the night, and remind yourself that it's a simple, natural process. ,lso, suggest to yourself that you will spontaneously awaken when you need to without using an alarm clock, since it can inhibit recall. $his method works well with practice, but you may initially wish to set your alarm for 13 minutes after your suggested wake'up time, !ust to be safe. ,ny time you awaken, keep your eyes closed (or shut them if already open) and remain as motionless as possible. If you mo ed since waking, return to your earlier body position. .ather as many images, feelings or impressions as you can, then rise and immediately record them in a !ournal (which you keep nearby on a nightstand) or say them into a tape recorder, no matter how brief or vague they may at first seem. /ou'll be surprised at how much more you can remember as you write (or speak). If your ne*t day's schedule allows for the possibility of slightly less alertness and you're game to try something a bit more ad enturous, try drinking one or more glasses of water before bed so that your body will automatically awaken you during the night ' quite likely !ust after a dream cycle is !ust complete. $his

requires a little more dedication but has it's pay'offs since it gi es your waking and dreaming states of mind more opportunity to o erlap, and hence triggers better dream recall. @. E V!#!O " , few times during the first few weeks of focusing on increasing your recall, take a quietAmeditati e moment and imagine your dream !ournal's pages filled with many written down dreams, and e en accompanying drawings, images, and other notes that you' e added about them. "ee this as clearly as you can in your mind's eye and make sure to )eel *leased that your dream recall is ery good and still growing e en better. 3. 'E (LAY%UL+ (AT!E T+ and (ER#!#TE T' ,lthough most people start ha ing success the first week or two, dream recall is a mental muscle which may require some time to get back into shape. $ry to maintain a rela*ed and playful attitude of looking forward to your dreams while being willing to let them come all in good time. $rying too hard or being too serious can be limiting factors. 7ream recall and moti ation tend to come and go naturally in cycles, and also depend upon what else is going on in your life. <nce you start on a cycle of focusing on recall, stick with it for at least a few days, because consecuti e nights can ha e an additi e effect. B. A WEE,LY #TUDY GROU( with a shared interest in dreams is unmatchable for sustained moti ation and inspiration.