As I prepare to post new content on why re-reading text is the best type of reality check for inducing lucid dreams (and why you shouldn't waste much time practicing other kinds of reality checks), a review of the best methods for producing lucid dreaming is in order. I'm glad you are joining me on this journey to bring more lucidity to the dreaming and waking world. Please enjoy and share your thoughts in the comments.
Having lucid dreams takes learning a few basic techniques and cultivating a specific mental set. Some persons will require more time or effort in developing their induction abilities than others. Persistence and optimism can be helpful, and your inspiration and motivation may also play a role. Check out the summary below for the most tried-and-true ways to induce lucid dreams.
The first step in preparing to lucid dream is to increase your dream recall. To quote Lucidity institute, “…if you don’t recall your dreams, even if you do have a lucid dream, you won’t remember it!” Dream journaling is instrumental for most practicing lucid dreamers, and is highly recommended for reasons that extend even beyond the purpose of induction.
You can learn more about how to remember your dreams here or here.
A key skill in lucid dreaming is learning to identify dreamsigns: signs that you are dreaming. Usually you will become lucid by critically reflecting on something unusual or dream-like within the dream, realizing that the explanation is that you are dreaming. The more familiar you are with your dreams, the better you will be at recognizing them.
Additionally, many practicing lucid dreamers notice that they dream of recurring dreamsigns from time to time, such as certain people, places, or events (e.g. dreaming you are unprepared for an exam). Recurring dreamsigns are useful because you can expect to dream about them again at some point in the future, and therefore prepare your mind to recognize them.
Make a list of all your recurring dreamsigns. Then train yourself to recognize you are dreaming the next time a dreamsign appears in your dreams via mental rehearsal and other intention-setting techniques.
Looking for dreamsigns in your waking environment (aka waking dreamsigns) can also help you strengthen your induction skills. When you come upon something dream-like or a dreamsign in your waking life, practice questioning whether you are dreaming. Though developing dreamsign awareness is useful, it is common to dismiss dreamsigns and still believe that you are awake–but with practice, you can overcome this fallacy in your thinking.
Seriously question throughout the day whether or not you are dreaming. Use your critical thinking skills to reflect on your present state. Dreams often share features of waking consciousness and it can be hard to discern you are dreaming while dreaming. Not only should you ask yourself, ‘Am I dreaming right now?”, but also ask, “How do I know I’m awake or not?’ Practice asking yourself this during the daytime. If you do not practice reflecting on what state you are in during the day, you will be unlikely to do so while you are dreaming. By practicing this in the daytime, and setting the prospective intention to do so while dreaming, you are more likely to find yourself doing so while actually dreaming.
State testing--commonly referred to as reality testing--is a way of evoking a specific type of dreamsign in order to recognize the dream state. These are practiced during the daytime, and you set your intention to also test your state while dreaming.
You may have heard of many types of reality tests before. The reality test that is most highly recommended is the Re-reading State Test (RRST). The task is to read some printed text, look away at something else, then read it again to determine if the words or numbers change, as often happens when one tries to re-read in dreams. In fact, LaBerge’s lab tested the stability of printed text in dreams on 46 lucid dreamers. They reported that the text changed upon second glance in two or less attempts 98% of the time. As a complement to increasing dreamsign awareness, the RRST can help you narrow your focus onto recognizing one class of dreamsign. This is useful if you notice a dreamsign, but still are not certain you are dreaming. It is not recommended to rely solely on the RRST to induce lucid dreaming. Instead, the RRST should be used as part of an integrated protocol for recognizing dreamsigns and inducing lucidity.
MILD is a technique developed by Stephen LaBerge that takes advantage of state-dependent learning and integrates several cognitive induction skills (e.g. recall, reflection, mental rehearsal, and intention setting). MILD is a form of prospective memory training, an important facet of successfully inducing lucid dreams. Afterall, in order to have a lucid dream, you need to remember to do something in the future–aka recognize that you are dreaming–perhaps the next time you are dreaming?
