Ways to induce lucid dreams

[Jacqui]

Majority of dreams I have are lucid - I didn't realize it was anything special until a couple of days ago, when I wanted to find out more about dream interpretations. I don't know how I'm able to have them, I just know I've been having them for a while now - almost as long as I can remember. I do recall the first lucid dream I ever had; I would have been six or seven. A T-Rex was chasing me down a hill (Jurassic Park scared the willies out of me as a kid) when all of a sudden it just clicked that it wasn't real. I turned around, faced the huge dinosaur and ended up having a conversation with him about cats and soft drink. By the end of the dream, the creature and I were good friends, and I was not scared in the slightest. Ever since then, I've had the ability to take control of my dreams and change certain aspects of them, make things go a certain way, even wake myself up completely.

I don't think there's anything in particular that I do that makes me a lucid dreamer. I think some people are just born that way, you know? I don't eat excessive amounts of cheese before I go to bed, LOL. It's just always been something I could do, without ever really having to try to.

[pure]

Hey Everyone.

I think it all comes down to awareness during the day if we see things for the way they are like the trees the sky and really take it in, and stop worrying so much about things we cant control. If we just live life and let things unfold as they should. I believe our dreams will become more clearer and very vivid.

The dream journal works great, i found myself recalling more and more of my dreams. I got to a point where i would remember 3 dreams a night. But i got back into drugs and slacked off on my journal. Im just starting to get back into writing my dreams down. I have also had very vivid dreams while on the patch. they were so intense i had to take the patch off.

Have a great day/night..

~Pure~

[missymeow]

I have recently been prescribed Cymbalta and since being on that medication, I have experienced a lucid dream. I will start keeping a journal as I believe they may continue.

Missy

[missymeow]

I've read most of the messages in this thread and realized that I, also, have had lucid dreams most of my life. I don't dream much. I have fibromyalgia and don't usually go into the deep sleep stage...apparently since being on cymbalta, i have been able to go into that stage of sleep and have been sleeping 12 hours or more most nights and still waking up unrefreshed.

Before cymbalta, I did have several dreams of my mother. She passed away almost 2 years ago.

As a child, I had a recurring dream of being in a car and the car going down in water. Seems to have been related to taking the ferry from NJ into NY. At one time, that was the way we got into the City. Also sleepwalked as a child.

My Mom had some ESP and her dreams were very vivid and on more than one occasion, she saw things happen before they actually did.

[pure]

Hey Missy,

Thats great that your starting to keep a dream journal .
The thing is not to slack, sometimes i wake up remembering a dream but i get lazy and put it off till later then i forget to write my dream down all together.

If you keep up with your dream journal, you should start realizing which dreams are important and which dreams may be the subconcious, creating images.

The dreams you've had, could have been your mother trying to tell you something. We have so many dreams that could be meant to teach us something, or show us what we need to change. Dreams can be very symbolic.

What i have noticed ever since i have started to acknowledge dreams as important and not just imagination, (although some may be) i have learned alot about myself, that i probally wouldn't have other wise.

I wish you all the best with your dream journal.

Have a great day/night..

~Pure~

[Hapa Honey]

There are ways to become lucid without consuming anything.

One way is to try and switch a light on and off in your dream. If it does not work, you are supposed to know that you are dreaming.

Another way is to make it a habit to check clocks/your watch in real life (which I think is easy for most people) and then do the same in your dream. When you look at a clock/watch the second time, the numbers will have changed in the dream. It is the same with words in a book or in a letter; they will always change when you look each time.

The best method (for me, anyway) is to make it a habit to count the fingers on your hands several times a day. If possible, try and link this checking to a particular event that occurs frequently in your dreams (I often dream of toilets, so before I go to the toilet I count my fingers). In your dream you will count your fingers, but you either have less or more than normal. This is how you know you are dreaming. Works great for me.

If you do these methods often enough, eventually you don't have to do them to know you are dreaming. Now it often just clicks with me and I know I am dreaming without inspecting anything.

