Thread: Stuff

Hi Everyone,

For a class I’m taking, I had the opportunity to write a piece on anything I wanted to. I chose lucid dreaming because it seems really interesting. I know this isn’t the usual post, but I thought the information might help some people out. This is all from the perspective of a beginner, but I think I have been able to bring a few different, credible perspectives on how to lucid dream into one place. Any constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated; I would really like to hear which techniques work for most people. Overall, I hope this information is helpful to some of you, it has been helpful to me as I start to get introduced to the world of lucid dreaming.

Let me know what you think!




Technique #1: MILD
A technique I hear a lot about is the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD). According to lucidity.com and many other sources it was developed by Dr. Stephen Laberge and has been researched thoroughly since he first came up with it several decades ago. It has four steps.

Step 1: Setup Dream Recall
Dream recall is remembering dreams. This is harder to do, the longer you are removed from them. It is important to already have developed dream recall meaning that you are able to write down in detail at least one dream every time you wake up. Dr. Laberge found that planned interruptions in a sleep pattern can improve the chances of having a lucid dream. Waking yourself up after a few hours of sleep to remember a dream and then returning to sleep can help people become lucid in their dream.

Step 2: Focus Your Intent
While going, or returning, to sleep, think about what you want to do. Tell yourself “When I dream, I will know I’m dreaming” or something similar. Repeat this to yourself as you go to sleep, making sure to keep this as your focus.

Step 3: See Yourself Becoming Lucid
While continuing to focus on your goal of lucid dreaming, imagine yourself in a dream. It is best to imagine a dream you just came out of as you woke up or a dream you recently had. Imagine that while you are in this dream, you recognize that you are dreaming due to a “dreamsign” (something that tells you that you are dreaming). A dreamsign can be anything that helps you distinguish between reality and dreaming. Then, visualize carrying out your plans for your lucid dream.

Step 4: Repeat
Repeat steps two and three until you fall asleep. You want the only thoughts in your mind to be your intention to recognize that you are dreaming and then controlling and shaping that dream. It is important to maintain focus on only your dreaming.




Technique #2: WILD
WILD (Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming) is considered to be one of the most powerful lucid dreaming techniques. It allows entry into a dream while your body is asleep but your mind is awake. This allows for very vivid dreams since there is no change in consciousness while transitioning into a dream.

Step 1: Relaxation
As you go to sleep, lie on your back and get comfortable so that you will not feel the need to move. While you are on your back not moving (not even scratching itches), close your eyes. As you have thoughts, know that they are there, but do not let yourself expand them. Move them out of your focus so that you can focus on your intentions of lucid dreaming.

Step 2: A “Hypnagogic” State
As you are relaxed, move your mind into the “hypnagogic,” half-asleep state. This feels like you woke up in the middle of the night; in this state you are tired and can slide into sleep easily. This will take a while. As you reach the hypnagogic state, you may start to hear or see weird things. These things are part of your upcoming dream, and it is important to embrace them as you get closer to sleep.

Step 3: Creating Your Dream
If you feel like you are ready to go to sleep, then you can begin to imagine your dream environment. Imagine the way the environment in your dream looks, sounds, feels or even smells. Tell yourself “I am dreaming” even if you are not; you will soon be dreaming and telling yourself you are will help you realize that you are.

Step 4: Entering Your Dream
Actually getting into dream can be harder than it sounds. To make your dream seem real, make sure that you are examining the dream with all your senses; it can be very easy to wake yourself up instead of immersing yourself in your dream if your dream doesn’t seem real. Be patient while the dream materializes.




Technique #3: WBTB
The Wake-Up Back to Bed method has nine steps to it, but it really isn’t as complicated as that may imply. These nine steps are: recall your dreams (as you wake up), get out of bed, feel excited, write down your dreams, motivate yourself to stay awake and plan (not too long though), plan your lucid dream, recognize the dream you have had and replay it in your mind, get into bed and visualize your plan as you fall asleep again. It may sound like a lot but I think I can summarize it effectively in a few steps below.

Step 1: Remember
Like in the MILD technique, recalling dreams is important, however, a long term memory of your dreams is not as emphasized in this approach. Set your alarm to go off two-three hours before you would usually wake up and write down your dreams as you wake up. Make sure this is the first thing you do or you will likely forget the dream you just had.

Step 2: Get Up and Plan
This step is pretty self-explanatory. Get up, excited for the dream you are about to have. Plan the dream you want to have/continue to have when you go back to bed.

Step 3: Go To Bed
Go to bed within 30 minutes of waking up and visualize your dream as you go to sleep, slipping into your dream.




Lastly, it is important to keep in mind that lucid dreaming is often something that requires several attempts to achieve. As much as I want to lucid dream every night, I have only come close to lucidity a couple of times while using the WILD technique, but I accidentally woke myself up. With all of these methods, success was first measured in terms of lucid dreams per month, but as people continued to use the techniques lucid dreams became more frequent. For example, Dr. Stephen LaBerge (founder of MILD technique) only achieved consistent nightly lucidity after a couple years of constant effort. Since most of us are not putting in the effort he was to write a doctoral thesis about our experience (as he was), some of us will not achieve his success for a long time. I only mention all of this to point out that if these techniques do not work for you immediately, do not get discouraged. Continue to try and develop your ability to lucid dream. I hope to achieve a true lucid dream soon and will be looking back at the comments. Hopefully I can add an update with additional information from experience, but regardless, I am sure the forum will help through constructive commenting.

Thanks!
 



Works Cited:

"Lucid Dreaming FAQ." Lucid Dreaming Frequently Asked Questions Answered by The Lucidity Institute.
The Lucidity Institute, 2007. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

Turner, Rebecca. "Wake Induced Lucid Dreams (The WILD Technique)." Wake Induced Lucid Dreams (The
WILD Technique). World-of-lucid-dreaming.com, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

"Wake Back To Bed (WBTB) Technique." Wake Back To Bed WBTB Technique. Lucipedia.com, n.d. Web.
16 Oct. 2013