Set your intent to become lucid in dreams, wake up, and recall them.
MILD is not about falling back asleep into the same dream you were just having and becoming lucid (though this sometimes happens), but more about preparing your mind to become lucid in your next dream of the night. MILD integrates a number of elements of the mental set for inducing lucid dreams. Mastery of MILD takes practice but is one of the most important method techniques to practice.
You can get a free PDF copy of MILD technique here.
WILDs differ from the more common Dream-Initiated Lucid Dream (DILD), which is when you become lucid while the dream is already in progress–perhaps by suddenly recognizing a dreamsign or by performing a state test. WILD techniques are an alternative means of inducing lucid dreams, relying on focused and sustained, meditative awareness as one transitions from the waking to dreaming state. As you relax and fall asleep, common techniques to WILD include repeating a mantra ("I will remember I am dreaming), counting, watching hypnagogic imagery form, or performing a body scan. Mindfulness meditation skills can be particularly useful for WILDs by helping you observe yourself fall asleep with an open, relaxed yet alert, awareness. If you are able stay aware while falling asleep, you will transition to being entirely embedded within the lucid dream state. LaBerge devotes Chapter 4 of his book, Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, to WILDs.
A certain degree of wakefulness during the sleep cycle seems to make lucidity in dreams easier to achieve. Lucidity Institute conducted several tests to explore whether sleep interruption can increase the probability of lucid dreaming. Since lucid dreams tend to occur in a more highly activated phase of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep–the sleep stage most associated with vivid dreaming, they reasoned that increasing wakefulness during the sleep cycle would promote lucid dreams. They found that interrupting sleep for 30 minutes and then returning to bed was more associated with lucid dreaming. Some people refer to this technique as wake-back-to-bed (WBTB). Sleep Interruption should be combined with mental set in order to work.
1.) Set your alarm to awaken you after your 3rd or 4th REM period (or you may find you awaken naturally in the middle of the night).
2.) When you wake up, get out of bed and stay up for 30 minutes engaged in a quiet wakeful activity, such as dream journaling or reading.
3.) Return to sleep while practicing MILD.
How do you time your REM periods? A good rule of thumb to remember is that most people transition through REM sleep about every 90 minutes. Short sleepers or the insomnia-prone may prefer to awaken after their 2nd REM period.
There are other adjunctive strategies to mental set, such as biofeedback-assisted induction or herbal supplements, to up your chances of figuring out that you are dreaming. The most important thing to keep in mind about these techniques, however, is that without training the proper mental set, all of those pills, lucid dreaming masks, and products or gizmos you may hear about on the web are useless.
You can learn more about how to have lucid dreams by reading Stephen LaBerge’s classic guide to lucid dreaming, Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming (1990). Lucidity Institute is another trustworthy resource.
If you'd like to learn more about lucid dreaming, let me know with your upvote, resteem, or comment. And don't be shy to share your own experiences with lucid dreaming in the comments.
REFERENCES
Kahan, T. & LaBerge, S. (2011). Dreaming and Waking: Similarities and Differences Revisited. Consciousness and Cognition, 20(3), 494-514. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2010.09.002.
LaBerge, S. (1990). Lucid Dreaming: Psychophysiological Studies of Consciousness during REM Sleep. In Bootzen, R.R., Kihlstrom, J.F. & Schacter, D.L., (Eds.) Sleep and Cognition. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, pp. 109-126.
LaBerge, S., Phillips, L., & Levitan (1996). An hour of wakefulness before morning naps makes lucidity more likely. Nightlight, 6(3).
LaBerge and Rheingold (1990). Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming. New York: Ballantine Books.
LaBerge, S., Steiner, R. and Giguère, B. (1996). “To sleep, perchance to read” Nightlight 8(1&2): 17-21.
SOURCE:
http://www.mindfulluciddreaming.com/blog/
LINKS:
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Blog: Psychology of lucid dreaming
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