Achieving conscious awareness in your dreams is not as difficult as it seems, but it does require practice in order to attain a lucid state on a regular basis. The great thing about lucid dreaming techniques is their simplicity. They're easy to learn and easy to practice on your own, they don't cost anything, you don't need any fancy equipment to practice them, and they don't take a huge amount of time each day.
The most important thing is to be consistent about your daily practice. Inconsistent practice is a common cause for failure to achieve lucid dreaming. Practicing one or more of the following techniques every day will help you achieve conscious awareness in your dreams. It may not happen the first night, but if you're consistent it could happen in a few short weeks.
Start by using just one technique each day. After a few days, add a second technique and perform both techniques each day for a few days. Then add a third technique and perform all three techniques for the next few days, and continue adding a new technique every few days. Even if you practice every one of these techniques within the same day, it will not require you to set aside hours and hours of practice time. Most of the techniques take only a few minutes, and many of them can be done as you fall asleep.
Pre-Sleep Visualization
Before you fall asleep, use the following visualization to set your intent to have a lucid dream. Picture yourself falling asleep and entering a dream. Make the visualization as detailed as possible with vivid imagery. Look around and observe your dream surroundings. As you imagine yourself dreaming, visualize yourself performing a reality check and realizing you are within a dream. Picture yourself become consciously aware within your dream, imagine yourself remaining calm and lucid, and then picture yourself gaining control over your dream.
Lucid Dreaming Affirmations
Use one of the following affirmations at bedtime as you drift off to sleep. You can state the affirmation out loud, but that may interfere with falling asleep. I recommend repeating it mentally instead. You may also choose to record the affirmations in your own voice and listen to the recording as you fall asleep.
I will become lucid in my dreams tonight.
I am a lucid dreamer.
I will have a lucid dream tonight.
I will awaken within my dream tonight and realize I am dreaming.
Focus your mind on the intent to become lucid within your dreams, and if your mind wanders to another topic, gently bring it back to the affirmations.
When stating the affirmations out loud, you may choose to use a firm voice or may choose to use a more soothing and relaxing voice. Some people respond better to gentle reassurances spoken in a soft voice, while other people respond better to instructions given in a strong, commanding voice. You'll need to experiment with both methods to determine which approach triggers a stronger response in you.
Putting Your Intent on Paper
Before you go to bed, write down your intent to have a lucid dream. On a piece of paper or in your dream journal, handwrite each of the lucid dreaming affirmations. As you write each affirmation, focus not just on the words but on the intent behind the affirmation. Consider the full meaning of each statement. Put some emotion into it. Repeat each affirmation silently or out loud as you write it on paper.
Visual Patterns
As you fall asleep, on occasion you might remain conscious enough to notice patterns appearing in your visual range as if they are being projected onto the inside of your eyelids. These patterns may begin to take on the forms and shapes that become your first dream of the night, and can be used to help you achieve a lucid dream.
As you drift off to sleep, maintain your conscious awareness by focusing on the visual patterns being projected on the inside of your eyelids. At first, the patterns may seem geometric or even abstract. They will gradually take on the form of meaningful images. As you begin to notice these images, gently direct your conscious mind to step into the dream scene that is taking shape.
I Am Dreaming
Use the statement "I am dreaming" to guide yourself into a lucid dream. As you drift off to sleep, repeat to yourself over and over, "I am dreaming." Continue on in that manner until you fall asleep. Eventually, you will learn to maintain this thought in mind until you find yourself dreaming. This method is especially effective when used while napping during the daytime.
Napping
If your schedule permits, take a nap in the mid-afternoon. You will be more likely to slip quickly into the REM sleep state in which dreaming takes place. Before your nap, take steps to focus your intent on achieving a lucid dream. Use visualizations, affirmations, or the "I am dreaming" technique.
Sleeping Upright
Sleeping upright may help you remain consciously aware enough to become lucid within your dreams. At the same time, you also must remain comfortable in order to sleep well, so it is necessary to experiment with various positions to determine which position provides the highest level of comfort for you. There are several options available to you:
1. Sleep in a reclining chair.
2. Sleep while propped up on several pillows to elevate your head and upper body.
3. Sleep while propped up on a "wedge pillow" -- a triangular, wedge-shipped pillow specifically designed to help you sleep in an upright position.
When sleeping upright in bed, it also may help to place a pillow or rolled towel beneath your knees in order to elevate them slightly. This will alleviate any pressure on your lower back or tailbone and will improve circulation in the lower body.
