How to lucid dream

Lucid dreaming: Controlling the stories of sleep

Have you ever started dreaming and suddenly realized that you were in a dream? Have you ever managed to gain control over your dream narrative? If your answer to either of these is “yes,” you have experienced what is called lucid dreaming.

Movies such as Inception have popularized lucid dreaming. This movie features impressive dream artisans who are able to control the shape and content of their dreams, as well as the dreams of others.

Such feats of dream manipulation may not seem possible to the same extent in our real lives, but they are not altogether absent.

In fact, a number of people are able to experience something called lucid dreaming, and some of them are even able to control certain elements of their nightly dreams.

According to some research, around halfTrusted Source of all people have had a lucid dream at some time in their lives, and around 11% experience one or two lucid dreams per month.

In his much-cited poem A Dream Within A Dream, Edgar Allan Poe wrote, “All that we see or seem/Is but a dream within a dream.”

Whether or not he is right is a matter for philosophers to debate, but the boundary between dreams and reality is something that lucid dreaming appears to explore.

In this Spotlight, we look at what qualifies as lucid dreaming, whether these experiences can have any practical applications, and how a person might be able to become a lucid dreamer.

What is lucid dreaming?

Typically, when we dream, we do not know that the dream is not real. As a character from the movie Inception quite aptly puts it, “Well, dreams, they feel real while we’re in them, right? It’s only when we wake up that we realize that something was actually strange.”

However, some people are able to enter a dream and be fully aware of the fact that they are actually dreaming.

“A lucid dream is defined as a dream during which dreamers, while dreaming, are aware they are dreaming,” specialists explain.

The very first record of lucid dreaming appears to feature in the treatise On Dreams by the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. In it, he describes an instance of self-awareness during a dream state.

“[If] the sleeper perceives that he is asleep, and is conscious of the sleeping state during which the perception comes before his mind, it presents itself still, but something within him speaks to this effect: ‘The image of Koriskos presents itself, but the real Koriskos is not present,’” he wrote.

It is unclear how many people actually experience lucid dreaming, though certain studies have tried to gather information regarding its prevalence — and it seems that this phenomenon may be quite common.

For instance, researchers in Brazil surveyed 3,427 participants with a median age of 25. The results of the survey indicated that 77% of the respondents had experienced lucid dreaming at least once.

When does it happen, and what is it like?

Like most dreams, lucid dreaming will typically occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. For some people it occurs spontaneously, but others train themselves to start dreaming lucidly (or to become better at it).

As one experienced lucid dreamer told Medical News Today:

The degree to which a person can influence their dream also varies.

Some people may simply wake up immediately upon realizing that they had been dreaming. Other people, however, may be able to influence their own actions within the dream, or parts of the dream itself.

The lucid dreamer who spoke to MNT told us that she was able to manipulate the dream narrative in order to create a pleasant experience for herself.

“Usually,” she explained, “I can control the narrative in the dream, so for example, if I’m unhappy with the way things are going in the dream, I can change it.”

What are its applications?

Lucid dreaming is certainly an attractive and fascinating prospect; being able to explore our own inner worlds with full awareness that we are in a dream is intriguing and has an almost magical flavor to it.

However, can lucid dreaming have any practical applications?

Dr. Denholm Aspy, at the University of Adelaide in Australia, is a researcher who specializes in lucid dreaming.

He explained to MNT that this experience can actually be therapeutic. Its main application, Dr. Aspy said, is to address nightmares — especially recurring nightmares, which may affect a person’s quality of life trusted Source.

The practice of learning to lucid dream to stop nightmares from occurring or recurring, he explained, is called “lucid dreaming therapy.”

“If you can help someone who’s having nightmares to become lucid during that nightmare,” he said, “then that gives them the ability to exert control over themselves or over the nightmare itself.”

“Some people,” he added, “take on superpowers or special abilities, [so] they can fight back against the attacker. And then you can also try to escape, so things like flying away, or even doing techniques to deliberately wake up from the nightmare.”

Lucid dreaming also has the potential to help people with phobias, such as a fear of flying or a fear of spiders.

“If a person has a particular phobia, then their lucid dream environment […] provides an interesting opportunity to do things like exposure therapy, where you gradually expose yourself to the thing you’re afraid of, in an attempt to gradually overcome that fear,” Dr. Aspy said.

This is possible, he added, because dream environments can provide a realistic enough experience without it actually feeling unsafe. During lucid dreaming, an individual knows that they are not in the real world, so they may safely explore their fears without actually feeling threatened.

Source- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323077#techniques

What is lucid dreaming?

Lucid dreaming is when you’re conscious during a dream. This typically happens during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the dream-stage of sleep.

An estimated 55 percent of people have had one or more lucid dreams in their lifetime.

During a lucid dream, you’re aware of your consciousness. It’s a form of metacognition, or awareness of your awareness. Often, lucid dreaming also lets you control what happens in your dream.

Some people report that lucid dreams feel very vivid and real, while others say they feel a bit hazier. Others say their lucid dreams feel different every time.

History

In the last 20 years, psychophysiologist Dr. Stephen LaBerge has become the pioneer of lucid dreaming research. Not only did he invent one of the most popular lucid dreaming techniques, but he has also led many scientific studies on the subject.

LaBerge’s work has helped researchers discover therapeutic benefits of lucid dreaming. It may be useful in treating conditions, like PTSD, recurring nightmares, and anxiety.

