Lucid Dreaming: What is it and how do I do it?
Lucid Dreaming is the ability to consciously observe and/or control your dreams. To become aware that you are dreaming while in a dream. Lucid dreaming usually occurs when we enter into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
Ways to Experience Lucid Dreaming
Setting Your Environment for REM sleep - creating and maintaining a comfortable sleeping environment will help to encourage REM sleep
Keeping a Dream Journal - Keeping a record of your dreams can not only help you remember your dreams but also to make connections between the dreams you’re having and the connections and messages that are being presented during your waking life. It’s best to journal as soon as you wake up, especially before checking any electronic devices. If you wake up multiple times throughout the night, even if just to use the restroom, I would suggest writing in your journal anything you remember as it can be very easy to forget by morning time.
When diving deeper into the meaning of your dreams and the messages your subconscious is trying to relay to you, sometimes you will begin to connect the dots or notice a theme between dreams. This can reveal patterns and behaviors in your psyche, underlying psychological trauma, hidden talents, gifts, and desires, and perfect material to dive into shadow work.
Use Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD) - In this technique, you tell yourself repeatedly that you will dream and that you will be aware that you are dreaming. The technique relies on a form of memory known as prospective memory, or the ability to remember future events, to activate a lucid dream state.
Practice Reality Testing - This process involves doing checks while awake and asleep to determine if one is dreaming. For example, I began by pressing my thumb nail into the center of my index finger as a child (I began reality testing very early in life), and I could feel the sharpness of my nail during waking life, but in a dream state it was a bit fuzzy and that’s how I knew I was dreaming. This was also the technique I would use to wake me up from a nightmare. To read more about my personal reality testing techniques or experiences, click here.
Working with Dream Herbs - Drinking, smoking, lighting, or even keeping under your pillow certain herbs can help increase the vividness of your dreams, dream recall, activate lucid dreaming, or help with relaxing you enough to get to a state of quality sleep. Drinking a lucid dreaming tea before bed is one of my go-to’s as I've found it to be one of the most effective ways to work with the herbs to invoke and enhance the lucid dreaming state.
To purchase Lucid Dreaming Tea, click here.
Working with Crystals - So this gets into more of the metaphysical side of things. Everything holds a frequency, even inanimate objects, like crystals. Different crystals hold different frequencies and provide different benefits. Some crystals to work with for lucid dreaming are: mystic merlinite, amethyst, purple fluorite, moonstone, clear quartz, selenite, labradorite, lepidolite, blue kyanite, and moldavite. To read more about these crystals and how they can assist, click here.
Exercising Memory and Awareness - Practices like meditation and yoga can help increase your memory and awareness of not only your inner world, but the world around you as the two go hand in hand, making it easier to unpack what your subconscious may be trying to tell you in your dreams. It’s called “Dream Work” for a reason, Lucid Dreaming can be fun, but can also be material for doing inner work if you choose to approach it that way. Practice being the observer. Practicing being the observer in your waking life will not only enhance your awareness but also has been one of the key tools in what activates my lucid dreaming, from personal experience.