Meditation
Beginning a daily meditation practice is another effective way to increase your odds of achieving a lucid dream. Most meditators who spend at least twenty to thirty minutes per day in meditation report an increase in the vividness of their dreams, along with an increase in the quantity of lucid dreams they experience. It is not required that you take on an elaborate meditation practice. All that is needed is a very simple practice of sitting in a comfortable position while remaining physically inactive and focusing your mind on observing your own thoughts. Meditation also provides dozens of other benefits, including reduced stress, enhanced creativity, and more refreshing sleep. To achieve deep meditation without years of practice, try the Insight CD.
Stay tuned for the next article in the series, which will cover another technique you can use to increase your odds of having a lucid dream.
This post is Part 10 in the series Mastering the Art of Lucid Dreaming.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been having lucid dreams since childhood although I didn’t know it was called that until a few years ago when I came across an article in a magazine about it.When I was a child if I realized I was dreaming and wanted to wake up from it I used to jump into a box next to the fire place which always worked as long as I could find the box.Later on in my childhood I discovered during a dream where a witch spun me around from my arms that I could wake up using this method as long as I could find someone to do that for me.It’s strange but I can still remember a lot of the dreams I had as a child as though they were written in stone.
In adult life I can awake from a dream by just willing it
although usually my body would be paralyzed for a while when I first awoke.This used to frighten me a bit for a while until I discovered through another article that this is perfectly natural and only means that the mind has awoken while the body is still asleep.I’ve also had one or two mildly prophetic dreams in my time and re-occurring dreams also (I could write a book on the amount these I have had).Since my childhood (I am now 53 years old) my lucid dreams have been few and far between with occasional clusters but it has not been till recently that I have decided to willfully bring them on after discovering that there are websites dedicated to the subject.I find your site interesting as it is short and to the point as I don’t want to wade through pages and pages I just need a brief outline of techniques.
I look forward to reading your other articles indicated in the links on this page.
I strongly recommend these techniques if you have a few minutes spare each day to focus on lucid dreams. The best thing is you can practice as you are falling asleep!
I have had many lucid dreams over the last decade, simply by using techniques like this and using waking reality checks. Entering the conscious dreamworld is like nothing else you have experienced before – not quite a dream, but not quite reality either! It is exhilarating and I have never had any kind of negative experience whatsoever.
Hello
It is really nice to have this experience of Lucid dreaming, l suffer a lot from bad dreams, my wish is to have Lucid dreaming, a woman cut my hair in the dream now my hairs are gone, eating in the dream, l have used this Calea Zachachi it did not work for me. Please do you know what next to do to have Lucid dreams? l do remember my dreams but to know that l am dreaming is the problem. Thanks Bertha
Hi Bertha,
To learn how to become lucid in your dreams, I recommend reading this series of posts, which includes many different techniques you can try:
Mastering the Art of Conscious Dreaming
~ Kris
are there any side affects on Lucid Dreaming?
Can it confuse you on your view of reality?
Hi Maria,
I don’t know of any negative side-effects. Usually, the side-effects are positive instead. I’ve found lucid dreaming gives me a clearer view of reality. It makes me more observant in everyday life and makes me more aware of myself and my surroundings.
~ Kris
Last night I had a dream that I was realizing I was dreaming, but I didn’t actually realize I was dreaming. It’s hard to explain, but I guess to simplify, I had a dream in which I was lucid dreaming, but in reality it was just another dream. I want to know if this has ever happened to you or if you have ever heard of this happening
Hi Andrew,
This type of false lucid dream happens fairly often, especially for people who are practicing lucid dreaming techniques. If you’ve been reading about lucid dreaming or practicing some techniques, your mind is filled with information about the topic and you end up having dreams like the one you described. I understand what you mean about it being hard to explain. Sometimes the idea of dreaming about being lucid can be difficult to convey.
~ Kris
Hi reality shifter! These articles have really helped me. I am twelve and have been having lucid dreams since the age of 5 but I never knew what they were. They stopped for a while but I stumbled across these great articles and attempted it last night. I could easily control myself and knew I was dreaming but the visual was dark and blurry. How can I change this affect and make my dreams brighter and more realistic? Thanks!!
-cassi
Hi reality shifter, um i was just wondering, have you ever looked at computer monitors, mirrors, or tvs during a lucid dream? because when i do they sometimes turn on by themselves and show me things i dont want to see, like bad memories or can turn your dream into a nightmare. Like once i was dreaming i was flying and i saw this giant mirror in the sky, what i saw was me killing everyone in my family…….. I dont dream much anymore.
Hi reality shifter, i just wanted to know about hypnogogic states and the horror that people say they get from them. i would just like to know if these are extremely common while attempting lucid dreams, because i am very scared of what might happen. Thanks, Kelley
Hi!
