As a full disclosure, I am only a beginner researcher of lucid dreaming at the time of writing this article.
I recently took my first steps into lucid dreaming and I am at the very beginning of my journey.
As I write and document my research and experience, I will clarify the path and deepen my daily dialogue with the miraculous. My aim is to share my findings with you in an entire blog post dedicated to dreamers.
With humility, I would like to say that I have quite a bit of experience with mind-altering tools and experiences, and for this reason I come to dreaming with a psycho-spiritual background. I believe it will benefit the journey. In this sense, I am not new to the practice.
Having laid the foundation for writing the article, and the ones that will follow, I am ready to get started.
What is Lucid Dreaming?
Most of the time, when we dream, we don’t realize that it’s a dream.
The concept of lucid dreaming refers to a state of knowing that we are dreaming while dreaming. It is a state of awareness that allows us to move from a state of conscious observation to the creation and control of the dream’s different aspects.
In lucid dreaming, we become active players in the show, rather than passive observers.
A bit of history
Many cultures around the world value dreaming, from the natives of the Americas who used dreams as a gateway to the world of spirits and a source of prophecies, to the aborigines of Australia who refer to the story of creation as a dream.
In particular, lucid dreaming is not a modern invention.
There are thousands of years of dreaming practices in Buddhist and Hindu traditions. Tibetan Buddhists have a tradition of dreaming practice called Dream Yoga, or the yoga of dreaming, which is part of a wide and deep practice of non-duality.
Aristotle’s treatise on dreams was the first to describe lucid dreams clearly:
“When one is asleep, there is something in consciousness which tells us that what presents itself is but a dream.”
Frederik van Eeden coined the term Lucid Dreams in 1913. He described and classified different types of dreams, including dreams with a high level of awareness that allowed him to fly.
Among the western names associated with lucid dreaming today is Stephen LaBerge, a psychophysiologist who has dedicated his life to the study of lucid dreaming.
What is the frequency of lucid dreams?
The number of people experiencing lucid dreams is difficult to estimate, but researchers provide us with rough estimates based on their research processes and interviews with subjects.
According to a study published in 2017, 51% of the population has experienced a lucid dream at least once, and about 20% of them do so monthly.
Research also reveals that lucid dreams are more common in childhood and gradually decrease with age.
Lucid dreaming: why practice it?
First of all, before I tell you about some pretty amazing things that can be achieved through lucid dreaming, I would like to introduce you to Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, whose book ‘The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep’ I am currently reading on the recommendation of an experienced lucid dreamer friend.
According to Tenzin, we sleep about a third of our lives, or 25-33 years of dreaming on average. An amazing figure, when you think about it. It can be utilized in a deeper and more meaningful way than we think.
As many of us live by the outdated equation of time equals money, sleep is often treated as a waste of time in Western culture.
It is becoming increasingly evident to us as time passes that dreaming has a significant impact on our physical, psychological, and spiritual health. Both ancient dreaming traditions, such as those of the Tibetans, and scientific knowledge about dreams make this possible.
Lucid dreaming may have the following effects:
Treating nightmares
When we realize that we are dreaming during a nightmare, we have the ability to understand that it is only a bad dream. We can change the content of the dream and make it positive. But even if we don’t, our relationship to the dream changes and so does the intensity of the fear.
It was concluded in a 2019 study that lucid dreaming can be used to treat nightmares even if lucidity is not achieved while dreaming. This is because it causes patients to develop critical thinking about their dreams.
Enhancing motor skills and abilities
A number of studies have shown that training and practicing certain skills while dreaming, when the body is asleep, can improve performance while awake. On the same scale, lucid dreaming can assist and support rehabilitation for those with physical disabilities. It is highly recommended to read the article I wrote about myelin production and remember the importance of REM sleep to these processes.
Enhancing creativity
By waking up in a lucid dream, we are able to explore the creative process in ways we are not able to in the waking world. This insight, that we are the creators of our reality, can be applied to our everyday lives.
During dreams, logical barriers dissolve, allowing us to explore ideas for stories, solve problems creatively, find new perspectives, and gain valuable insights.
A study compared subjects who experience lucid dreaming regularly with those who dream unconsciously. It found that those who practice lucid dreaming are able to solve problems that require a high degree of creativity (insight problems).
Expanding awareness
Lucid dreaming involves becoming aware of our dream state while in it. Our awareness expands not only in the dream state, but also in waking life. We can observe the contents of our consciousness. Higher awareness in waking life could be a topic for a whole article. However, there is no doubt that it improves the quality of our lives.
These are just examples. I’ll write more about the potential benefits of lucid dreaming later on.
How do you begin practicing lucid dreaming?
This is a summary of the main points I learned and practiced. There are a few principles that are repeated across different approaches. There are also several techniques, and finding what works for you requires experimentation.
Dream journal
For anyone who wants to learn lucid dreaming, a dream journal is an essential tool. It is very useful to focus on the ability to recall dreams before you move forward. Initially, you may recall only one dream, but after you get used to it, more will be captured. It is advised to prepare a notebook and a pen by the bed and consciously think about it before you go to sleep.
You can keep a dream diary in a paper notebook or a digital file; each has advantages and disadvantages. The main thing is that you are comfortable with it.
Creating a dream database can also help us find signs that repeat themselves. It may allow us to realize that we are dreaming as we move forward with our practice.
It is recommended that you write down your dreams as soon as you wake up, even if it is in the middle of the night.
Reality checks
We should ask ourselves several times a day whether we are dreaming or awake. In a dreaming routine, this is a very basic habit. In addition to the question and observation implicit in this sentence, there are several actions we can take to determine if we are dreaming. We are more likely to do a reality check in our dreams if we practice it while awake as well.
Here are some things you can get used to checking:
- Checking your palms. During a dream, the palms appear strange
- Looking at written words or a clock – if we look twice during a dream, it seems to change
You should observe the dream signs and wonder about the state of awareness several times a day.
MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreaming)
A technique associated with Steven LaBerge.
One way to apply this technique is to wake up 5 hours after falling asleep. Then, you repeat the inner statement “Next time I dream, I will recognize that I am dreaming”.
It relies on what we call “prospective memory” which is our ability to recall an intention to do something. Therefore, prospective memory is more future-oriented than other types of memory, even though it retains information from the past.
I promise to expand on MILD later.
What about my dreams?
I strive to make the practice of dreaming an integral part of my spiritual process. I don’t have a specific destination and I don’t need to get anywhere. It gives me satisfaction that I succeed in developing habits that promote lucid dreaming and that my dialogue with my dream world becomes deeper and clearer. This I believe is the best way to go.
To conclude
What excites me the most about lucid dreaming is our ability to use the time and space of our sleeping hours for spiritual, mental and cognitive growth. I believe it’s an untapped sphere that allows us to expand our human capacity to better understand ourselves and the world. It’s mysterious and I like it.
I will continue to write about this matter. You are welcome to follow.
