Phase Two: Lucid Dreaming Techniques

Introducing Lucid Dream Evoking Techniques

In this section I will cover how to initiate a lucid dream.

Keep in mind you should be doing core foundations for at least 2-3 weeks before
attempting any of the techniques in this section.

The core foundation exercises are the most important things you can do to have lucid
dreams for the rest of your life. Lucid dreaming induction techniques are just a tool to
help increase your chances of having lucid dreams on demand. All the techniques I
present require solid mental preparation which can only be achieved through consistent
dream journaling, reality checks, relaxation/ meditation.

Many of these techniques require interrupting your sleep. Therefore, I don't recommend
attempting these everyday as excessive sleep interruption is bad for your health. Keep it
to once or twice a week. If you are a student, retired, or on vacation and can afford to
sleep in, then you can try a few more times per week.

If you have work the next morning go to bed 30-60 minutes earlier so you won't be tired
the next day. If you're very busy during the week you can try these techniques on a
weekend when you can afford to sleep in.

When it comes to techniques there isn't a one size fits all so you need to experiment to
see what works for you.

In this section I will cover various techniques that you can try out and list the pros and
cons of each technique. Pick the one that works for you and try it out.

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I recommend you read all the techniques in this section before choosing/ attempting
any of the techniques.

Some of you may be tempted to jump from technique to technique, but I recommend
you fight this urge. Focus on mastering one technique at a time, don't try to learn
everything at once. If after a few attempts the technique just doesn't seem to work for
you, then you can try another one.

All right now that we have that out of the way, I will introduce you to the 2 types of lucid
dream initiations.

Dream Initiated Lucid Dreams (DILD) vs. Wake Initiated Lucid Dreams (WILD)

There are essentially two types of lucid dream initiation:

1. You can add consciousness to dreaming. That is, you are already dreaming
and then realize you are dreaming. This is called a "Dream Initiated Lucid
Dream" or DILD. A DILD is a lucid dream that starts as a non-lucid dream.
You notice something strange about the dream world that doesn't add up and
you realize that you are dreaming.

2. You can add dreaming to consciousness. That is, you go from waking state
and directly enter your dreams. This is called a "Wake Initiated Lucid Dream"
or WILD. It involves consciously falling asleep directly into a dream. One
moment you are lying down and in the next you have slipped into the dream
world.

Some people have experienced WILDs when they wake up early in the morning and
then go back to bed or while taking a nap in the afternoon.

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WILDS are less common and more difficult to initiate than DILDs.

The reason they are more difficult is because they require a balancing act between
being alert while at the same time allowing yourself to relax as you fall asleep.

Also, sleep paralysis (we covered this in section 2) can occur and you might experience
strange bodily experiences such as electric vibrations and bizarre distortions of bodily
parts. Hypnagogic hallucinations can also occur. All of these are not dangerous, but
may feel very strange if you have not experienced them before.

With WILDs sometimes you will enter into in a fully formed dream and sometimes you
will enter into a blurry incomplete dream environment. If you wake up in an incomplete
environment that means the dream scene is still being formed so be patient. One trick is
to stay calm and rub your palms together. This will keep your mind focused on the
dream body long enough for your dreams to fully form.

The benefit of WILDs is that you can experience longer lucid dreams with more clarity
because you are going directly into the start of a dream. Which is why even though they
are more difficult they are still worth the effort.

Most of the techniques I introduce will be WILD techniques.

Now that you have understood the 2 types of dream initiation I will first introduce you to
a popular DILD technique called MILD.

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How To Apply The MILD Technique

The Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD) technique was invented by Dr.
Stephen LaBerge. The MILD technique is a DILD technique in which we use
visualization and intention to program our brains to become lucid when we are in a
dream.

According to Dr. LaBerge the basic principle behind MILD is, "When you set yourself the
goal to remember to do something, you have made the goal one of your current
concerns and thereby have activated a goal-seeking brain system that will stay partially
activated until you have achieved it." - Exploring The World Of Lucid Dreaming.

Here are the steps to performing a MILD

Step 1: Wake up

Before going to sleep at night, make the intention to notice each brief, natural
awakening from sleep you experience during the night. Human beings experience
several mini-awakenings throughout the night, but we rarely notice them.

Step 2: Lie still and recall your dreams

When you awaken from a dream period, recall your most recent dream in as vivid detail
as you can.

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Step 3: Focus your intention through affirmations

As you return to sleep, focus on your intention to remember to recognize when you're
dreaming. Try an affirmation such as "The next scene will be a dream" or "I will know
when I am dreaming". Only focus on this intention, and really try to mean it. If you find
your mind wandering, just let go of these thoughts and bring your mind back to your
intention.

Step 4: Visualize yourself becoming lucid

At the same time as you are focusing your intention, imagine you are back in a recent
dream, but this time you will recognize that it is a dream. Visualize the dream in as
much clarity as possible and then look for a dreamsign. Once you spot that dreamsign
tell yourself: "I am dreaming" and perform your dream goal. This could be to travel
somewhere, fly, seek out a dream character. Do whatever you would do if this was a
real lucid dream.