When you lucid dream does it have side-effects
Like say you were dreaming you were flying then you woke up for real but dint know it and started doing crazy things thinking that you are dreaming
If so what are signs that it is real or a dream and how do you keep a dream from becoming s night mare
If any one could answer me these questions or at least one of these could you please answer me……….!
Thanks so much
From lucid dreamer Wanamaker be
Yani!
have you ever heard of shared lucid dreaming, for if u have, please share them w/ me, so i can see whats goiing on in my bro’s head
—thx JackPPF
I can remember my dreams very clearly, and since I’ve learned about lucid dreaming, I’ve had 3 of them, and 2 which I was able to control. But I wonder about the third one. It was very recent, less than 2 weeks ago in fact, and I was wondering if you could give any advice on it, and the dreams I’ve been having since that night. I layed down to go to sleep, and a couple minutes later I decided to get up for some reason. So I switched on my lamp, but there was no light. I thought no big deal, so I got up, but I collapsed, and felt like I was falling asleep. I fought it and got up and switched on my bedroom light, but still no light. I started freaking out because I realized I couldnt see, and because I kept feeling like I was falling asleep. So I made my way throughout my house, flipping on all the light switched. But there was no light, it was dark. I went all the way to the kitchen, and in a desperate state more or less, opening the fridge. Still no light, but I could sort of see again. Everything was diffucult to see, then I collapsed on the kitchen floor and I remember just being so tired I almost fell asleep right there on the floor, but fought it and had to crawl back to my room. My fan was in the doorway and it clicked. I thought “I didnt put my fan here, I’m dreaming.” and in my head I was screaming “WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP” but I couldn’t, so I crawled forward, and knocked over the fan. The instant my fan hit the floor I snapped awake, and I checked my watch. I only layed down five minutes ago. I’m wondering if this was actually an out of body experience, and maybe I was blind because 1, it was dark, and 2, my physical body’s eyes were closed. Ever since that dream I keep dreaming every time I go to sleep. But it’s unusual, because I’ll wake up, and think I’m in reality, because everything is just like reality when I wake up, and I’ll go about my bussiness then I’ll wake up again, and it always takes 2-5 times to wake up for real. Sometimes I dont know if I’m still dreaming or if I’m awake, and it’s kind of scary. I mean, I absolutely love dreaming, and I look forward to dreaming every time I fall asleep. But some of these dreams are very…for lack of a better word unpleasant. Once I woke up to find blood splattered everywhere, and the source was the remains of 2 torsos, 3 feet, 4 arms. Never found the other foot or the heads. Another I woke up and got ready for work and I opened the front door to find a man standing there, and I slammed the door and he caught it and when he got close to me I knocked him out with my gun (which I don’t own) and tied him up. When he opened his eyes I told him “You’re going to watch me perform an autopsy” and I performed his autopsy and made him watch. Then I woke up, and thought I was awake, but then I got murdered, and when I died I woke up for real. The latest dream in the middle of it I woke up, then I woke up again, and I just kept waking up and when I finally really woke up it took me awhile to realize I was really awake. Sometimes I know it’s a dream, and when I wake up from that one and enter another one I don’t know I’m dreaming anymore. Any thoughts?
ChrisK,
Those in the dream realm don’t always play nice, and false awakenings can be very scary. What you are speaking of is something else entirely and should be addressed in the spiritual areas of dream control rather than the scientific….My two coppers.
Hi Chris,
The best and simplest solution I would recommend is to get into a habit of performing a reality check every time you wake up, even on the days when you wake up and don’t think you’re still dreaming. Immediately after you wake up (and before you get out of bed), perform a reality check. Do this every single time you wake up. Eventually, it will cut down on the number of false awakenings or eliminate them altogether.
In my experience, it doesn’t completely eliminate false awakenings but it makes them much easier to recognize and much less unpleasant. Nowadays, I tend to “wake up” into dream scenarios that are obviously dreams, rather than waking up into a dream that looks like my bedroom and being tricked into thinking I’ve woken up for real.
Also, the more you practice the lucid dreaming techniques described on this site, the better you’ll be able to handle unpleasant dreams. With practice, it gets easier to calm down the dream, or to leave that dream and move into another dream instead, or to confront the unpleasant things in the dream and ask “Why are you here?” to get some insight from your unconscious mind.
~ Kris
Hey Kris!!
This is some really great stuff you have on this site, I really appretiacte that there are sites like this. I have two questions that I’d like to ask you.
1. Do Binaural beats and different types of Brainwaves (Alpha, Theta, etc.) help you “waking up” in your dream?
2. I heard that when you are lucid dreaming and look into a mirror, you get affected in the physical world by going insane or mental. Is that truth or just myth?
