Lucid dreaming tips anyone?

Exactly what the title says. I have found out a bit about lucid dreams and i would like to try them out for myself. Has anyone got some tips on how to achieve one?

tip:

have you ever noticed that your day dreams seem to be more trippy and powerful than your standard dreams? this is due to the fact that you are operating on a different brain wave whn you are awake...

So, the best way to practice lucid dreaming is to wake up in the morning, potter about for half an hour and then go back to bed....

This way your brainwave has changed and you have more of a chance to experience lucidity...

1. Practice meditation by daytime, morning and night, to learn how to separate your spirit (passive), your imagination (active), and your intellect (practical).

2. Don't separate dream and reality in your symbolic life : the less you'll live in the real world, the more your dream will get substance.

3. Empty your spirit before sleeping, NOT through "emptiness", but by reviving your day on its emotional aspects.

4. Enter the sleeping-state through imagination (from the 2nd point), NOT through "unconscious respite".

MOD EDIT: Post on topic.

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Chickity China the chinese chicken have a drum stick and your brain stops ticking?

My post was on topic, all be it in a 'Tongue in Cheek' Fashion, Fascists.
[edit on 18-11-2007 by sanctum]

[edit on 18-11-2007 by Chowzor]

Thanks so far, also, if you have any tips on how to control your lucid dreams, please post them

Perhaps my own experience in this area will guide you to where you want to be.

When I was a child, I was mugged by an adult on the way to the mailbox. I was beaten up, and had the mail taken from me. After that event, I had reoccuring nightmares with me trying to run home and being grabbed from behind. Basically, I was reliving the event.

One night, I noticed in my dream the sky was different (red with black swirls instead of blue). I immediately realized it was a dream. I stopped in my tracks and pulled out a 357 magnum (from Dirty Harry), and blew the bastard away. The nightmares stopped. That was the first time I ever conciously controlled a dream. I was 12 at the time.

As I got older, I noticed an interesting development when I manipulated dreams. The more I learned about reality, the more limiting my manipulation became in dreams. Using the handgun as an example... when I fired one at my grandfather's farm during summer vacation, it knocked me on my butt. This behavior started happening in the dreamscape as well. I compensated for this by relying on sci-fi or fantasy elements in my dreams to accomplish what I wanted to do.

So, my advice. First, try to identify it is a dream without waking yourself up. Second, stick with what you know at first when attempting manipulations. Third, practice practice practice. It may take several attempts to accomplish your specific goals.

There are many ways to have lucid dreams. Some people can do it naturally, other people have to try very hard to accomplish the lucid state.

However,
Everybody can do it!

If you really want to have lucid dreams it is advisable that you don’t lead a stressful life. You must have the time for yourself and for your dreams. I’ve had periods that writing down my dreams alone took 2 hours. Nowadays I have a busier life and I see that my lucid dreams have decreased. I would advise to start the exercises in a quiet period. Maybe in your vacation.

Once you have had your first lucid dreams you will see that the next ones are easier and sometimes you will become lucid completely by surprise.

Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD) Technique------------------------------

Set your mind to awaken from dreams and recall them. When you awaken from a dream, recall it as completely as you can.

While returning to sleep, concentrate single-mindedly on your intention to remember to recognize that you’re dreaming. Tell yourself: "Next time I’m dreaming, I want to remember I’m dreaming.". Try to feel that you really mean it. Focus your thoughts on this idea alone. If you find yourself thinking about anything else, let it go and bring your mind back to your intention to remember.

At the same time, imagine that you are back in the dream you just woke from (or another one you have had recently if you didn't remember a dream on awakening), but this time you recognize that it is a dream. Look for a dreamsign. When you see it say to yourself: "I'm dreaming!" and continue your fantasy. Imagine yourself carrying out your plans for your next lucid dream. For example, if you want to fly in your lucid dream, imagine yourself flying when you come to the point in your fantasy that you realize you are dreaming.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until your intention is set, then let yourself fall asleep. If, while falling asleep, you find yourself thinking of anything else, repeat the procedure so that the last thing in your mind before falling asleep is your intention to remember to recognize the next time you are dreaming.