Lucid dreaming usually happens spontaneously. However, it’s possible to learn how to lucid dream through various methods.

How to have a lucid dream: 5 methods

Lucid dreaming techniques train your mind to notice your own consciousness. They’re also designed to help you regain or maintain consciousness as you enter REM sleep.

1. Wake-initiated lucid dreaming (WILD)

A wake-initiated lucid dream (WILD) happens when you directly enter a dream from waking life. It’s said WILD helps your mind stays conscious while your body goes to sleep.

You’ll need to lay down and relax until you experience a hypnagogic hallucination or a hallucination that occurs when you’re just about to fall asleep. WILD is simple, but it’s difficult to learn.

Practicing the other lucid dreaming induction techniques will increase your chances of WILD.

2. Reality testing

Reality testing, or reality checking, is a form of mental training. It increases metacognition by training your mind to notice your own awareness.

Your level of metacognition is similar in your waking and dreaming states. So, higher metacognition when you’re awake could lead to higher metacognition when you’re dreaming.

This may be related to the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which plays a role in both reality testing and lucid dreaming. To enhance your metacognition, you can do reality tests while you’re awake.

To try reality testing, follow these steps several times a day:

1. Ask yourself, “Am I dreaming?”
2. Check your environment to confirm whether you’re dreaming.
3. Notice your own consciousness and how you’re engaging with your surroundings.

You can set an alarm every 2 to 3 hours to remind yourself to do a reality check.

Here are common reality checks that people use to lucid dream:

• Mirrors. Check your reflection to see if it looks normal.
• Solid objects. Push your hand against a wall or table and see if it goes through. Some people push their fingers into their opposite palm.
• Hands. Look at your hands. Do they look normal?
• Time. If you’re dreaming, the time on a clock will constantly change. But if you’re awake, the time will barely change.
• Breathing. This popular reality check involves pinching your nose and seeing if you can breathe. If you can still breathe, you’re dreaming.

It’s recommended to pick one reality check and do it multiple times a day. This will train your mind to repeat the reality checks while dreaming, which can induce lucid dreaming.

3. Wake back to bed (WBTB)

Wake back to bed (WBTB) involves entering REM sleep while you’re still conscious.

There are many versions of WBTB, but consider this technique:

1. Set an alarm for 5 hours after your bedtime.
2. Go to sleep as usual.
3. When the alarm goes off, stay up for 30 minutes. Enjoy a quiet activity like reading.
4. Fall back asleep.

When you go back to sleep, you’ll be more likely to lucid dream. While you’re awake, choose any activity that requires full alertness.

ResearchTrusted Source suggests the chances of lucid dreaming depends on the level of alertness and not the specific activity.

4. Mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (MILD)

In 1980, LaBerge created a technique called Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD). It was one of the first methods that used scientific research to induce lucid dreams.

MILD is based on a behavior called prospective memory, which involves setting an intention to do something later.

In MILD, you make the intention to remember that you’re dreaming.

Here’s how to use the MILD technique:

1. As you fall asleep, think of a recent dream.
2. Identify a “dreamsign,” or something that’s irregular or strange in the dream. An example is the ability to fly.
3. Think about returning to the dream. Acknowledge that the dreamsign only happens when you dream.
4. Tell yourself, “The next time I dream, I want to remember that I am dreaming.” Recite the phrase in your head.

You can also practice MILD after waking up in the middle of a dream. This is usually recommended, as the dream will be fresher in your mind.

5. Keeping a dream journal

Keeping a dream journal, or dream diary, is a popular method for initiating lucid dreaming. When you write down your dreams, you’re forced to remember what happens during each dream. It’s said to help you recognize dreamsigns and enhance awareness of your dreams.

For best results, log your dreams as soon as you wake up. It’s also recommended to read your dream journal often.

How to wake up

Sometimes, you might want to wake up from a lucid dream. Lucid dreamers use a few different techniques.

Try the following methods to wake from a lucid dream

• Call out for help. It’s said that yelling in your dream tells your brain it’s time to wake up. Or, if you manage to speak out loud, you might wake yourself up.
• Blink. Repeatedly blinking may help your mind get ready to wake up.
• Fall asleep in your dream. If you’re aware that you’re dreaming, go to sleep in your dream, so you can wake up in real life.
• Read. Try to read a sign or book in your dream. This could activate parts of your brain that aren’t used in REM.

Benefits

There’s some evidence that lucid dreaming has therapeutic effects. Lucid dreaming might help people do the following.

Overcome nightmares

It’s common to have a nightmare now and then. Recurring nightmares, however, can cause stress and anxiety.

They’re often associated with:

• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• depression
• anxiety
• stress
• sleep disturbances, like insomnia
• medication
• substance use

Lucid dreaming might help by letting the dreamer control the dream. Additionally, when a dreamer knows they’re dreaming, they can recognize that the nightmare isn’t real.

Lucid dreaming is often used in imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT). In IRT, a therapist helps you reimagine a recurring nightmare with a different, more pleasant storyline.

When used with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), IRT with lucid dreaming induction can help increase dream control.

A small 2017 study examined this effect by looking at 33 military veterans with PTSD and recurring nightmares. Some received CBT with IRT, while others received CBT alone. The group that received CBT with IRT experienced higher dream control, which reduced nightmare-induced stress.

Source- https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/how-to-lucid-dream#benefits