Take Control of Your Dreams: A Guide to Lucid Dreaming
Learn how to harness the power of your subconscious and experience the extraordinary world of lucid dreaming, where you can shape your own reality while asleep.
Usually, we’re passive observers in the realm of dreams, watching as our brains conjure fantastical images and narratives. But what if you could take the reins? What if you could transform a terrifying monster into a harmless mouse, or soar through the sky like a bird? This is the promise of lucid dreaming – the ability to become aware that you are dreaming while you are dreaming.
The pursuit of lucid dreaming is gaining traction, with vibrant online communities like the subreddit r/LucidDreaming – boasting approximately 98,000 weekly visitors – dedicated to sharing tips and techniques. Recent discussions range from imaginative problem-solving (“If flying is hard, try giving yourself a Green Lantern ring”) to ambitious explorations (“Has anyone gone to space in [a lucid dream]?”).
“Most people engage in lucid dreaming because it’s fun,” explains Dr. Martin Dresler, head of the Sleep & Memory Lab at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior in the Netherlands. Dresler himself experiences lucid dreams every couple of weeks, though “unfortunately not very long ones,” he notes. “However, it’s typically long enough to start flying around.”
What Exactly Is Lucid Dreaming?
According to Dr. Michael Varnum, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University who recently co-authored research on lucid dreaming with his nine-year-old daughter, Clara, lucid dreaming is “a phenomenon where we become aware that we are dreaming while we experience a dream.” This awareness unlocks a unique potential: unconstrained by the physical laws of the waking world, lucid dreamers can fly, breathe underwater, exhibit superhuman strength, or even connect with their deepest desires.
Who Can Lucid Dream?
The prevalence of lucid dreaming remains somewhat unclear. “Only about half of the population reports ever having had a lucid dream,” says Dresler. Furthermore, the ability to lucid dream appears to vary significantly between individuals. Some may achieve lucidity on their first attempt, while others struggle for months, or may never experience it at all.
Interestingly, certain personality traits seem to correlate with a higher likelihood of lucid dreaming. “We found that people who are higher in openness, extraversion, and people who tend to have more nightmares tend to have more lucid dreams,” Clara Varnum shared in an email.
Training Your Mind for Lucidity
While no foolproof method guarantees lucid dreaming on demand, several practices can increase the probability. According to Dresler, the key lies in actively engaging with your dreams – and doing so often.
“Really get obsessed with your dreams,” advises Dr. Ken Paller, professor of psychology at Northwestern University. He emphasizes the importance of dream recall, noting that many individuals may be experiencing lucid dreams without even realizing it. To improve recall, Paller suggests remaining still with your eyes closed immediately upon waking and dedicating time to reconstructing your dream. Maintaining a dream journal – “Write down your dreams every day,” he recommends – can also be invaluable.
Paller also advocates for cultivating the intention to lucid dream. While awake, consciously think: “The next time I have a dream, I’m going to figure out it’s a dream.”
Recognizing You’re in a Dream
Lucid dreamers often report being alerted to the dream state by specific anomalies. One user on r/LucidDreaming realized they were dreaming because they noticed they had braces, despite no longer wearing them in waking life. “I thought to myself, ‘wait a second, I don’t have braces anymore, this must be a dream.’”
Research suggests that attempting to perform impossible actions can also serve as a “reality check.” Varnum notes that trying to operate a light switch or read text in a dream often proves difficult or impossible, potentially triggering lucidity.
Techniques for Inducing Lucid Dreams
For those seeking a more structured approach, a combination of the Wake-Back-to-Bed (WBTB) and Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD) techniques can be effective, according to Dr. Achilleas Pavlou, assistant professor of psychology and clinical communication skills at the University of Nicosia Medical School in Cyprus.
The WBTB technique involves setting an alarm for 1-2 hours before your usual wake-up time. After waking, remain awake for 10-20 minutes before returning to bed. Then, utilize MILD as you fall back asleep, Pavlou explains: “Vividly replay a dream scene and rehearse becoming lucid inside it while repeating a clear intention such as, ‘Next time I’m dreaming, I’ll notice I’m dreaming.’” Ideally, use a recent dream, but any remembered dream will suffice.
Pavlou cautions against overdoing these techniques, recommending practice only two to three times per week to avoid sleep disruption. “The goal is lucidity without sacrificing sleep,” he says.
The Potential Benefits of Lucid Dreaming
Beyond the sheer enjoyment of controlling your dream world, the benefits of lucid dreaming are still being explored. Research suggests it could offer valuable insights into the nature of sleep and dreams themselves.
A 2021 study led by Paller at Northwestern University demonstrated that individuals in a lucid dream could communicate with awake researchers, responding to questions with eye twitches or sniffing. This breakthrough allows scientists to gather real-time data from the dreaming mind, a significant improvement over relying on retrospective reports, which Paller notes are “a lot weaker than if you get evidence of what’s happening at the time of the dream.”
Preliminary studies also indicate that lucid dreaming may be a therapeutic tool for individuals struggling with recurring nightmares, offering a means to gain control over distressing dream content. A 2019 study concluded that lucid dreaming “may be a feasible aid for treating patients with nightmares through minimizing their frequency, intensity, and psychological distress,” although the authors acknowledge that further research is needed.
Are There Any Risks?
Experts generally consider lucid dreaming to be safe. However, Varnum advises individuals with pre-existing sleep disorders or parasomnia to consult a sleep specialist before attempting it. Pavlou adds that those experiencing a current psychotic episode, mania, or severe dissociative symptoms should only experiment under clinical guidance, if at all.
A Personal Experiment
For two weeks, I diligently practiced the intention-setting technique recommended by Paller before bed. While I experienced several vivid dreams – including one where I was trapped in a sinking castle with a swimming raccoon and another involving a submarine and a homicidal Cate Blanchett – I didn’t initially recognize I was dreaming. The realization finally came when I checked my credit score on a computer within a dream and found it inexplicably low. “What the hell?” I thought. “My credit score is good!”
That’s when it hit me: I was dreaming. I briefly flew around, but the experience was surprisingly underwhelming, lacking the excitement I’d anticipated, perhaps because I knew it wasn’t real.