Taking naps-------------------------

Or, as you can also call it, adjusting your sleep patterns.

For example, set your alarm clock a few hours before you actually have to get up. When you are awoken, read something about lucid dreaming, do a reality check, or whatever, to keep your mind on lucid dreaming. Then go to sleep again with the intention to have a lucid dream.

This also works if you have woken up naturally and are still dozing a little. You don't have to get up so you doze off to sleep. If at that time you keep in the back of your mind that you are dreaming you have a high change of a lucid dream.

If you can time your REM-cycles (the time in which the actual dreaming takes place), you will be able to set your alarm clock exactly on a time when you have finished dreaming.


Other ways to become lucid---------------------------------


Look at your hands
A many used technique and one that seems to work pretty good is to look at your hands. Just remember to look at your hands and the moment you do it you know that it is a dream.

The best way to do this is to consciously look at your hands during the day and ask yourself whether you are dreaming or not.If you do this often enough you will look at your hands in a dream too.

Then you can realize that you are dreaming.

Dirty tricks
Before you go to sleep, drink a lot. In that way, you will have to go to the bathroom somewhere in the middle of the night.

Lie down, close your eyes and concentrate. Say to yourself that whenever you are in a bathroom or looking for one, you will be dreaming. In most cases you will have a dream in which you are looking for a bathroom or are in one. It is then that you can realise that you are dreaming.

warning: It can be possible that you're so convinced everything is real you'll wet your bed...

How did I get here?
During the day constantly ask yourself:"how did I get here?", and playback the actions that got you were you are now.

If you do this long enough you will eventually ask yourself this question in a dream. And then you really cannot remember how you got there. Bingo, you must be dreaming!

Once I dreamt I was climbing on a building. Then I asked myself:"how did I get here anyway?" and really couldn't think of how I got up there. Convinced I was dreaming, I jumped off the building and flew away.

Lucid Nutrition
There is some Dream Food around, try some out

Orange juice
Orange juice, or any pure fruit juice helps your nervous system to stay active, while your muscles "sleep". This way you have more vivid dreams, and increased change of a lucid one as well.

Milk and Cheese
Milk and cheese have amino acids in which have been found to stimulate the production of melatonin, a neurotransmitter associated with sleep and dreaming. So warm milk before bedtime might really help you sleep after all!

Lettuce
A Mirror Traveler wrote:
I have found that lettuce is a great stimulator of dreams, in general. (I'm not too familiar with the lucid variety of dreams.) I don't know how or why it works, but i know of two friends who have confirmed that lettuce did indeed either induce memorable dreams, or aided in remembering them. I have tried this on three occasions and it worked all three times.

Mustard and pickles
Another account from a Mirror Traveler:
I was listening to a local radio station, one morning on the way to school. They reported that a dream researcher found that if you eat a tablespoon of musterd and a medium size dill pickle, immediately before bed, it will induce lucid dreams. Of course I tried it, well it worked! (The third time) Now I do it about 1-2 a week, the results are good, good enough to make my-self gag down a tablespoon of musterd. I wish that I could remember the researchers name or where he was from. I told my friends to try it and they get about the same results, sometimes it works. For me sometimes is better then no times.

Ice Cream
Someone on a.d.l. once reported that they tended to have lucid dreams after eating ice cream. Could be the amino acids again, or the temperature of the ice cream causing your digestive system to go haywire and thus raise your overall arousal level...

Popcorn
Another alleged lucid dream inducer. No idea why it might work...

Fish
This is mentioned in the alt.dreams FAQ. Perhaps something to do with the protein contained in it again?

