It is relatively easy to learn how to lucid dream, but like anything worth doing it will take some practice and commitment. The good news is that there are just a few very simple basic steps and I am going to share them with you now.
Remember Your Dreams
The very first thing you must get into the habit of doing is keeping a written record of your dreams. This is called keeping a dream journal. The best time to write in your dream journal is immediately upon waking up, so keep a notebook and pen by your bedside. There’s a very good reason to do this as soon as you wake up, because that is when you have the greatest recall. Have you ever had a really clear dream, but then as the day progresses, it becomes less and less clear? Often when waking from a nightmare, we’ll know exactly what scared us in the dream, but after going back to sleep and waking up again, we don’t remember many details, just that we had a nightmare. Most people that say they do not dream actually just have very bad dream recall, because we have around 5 dreams every night.
It is vital that you get into the habit of recording your dreams, for the very obvious reason that if you do begin to lucid dream, how will you know you have? Also, it gets us in the habit of focusing on our dreams.
When you’re first starting out, it’s a good idea to set your alarm to wake you about half an hour earlier than you normally would get up. Don’t be tempted to talk to your partner about your dream. Pick up your pen and notebook and begin writing everything you can remember. Don’t worry about it being a linear account or get caught up in analysing the specific details at this point. Just be sure to write as many details as you can imagine. Some people who want to fast track their dream recall will not just set their alarm for half an hour before they wake up, but for several times throughout the night. What you need to know is that each dream cycle lasts around 90 minutes, which is usually when we enter REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. So you may choose to wake up after 3 or 4 and a half hours, write in your dream journal, go back to sleep, then have the alarm go off again after 90 minutes and once again write in your journal and repeat one more time after another 90 minutes of sleep.
When I was first learning to lucid dream, I set my alarm to go off 2hrs before I normally woke up, made a dream journal entry and then as I was going back to sleep, I’d focus on the dream I just had, and I often found I would end up back in the dream and when I woke up 90 minutes later, I had even greater recall.
Day time naps lasting around an hour and a half can also be a rich source of vivid dreams which are easier to recall. OK, so while you’re working on your dream recall, there is also something you need to do during your waking hours.
Is This a Dream?
Are you dreaming right now? No really, are you dreaming right now? This is a very important question to get in the habit of asking yourself several times a day. Most of the time when we are dreaming we have no idea that it is a dream, yet getting in to the habit of doing a literal reality check during the day, you will also begin to do that in your dream and thus have a greater chance of becoming lucid.
So, how do you know that you are not dreaming right now? There is an easy way to tell; look away from this screen and look back and re-read the last sentence. If it is blurry or the letters and words have become all jumbled up, chances are that this is a dream. Very little stays the same in a dream when it is viewed again in a dream. You can look at a watch, any written text or symbols, your phone, even your hand, and when you look away and look back at the object if it is the same, you’re awake, if it’s different, you’re dreaming.
How to remain in your lucid dream
If anyone is worried about getting stuck in a lucid dream and not being able to wake up, I can assure you that you’ll very soon discover that you have the opposite problem. The first time you become lucid in your dream what you’ll most likely do is to become extremely excited and think something along the lines of “Woohoo! This is it, I’m doing it; I’m lucid dreaming!” Then you’ll wake up. This happened to me many times. In fact I even remember that first lucid dream very clearly. I was walking down a street and there was this elaborate hotel ahead. The thing that made me realise I was dreaming was the fact that I was walking unaided. At the time in my waking life, I was very ill and in a lot of pain so could only walk slowly and very short distances and that too with the aid of a walking stick. So when I found myself happily strolling down a beautiful street I realised very quickly that I was dreaming. On becoming lucid I was so surprised and excited that I just woke up, which was a shame because I wanted to go and explore the hotel. This happened quite a few times in subsequent dreams and I began to suspect I’d never be able to remain lucid.
Other lucid dreamers recommend something called ’spinning’ which is precisely what it sounds like; as soon as you become lucid, start spinning around and around. You don’t need to just spin though, as I believe any kind of movement will help to ground you in your dream body. I have to admit this didn’t work too well for me.
After much experimenting, this is what I found helped me to remain lucid and not wake up:
- Remain calm: This is actually more difficult than it sounds especially the first times you manage to become lucid. But I found that it was the actual excitement at discovering that I was lucid that caused me to wake up. So, I developed a routine of action that I began as soon as I realised I was lucid to anchor myself to the dream.
- Movement: Moving your body in anyway is very important as soon as you become lucid. It acts as a way to remain in your dream body. Some people spin, as I mentioned before, but I like to do something more subtle. I lift up both hands palms down, then I turn them palms up and then again palms down. Then I step to the left, take a step back, a step to the right and a step forward. It’s basically a tight little square and you end up back in the spot you started. It sounds ridiculous, but it really helped me to remain in my dream.
- Notice what is around you: Shift your attention to what is around you. You can call out for things to be clearer, or focus on something close by. I remember stepping out to the left and my leg hit a bush and I looked down and began to examine the leaves on the bush. Again, this helps to get you past the excitement and will prevent you from waking up.
The easiest way to get into the habit of doing this routine is to practice it throughout the day when you’re awake. You don’t have to do exactly what I do. You could jump, or drop down or any other action, the main thing is to move. A word of caution though; I found that jerky or abrupt movements actually made me wake up, so I found smaller movements that required some kind of co-ordination helped me to stay in the dream.
Then just explore and enjoy! Happy travels in your lucid dreams.
Lucid Dreaming Series:
- Read ‘Part 1: What is Lucid Dreaming?‘ →
- Read ‘Part 2: What Are the Benefits of Lucid Dreaming?‘ →
- Read ‘Part 3: How to Lucid Dream‘ →