Becoming Aware: How to Lucid Dream
After a particularly stressful day, the best way to escape reality is not with drugs, but dreams. When we are asleep, the world is a playground: There is no pain, actions do not have consequences, and travel is unlimited. Because dreams derive from reality, however, they tend to arrive at mundane locations. Ever finished a long shift at a tedious job, only to wake up to your alarm clock and realize it had been a cruel rehearsal? To avoid the overtime and steer your dream vessel toward the uncanny, consider lucid dreaming: a method for becoming aware that you are dreaming during a dream. While an average dream may be spent in an abyss with occasional flashes of imagery, a lucid dream is experienced as a journey within the imagination. It's an opportunity for introspection, creativity, and pleasure. Best of all, anyone can learn to control their dreams; all it takes is dedication, observation, and a good night's rest.
The dream world is a place unbounded by the laws of physics and the constraints of time. It is a vast stage where the mind produces an absurd play featuring our thoughts and memories. In the depths of sleep, most people do not realize they are watching a show. It can be so believable that, upon waking, they may be feel disappointed to be torn from a vivid fantasy or greatly relieved to have escaped an unpleasant situation. This is due to our tendency to operate on “auto-pilot”. We deal with whatever situation the subconscious conjures up, reacting as we would in reality. Lucid awareness, on the other hand, reminds the dreamer that they are not restricted by reality, and therefore free to explore the countless possibilities of the dream world. To attain such a state can take days or even weeks of preparation, but it possibly the most unique experience available.
The first step in preparing for lucidity is to remember your dreams. I recommend keeping a dream journal. Three years ago, when I first started documenting my dreams, I could rarely re-call anything but vague images, fragments of dialogue, and fleeting emotions. Still, I took careful notes of every detail like I was collecting clues to an unsolved mystery. With time, my dreams became more coherent and my journal more elaborate. This is no coincidence. Memories of dreams will not slip away so easily if you make an effort to retain them. Either jot down your dreams in the mornings in a notebook by the bed, or try to remember them long enough to be typed in a blog later. Once this becomes a routine, it's crucial to start looking for connections between your dreams. The ability to recognize re-occurring themes, called dream signs, will be essential to achieving lucid awareness.
By becoming familiar with aspects of the dream world, we can then distinguish the difference between dreams and waking life. This may seem too obvious. “Of course I'm awake,” you might be thinking. But how can you be so sure? One indicator is that you are reading this essay. In a dream, the words would likely re-arrange and change, or become illegible. Reality is characterized by consistency – cause and effect, logical order of events, and predictability. There are many ways to check for consistency: remember the events leading up to this moment, count your fingers, examine the environment for irregularities, or do a double-take at a clock. Use these reality checks throughout the day to answer the question: “Am I dreaming?” To remind myself to do a reality check, I sometimes write an “A” on my hand. Then every time I see it, I remember to assess my level of awareness. I ensure my own wakefulness by just realizing that I am conscious. That way, when I habitually do a reality check when I am actually dreaming, I will inevitably realize it is a dream. This triggers a state of lucid awareness, which grants me complete control over the dream. In sum, lucid dreaming is made possible by self-induced psychological programming.
Once documenting dreams is a daily practice and performing reality checks becomes a ritual, every night holds a prospect of a lucid dream. It's easy to stay awake thinking about the potential for exploration of alien landscapes and conversations with dead celebrities. Making plans for what to do when the dream arrives will be helpful, but on the cusp of sleep, it's more important to relax (if falling asleep is difficult, try listening to soft music or binaural frequencies). After crossing the threshold into the dream world, gaining awareness is a matter of reacting to the given surroundings. The first time I had a lucid dream, I found myself in a grocery store. I had a feeling that something was wrong. I couldn't remember how I got there. When I looked down, I was wearing clothes that I knew I didn't own, so I concluded that I must be dreaming. Suddenly, I gained control of my movements and ran down the aisles at an impossible speed. The thrilling epiphany, “I can do whatever I want!” gave me a sense of power. It was a rush of awareness, like waking up with a splash of cold water. As soon as I stopped running, my lucidity dissipated. Nevertheless, the experience was so memorable that it inspired me to continue my pursuit of lucid dreams.
