General considerations about lucid dreams

Most probably you have already wished to have powers like flying, super strength or super speed, or even imagined talking to someone close to you who passed away. This is a common tendency and is present in everyone's imagination, these thoughts that do not follow our reality may be possible to happen in our subconscious.

Dreams present the perfect conditions for your imagination to flow without limits, awakening your creativity and allowing the impossible to come true. This is why so many people seek to direct their dreams to achieve their desires, but also as a way of diving into themselves.

Lucid dreaming can be induced consciously for those who follow the recommendations of experts and practice every day. There is no need to wake up, just preserve your state of consciousness while dreaming. Learn how this is possible in the following reading.

Understand better what lucid dreams are

For this to happen, you first need to understand what a lucid dream is, when it happens, and how this type of dream occurs. Understanding lucid dreams will help you eliminate the fear that many have about diving into their dreams, enabling you to achieve this state of consciousness while you sleep. Get a better understanding of what lucid dreams are in the sequel!

What is lucid dreaming

Lucid dreaming happens when the individual in a state of sleep is aware that he is inside a dream. Through this perception, the person is able to alter his oneiric narrative and manipulate it according to his will. The most fascinating thing about this process is that the dream has no limitations and everything becomes possible.

This practice can be fun and help people who suffer from some kind of mental disorder, such as post-traumatic stress or anxiety. In addition, it can significantly improve your real-life skills, as you can practice various activities during your dream.

When a lucid dream happens

To understand the phenomenon of lucid dreaming, some researchers got together to study the brain activity of dreamers. It was identified that people had active brain activity in the frontal region of the brain, and this region is responsible for cognitive activities such as self-awareness, memory, language and decision making.

Another point, when compared to the brain activity of non-lucid dreamers, it was noticed that there is a greater intensity of activity in lucid dreamers. This indicates that there is an increase in the power of information processing, the same operation that happens when we are in the waking state.

From this information, the research has deduced that lucid dreams probably happen close to the time of waking up. It occurs during the transition state between REM sleep and the state of vigil.

How this type of dream occurs

Although there are many studies about lucid dreams, how they occur is still a mystery to researchers, and several theories about this type of dream have been developed. The first theory arose in 1960, with Celia Green, who stated that this oneiric experience is associated with a false awakening of the sleep phase, mainly in the REM stage.

As early as 2000, Steve LaBerge conducted a series of tests to detect the differences in behavior and brain patterns that occur in the brain between normal dreams and lucid dreams. From this, more recently, scientist J. Allan Hobson has indicated that the waking state in dreams occurs by intense activity in the prefrontal cortex.

How to have lucid dreams

Now that you understand more about lucid dreams and feel secure about them, it is time to learn some methods to induce this state of consciousness in dreaming. Follow below what these methods are and how they work!

The CAT Method

The CAT method translated from English means "cycle adjustment technique". To start your induction process, you will need to wake up 90 minutes earlier than normal for at least a week.

Once this is done, you should, for the following week, alternate days between waking up at your normal time and waking up 90 minutes earlier. It is believed that this habit conditions the brain to be more active in relation to your body during the REM stage.

After those initial weeks, you will take a reality test and watch for the result. When you are lucid in a dream, your curiosity will be piqued and you will notice unusual things happening in your dream state.

The MILD Method

MILD stands for "mnemonic induction of lucid dreaming". To induce this type of dream, you will need to repeat to yourself that you will have a lucid dream before going to sleep. Keep a pen and paper separate, because once you wake up, you will need to write down the dream you had.

After that, go back to sleep thinking about that dream and some reality test. When you return to the same dream, perform the reality test you had planned and you will realize that you are in a lucid dream.

The WBTB Method

WBTB is an abbreviation from English and means "wake up and go back to bed". In this method, you should stay awake for about 25 minutes, doing some activity that keeps your attention.

Once this is done, you should go back to bed and mentalize your dream. When you go back to sleep, when you are feeling awake in your sleep, perform a reality check and you will realize that you are conscious within the dream. The following step by step will help you achieve the result you desire:

1. before going to sleep, repeat to yourself that you want to have a lucid dream. The repetition will help you fix the idea you want.

Wake up after four to six hours of sleep with the help of an alarm clock. Stay in bed and remember the dream that just happened. Writing may help you in this memorization process.

3. choose something in that particular dream that could serve as a reality check for you.

4. when you go back to sleep, mentalize each step of your dream and repeat, once again, that you want to have a lucid dream. you will return to the REM stage during sleep.

5. if it works, you will be back in the same dream you had before. It is at this point that you should perform the reality test to know that you are in the lucid dream.

