How Do You Become A Lucid Dreamer?
Many of us think of our dreams as something which is largely beyond our control ? they happen while we are asleep, after all and whether they are pleasant dreams or nightmares, we shrug and assume there is nothing to be done to direct the course of our dreams. However, it is entirely possible to have dream control thorough the technique known as lucid dreaming.
But just what is lucid dreaming anyway? How can you learn to use dream control? Most importantly, what are the benefits of using dream control? Let?s take a closer look at lucid dreaming and what dream control can accomplish in your life.
Exactly What is Dream Control?
Dream control, or lucid dreaming is when you are completely aware that you are dreaming while you are doing so ? and in control of the events which take place within your dream. Even while your body is sound asleep, your mind knows that you are dreaming and you are in the director?s chair for the proceedings.
People, that suffer from bad dreams on a regular basis, can benefit from this greatly, to get control over their sleep and finally have a peaceful night’s sleep.
Common Techniques For Inducing Lucid Dreaming
Using binaural audio is a great way for reaching the lucid dream stage, through this you listen separate frequencies (in unison) for the purpose of getting the brain waves synchronized, which allows you to relax, and the stage where lucid dreaming is able to occur known as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
Prior to the advent of binaural audio technology, now available on CDs and DVDS, meditation and self hypnosis were used to bring about dream control. While these methods are indeed effective, it can take a considerable amount of time to become expert at these techniques.
Besides using these methods for lucid dreaming, there are others that have been discovered through the years by qualified psychologists and scientists. It does not matter which method is used, the basic goal is the same, which is to train your mind as it sleeps to recognize when it is in the middle of dreaming.
This training begins while you are still awake. The goal is to remember to perform some kind of cue which will remind us that we are dreaming ? this allows dream control to begin.
This often comes down to you just saying to yourself, just prior to sleeping, that in a few minutes you will be dreaming, and that in the dream you will state something or do an action, and as this occurs, instantly you recognize you are dreaming.
This form of dream control training is called MILD (mnemonic induction of lucid dreams) and was developed by the scientist Dr. Stephen LaBerge. This mnemonic technique allows you to start using dream control to decide how your dreams will play out. Once you are lucid dreaming, there are no limits except for your own imagination!
Starting a dream journal can also help prepare you for lucid dreaming. Keep this by your bedside and as soon as you wake from a dream, write down everything you can remember from it. Once you have been doing this for a while, you?ll begin to start lucid dreaming ? remembering is the first step to dream control.
Using dream control can allow you to banish your nightmares and have truly incredible adventures in your dreams. Anything you can imagine is possible when you are lucid dreaming.
Experts warn though, that the one danger to lucid dreaming, is doing it too often can have adverse effects. The central reason being that dreaming naturally often informs us of critical things we would otherwise not know. Go ahead and have fun with lucid dreaming. It truly is an interesting experience, but always also let yourself have some times when you just dream regularly!