Staying lucid---------------------------------
Once you realize you are dreaming, it is sometimes difficult to remain lucid, or even to remain dreaming. Here are some techniques to keep you dreaming:

remain calm
Don't get too exited. If you do, chances are you will wake up after the immediate realisation that you are dreaming.

spinning
Twirl around your own axis (you won't get dizzy) and say to yourself:"The next scene will be a dream." When you stop spinning, if it is not obvious that you are dreaming, do a reality test. Even if you think you are awake, you may be surprised to find that you are still dreaming!

look at your hands or the ground.
Focus at a stable reference point in the dream, like your hands or the ground. This helps you stabilize yourself in the dream.

rub your hands together
The rubbing will give you a vivid sense of movement and friction. While rubbing your hands repeat to yourself: The next scene will be a dream.

According to research the spinning technique is the most efficient, followed by the rubbing-hands technique.

1. Keep a dream journal.

2. Find your dream signs. Items that you have in a lot of your dreams. For example, you dream about bicycles a lot.

3. Practice reality checks. Set your self up so that you are constantly doing reality checks while you are awake. Try to, at least once per hour, do a reality check. The one that works best for me is pinching my nose and trying to breathe through it.

4. Read, "Exploring the world of Lucid Dreaming".

reply to post by ashwhy


Amazing reply! I have been wanting to try lucidity out for myself but didn't know where to start. Your post have given me a lot of helpful tips and hopefully the OP too.

hehe.. got so excited I gave you a star

Well i dunno if this will work for everyone, but i discovered that i can get some pretty decent lucid dreams if i wake up lets say 3 hours before i normally wake up, stay awake for 5 minutes, then go back to sleep, and then wake up again 30 minutes later and then wake up again for 5 minutes, then try sleep,,obviously set your alarm every time,,,it works for me 90% of the time, the more u do it the more it happens...

As for how to control your lucid dreams,,,the only way i can do that is by realizing that i am dreaming, this happens to me automatically after i have slept and woken up a few times over and over,,,i enter a sleep/awake conciousness and realize that i am dreaming, then i can control what i do

cheers dude,dont know whats stars do here ,

hopefuly i'll get the water slide at 5 stars like my mum once promised me!

Well-intended advice:


Become more and more interested in your dreams

Then you will become more and more aware of your dreams

Then soon you will become aware within your dreams


Thats the process but you choose the method.

Visit www.warpmymind.com... and download the hypnosis mp3 "curse lucid dreaming 2". Dont be afraid about the curse part staying on for life, it wont, and it slowly wears off. It really really helps. Very vivid dreams. Very fun. Both file 1 and file 2 were made for me. the second works much better than the first.

oh the thing that got me into this was when i stopped smoking canabis,

I went from no dreams a night to 3 or more was like i was playing catch up!

ask any weed smoker,and you will find this to be the case

Originally posted by mr-lizard

So, the best way to practice lucid dreaming is to wake up in the morning, potter about for half an hour and then go back to bed....

I was just about to type a similar thing.

I found that if I woke up between 4 and 5 in the morning and got back to sleep around 6, I would more likely have a lucid dream. The sleep is deeper than sleeping on an aeroplane when one semi dreams and retains some awareness of the surroundings but it is a lighter sleep than an uninterrupted night's sleep.

Originally posted by DaRAGE
Visit www.warpmymind.com... and download the hypnosis mp3 "curse lucid dreaming 2". Dont be afraid about the curse part staying on for life, it wont, and it slowly wears off. It really really helps. Very vivid dreams. Very fun. Both file 1 and file 2 were made for me. the second works much better than the first.

How long does it take to wear off?

I've actually have gotten better at inducing lucid dreams. I average at least 2 lucid dreams a week now.
I can't say that I have a technique that always works.
usually at some point in the dream I tell myself that if this is a dream i would be able to do (insert whatever power).
By saying that aloud i realize that i am dreaming.

But i usually do the same stuff in every lucid dream.
Its usually Flying, hovering or shooting Fireballs out of my hands like in streetfighter

I did however heal my legs from severe rot or burns. That was a first.