Keep in mind this is just a conscious day dream at this point. However, by visualizing
yourself successfully having a lucid dream you will increase your chances of having a
lucid dream.

Step 5: Repeat:

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you fall asleep. The primary purpose of MILD is to have the
last thought in your mind be about lucid dreaming before you fall asleep. Later on you
will have a much higher chance of becoming lucid in one of your dreams. If you do
realize you are dreaming, make sure to perform a reality check.

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Pros Of MILD

This is a very common technique and has been successfully used by many lucid
dreamers.

Doesn't require you to interrupt your sleep.

Cons Of MILD

Requires very good dream recall and memory

Timing: requires you to wake up during a REM period.

How To Apply The WILD Techniques

I think Daniel Love describes WILDs the best when he says "essentially you're choosing
some form of focus upon which to pin your consciousness, whilst letting the process of
sleep and dream occur simultaneously."

What you choose to focus your consciousness on depends on your personal

preference. You can focus your intention on simple mental tasks, you can also use
visualization, or engage your tactile (kinesthetic) senses as you drift into sleep.

First I will introduce the Wake Back To Bed Method (WBTB).

WBTB is a very basic technique upon which the other 3 WILD techniques are built
upon. All the techniques begin very similarly to the WBTB method. However, as you fall
back to sleep you will pick something different to focus your mind upon as you
consciously fall asleep directly into a dream.

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The 3 WILD techniques we will cover are:

1. Count yourself to sleep technique ,which involves focusing on a simple mental

task
2. Impossible to Movement Practice, which involves focusing on your tactile senses
3. Familiar scene visualization, which involves focusing on a visualization

Keep in mind that WILDs can be challenging for beginners so don't get discouraged if
you can't get it down the first time or you fall asleep too early.

Also, keep in mind that if you can't successfully do a WILD after 30 minutes, ditch the
attempt and go back to sleep. Don't sacrifice your sleep for a lucid dream. You will feel
tired and groggy that day. Just try again next time.

The Wake Back To Bed Method (The Foundation Of Other WILD Techniques):
If you remember from our lectures about the sleep cycle, the amount of time we spend
in REM (the phase in which we dream) increases as the night progresses. The majority
of REM sleep occurs in the latter half of sleep. Therefore, we can increase our chances
of having lucid dreams by using these techniques in the latter half of sleep where REM
is more prevalent. This is where the Wake Back to Bed method comes in.

The WBTB method is the foundation upon which other WILD techniques are built upon.

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Here are the steps to performing the WBTB method:

Step 1: Wake up after about 5 hours of sleep

Set your alarm to wake you up after approximately 5 hours of sleep (assuming you
sleep 8 hours a night)

Step 2: Stay up for 30-60 minutes

This is done to increase your mental clarity. Recall any dreams you might have had and
record them in your journal.

Don't become so alert that you can't go back to sleep, but just enough so that you are
clear headed and not groggy. You can use this time to read over your older dream
journals and prepare your mind for a lucid dream. If you are particularly groggy splash a
little bit of water on your face (not too cold though), and do a bit of very light stretching.

Things to avoid: do not use caffeine or cigarettes. Do not eat anything (lucid induction
supplements are fine) or do too much exercise.

Step 3: Go back to sleep

Make a firm intention that you will have a lucid dream. It's best to sleep on your back or
on your side. At this point you can introduce some other induction techniques. We will
discuss these in subsequent lectures.

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Pros Of WBTB

The benefit of this technique is that it is very simple and requires very little effort. You
can have some lucid dreams just by using the WBTB method.

However, simple adaptations can help increase your chances of success.

Cons Of WBTB

It requires you to interrupt your sleep

It's too basic

WBTB is a great method on its own, but it can be enhanced. That's where the next 3
lucid dreaming techniques are helpful.
The Count Yourself To Sleep Technique
This technique is from Stephen LaBerge in the book Exploring the World of Lucid
Dreaming.

The principle behind this technique is to keep your mind focused on a minimal mental
task as you consciously drift into a dream.

On your next WBTB, as you fall back to sleep do the following:

Step 1: Go back to bed and relax completely.

Let go of all tension and breathe slowly.

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Step 2: Count yourself to sleep

As you fall asleep, count to yourself (in your head not out loud), "1, I'm dreaming; 2, I'm
dreaming; 3, I'm dreaming...,"

Don't count mindlessly, stay focused.

Step 3: Realize you are dreaming

Continue to count yourself and some point you'll say to yourself "I'm dreaming" and
you'll realize that you are dreaming.

The first couple of times you try this technique you might find that you fall asleep too
early. Be patient and keep trying.

Pros: Very simple, doesn't require visualization.

Cons: Initially can be very difficult to maintain concentration.

The Impossible Movement Practice (IMP) Technique

I became aware of this movement from Daniel Love in his book Are You Dreaming.