As for remembering dreams with a dream journal: it works even better if you train yourself to wake up after every dream so you can write it down (or scribble a few key events). As I am falling asleep I just repeat to myself that I want to wake up after each dream (you can also use this to wake up without an alarm clock, but if you don't use it a lot it becomes less accurate). However, you'll probably end up extremely sleep deprived... At least I did, having around 15-20 dreams a night! This is why I don't really keep a dream journal any more.

[Clarity]

Hey everyone

This may be a stupid question, but why do you all want to be lucid dreamers? I mean, I used to have them and I´m glad I haven´t had any for a while now, they mainly made me upset and trying to figure them out got me very distressed... Am i really the only one with these thoughts

[Beautiful_Dreamer]

Originally Posted by day-dreamer

My hausband while on the nicotine patches (as he was giving up the smokes) could recall extremely vivd dreams, some not that nice and some just extremely wierd (well wierd to me anyway).

I'm not saying go and get patches, but am sort of questioning if there is something in them that alters the brains natural chemicals to produce these more 'Lucid' dreams.

Was he wearing the patch while he slept? I have heard from friends that it can give you freaky dreams, knew someone who was trying to get their spouse to quit smoking, so she stuck them on him while he slept...I think there is a warning on the box advising against wearing them while you sleep...

[dreamintonight]

Has anyone tried meditation to induce a lucid dream?
I noticed one thing one night before I had three lucid dreams/astral projections dreams in one night.
Well I was having a really bad night, I am rather lonely and I seek comfort in dreams and escaping, dont worry im not that lonely, I only mean in the sense of having a lover.
So that night I was kind of balling about it, I get bouts of depression sometimes but my faith in God and spirituality pull me through.
So to me these three lucid/obe dreams happened as therapy for me and by the way, God be willing I will no longer need my medicine, when I went off of it I felt so free, but when the time is right you dont need it.
Okay so let me get to the subject.
I thought to myself I wont get too down, I will meditate and so this is how I meditated: (i forgot the name of the technique)
It is all about relaxing your entire body and releasing any tension you have in your muscles and just being in the moment without any distractions.
1) you must have silence or soothing music and incense for your relaxation. do not leave the tv on, turn off your phone and get comfortable, preferably in loose fitting clothes
2) sit or lay down on your bed to begin the relaxations process. I lay down on my bed but if you think your a heavy sleeper maybe you should sit.
3) once in your own comfortable position tell yourself that a certain part of your body part or muscle group is relaxed , i.e. my toes are relaxed, my feet, ankles, shins, etc. Imagine a cloud or anything you will released the tension in every part. The key is to start from the bottom up, so relax it all, even your neck, cheeks, ears, forehead, you name it.
4) the relaxation process is flexible depending on if you released your tension and feel completely relaxed. once you are totally relaxed, state your intention. I will lucid dream. the first time I had a lucid dream this is what i said "tonight I will dream that i am writing a song and when I wake up i will write it down" I swear I said this over and over until it sunk in subconscious and I feel asleep. The next thing you know i dreamt of a beautiful woman! (im a woman bty)
5) do not let your mind rove around into mundane thoughts, focus on your subject visualize or repeat a sentence in your head over and over, til you believe so help you God
6) rememeber it can take practice, every one is different, so I say trust how you feel, spark the intuitive side of you and go with it.

I wrote the steps cause it works for me, so back to where I was. When I did this meditation in my sad, lonely night, I ended up having three lucid dreams! It was a great feeling, which compensates too; basically I knew that I dreaming because I flew out of my body and so I wanted to go to outer space and fly amongst the stars and I did and for some reason, I wanted cherries in outer space too! (lol) I also wished to see my dream crush again! So you know that felt good

Good luck to all and dont give up. Take it from me i've had many a crappy night but a rich imagination in dreams...

[davesters]

ummm u guys left out like the most obvious requirements for achiveing a lucid dream. wouldn't having lucid dreams require the person to be in a COMFORTBLE, relaxing state of mind and place meaning try to be ina bed you feel good in. umm if you wanna hava lucid dream make sure you have an adequite amout of sleep meaning if you have to go to work at 6am and you go to sleep at 12:30am every night... FORGET IT!!! its not gonna happen//// it takes me about 12 hours of sleep to have a vivd clear dream aka lucid dream.. well that's all I have now hope it helps.