Hey
Lucid dreaming sounds really cool! But there was something I was wondering…
My friend told me that false awakenings (she lucid dreams) are very rare (she has never had one). They seem really scary to me, so I was wondering how often they occur? Thanks!
*runs off to lucid dream*
Hello! I was wondering if you could help me with this. I constantly have dreams that i cant control and they are all ways nightmares and I can find it difficult because I can’t make myself aware during these nightmares that I can stop them, that I am dreaming. I decided because nightmares have become a routinely thing whilst I sleep that it is worth trying lucid dreaming so if I do stumble into any problems I can stop them. Have you got any other useful tips for me? I have tried a dream journal but since I never have a nice dream, I hate having to recall it as then I never forget them which I find uncomfortable. So can I have some help? I have always wanted to lucid dream, is there one tip you recommened the most out of everything you know to help me? Thank you
Hi Marissa,
1. There aren’t any brainwave audio tracks that will make you have lucid dreams on their own, but some of them can help to increase the likelihood of having a lucid dream, especially if you combine the use of the audio tracks with other techniques like the ones described in this post. I recommend the Dreamwalk Program, which features binaural audio to stimulate more vivid dreams and help you have lucid dreams. The disc also has some software and other items on it. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should state that I was involved in the development of the program. I’ve used the audio tracks myself many times, so I can personally vouch for the quality of the brainwave technology.)
2. I can state with 100% certainty that looking into a mirror during a lucid dream won’t cause any mental/emotional problems. It’s a myth. I look into mirrors in my dreams quite often. Sometimes I even use mirrors as doorways to travel from one place to another in my lucid dreams.
Thanks again for visiting the site!
~ Kris
Hi Becca,
I have false awakenings a few times a year. I think everyone has them but not everyone remembers them, just like everyone dreams every night but not everyone remembers their dreams. The more you practice doing reality checks every day, the more you’ll notice the false awakenings because you’ll become more aware and will be more on the lookout for signs that you might be dreaming.
But don’t let the idea of false awakenings worry you. They’re not as scary as they sound. I actually like them because they’re a great reminder of how easily our mind can be convinced we’re awake when we’re actually dreaming. Whenever I have a false awakening, it always reminds me of how important it is to practice reality checks throughout each day.
Good luck with your lucid dreaming adventures!
~ Kris
Hello,
Thanks! It works .
Hey! I just want to know if this is normal. Usually when I dream, (NOT lucid dream) I feel like I never have any control over my “dream” body. Like I feel like making the movements and action I do in dreams, but I don’t mentally control how the dream continues. Also, sometimes I will see the most random things going on in a dream (EX I will see elephants in my room or the similar..) but I will never realize that I’m dreaming.. it is as if the dream progresses that way my brain wants it too. Is it possible to gain lucidity in the middle of a normal dream? I really want to have lucid dreams, because.. well why not! You can do anything your mind can think! Also, is there any easy ways to get into a lucid dream without anything to scary? Sometimes I hear that its possible to wake up and and can’t move due to sleep paralysis. I don’t want that to happen to me of course! Also is that only possible to happen with lucid dreaming? Or can it happen anytime you wake up from a normal dream? Last night I was trying to perform a method of going into a lucid dream by doing something like an OBE (Out-of-body-experience) where you are told to lay perfectly still in bed, and let your body go to sleep and let your mind stay awake. I started to feel numbness and what it felt like to be as if my feet was falling asleep and up my body slowly. Nothing really was happening after that so I just went to sleep. I woke up a few hours later. It was around 7-8. I decided to try to do it again, and do something similar to the WILD technique. I didn’t know much about it at the time, and so all I did was concentrate on the geometric fuzzy shapes I saw underneath my eyelids. I fell back to sleep, and woke up an hour later. I still had the dream slightly playing in my head, then with my eyes closed I told myself that I was dreaming. All of the sudden, I felt as if I wast being sucked in, or pulled into something. It frightened me a little bit and woke me up. I wanna try again soon! So if you got anytime to answer all my questions, and possibly give me a few tips about lucid dreaming that would be awesome! Thanks!
-Tim
i read at some forum that wrote our dream is important, but it is very hard, when i woke up i always forgot my dream.. hope your tips can help me get lucid dreaming
I’m 14 and a few days ago i was introduced to the wrold of lucid dreaming. i wanted to try it for my self. so, throughout the day i kept saying to myself “am i dreaming” that night nothing happened apart from a normal dream and wrote it down. Next day, i said the same thing but looking at my watch, nothing happened and wrote it down. I will try the techniques but can anyone give some advice please for a novice. And one last thing, if these techniques do work, would i need to do them every time i wanted to enter a lucid dream or what? thanks
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