Maintaining a state of awareness in a dream is a challenge. Blinking, hesitating, or losing concentration for a second can sabotage the entire process. To remain lucid, one must continuously look around, pick up objects, and explore new realms. Lucid dreaming, therefore, is not for passive observers but for active participants. Immediately after discovering that you are indeed dreaming, form an objective – perhaps to find a place you've seen in a past dream – and don't stop moving. I suggest trying something supernatural, like flying. Flying is a great way to prolong a lucid dream, because it takes concentration and constant movement. Plus, it's incredibly fun.
On the flip side, there is the possibility that a prolonged lucid dream may lead to a false awakening, in which the dreamer repeatedly “wakes up”, only to realize that they are still dreaming. The time I experienced this phenomenon, I became distraught. Caught in a loop of false awakenings, I thought I was forever trapped in the dream. This prompted me to forcibly wake myself up by screaming at my distorted reflection in a mirror. My lucid dream had turned into a nightmare. I should have taken advantage of my stable state of awareness and had an adventure, but rather I dwelled on one disturbing thought. In the event of a false awakening, remember that it is a temporary state and there is no reason to panic. Forget trying to wake up, and instead go to sleep in the dream.
The effort that lucid dreaming requires is well worth the benefits it yields. I hope that by practicing these techniques, more people can experience the liberation that comes with awareness in both dreams and waking life. Reflecting on awareness reduces automated behaviors such as “zoning out” and mindlessly moving from task-to-task like a worker ant. Regardless of whether one can achieve lucid dreams, continuing to use reality checks inevitably creates a habit out of becoming aware. Since I learned to lucid dream, I have begun to ask myself questions like, “How does my awareness fluctuate throughout the day?” and “How aware am I of my position in my surroundings?” As a result, I feel that I am “in the moment” more often. It has also assisted me as an artist by revealing new ideas from deep in my subconscious. Pure awareness is synonymous with creativity. Last but not least, lucid dreaming can nourish spirituality when used as a medium for counsel with God. The world of dreams is infinitely inspirational, and the pursuit for answers within depends on the expansion of consciousness. Mindfulness, when cultivated, can improve the quality of life for everyone.
The dream world is a place unbounded by the laws of physics and the constraints of time. It is a vast stage where the mind produces an absurd play featuring our thoughts and memories. In the depths of sleep, most people do not realize they are watching a show. It can be so believable that, upon waking, they may be feel disappointed to be torn from a vivid fantasy or greatly relieved to have escaped an unpleasant situation. This is due to our tendency to operate on “auto-pilot”. We deal with whatever situation the subconscious conjures up, reacting as we would in reality. Lucid awareness, on the other hand, reminds the dreamer that they are not restricted by reality, and therefore free to explore the countless possibilities of the dream world. To attain such a state can take days or even weeks of preparation, but it possibly the most unique experience available.
The first step in preparing for lucidity is to remember your dreams. I recommend keeping a dream journal. Three years ago, when I first started documenting my dreams, I could rarely re-call anything but vague images, fragments of dialogue, and fleeting emotions. Still, I took careful notes of every detail like I was collecting clues to an unsolved mystery. With time, my dreams became more coherent and my journal more elaborate. This is no coincidence. Memories of dreams will not slip away so easily if you make an effort to retain them. Either jot down your dreams in the mornings in a notebook by the bed, or try to remember them long enough to be typed in a blog later. Once this becomes a routine, it's crucial to start looking for connections between your dreams. The ability to recognize re-occurring themes, called dream signs, will be essential to achieving lucid awareness.
