How to Control Your Dreams with Lucid Dreaming

What is lucid dreaming?

 
So, you want to learn how to control your dreams with lucid dreaming. But what exactly are lucid dreams? It’s simply realising you are dreaming and having control of your actions. You can go flying, jump miles high or breath underwater. You could even make Megan Fox appear – and give that booty a good seeing to.
 
Many people seem to think that lucid dreaming is going to be extremely complicated. Or is simply impossible. Just something only a bunch of hippy wack-jobs would ever talk about. They could not be more wrong. Lucid dreaming is incredibly simple and anybody can do it. If you follow our guide you will probably have a lucid dream within a couple of weeks.
 
So, where do we start?
 

Dream Recall

 
Dream Recall is exactly what it says on the tin – Remembering your dreams. Dream recall is an essential part of lucid dreaming. It makes you more connected to your dreams and will help you recognise when you are in one.
 
I know what you’re thinking: “Damn, I never remember my dreams”. Well, there is one simple way to do it – tell yourself you will. That’s it. As you rest your head on the pillow at night, repeat in your head: “I will remember my dreams” – and you will. It really is that easy. If you set the intent to start remembering your dreams, most people will be able to recall them much more clearly within a few nights.
 

Dream Diary

 
We all have those dreams that we remember forever. But sometimes, we can wake up, remember a dream quite clearly and then have forgotten it by lunch. This is why you need a dream diary. However, It really doesn’t need to be a giant book with every single detail of every dream you have ever had. Just take a few notes of what seems significant from your dreams. Then, every time you read it the dream will come flooding back. This is essential for staying connected to your dream world.
 
So, you’ve been practising dream recall and keeping a dream diary for a few days and are remembering dreams more clearly. Let’s start lucid dreaming.
 

Know Your Intent

 
It’s a good idea to know what your motivation for lucid dreaming is. Do you want to learn something deep about yourself or would you rather smoke weed and go crazy guilt free? If you get lucid it can be very easy to slip back into the rhythm of the dream and forget you are dreaming again. I would suggest making notes on what you want to do so you don’t just interact with whatever your dream throws up.
 
People have claimed the 3 essential parts to lucid dreaming is good dream recall, having effective techniques (which you will learn in this article) and knowing your intent. So this is very important.
 

Talk To Yourself

 
Like dream recall, there is a very easy way to start lucid dreaming – tell yourself you will. When you are falling asleep at night repeat to yourself: “I will know I am dreaming”, “I will be conscious in my dreams” or “I will become lucid in my dreams tonight.”
 
This is you giving your mind a “suggestion”. Yes, like a hypnotist or Derren Brown might. And the same rules apply here – you are more open to this suggestion when you are in a certain state or “trance”. It will be most effective when you are completely relaxed so when you’re falling asleep is the perfect time. During meditation will also work well.
 

Reality Check

 

 
This will sound strange but it’s easy to forget that when you are dreaming you are you. If you wear glasses you will have dreams with you wearing your glasses. If you like to pick your nose you will do it in your dreams. And if you have broken your arm, your arm will be broken in your dream. How does this help us?
 
If you ask yourself through-out the day if you are dreaming, you will start doing this in your dreams as well. This is a reality check. There are certain things about dreams that can help us realise we are dreaming. For example, things change in dreams. You can look at something in a dream, turn your head away and when you look back it will be different somehow. This is the perfect way to check you are dreaming.
 
It is hard to read things in dreams. Text will appear strange or start to distort. This can help us with reality checks. I like to use my phone. Through out the day I will ask myself if I am dreaming and look at my phone. I look, look away and look back again. If I am dreaming the time and date on my phone won’t make sense. It will be random letters or symbols or when I look back a second time, the time will have completely changed.
 
Having a lucid dream isn’t falling asleep and entering a “lucid dream” you simply realise you are dreaming during the dream. Reality checks are one of the most common ways to become lucid and I would suggest doing reality checks as much as possible to maximise the chance you will do it while dreaming.
 

Dream Signs

 
A dream sign is something strange or impossible happening that let’s us know we are dreaming. Normally, something impossible – like seeing someone that has passed away or a flying castle in the sky. Once we spot a dream sign we can perform a reality check to make sure. This may sound strange but even seeing a dead friend or relative is not always enough to know you are dreaming. The rest of the dream seems so real you simply tell yourself this must be real life.
 
A way to make sure you are going to do a reality check after spotting a dream sign is performing a reality check after you see something strange in real life. This could be a strange feeling of deja-vu or simply seeing a hipster and thinking, “Those glasses are massive, surely no human would choose to wear those. I better check to see if I’m dreaming.”
 
It’s common to have recurring dream signs. So try to remember things you have seen a few times in different dreams and make a mental note to be on the look out for them. Your dream diary can come in handy here. Look back and see if there is anything that keeps popping up.
 
There are other techniques out there so if you are having no success then I would suggest looking for further reading. However, to get started, all you need is this article. I have been doing it for years and have never needed any other technique.
 
If you have been trying for a while and are getting no results please do not get discouraged. People learn at different paces and unless you plan on dying tomorrow you have plenty of time. So chill, dude.
 
Happy dreaming.