(The fallowing is my own experiences along with theories ive found from various websites on lucid dreaming)
This is something that has fascinated and amazed me for many years. Lucid dreaming is when you realize that you are actually dreaming and take control of your dreams. The first few steps are definitely the hardest…but dont worry, with enough practice you will be able to do it.
1) Pre-Plan: Before you go to sleep, actively think that you want to control your dream. Also while falling asleep, think about a story or something that you want to dream about. Play this story out in your head while your falling asleep.
2) Reality Check: While your dreaming, try to look for any signs that what your witnessing is a dream. This is really really hard to do, and takes a lot of cracks to finally do it. But here are some simple things you can do that can help you along:
– Read a sign or any message, look away, than look at it again. More times than not, if your dreaming, the text will change
– The movie Waking Life told us to flip on a light switch. If you are dreaming, the light will not turn on and off. I havent tried this yet but ive heard it works.
– Pinch or poke yourself. You will realize that you dont feel any pain(this doesnt always work. You subconscience can actually send signals to your brain simulating pain. Fucking crazy right?!?)
– Look into a mirror. This one works really well for me. The image you see in a mirror almost never looks like you; it can be blurry or disfigured in some way.
and the check that works the most for me:
– Look at a clock. Time is really distorted in a dream. If you look at a clock, time will never move the way it does in real life. Also, try looking at a clock, looking away, and looking at it again. I have found that the time is never the same when you look back.
3) FLY! Once you realize that you are dreaming, now comes the fun part. Start running, for about 5 seconds. After you have enough speed, jump as high into the air as you can and tuck your knees up towards your body. You will now be flying! You can now enjoy the subconscious world that your mind has created for you by flying around it. It is one of the greatest experiences you will ever have.
4) If at first you dont succeed, keep trying! It took me a long time to actually do this. Even though I know all these tips now, I still have only actually flown about 15-20 times in my dreams. You will fail many times before you actually realize you are in a dream, but just dont give up. Afterall, you do get a lot of oppurtunities( most people dream 3-4 times a night).
5) Explore:You can also choose to do other things than flying. Paint a picture, or go swimming, or just spend time with a celebrity or a person from your past. Once you get into a lucid dream, their are endless possibilities of what you can do. And the best part is that your mind remembers a lucid dream MUCH more clearly than other dreams. Even after you wake up, you will be able to remember this experience very clearly.