Reality check

The reality check is the main technique to use to recognize whether you are dreaming or not. But for it to work, it will take practice. One way to help you is to create habits that can serve as a trigger and repeat it over and over again in your day until you condition yourself to it.

If you notice that something feels unnatural, it means that you are not living a reality common to the waking state. These tests serve as tools to induce a state of dream consciousness. Follow the step-by-step instructions to create your own test:

1. you will have to create a habit that is recurrent in your daily life so that your body is conditioned to perform the same behavior automatically within the dream.

2. whatever the gesture, the important thing is to repeat it several times during your day. examples of reality tests are: picking your nose, pinching yourself, looking at your hands, or walking through a door. for it to be effective, you should ask yourself "Am I dreaming?" after performing the habit.

3. this internalized habit in your subconscious will eventually show up in your dream. when it does, be aware of your surroundings and see what kind of reaction your test will have. if something seems too absurd, it means it worked.

Keep a dream journal

Repeating and thinking about lucid dreams can help you induce lucid dreaming. This will activate your imagination, as well as unconsciously internalize the waking state while dreaming.

One way to enhance this induction is in writing. Writing down your dreams and remembering them will help you reach the conscious state in your dreams.

Reduce your screen time

There are indications that point out that the main cause of not remembering our dreams is the exaggerated use of devices with screens, such as cell phones, tablets and computers. This happens because, during sleep, the REM state can be harmed by the awaken state that screens induce, especially when we use these devices before going to sleep.

Persist

This is why training is important, because it is through repetition that you will manage to internalize in your unconscious your need to be in a waking state, facilitating the occurrence of lucid dreams.

The benefits of lucid dreaming

Incredibly, lucid dreams can not only be fun, but also offer several benefits for dreamers. They can help you with controlling your emotions, self-awareness, and improving skills. Find out what these benefits are in the reading that follows!

Control over actions in dreams

Just as it is possible to decide what you want to dream, you can also have control over your actions in dreams. Because of the reality test, you will be aware of your dream, which will give you an opening to choose what you want to happen. All of this without worrying about whether it will go wrong, since you know you are in your own consciousness.

Creativity

The experience in dreams is unlimited, and this enables you to access an infinite source of creativity. Your subconscious mind is responsible for storing all your experiences from your childhood. In this way, it becomes possible not only to live them, but also to modify them, experiencing new sensations and encouraging the creative act.

Meeting with people who have left or are far away

In cases of bereavement of a close friend or relative, in which there is still nostalgia and a need to reunite, lucid dreaming will enable this reunion. Through dreams, you will be able to invoke these people and even interact with them, as if they really existed.

Soon, you will wake up with the memory of that person, as if you had actually been with them. This can be a way of reconciliation or saying goodbye to someone who is gone and you never had the opportunity to talk about it.

Treatment of fears

A potential benefit for lucid dreamers lies in the ability to remove phobias that have accompanied them throughout their lives. Especially those types of fears that have persisted since childhood, as you will be able to deal with them directly under your grasp on your dreaming journey.

Obtaining unconscious messages

Conversation with your subconscious mind is a possible activity in lucid dreaming, which allows you to connect with an inner level of consciousness during the waking state. This attitude enables you to access information about yourself and reach a level of self-awareness more easily.

Practice skills that prepare you for real life

One practice that can make a difference in your real life is practicing lucid dreaming skills because the brain activities are concentrated in the frontal region of the brain, which is also responsible for work activities. Therefore, if you are taking some test or learning some new activity, you will be able to accomplish it in real life more easily.

Better sleep

Sleep is one of the most important practices for the maintenance of physical, mental and emotional health. It is remarkable that lucid dreamers, despite being awake during a certain phase of sleep, manage to cause a more effective recovery of the body and mind, providing an improvement in their quality of life.

The end of nightmares

Put an end to nightmares through your lucid dreams, because once you master the techniques necessary to react and have power over the events in your dreams, you won't feel bothered by the manifestations of your subconscious. Then, all you have to do is change your dream plot to something that is pleasant.

If you want to have lucid dreams, remember: persistence is the key!

For those who wish to have an active dream experience, the most important thing will be repetition, because to the extent that you persist in your search, you will be gradually inducing your mind to lucid dreaming. Therefore, it is important to follow the methods and repeat them, regardless of whether they work out or not.

At some point, the lucid dream will happen, giving the opportunity to carry out the reality test. This way, there will be no blocks, and you will be able to indicate what you want to dream, besides reaping all the benefits that a lucid dream can provide for those who experience this experience.

So follow the above methods with persistence and soon you will be able to have the lucid dreams you so desire!