The purpose of this technique is to shift your mental focus away from the physical
body towards the dream body as you consciously drift into a dream.

The reason this technique is effective is because one of the first transitions in a WILD is
the shift from your physical body to your dream body. The visual aspects of your dream
come after.

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On your next WBTB, as you fall back to sleep do the following:

Step 1: Pick an impossible movement

Pick a movement that would be impossible to do in your position while awake but is
possible in a dream

Examples:

Bending your knee through your mattress

Putting your palms flat on your skull and trying to make a fist

Step 2: Return to Bed

Once you've chosen your move return to bed, ideally on your back.

Step 3: Try to imagine impossible movement

As you fall asleep, concentrate on trying to imagine this impossible movement over and
over. Don`t actually do it, just imagine it.

Step 4: Imagined movement will feel real

As you fall into sleep you will notice that the imagined impossible movement suddenly
feels like a real tactile experience.

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Step 5: Once step 4 occurs you are dreaming

Since this is a WILD, the visuals in your dreams may not have fully formed. Also, you
may dream that you are in your room so make sure to perform a reality check.

Pros

Great for those who struggle with visualization

Very simple and effective

Cons

Difficult to maintain concentration

The Familiar Scene Visualization Technique

This method is also from Daniel Love.

The principle of this technique is to keep your mind focused on a visual scene as you
consciously drift into a dream.

Step 1: Choose a place you frequently go to

E.g. bedroom, school, grocery store, driveway to your house.

Any place you are very familiar with and see daily.

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Step 2: Get to know the area intimately

Once you choose your area, spend time during waking hours to intimately get to know
the area. The smells, sounds, key features, paint, wallpaper, design, etc.

Also, whenever you go through the chosen location, always perform a reality check.

Step 3: During your next WTBT, start your visualization

As you fall back to sleep start your visualization. Really imagine the chosen are; the
color, texture, etc.

Try focusing on the tactile experiences too, run your hands on objects, feel the ground
beneath your feet. If your mind wonders, bring it back to your visualization

Step 4: Your imagined scene will start to take shape.

If all goes smoothly your imagined scene will start to become very realistic. At this point
you are dreaming. Perform a reality check.

Key Point: You're ability to create vivid visualizations is directly proportional to how
close you are to dreaming. In other words, the realer the scene looks the closer you are
to dreaming.

Tip: If you do have trouble maintaining focus of your visualizations one thing you can do
is seeded visualizations. According to Thomas Yuschak, "A seeded visualization is
one that I actively start but then immediately let go and passively let it develop on its
own. Instead of actively trying to keep a visualization going, I just keep dropping seeds
until they take off on their own"

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Pros:

Can be used to set up the dream environment you want to explore

Very simple

Cons:

Some people struggle with visualizations

It can be tough to maintain visualizations as your mind wanders

Common Beginner WILD Mistakes To Avoid

Common issue: My mind is too restless for me to fall back asleep

Answer: If you notice you have an extremely restless mind I recommend you practice
meditation during the day. Meditation is very helpful, because it trains your mind to stay
and alert and focused while you as you transition from the waking state to the dream
state. I also recommend doing the progressive muscle relaxation technique covered in
section 3.

As a matter of fact if you are serious about mastering WILDs I highly recommend you
start meditating.

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According to Rebecca from The World of Lucid Dreaming

"Studies have shown a direct link between meditation and lucid dreaming; both help you
become more self-aware and reflective. This improves your dream recall, visualization
skills and your ability to become lucid. It also leads to a sense of timelessness and
being at one with the world. Regular practice will help you achieve profound relaxation
whenever you want."

Tip: You can trick your mind into falling asleep by rolling your eyes back in your head
and keeping them there.

Common issue: I'm too relaxed, I fall asleep too easily

Answer: Make sure you achieve more mental alertness before going back to sleep.
Read a book or splash a bit of cold water on your face. Or you can try staying up for an
additional 15-20 minutes before returning to bed.

Common issue: How can I accurately wake up close to my REM phase of sleep?

Answer: Timing is important for WIlD techniques, and 5 hours is usually a good rule of
thumb. However, if you want to be more accurate about your waking time you can use
an app called "Sleep Cycle". You can set the App to wake you up in 5 hours, and the
alarm will wake you up in a 30 minute window when you are closest to REM. For
example if you set the app to wake you up at 5 am, it will wake you up between 4:45 am
and 5:15 am depending on your REM phase. The app can also give you valuable data
about your quality of sleep throughout the night (how long you spend in deep sleep, light
sleep, REM sleep, etc.). Keep in mind this App is not 100% accurate.

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Although WILDs are challenging, if you can master them you can have lucid dreams on
demand for a much longer duration.

Closing Thoughts & Conclusion

That concludes our section on Lucid Induction techniques. So we've covered the
foundational exercises and lucidity induction techniques. But what do we do when once
we become lucid?
In the next section we will cover HOW to control your dreams

We will cover things like how to fly, how to travel to other locations, how to meet certain
characters, how to have erotic dreams, and much more.

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