Learning to Control Your Dream Environment

June 20th, 2007

This article is part of the series Mastering the Art of Lucid Dreaming.

Once you have practiced maintaining control of your dream body, it's time to move on to controlling your dream environment. It is best to begin with small changes to your dream surroundings and gradually work up to larger changes.

Spend time practicing simple changes — such as altering the color of the room — before attempting to change the entire dream scene. Select a piece of furniture and change its style. Change the shape of an object from round to square or vice versa. Add a small feature to the room or to an outdoor dream scene.

Don't focus solely on visual changes. You should also incorporate your other senses in the process. Change the sound of music from one style to another. Attempt to alter the scent of a flower or food to an entirely different scent. Change the tactile sensation of a specific texture or fabric by altering the texture to a different style. This practice will also help you learn to use all your senses in other dream techniques, as well as in meditation or visualization techniques you practice while awake.

Once you've gained enough skill to make small changes in your dreams, attempt to affect your dream environment on a larger scale. Change your surroundings by mentally willing the entire dream scene to change to a location you're already very familiar with. Try not to close your eyes within the dream as you mentally will the changes to take place. Instead, mentally will them to take place right before your eyes and watch as the current dream scene wavers, shifts, and morphs into a new scene.

Don't be surprised if at first the new dream scene is nothing like the scene you attempted to will into place. It isn't unusual for your unconscious mind to influence the outcome. When this occurs, do not be disappointed. Instead, take the opportunity to observe the new dream scene and determine why that particular scene appeared. Try to determine what sort of message your unconscious mind is sending you. Ask yourself why certain details were substituted for the details you intended, or speak directly to your subconscious while in the dream by posing that question to it instead. The more educated you become about the inner workings of your unconscious mind, the more skilled you will become at working with it from a point of conscious awareness.

When you first begin, you may have difficulty changing an entire dream scene. There are several techniques you can utilize to become more adept at moving from one dream scene to another. Doorways and mirrors provide perfect points to transition from the existing dream scene to a new dream scene of your own choosing because they may be used as a "gateway" from one dream scene to another. When you want to change the dream scene and are not able to mentally will a new scene into place, find the nearest door or mirror. Stand before it and visualize the scene you would like to appear on the other side. When you have a vividly detailed image of the scene in mind, open the door and step through into that scene, or step through the mirror into the new scene.

You can also use a television or movie theater screen in your dream for the same purpose. On the movie theater screen, visualize the dream scene of your choice, then see and feel yourself being pulled into the screen and into that scene. On a television, change the channel and see the dream scene around you changing as you do so.

The spinning technique I mentioned in a previous article can also be used to change the dream scene. Imagine the dream scene you would like to see, and hold that image in your mind while you spin. As you're spinning, your eyes will lose their focus and the current dream scene will become a blur. Hold the image of your desired dream scene in mind and will it to take shape as you slow down and stop spinning. By the time you've stopped, the new dream scene should be in place.

Whenever you attempt to make changes, no matter how small, remain calm and gently nudge the change into effect rather than trying to force the change to take place. Your focus should be calm and intent, but not so intent that you become tense. Try not to get frustrated if the changes don't occur, as that will most likely cause you to wake up. Keep in mind it takes practice and patience to learn to control your dreams.

Stay tuned for the next article in the series, which will describe how to create dream objects and how to create your own personal dream space.