By becoming familiar with aspects of the dream world, we can then distinguish the difference between dreams and waking life. This may seem too obvious. “Of course I'm awake,” you might be thinking. But how can you be so sure? One indicator is that you are reading this essay. In a dream, the words would likely re-arrange and change, or become illegible. Reality is characterized by consistency – cause and effect, logical order of events, and predictability. There are many ways to check for consistency: remember the events leading up to this moment, count your fingers, examine the environment for irregularities, or do a double-take at a clock. Use these reality checks throughout the day to answer the question: “Am I dreaming?” To remind myself to do a reality check, I sometimes write an “A” on my hand. Then every time I see it, I remember to assess my level of awareness. I ensure my own wakefulness by just realizing that I am conscious. That way, when I habitually do a reality check when I am actually dreaming, I will inevitably realize it is a dream. This triggers a state of lucid awareness, which grants me complete control over the dream. In sum, lucid dreaming is made possible by self-induced psychological programming.
Once documenting dreams is a daily practice and performing reality checks becomes a ritual, every night holds a prospect of a lucid dream. It's easy to stay awake thinking about the potential for exploration of alien landscapes and conversations with dead celebrities. Making plans for what to do when the dream arrives will be helpful, but on the cusp of sleep, it's more important to relax (if falling asleep is difficult, try listening to soft music or binaural frequencies). After crossing the threshold into the dream world, gaining awareness is a matter of reacting to the given surroundings. The first time I had a lucid dream, I found myself in a grocery store. I had a feeling that something was wrong. I couldn't remember how I got there. When I looked down, I was wearing clothes that I knew I didn't own, so I concluded that I must be dreaming. Suddenly, I gained control of my movements and ran down the aisles at an impossible speed. The thrilling epiphany, “I can do whatever I want!” gave me a sense of power. It was a rush of awareness, like waking up with a splash of cold water. As soon as I stopped running, my lucidity dissipated. Nevertheless, the experience was so memorable that it inspired me to continue my pursuit of lucid dreams.
Maintaining a state of awareness in a dream is a challenge. Blinking, hesitating, or losing concentration for a second can sabotage the entire process. To remain lucid, one must continuously look around, pick up objects, and explore new realms. Lucid dreaming, therefore, is not for passive observers but for active participants. Immediately after discovering that you are indeed dreaming, form an objective – perhaps to find a place you've seen in a past dream – and don't stop moving. I suggest trying something supernatural, like flying. Flying is a great way to prolong a lucid dream, because it takes concentration and constant movement. Plus, it's incredibly fun.
On the flip side, there is the possibility that a prolonged lucid dream may lead to a false awakening, in which the dreamer repeatedly “wakes up”, only to realize that they are still dreaming. The time I experienced this phenomenon, I became distraught. Caught in a loop of false awakenings, I thought I was forever trapped in the dream. This prompted me to forcibly wake myself up by screaming at my distorted reflection in a mirror. My lucid dream had turned into a nightmare. I should have taken advantage of my stable state of awareness and had an adventure, but rather I dwelled on one disturbing thought. In the event of a false awakening, remember that it is a temporary state and there is no reason to panic. Forget trying to wake up, and instead go to sleep in the dream.
The effort that lucid dreaming requires is well worth the benefits it yields. I hope that by practicing these techniques, more people can experience the liberation that comes with awareness in both dreams and waking life. Reflecting on awareness reduces automated behaviors such as “zoning out” and mindlessly moving from task-to-task like a worker ant. Regardless of whether one can achieve lucid dreams, continuing to use reality checks inevitably creates a habit out of becoming aware. Since I learned to lucid dream, I have begun to ask myself questions like, “How does my awareness fluctuate throughout the day?” and “How aware am I of my position in my surroundings?” As a result, I feel that I am “in the moment” more often. It has also assisted me as an artist by revealing new ideas from deep in my subconscious. Pure awareness is synonymous with creativity. Last but not least, lucid dreaming can nourish spirituality when used as a medium for counsel with God. The world of dreams is infinitely inspirational, and the pursuit for answers within depends on the expansion of consciousness. Mindfulness, when cultivated, can improve the quality of life for everyone.