A Beginner's Guide To Lucid Dreaming
A Beginner's Guide To Lucid Dreaming
What is Lucid Dreaming? What are the benefits? And how can I begin lucid dreaming and exploring my dream state?
What is Lucid Dreaming? What are the benefits? And how can I begin lucid dreaming and exploring my dream state?
Lucid dreaming is becoming aware while dreaming and exploring the 4th dimension or dream state. It is related to astral traveling, inter-dimensional travel and can be done quite easily.
In Native American culture, dreams are believed to open new worlds beyond a normal comprehension of reality. Once dream realms are opened, dreamwalkers can enter and heal the dreamer's mind, body, spirit.
The purpose of lucid dreaming is to have control of your dreams, talk to dream characters, talk to spirit guides and transform your dreams how you want. It is pretty cool! It may take a few times to successfully lucid dream, but it becomes easier the more you do it.
Benefits of Lucid Dreaming
Lucid Dreaming has many benefits and often when you lucid dream, you wake up with that refreshed feeling like you slept for many hours. Besides that, here are some of the benefits:
- Relieves Anxiety and Stress
- Promotes Creativity
- Improve Fine Motor Skills
- Improve Problem Solving Skills
- Help With Phobias
In addition, it can help with spiritual development and can be a gateway to healing.
How do you begin Lucid Dreaming?
Getting into a lucid dream is easy, you simply have to have the intention, meditation helps as well. It happens quickly and often when people lucid dream the first few times, they wake up instantly. here are techniques that will get you into the lucid dreaming state, and we'll go over how to stay in this state later on.
Technique 1: Intend on having a lucid dream
Simply having the intention to lucid dream seems to be enough to have your first lucid dream. The day of the night that you plan to lucid dream, just keep saying to yourself that you will have a lucid dream. Just say "tonight I will be lucid in my dream." Most likely you will have a lucid dream that night.
Technique 2: Meditation
Meditate for at least 20 min before bed preferably using Delta binaural beats. If Delta is too much for you, start with Theta, then incorporate Delta beats later. This improves your chances of having a lucid dream.
Choose a crystal:
Choose a crystal:
Choose a crystal:
Choose a crystal:
Choose a crystal:
Choose a crystal:
Choose a crystal:
Choose a crystal:
Choose a crystal:
Choose a crystal:
Your guidance is...Slow down and take stock.
Your guidance is...Slow down and take stock.
Whatever is happening right now, it might be very hectic and out of your control. It's suggesting you take it easy, slow down and go through what you have and what you need/want.
Your guidance is...Go with your gut!
Your guidance is...Go with your gut!
Whatever you're going through right now, it's suggested you go with your gut! Listen to that inner voice and move in the direction you feel best moving in.
Your guidance is...Don't be afraid, you've done this before.
Your guidance is...Don't be afraid, you've done this before.
Whatever it is you're coming up against right now, it's suggested to remember that you've done it before. It is something you're experienced with and that you have skills in this area.
Reality Testing and Staying in the Dream
The trick to having a lucid dream is to check to see if you're dreaming in the dream. Let me explain. Becoming lucid is just something that happens, through intention or meditation, the hard part is then staying in the dream. Once you become lucid, you have to do all you can to keep convincing yourself it's a dream or you will wake up. Here are some ways to do this:
Technique 1: Reality Testing
There are certain rules about dreaming that govern the structure of lucid dreams. For example, the lighting in dreams cannot be adjusted by a light switch. If you become lucid and you want to make sure, turn on a light switch and see if the lights get brighter, if they don't then you're in a dream. You can train yourself to recognize this sign by turning light switches off and on during the day. Turn on a light switch and say "this is not a dream." The more you differentiate between a dream and reality, the more likely you will have a lucid dream and be able to stay in it. There are more examples of reality testing below.
Technique 2: Ask yourself or someone else "Is this a dream?"
There are people in the "dream world" that you can actually talk to. If you become lucid and want to make sure you're dreaming, talk to the nearest person and ask if this is a dream. If they back away and don't answer, then chances are, you're dreaming. Keep asking yourself if you're dreaming and look around for evidence. This will keep you in the dream.
More Reality Testers
Here are some more reality testers that can be used to gage whether you are lucid or not in a dream:
- Time/Clocks - If you look at a clock in a dream whether it's digital or analog, you'll see that it doesn't quite make sense. The numbers will be jumbled up and will change frequently. Check your clocks during the day and make sure they're still readable, if they're not, you're in a dream!
- Mirrors - In a dream, your reflection will look distorted and faded.
- Hands - Your hands in a dream will also look distorted and will appear like they're floating.
- Solid Objects - Push a wall or table, in dreams your hands will go through the object to the other side.
In lucid dreams, you can actually change into animals, you can instantly travel to different places...and you can fly. So if you're not doing that in real life, chances are you are NOT dreaming.
Once you've successfully lucid dreamed a few times you can easily navigate this state! Navigating is simply through your own intentions.
If you want to experience something specific in your dream, set the intention before you go to sleep that you want guidance for a conflict to be resolved, you want inspiration for a certain project, or you simply want to try flying in the dream state! The main thing about lucid dreaming is that it is done through your creative intention.